Sponsors in our child sponsorship program receive two to three letters per year from their sponsored child. Sponsored children update their sponsors on important happenings in their lives, share how they are doing in school and often mention how they are helping their families. Our sponsors are often curious about us what some of this information means. Things like:
what does sweeping the compound mean
what is washing utensils
fetching water where
working in the garden
Volunteers Experience Rural Ugandan Life
Our volunteers have been actively participating in village life in Agwata village in the Lamwo district of northern Uganda these past two weeks. We’re excited to share with you some first hand photos of some of these daily duties of young elementary age children in the village.
Many of our sponsors share that sponsoring a child has been a favorite activity of their family. They feel it helps their elementary age children learn about a culture that is very different from that in the U.S. It’s a culture where many things we take for granted are not available.
Where life is much simpler. Where children have very different hobbies and go to a very different kind of school. Life in Agwata, Uganda is a life “off grid” with no electricity. Some homes may have the use of one solar light at night. There is no running water. Cooking is done either outdoors or in a hut filled with smoke from the cooking fire.
Volunteers Busy in Uganda in July
U.S. Volunteers Busy Packing
July is a busy month for Outreach Uganda volunteers. Earlier in July, U.S. volunteers were busy organizing and packing supplies for the upcoming Uganda trip.
Thank you to all are U. S. Donors who donated money and supplies for this summer’s trip! We packed 200 reusable sanitary pad kits for girls, received donations of large suitcases, over 200 pairs of girls’ underwear, and dozens of ziplock bags to include in the kits.
In addition, we received several laptops, over 30 raincoats for girls boarding at the school and many much needed school supplies, especially pens and pencils.
Carol and Two Volunteers Safely Arrive in Uganda
Our volunteers in Uganda are hard at work in the community and seeing firsthand the tremendous growth in the Agwata community especially at the primary school and clinic.
Living in the community while volunteering lets volunteers see what rural Uganda village life is like. It helps you understand where your sponsored child lives and what they mean when they say they are washing utensils or fetching water.
Besides meeting our women’s group members, visiting sponsored children, and distributing sanitary pad kits, volunteer Mary has been teaching at the pre-school which has 210 students.
Interested in volunteering with us in Uganda in 2024? We expect our 2024 trips to be in Feb/March 2024 and July/early August 2024. Please contact us if you would like more information!
Uganda School Library Opens Doors in July
Uganda School Library First of its Kind in the District
Congrats to Outreach Uganda volunteer, Kirsten, and school librarian, Lucy for all of their hard work in July! As a result, our Uganda school library in Agwata village opened its doors to students in mid-July. Library construction began in February and was completed in early July except for painting which carried over into August.
The library is one of the few primary school libraries in Uganda. It serves 450 primary students and 14 primary teachers in Agwata located in Lamwo district. Besides the main library hall, teachers also have their own Teacher Resource room in the library building. Later in August, the carpenter completed work on 4 long library tables. The tables can each seat 12 students.
U.S. Volunteer Helps Ugandan Librarian
Kirsten helped Lucy, the librarian, and the teachers understand the reading level system for the 1800 books in the library. Almost all of the books are in English, which is the official business language in Uganda. From 7th grade onward, the government requires that schools teach all classes and give exams in English.
Many of the books were donated from the U.S. We bought 200 of the books in Uganda, primarily student textbooks and readers plus most of the teacher resource books. We hope that our Uganda school library will become a model for other schools in the district.
Students and teachers were very excited to use the library. Books are a rarity in Uganda so it is very exciting to see so many different books in one room! Fifth and sixth grade students can access the library during their free time. Lower classes need to use the library with their teacher.
Book Drive Underway to Collect More Books for Uganda School Library
During September and October, we are hosting a Book Drive in the U.S. where we hope to obtain 600 additional donated books plus other resources. Besides books, we are collecting audio cds which go with certain books, educational dvds, a globe, and lego bricks which will be used for math and other STEM activities at the library. Please email or call us if you or your school or workplace would like to help with this book collection effort.
We also need cash donations to provide funds to purchase desperately needed additional textbooks as well as more Ugandan readers and social studies books. Donate now for books.
Uganda Volunteers Work with Agwata Nursery Teachers
U.S. and Uganda Nursery Teachers Share Teaching Experiences
Our four Uganda nursery teachers were beyond excited to have Uganda volunteer Deb, teach with them. Deb and two other volunteers volunteered at the school for 2 weeks in July. Carol and Nancy (OU board members), and our Ugandan sponsorship coordinator, Sharon (at right) joined the group for a photo.
