Empower AIDS Widows - Save a Community

On behalf of the board and community members, I am pleased to share with you RARUDO quarterly Report of November 2011.

We hope you will take a few minutes to read about our progress over the past months, and about the women, children and men we work for every day.

Thanks to your incredible generosity and contribution from our dear donors. Your support raised through this year is already at work changing lives of our people. With your donations, our people from Tororo, Busia, and Bugiri were ble get some improved seeds and foods that at least made them go through the long experienced harvesting period without much starving. This support was timely in that helped improve the nutrition for especially our people living positive with HIV/AIDS.

At last now there is enough rain, people everywhere are very busy with garden work, and this brings hope that there will be enough food in
this second rain season, they will have enough to eat and some for income. Our orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) received
schooling materials and uniforms and going to school is just the start of their journey to a better life. By getting an education these OVCs and girl - child
can find good jobs and lift themselves, their families and their communities out of grinding poverty.

To discover more, our women are making great achievement as in economic empowerment through their agriculture development, goat’s project
integrated with piggery is gradually transforming their lives economically. In the entire three district ladies are greatly struggling to change the society
by spending much time gardening and ensure there is enough food in the house and a surplus for micro-income earning for sustainability. Tailoring and craft
making is another inspiring project in  which has helped 40 women get a vital knowledge in generating  a side income and will be helping over 100 women over the coming 2 years. 

Thank you for standing with us as we continue to work toward improving the Lives of women and children and families everywhere, and preserving the environment
that sustains us all. I want to extend my sincere regards to all friends in the US, UK and everyone who have and are making this work possible.

May God bless you.

Warm Regards

Onyango Joseph 

Executive Director

RARUDO

Dear Friends,
Nothing I say could possibly express the urgent needs of our friends in Uganda, so I will share with you a personal letter I received from Joseph Onyango, who heads the Rayland Rural Development Project (RARUDO):

Dear Jaya,
       I take this opportunity to send you warm greetings from Rarudo, Tororo, Busia and Bugiri.  We are okay only that I have been busy in the village with garden work since am trying to settle my family at home. I have
moved them from Kampala back to RARUDO, where at least they are safe.
       Generally there is great outcry all over, poverty is on its climax, there is terrible famine (hunger), no food
completely some are surviving on a meal day or none other hot water.  This is all due to long drought which has
caused late planting and late harvesting coupled with high cost of fuel and commodities which sparked political unrest.  
       During the time of violent demonstrations in Kampala, I lost my digital camera, monitor, printer, they were stolen from my place of work, along with almost everything I owned. Two of your old friends, Samburo and Blandina, are very sick.  Samburo of course with AIDS, and Blandina is on treatment she is having malaria and high blood pressure.
       I am so broke I could not get our financial report from auditors, they finished the work some time
back but am yet handicapped. Please send my regards to all my friends.  – Joseph

Joseph’s letter made me cry, because he has been such a strong leader in all the places he mentions. If Joseph is feeling so disheartened, then things are bad indeed.  These little communities, where people have worked so hard to make a better life, are in danger of being crushed again under the weight of world-wide economic and
environmental crises. I realize you may be feeling a little bit crushed yourself, but even small donations go a very
long way. 
Thank you.  
Jaya
 
 

Rayland Rural Development Organization quarterly updates 2011

I greet you all on behalf of Rayland Rural Development Organization and take this moment to thank you all for your generous contribution towards our programme. Your social contribution is creating big changes and development to lives underprivileged families here in Uganda. With your continuing support, the  Organization providing  access to more than social economic empowerment, enhanced health and education to the underprivileged  women and children in Tororo, Busia, Bugiri and Kitgum as well. We enable women to provide nutritious food for their families preventing common diseases like malaria and other illness and ensure brighter future for their children.

In support of Economic Empowerment
The involvement of beneficiaries in income-generating activities has had a positive impact on community perceptions and is helping to restore their self-respect, their dignity and their ability to contemplate an alternative future. The project has created social ties between beneficiaries, and different groups, trying contribute to improved social cohesion. We are already creating a legacy that replicates itself beyond the boarders with the help of friends like you. We have DIRECTLY reached to more than four hundred (400) women plus their families and OVC (orphans and other vulnerable children) over 700 - a total of 1,100 people and INDIRECTLY BENEFITING over 3,000 across three districts. 

