Sunday, June 23, 2024

A '3-Day-Long' day in my life in Africa

 


I used to write and post here on my blog more often. I suppose it was because when I first moved to Uganda, everything was new and different and I wanted to show my family and friends back home in America how life was sooooo different. Over the years, I just became accustomed to all the ways of living in an underdeveloped and very dysfunctional nation and my posts became less. 

I mainly use this platform to post our year end reports for the ministry.  However, on those days when things were dysfunctional BEYOND BELIEF, my only outlet for my frustration was to write. Thankfully, Samsung Notes has been my easy go to place to unleash the stress (trauma) of it all and I'd unload my thoughts on a certain day or situation.  Todays post is one I'd like to share with you. February, 2024 was one of the hottest months I ever lived through anywhere on the planet. This is an account of ONE of my days living life in a 3rd world country. I have entries like this from the past 11 years and will share as I come across them in my notes. 

Today felt like a 3-day-long day.  I woke early and prepared myself for the day. There was still no water as they took it the day before so I used a 20 liter bottle I keep of reserve water. It's heavy to lift and pour but I washed the dishes left in the sink. My worker came at 10am and we noticed it was becoming a very windy day. Dry season comes with a lot of dust. Without water we couldn't do inside cleaning so I sent him to sweep outside and help me move some potting soil I had delivered, into an area where I wanted to start plants in containers. I sent him home early. I swept with the intentions of mopping and then resting for the day. Ha. It wouldn't be.

The wind was blowing a steady cyclone of dirt throughout the whole town and into my windows. It was 97F and there was no way I was closing up the house. A thin layer of  brownish-red African soil laid across my floors. They were slippery like an ice skating rink. There was nothing I could do but let it penetrate my whole house.

At about 11:50 am power went off. Now I had no water, no power and no way to  stay cool. As if the fans helped. When it's 97F on the equator during an El Nino year, the humidity is comparable to Bali, Indonesia. It's just uncomfortable for me, one because people with Lupus cannot regulate their body heat consistently. The best way to describe it is it feels like having 10-three minute fevers a day.  I also have post-Covid 19 Pulmonary Fibrosis and Asthma. As soon as the fans go off I feel like I'm suffocating.

Before the power went off I had a visitor come. Its a girl we sponsor through our ministry. She got her scores from her leaving exams for S4 and in fact scored so high she got tuition assistance from the school. She wanted to talk to Stephen about the other requirements needed because school starts for S5 on march 5th. So now I had no water, no power, no air, filthy dirty floors and a visitor I really only know from brief visits over the years to sort school issues with Stephen. I am an introvert. I am very independent and have set things I like to do each day. But now I had to sit and make awkward uncomfortable small talk. For the next 4 hours. I had to make something to eat for us both. That is an African must for when visitors come, even unannounced or unplanned visitors. I had to wash the dishes, again using the heavy water bottle reserves. He finally came home and she settled her issues and left. 

At this point power was still off. The wind was winding down a bit and all the dust it had picked up and hurled into my house had finally and completely settled. I swept again. This time having to reach every corner, underneath beds, and both front and back verandas. My second time in my 3-day-long day that I had to do this. I mopped every room. Moved beds and furniture to get it clean.

I feed stray cats homemade cat food, which is not easy to get in an area of the country that despises cats and I was waiting for Stephen to come from town with the ingredients. So at 5pm I cooked rice and ground beef. It was still 95F. No water, no power. But my floors weren't a brown ice skating rink anymore. I also had to think about preparing supper. I had taken out chicken breasts.  So after washing dishes and pots from cooking cat food, using yet another heavy 20 liter bottle of reserve water that i had to carry from the store room and lift up onto the counter, after the whole day working and cooking already, I had to cook again. It was now getting to 6pm. Still no power, still no water. Still hot. And I had been going non-stop since 7:30am. I just finished a week of prednisone for a bad Lupus pain flare. All my pain and exhaustion was now all back. And I thought I was going to rest. Ha. No.

I prepared chicken and white sauce and pasta for supper. I fed 4 cats. Stephen offered to wash dishes. Water was slowly coming back in a trickle and after 6 and a half hours, during the hottest part of the day, they finally gave us electricity back. I turned on the fans first thing and breathed a huge breath of relief.

I had been thinking while making supper that if power stayed off all night, 1. All my food he just bought in town including meat would spoil and 2. I would surely die from the heat in our bedroom and for sure from suffocation (asthma at night is hell even with a fan on). The humidity is highest at night and the temps hover above 80F most of the night.  There's no mercy during dry season in Africa. Especially in a country with a 38 year dictator who uses power and water outages intentionally to suppress the people.

