Events

Happy pupils receiving learning materials

Second year pupils were so happy to receive school exercise books. Learning materials are bought from the alternative gift cards which are available throughout the year.

Phoebe, the 3 year old with hydrocephalus

Phoebe had the initial operation but her mother had no money to take her back to the clinic for physiotherapy and follow up medical help. She has now had her follow up, paid of by Heart of God International and just needs physiotherapy to strengthen her legs.

Phoebe is very bright and was so happy when she was given the walker to try. She was shouting in Lugisu “I can walk!” It would be good to be able to buy one for her, because the physic considers that she really needs one.

The children are taught how to brush properly.

Jewellery from paper are made by widows from the village and sold to raise the school fees for orphaned children. EZRA is providing training and materials needed to extend this skill (photos right).

Aimee Hopkins on a six month mission to Busyangi village

Letter for contacts from Aimee Hopkins

Latest blog May update! (2012-05-18).

Rainy season…wellies time! (2012-04-21)
The motivation to commence work in the district of Bunambutye in North Eastern Uganda came from visiting the area in July 2011. I witnessed first hand the extreme poverty and vulnerability in the communities surrounding Kings Primary school which was set up by Welsh charity EZRA to provide the children of this area with an education.

The main objective of the work I will undertake is the development of sustainable projects offering a long-term solution to the poverty in this area. There will be several facets to the approach including research and partnership work with other organisations who have specific expertise. Initial contact has been made with organizations specializing in agriculture, microfinance and community development. It is hoped that representatives from these organsation’s will offer ongoing support, advice and guidance. It is also hoped that members of the community in Bunambutye will be given the opportunity to visit successful projects in other areas, to learn from their work and also to develop good working relationships with other organisations and a support network.
All projects will be community led and will encourage self-reliance. It is crucial that the community is able to manage the projects themselves. Our role is only to initially facilitate this. A strong emphasis will therefore be placed on developing understanding, capacity building, skills sharing, as well as the development of committees, working groups and strong community / project leaders.
A thorough community consultation and needs analysis will initially take place in order to gain a clear understanding of the demographics of the area. Guidance on how to proceed with this has been sought from organisations who have conducted similar studies as well as British Universities with International Development departments. Good quality baseline data is important in order to monitor and evaluate progress.
Another facet will be working with the communities to enable them to understand their rights and to have a voice. Legal advice is being sought through a Ugandan barrister and also through other organizations with expertise in this area. Empowerment of the villagers will be fundamental for the long term success of any projects that are developed. Gender and cultural sensitivity will be given careful consideration at all times.
Having a strong supporter base in the UK is of crucial importance in order to raise both awareness and funds. The ultimate aim is for the communities to develop to a point where they are self sufficient and not reliant on financial support from us. However, in the initial stages there will be a reliance on financial support for the purchasing of equipment, seeds, livestock and potentially start up grants for small businesses, travel to visit projects etc. (the exact requirements of money will not be known until the initial groundwork has taken place).
I would therefore like to establish a regular supporter base who contribute money every month which will fund the costs involved with developing the community projects. (This will not fund my living expenses and will be spent entirely on the development of the projects). My initial target is to find 50 people who are willing to commit to £5 a month on an ongoing basis. I have set the amount small to make it an affordable amount. However if people would like to commit more, then that would be fantastic! Another option is to commit one hour of your salary a month to the cause?! This is something I would really appreciate your help with in these early stages…helping me raise awareness and find those 50 people!
Separate to this I have set myself a target of raising £1000 which will be used solely to pay for emergency medical care for community members. There is such a huge need for this as I witnessed on my last visit. Access to healthcare is very limited without money and as a result of this, preventable death rates are high. I know that there will be many medical emergencies while I am there which I may be able to help with. I am hoping to organise a fundraising party in January and this is something I would greatly appreciate help and support with and any ideas / prizes etc. will be gratefully received! Also, if you have any other fundraising ideas or would be willing to hold your own small fundraising event then that would also be fab! Contact me!
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