Differences Between U.S. and Uganda Preschools
While a Uganda volunteer at the school, Deb noted both similarities and differences between her U.S. preschool and the Agwata school. She said in both cases, the teachers are very energetic and busy and love what they do. However, she noted that U.S. preschool classes are much smaller, often 10 students. Whereas, classes in Uganda are quite large, 45 and higher! It is common for Ugandan children to travel long distances to school, often by themselves or with an older sibling. She reports that much of the learning in Uganda is rote learning, listening to what the teacher is saying, interspersed with hand clapping and singing. In the U.S. much learning takes place via experiential learning in various-themed learning center areas in the classroom.
2019 Uganda Volunteer Trip Information
Before the trip, Deb, who is a U.S. preschool director, was busy collecting lots of markers, pencils, videos and more for our Agwata preschool.
Please message or email us if you’d like more information about joining us for one of our 2019 Uganda trips or have items you would like to donate! Tentative dates are Feb/March 2019, and late June/July 2019. Twelve to fourteen days in Uganda is ideal for a Uganda volunteer experience.
Uganda Volunteers Help Make Bricks for Northern Uganda School
Uganda Volunteers Help Make Bricks for Northern Uganda School
In February, two Uganda volunteers from the U.S. visited Agwata’s northern Uganda school. The community was hard at work making bricks for the fourth classroom block at this northern Uganda school which is located less than 50 kilometers from the Sudan border. Over 10,000 bricks need to be made for the northern Uganda school before the April rains begin. As a show of support, one of our Uganda volunteers, Rick, eagerly helped out two different work crews for an entire morning. After working in the hot sun until noon, Rick commented that he understood why they only work until noon” on a project like this.
Muddy Job at Northern Uganda School Does Not Deter our Uganda Volunteers
Each parent at Agwata’s northern Uganda school has been assigned to one of four work groups which sets its own brick making schedule. While our Uganda volunteers made bricks voluntarily, each community member was tasked to make 100 bricks for the new classroom block. Construction is scheduled to begin later in May. However, since the rains begin in April, brick making needs to be completed before the rains begin.
Brick making is a muddy job involving the entire community. Usually, it is the men who make the bricks. Most often, the women and older girls carry water from the bore hole to help wet the soil to make the right consistency of mud. Younger children watch the babies while their mothers are working. Once several rows of bricks are made, another worker will cover them with grasses or dry dirt to prevent them from cracking in the hot sun. Usually it is the women and older children that will collect the grasses needed for this part. Care must be taken that the previously gathered grasses do not catch fire since it is a very dry time of year when many bush fires are burning.
More Uganda Volunteers Will Help Northern Uganda School With Building Construction
Once these bricks are thoroughly dried, they are then stacked with an opening in the center. Firewood is placed into this hole, and the entire stack of bricks is burned for one to two days. Then, they are allowed to cool down.
After some more time, the bricks will be ready to use in the fourth classroom block which will house two classrooms plus provide a staff office for Nursery teachers and secure storage space for Nursery equipment. In the meantime, we still have four classes of students meeting in the original mud and thatch building which is in a very dilapidated condition.
According to David Ocitti, Project Coordinator, building is scheduled to begin in mid-May. At this time, additional volunteers from the U.S. will come and help the local Ugandan building crew to build this building and perhaps also work on a smaller project such as the moving and rebuilding of the school kitchen.
Once the fourth class block is finished later this year, “we hope to begin work on a Nursery playground which will be fenced so that these youngest students can play safely in a space just for them”, said Carol Davis, Outreach Uganda’s president. Currently, there is no playground equipment at the school, only a soccer field and netball hoops for older students. We are seeking other partners to help us with the playground construction.
Immunization Services Needed at Northern Uganda Clinic
Motorcycle Will Give Northern Uganda Clinic Access to Immunization Services
Help Mwaka and other children and babies in Agwata be able to receive needed immunizations in their northern Uganda clinic located in Agwata village in Lamwo district. Currently, mothers and their infants and children must travel either 17 or 31 kilometers to the next nearest health centers to receive needed immunizations. Many are unable to do this.
Outreach Uganda is currently fundraising for a small motorcycle. This will allow the remote northern Uganda clinic to pick up and return, once per week, an insulated cooler with needed immunizations from the larger sub-county health center. Total needed: $1,000 which includes the cost of the motorcycle and fuel for six months. Donate now. This will allow the clinic to begin offering immunization services one day a week.
Immunization Services Key Part of Maternity Services Addition at Northern Uganda Clinic
Being able to offer immunizations one day per week is a key part of adding maternity services to our Northern Uganda clinic. Mothers need to make sure their newborn is properly immunized in accordance with Uganda government requirements within one week of delivery. Therefore, any newborns would be able to be immunized right at the Agwata clinic without having to travel again to the next nearest health center. In the long run, we hope that a more substantial and unfortunately, more costly clinic improvement can be done which is to install solar panels to provide electricity to run a small refrigerator to store immunizations full time at the clinic. At that later time, the motorcycle can then be converted to offer transport services to emergency patients needing to go to hospitals further away. Besides providing electricity for the refrigerator, electricity would also provide better lighting than our current solar lantern can provide, and would also more reliably charge cell phones which are often needed in emergency situations, but not always available.
