Better Lives for Vulnerable People in East Africa

In the four months since our last report, your donations have helped us to support our partners in Kenya and Uganda with 92 grants towards their life-changing work among vulnerable people. In Kenya, this has included:

• Advocating for better understanding of autism and dyslexia among 72 parents, special needs teachers and other education professionals.
• Supporting 20 young people with intellectual disabilities to become independent.
• Training 120 motorbike taxi drivers to prevent gender-based violence.
• Tackling poverty among 60 families affected by disability through goat-rearing and clean water.
• Fitting more than 100 children and adults with disabilities with wheelchairs and other appliances. These include Peter, who was previously bedridden, and can now go to his local village to undertake casual work to provide for his family.
• Supporting 16 families displaced by flooding to rebuild their lives, including building three houses.

In Uganda, highlights include:

• Supporting more than 1,000 people with albinism to protect themselves from life-threatening skin cancer. This includes nearly 100 refugees in two settlements, where we’re also supporting children with albinism to access basic education.
• Creating income-generating opportunities through local training apprenticeships for 150 young people who dropped out of school during the COVID-19 crisis. As well as improving their economic prospects, this on-the–job training is improving their physical and mental health. Activities include tailoring, welding, mechanics and growing coffee. For their preferred trade, 13 of the young men and women are creating a small quarry by digging out rocks and breaking them into stones to sell to local builders. With your support (and since the picture below was taken) we’ve provided them with tools to raise productivity and protective equipment to keep them safe.
• Renovating 6 houses for very vulnerable individuals and their families living in unfit dwellings. This initiative has completely transformed the living conditions and mental health of the people involved. The rebuilt homes have concrete surrounds to make them sturdy and resistant to flooding. With the improvements to her home, Patricia has now established a small nursery to care for neighbours’ children. She says: ‘I like childminding but I had no clients. Now the house has been rebuilt I have many, and I can support myself with the money their parents give me.’

Thank you for making these grassroots activities possible through your support of this project - and thereby enabling hundreds of vulnerable people to have better lives.