With the recent donation of US $ 9,000 it has enabled us give women improved maize, Soya beans seeds, vegetable seeds for their own gardens with aim of diversifying nutrition at household levels, local chicken projects for eggs. We have also given out more 22 goats for milk to the 22 OVCs this is the third round we are doing this. We bought three new sewing machines for women in Bugiri. The women we serve in Tororo, Busia and Bugiri and Kitgum are an inspiration- they are proud, motivated, and willing to work on overcoming conditions of extreme poverty despite of inadequate resources /funding.

In the Support of HIV/AIDS
Cross-cutting effects of HIV/AIDS in RARUDO target areas include: growing number of widows, orphans and extended families struggling to meet the needs of these vulnerable members, poor health which limits production and productivity in AIDS-affected households, limited access to productive assets and economic means by women and OVC, lack of education for OVC, more so for those living  with HIV, denial of access to services and information, domestic violence, stigma and discrimination, weakening and/or breakdown of families and traditional community  social support networks and structures, loss of individuals in whom  families, government and businesses  have invested heavily and on whom they depended for leadership, direction, and continuity of future generations. The overall adverse effect has been insufficient human, social and economic development, which ultimately exacerbates the HIV/AIDS problem. It is therefore on the above background that The Empower AIDS Widows-Save a Community project engaged in changing the lives of beneficiary communities, and contributing to the improved livelihoods of women, children, and person living with HIV/AIDS, persons with disability through Empowerment, Trainings, Counseling, Care and Support. These have been made possible with support from our loving donors like you through our partners The River Fund and Global Giving.

The priority area, the project executed is the Long Term HIV/AIDS Survival Skills which has provided bridging support to the People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWAs) in most parts of The Eastern and Northern Uganda mainly Tororo, Busia, Bugiri and Kitgum. In December 2010 we conducted a one day Long Term HIV/AIDS Skills workshop for newly reached 25 women of Amonikakinei in Buteba Sub-county -this place is in the borders of Tororo and Busia District. Your support of February this year 2011 enabled us to provide unrefined maize flour mixed with soya bean to the PLWAs these include 30 from Tororo, 29 from Busia and 11 from Bugiri, domestic basic needs to 45 elderly women and their families. Provide some septrin to the PLWAs (Medication).     

In support of the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC)
These groups always lack the human and financial support to adequately respond to the Social, Educational, HIV/AIDS problem hence some are forced to live on the streets or under exploitative conditions of labour, sexual abuse, prostitution and other forms of abuse. Children in Child-headed households (CHH) have to fend for themselves and support their younger siblings. Some of these children are infected with HIV either through mother-to-child-transmission (MTCT) or through defilement or through commercial sex work as they struggle to make ends meet. Your generosity has enabled RARUDO to support OVC with scholastic materials, uniforms and other utilities like sanitary care for girl child. Currently out of 500 OVC 270 from Tororo is benefiting, in Busia 150 out of 300 OVCs and 130 out of 209 from Bugiri.

People with Disabilities (PWD)
PWDs are vulnerable and often face double discrimination and high stigma because they are disabled and some are living with, HIV/AIDS. Few PWDs access HIV/AIDS and Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) services because of, distance to health facilities; there is limited suitable forms and channels of HIV/AIDs information dissemination, education, communication and counseling from existing HIV/AIDS service providers which do not take into consideration the needs of PWDS especially those with hearing impairment, the visually impaired, the deaf blind, those with learning difficulties and those with mental illnesses. Limited access to information leaves them ignorant on preventive measures like abstinence, behavior change and other safe sex methods if they indulge in sex. Discrimination and stigmatization of PWD at HIV/AIDS service centres and at the community not only increase vulnerability but also results in self-stigma which draws PWD away from service points. At the same time, misconceptions that PWDs are sexually inactive and hence free from HIV/AIDS lead to susceptibility to rape and defilement exposing them to HIV/AIDS.

RARUDO integrated these groups in its programme and there were 48 PWD in Iyolwa Sub-County. PWD often suffer from poverty due to low levels of education, high stigmatization and discrimination as well as the limited capacity to engage in income generating activities. RARUDO is providing support to this community by providing them with improved seeds, nutrition support and skills, health education to empower their ability to have resources to deal with economic impact of HIV/AIDS and other related vulnerability.

As I conclude, I thank entire community members, board members and local partners for their tireless efforts and cooperation toward the success. My appreciation goes to the donors, International partners and friends for the good work done towards realization of some the organization objectives.

Yours sincerely,
Onyango Joseph
Executive Director, RARUDO