Celebrating Women in Northern Uganda
Outreach Uganda Helps Sponsor Local International Women’s Day Festival in Lamwo District
In a community where over 60% of females responded that sometimes it is OK to be beaten by one’s husband, celebrating womanhood is no small matter. In early May, over 50 ladies and even some men from Agwata village traveled to Palabek Gem to attend their first ever festival marking International Women’s Day. The UN-recognized holiday helps bring attention to the need for acknowledgement of women’s rights, and the need for their participation in political and economic life.
Outreach Uganda believes that the advancement of women drives greater economic and social change. Income-generation is one of our primary efforts because of its ability to empower women. The money earned from bead sales and project donations allows the women we work with to start or supplement small businesses. They receive technical training, accumulate inventory, and improve business practices. With this income, the ladies have a greater say in how the family’s money is spent, including feeding and educating the next generation of community members and breaking the cycle of poverty.
The Agwata women proudly wore the white t-shirts they had purchased themselves for this special event. At the event, they presented their special cultural dance that they had rehearsed the preceding two weeks. While this year’s Women’s Day festival was the inaugural event for the sub-county, we hope it was not the last. The Cubu Parish (which includes Agwata where our third beader group is located) had the most attendees at the event. There is talk that perhaps next year’s event may be moved to Cubu Parish. Hopefully, with our continued work and your continued support, by that time there will be even more for these women to celebrate.
More photos below:
Income Generation in Action: Harvesting Honey
Abera Beehive Project Brings Sweet Returns:
In the northern Uganda village of Agwata, the approximate 90 women with whom we work have organized themselves into five smaller work clusters. Each cluster elects their own officers and chooses their own income-generation projects as they work to overcome poverty. The Abera cluster decided last year to keep beehives and sell the honey to generate income for themselves.
The Abera group’s five beehives are made from logs and are kept high in yaa (shea) trees. The hives from this area produce some of the best honey in all of Uganda. At the time of harvest, prices for honey can be relatively low at under $2 per kilogram. The women’s strategy has been to store the honey until local supply decreases and the price rises to almost $2.50 per kilogram. Last year, the Abera group’s first honey harvest generated only $40. They have just harvested their honey for this year and estimate it to weigh 150 kg. This could bring in up to $360.
In addition to their beehive project, the Abera group also generates income by planting and harvesting simsim (sesame seeds), keeping chickens, and buying produce to resell at higher prices. The Abera women’s cluster has proven to be one of the most energetic and successful clusters. Another group demonstrating good team work and entrepreneurial skills is the Olubi cluster, which also engages in simsim farming and the keeping of chickens. Stay tuned for future updates on these entrepreneurial women and their efforts to better their lives.
Agwata Clinic to Offer Maternal Care
Local health center provides more services to more people:
The World Health Organization reported in 2011 that, on average, 1,000 deaths occurred per day due to complications of pregnancy and childbirth, and 99% of these deaths were in developing countries, including sub-Saharan Africa. Many of these lives could be saved if mothers had access to adequate health care.
The local health clinic which opened in Agwata in 2013 is expanding to include maternal care and services. The health center is currently in the process of being registered at the national level, and was recently given verbal approval to offer maternal services including performing deliveries. However, the clinic still needs many equipment items, an incinerator and more, relative to this expanded service capability. We hope our fundraising for these items will be successful so they can be purchased or constructed by mid-year.
In addition to the maternity services expansion, the health center has been very successful overall. Agwata villagers no longer have to walk to the grueling 17km (about 10.5 miles) to the next closest facility. Patient visits have increased from 474 in June 2013 to an average of 1,100 visits per month in November, December, and January. Just last week, OU president, Carol Davis, was present to help deliver huge stockpiles of much-needed medications including antibiotics to the sub-county for use at the clinic.
The risk of a woman in a developing country dying from a pregnancy-related cause during her lifetime is about 25 times higher compared to a woman living in a developed country [WHO]. With expanded access to maternal services, our local Agwata clinic will be playing a role in reducing that risk.
Meet Some of our Ugandan Moms and their Babies
Outreach Uganda’s programs focus especially on Ugandan women and their children. In northern Uganda, where two of our women’s groups are located, our programs focus especially on women and children. Here are some of our mothers and their babies. Outreach Uganda helped open a health clinic in June 2013 which serves over 7000 people including these families. At the same location, we partner with the community on their village primary school which currently has over 380 students. Clockwise from the top left we have:
1. Lamwaka Jennifer and her child Okema Dicken (2 1/2 months old)
2. Aywek Agnes, age 37, and her daughter Acan Gloria (2 months old)
3. Akello Grace, age 30, and her daughter Aloyo (age 5 months)
4. Akello Rose, age 26, and her daughter Agenorwot Miriam (age 2 years)