The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the communities that we work with and we have been busy offering aid and assistance wherever we can.
A Helping Hand
With lockdown restrictions and curfews, many Ugandans have been struggling on reduced incomes or worse through losing jobs. There is little Government assistance and so we have stepped in to help those across all of our projects.
Though our nurseries and craft shops have been closed we continued to pay full salaries for three months, followed by making monthly contributions to all of our staff. Our Head Tailor has been making hundreds of face masks, many of which have been given away to the Bwama Health Centre, the women in our craft groups and more. And while our nursery schools have been forced to close, we have taken the opportunity to redecorate! As for our Special Needs Education Centre - sadly this too has had to close and all the children and young people sent back to their homes. But, we have made sure we support them through food packages. Supplies have also been given to women in our craft groups, comprising posho, beans, salt, soap and more.
Health Care
We are pleased to be able to support Bwama Health Centre through the supply of PPE equipment and much needed, life-saving medicine.
Additionally, we are delighted that Dr Robert Mugarura has scheduled another Surgical Camp for early in the New Year, and we are keeping fingers and toes crossed that COVID-19 restrictions do not hinder his work to help children and adults suffering from orthopaedic conditions.
Free Seedlings
Spreading a little love during the COVID-19 lockdown, we were delighted to deliver 25,000 coffee plant seedlings to the women in our craft groups.
This is all thanks to Gorilla Highlands Coffee and the Government's
Uganda Coffee Development Authority scheme.
The government's scheme is there to expand coffee farming throughout the country, aiming to "promote and oversee the coffee industry by supporting research, promoting production, controlling the quality and improving the marketing of coffee". Gorilla Highlands Coffee is one of our close partners and thanks to them our women's groups were chosen as beneficiaries of these coffee plants. When these plants start producing beans in a few years, the women will earn money selling their beans to Gorilla Highlands Coffee. We are delighted to help set them on a path to building a sustainable income for themselves and their families.
And it doesn't stop there! We have also been able to donate vegetable seedlings to the staff at Bwama Health Centre to be used by staff, in nutrition outreach workshops and for patients, and to other local community groups.