As I write this at 9:30pm, I have power. I have water. I have a fan 2 feet from my face on high. I survived the 3-day-long day. Wonder what tomorrow will bring? Or not bring. Hopefully not a 20 mph sustained sandy wind. And hopefully not a power and water outage again. I'm exhausted. The predicted temperature tomorrow....98°F with 38% humidity. 

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Many Mansions of Christ Intl. and Mother Martha Family Foundation “Youth Empowerment: Breaking the Chain of HIV Transmission.” Proposal and Budget

 

 

MANY MANSIONS OF CHRIST INTERNATIONAL

“Youth Empowerment: Breaking the Chain of HIV Transmission.”

 

 

                      

 

 

      Submitted to:                       Our Friends and Partners through Mother Martha Family Foundation.

 

Implemented by:              Many Mansions of Christ international & Mother Martha Foundation

P.O. Box 405

                                                                        Soroti, Uganda             

 

PROJECT SUMMARY

 

Project Title

Youth Empowerment: Breaking the chain of HIV Transmission

 

Project Purpose

To reduce the incidence of new infections, increase awareness and knowledge about HIV prevention, destigmatize HIV/ AIDs, promote regular testing and access to health care services and empower the young people economically and spiritually.

 

Amount of Grant Requested

$10729

Number of beneficiaries to be impacted.

1050 People

Project Location

Soroti District Uganda, East Africa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ORGANISATIONAL PROFILE

 

Organizational Name

Many Mansions of Christ International

 

Year Founded

2013

 

Registered Address

P.O. Box 405 Soroti, Uganda.

 

Registration Number

ASU/CBS/03/023/001

 

Mission Statement

To provide vulnerable people in Soroti city and Asuret subcounty with spiritual growth and basic needs support through working with Christians, individuals, ministries and other relevant partners.

 

Contact Person and designation

Name: Okumu Stephen

Designation: Principal Director

 

Contact details

Phone: +256776551180

E-mail: manymansions11@gmail.com

 

Website

Social Media

https://manymansions11.wixsite.com

https://www.facebook.com/manymansionsofchristinternational/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Experts fighting HIV/AIDs in Soroti District have raise concern over high HIV/AIDS prevalence rate among the young population. HIV/ AIDS prevalence rate among the young people aged 20 to 24 stands at 4.5 percent up from 3.7 percent in the previous years.

HIV/ AIDs is still the biggest threat in the District. The 4.5 percent prevalence means that in every 20 individuals, at least one person is living with it.

An individual continues to spread HIV for as long as he or she is still sexually active, which expresses others at risk.

HIV/AIDS has been a major public health issues in Uganda for several decades and young people aged 15-24 have been disproportionately affected by epidemic. The first case of HIV infection was reported in Uganda in the early 1980s and by the Mid 1990s the country had one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world.

One of the key factors driving the spread of HIV among young people in Uganda has been a lack of comprehensive sex education and access to sexual and reproductive health services. Many young people in Uganda have limited knowledge about HIV transmission and prevention and they may engage in high risk behavior such as unprotected sex and multiple partners.

In addition, social and economic factors such as poverty, gender inequality, and migration have also contributed to the high rate of HIV infection among young people in Uganda. For example, young women in Uganda may be economically dependent on older men for financial support leading to transactional sex and increased risk of HIV transmission.

Although other organizations such as The AIDS support Organisation (TASO) Uganda Cares and AIDS information Centre (AIC) have played a big role in trying to reduce the spread of the disease. Not much has been done in terms of school to school awareness among the young people and also in the areas of empowerment of the young people economically so that they don’t fall prey to the older groups of people for support and transactional sex.

Many Mansions of Christ international together with Mother Martha Foundation would like to revive the school education programs and also reach out to more young people in the communication so as to empower them economically.

 

 

 

 

PRIMARY GOAL

The primary goal of this particular project is to reduce the number of new infections and improve the overall wellbeing of young people.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

Increase knowledge and awareness. Educating the youth about HIV transmissions, prevention methods and the importance of regular testing.

Promoting safe sexual practices. Encouraging the use of condoms, reducing the number of partners and promoting abstinence and prevention methods.

Increasing access to HIV testing and counselling. Promoting regular testing and ensuring linkage to care and treatment services to those who are positive.

Providing support services. Offering psychological support counseling and pear support for youth living with HIV. They can also be empowered economically through establishing income generating activities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TARGET BENEFICIARIES AND OUTREACH PROGRAM.

Target Group:

The youth and teenagers

Age Group:

13-24

Estimated numbers of Beneficiaries:

1050 young boys and girls

Target Areas:

Kamuda Subcounty, Asuret Subcounty and Soroti City.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION.

The proposed project is a comprehensive initiative aimed at increasing awareness, preventing transmission amongst the youth and to support individual families affected by HIV/ AIDs with the youth communities. We aim to support those families with two goats per family as an income generating activity. Through a combination of outreaches both in the schools and in the communities, we seek to empower young people economically but most importantly, encourage them to take charge of their health, combat stigma and discrimination.

Key components of the project will include, delivering accurate age and appropriate information about HIV/AIDS in schools and communities encouraging health behavior such as practicing safe sex and getting tested regularly. There will also be outreaches to the communities, providing the affected families with goats for future income generating. Collaboration with stakeholders such as Mother Martha Foundation, local leaders, school heads, churches and other community leaders will be key as far as this program is concern. This will help amplify the impact of the program and ensure coordinated efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXPECTED RESULTS

Increase awareness about HIV/AIDS. This can lead to more informed decision making and behavior change among young people.

Decreased Transmission Rate. By empowering the young people to protect themselves and others. We will be able to make significant strides in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS in Soroti District.

Improved Health Outcomes. It will lead to reduced risk of opportunistic infections, viral suppression and increased quality of life for those living with HIV/AIDS.

Reduced stigma and Discrimination. Through education campaign we can help young people living with HIV/AIDS feel empowered and accepted.

Economic Empowerment. These will help providing the affected families with goats as an income generating venture will make these families become financially independent and hence reduce poverty financial stress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ACTIVITIES AND TIME TABLE

It is a one month program starting from September 2024 to October 2024.

Week

ACTIVITIES/ EVENTS

Week 1 [SEPT]

Identification of schools

Identification of goat beneficiaries

Baseline compilation

Recruiting volunteers

Training and briefing volunteers

Resource mobilization

Week 2

Awareness campaigns

 

Week 3

Awareness campaign

 

Week 4

Awareness campaign

Goat distribution

Monitoring and evaluation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

The organisation will come up with a tool or mechanism that will help to identify specific indicators of the program. We shall track the number of young people that attend the awareness campaigns and also record the households that will benefit from the goat project. This will help in the monitoring and evaluation aspect.

A proper work plan will also be developed and activities will be broken down into different categories. This will help track the day-to-day activities and for accountability purposes.

We will also be able to collect data from the house holds and the youth that participate in the awareness campaign. This will be achieved through interviews, focused group discussions, and surveys.

Regular reports will also be provided for our partners and stakeholders. This report will include the activities such as the school campaigns, a goat give away project and it will also include the challenges faced during the activities.

Video coverage and taking of pictures will also be part of the program. We will hire an individual to take pictures and cover videos during the program. This videos and pictures can be revealed later so as to determine the progress of the project.


SUSTAINABILITY OF THE PROJECT

Community Engagement and Ownership.

We shall engage the youth leaders from the communities, school owners and other stakeholders such as The AIDS Support Organization [TASO], AIDs Information Centre [AIC] and health providers in Soroti District in the implementation of the program. This will build a sense of ownership, hence sustainability of the program.

Capacity Building.                                      

We shall train our volunteers and other stakeholders such as the school owners, and local community leaders in the greater delivery and support of the HIV/AIDS program to the young people.

Sustainable funding.

The program such as these requires adequate funding. We will have to explore other opportunities for grants, donations and also carry out fund raising once in a while in order to raise revenue for the long term activities.

Monitoring and evaluation.

We shall continuously and evaluate the program in order to access the impact, identify areas for improvement and demonstrate results to the funders and stakeholders. Their feedback will give us direction in which way to go with the project.




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Year End Report 2023

 


MANY MANSIONS OF CHRIST INTERNATIONAL

P.O. Box 405 Soroti Uganda

TELEPHONE: +256776551180

manymansions11@gmail



                   

WHAT’S NEW IN THIS YEAR?

ACTIVITIES

Education

·         Our students were supported with fees from our friends from US and UK.

·         Three secondary students returned to school  in early 2023 and completed the whole year 

·         Our Principal Director returned to University to continue pursuing a B.A. in Social Science degree



Medical Assistance

We continued to help those in need of medical attention, thanks to many caring donors who showed compassion towards them in their time of need.  The son of our lovely Grace, who passed away last July from Leukemia, had a stroke and was wheelchair bound. He is 38 years old.  When God’s Way Ministries Intl.  came to Soroti, they met him and prayed for him. Upon returning back to the U.S., a God’s Way member pledged money for him to begin rehabilitation through Physiotherapy.  He was able to begin immediately.  We also assisted an elderly man with a leg wound to get treatment at the hospital.  Also we helped a single mother who went to the hospital for abdominal surgery.  Upon discharge she was unable to work until she healed and gained strength so she was given cash assistance and later food from a donor in America.

 Another woman had a goiter on her neck and needed surgery. Donors came through and she was given cash assistance towards the surgery. Special thanks goes to The Starkey Foundation for providing our student Lucky with a hearing aide after it was found on a routine hearing check that she had significant hearing loss. This will help her so much in school now and in her future endeavors.  Then 2 days before Christmas we received a donation from a donor in U.K. to assist a young single father with an operation by a dental surgeon to remove his wisdom teeth.  We are so grateful to those who contributed to all their well-being. 

     



                                                                          Richard starting Physiotherapy


Our single mother after abdominal surgery

    

     

   Women with Goiter     

Lucky with H. A. 

    Elderly man with a leg wound   

             Our young father with painful wisdom teeth

Food Giveaways

We assisted several families throughout the year with food bought with donations from abroad including a child-headed family in Asuret Sub-county.

 



           


  


Families were very grateful for the food!


General Assistance

Donors also helped the family of Richard as he had not worked since being affected by the stroke. His wife delivered a baby boy in December. She assists him going to therapy every time. A motorcycle driver from their village transports them at a reduced rate to help them.






Clothing giveaway                                                                                                                                                                    

Several children in Asuret Sub County received clothing donated by God’s Way Ministries Intl. The giveaway was organized by John Francis Etyeku and Florence Asio at their home in Omulala village. Some few clothes were distributed to children near the office in Camp Swahili.








Mothers and children were happy to receive clothing

Poultry Project

The poultry house is being maintained as it remains an important asset in our ministry income-generating future.  We call on ministry members for suggestions moving forward. We also need the outside walls plastered, a flashing board installed and gutters and a wire fence installed for security.  It currently is being used as a store room for any maize, cassava, ground nuts grown.

Agriculture

Cassava gardens were harvested and dried for future sales. Maize was grown, dried and sold x 2 seasons and offset the high cost of inflation that hit Uganda and the world in 2023. More cassava was planted to be ready in July 2024.

    Cassava growing                                                             

Our Director Stephen in the garden  





Cassava Growing


Maize growing

  Achievements

                     Successfully registered  as a Community Based Organization March 27, 2023 good for one year

Funds were raised to allow our secondary students to return to school

Students returned to school and finished the year with good marks

 We continued to assist families in Mityana and Soroti with received donations sent for them specific from abroad

 Our director Stephen continued into his third and final year at the university

Partnered with a ministry from U.S.  to give clothing to needy children and received funding for a needy man to attend Physiotherapy






Challenges

·         Challenges remain in mobilizing funds for school fees, ministry projects and agriculture

·         The poultry project remains on hold due to high costs of feeds and supplements and an incomplete structure/surrounding to house them safely.

·         Need a vehicle to facilitate ministry work  in the villages and towns

·         Need to purchase land for the ministry to do agriculture and build an office

Way Forward

·         More mobilization for funds to run the projects e.g. poultry, agriculture, school fees, food and medical care, Hospice care etc.

·         Continue strategizing for better planning, i.e. future income generating projects, ministry activities, etc.

·         Prayers

·         Work on the renewal coming due in March 2024

·         Review some of our objectives

·         Partner more with organizations from U.S.

 

We sincerely thank all of our friends from United Kingdom, United States and Australia for standing with us another year and for prayers said for us and our work and people here. May the Almighty God send blessings your way!

Okumu Stephen

_______________________________________________

Principal Director


Expenses:

              Education                             $896.00             

 Rent                                    $2,595.00

Electricity                            $584.00

Internet                                 $660.00

Water                                    $325.00

Medical                                 $500.00  

Food                                      $900.00

Volunteers                            $560.00

Propane                                $210.00

Mityana family support    $2900.00

Soroti family support       $3,323.00

Post office fees                        $20.00

Bank Charges                          $145.00

Television subscription       $130.00

Transport                           $1022.00

Paypal fees                           $170.00

Cashapp fees                           $7.00

Total Expenses:         $14,947.00 (11,932.00 GBP, 56,704, 000.00 UGX, $22,767.00 AUD)

 

 

Foreign donations $7353.00 (5,871.00 GBP, 27,883,000.00 UGX, $11,200.00 AUD)

Local donations $7594.00 (6,062.00 GBP, 28,800,000.00 UGX, $11,566.00AUD)   

Total Donations     $14,947.00 (11,932.00 GBP, 56,704.000.00 UGX, $22,767AUD)