Empower OneMama Health Clinic to Sustainability!

How are we creating global, social change?

Taking action from feedback on-the-ground from our OneMama community members in Uganda!

OneMama.org’s attendance at the United Nations is always an electrifying time. As a team, we feed this flame with promotions, networking events, and weeks of behind-the-scenes access to what it takes to share at the United Nations. We are proud of the work we do each year, this year was no different, but in the midst of the exciting energy surrounding the Commission in the Status of Women, we always have the bigger picture guiding us – the women of the OneMama village and clinic in Uganda. We all work around the clock each year to make these events happen for them, to insure their voices are amplified so they are heard from a world stage. They are the paintbrushes for the art that OneMama is creating. They are the music to the dance we dance each year at the United Nations.

It has never been, and will never be, us, stateside, deciding what the clinic in Uganda needs. That is what is so special about what we do here – we empower, we teach, we celebrate the voice they have and help get that voice heard on a global stage.

This year, these are the things the women of the OneMama village and clinic in Uganda shared, they, needed.

WE NEED CAPITAL

“Us OneMama women need capital to start small businesses in order to lift up our standards of living from our small rural village.”

ONEMAMA IN ACTION

For the past eight years, OneMama has been building economical suitability programs to teach the women skills for crafts, clothing, and agriculture, so they have more empowerment to create more capital. We are always finding new ways and building out more programs for economic empowerment in the village.

WE NEED SEWING MACHINES

“We wish of having sewing machines to tailor the clothes of our community and to create better clothing for OneMama collection and lastly, there are many girls who have dropped out of school and there are many women who stay home who need help in improving our incomes.” 

– OneMama Community Member

ONEMAMA IN ACTION

OneMama funds itself through teaching the community how to make clothing and create crafts to sell. We do all this with only one sewing machine. We are looking into ways to expand and buy more sewing machines and create a teaching centre for sewing, tailoring, and making crafts to sell. We are moving forward even though we don’t have funds or resources currently to buy sewing machines. If you want to help by donating a sewing machine, connect at info@onemama.org

WE NEED TO END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

“Since most OneMama women do not have businesses, they rely heavily of their husbands for everything for their livelihood, things like petroleum jelly, knickers, sanitary pads, etc. These basic needs create fights and in a lot of cases the men will not provide these needs. Most men believe that every thing in a home belongs to the man, so women struggle to get things they need as women even though they do most of the work in the home. This is a huge cause for domestic violence in families. Therefore, there is a need to educate men on their roles and the rights of women in their homes. Since OneMama has started the domestic violence training and economical suitability programs I have had less violence in my family due to these resources.” 

– OneMama Community Member

ONEMAMA IN ACTION

In October of 2015, OneMama implemented a domestic violence training program and since its beginning the surrounding community’s are heavy in attendance, both women and men are learning how to communicate without violence. A big part of that breakthrough is helping women create their own income and the understanding that they have the right to do that. We are still building out these programs, we have a long way to go, but we have seen major changes in the community that we are all proud of.

WE NEED HELP WITH AGRICULTURE.

“Since all families depend on farming in our rural community to survive most of us don’t have enough food because of the prolonged drought. OneMama Women, we need help to irrigate our gardens on a small scale in order to grow food for our families.”

– OneMama Community Member

ONEMAMA IN ACTION

OneMama is continuing to bring forward training programs and partnerships to teach our community how to grow and create lasting crops that are more profitable for the rural community. We are working to expand these efforts to create more income for the families.

WE NEED ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER.

“Most of the families of the OneMama community are lacking safe drinking water and water for domestic usage. The water sources are very far from our homes and this has also increased domestic violence, family breakages, and a higher rate of girl dropping out of school. When women and girls go to fetch water in the evening, men rape them which leads to early and unwanted pregnancies. This has caused STDS, including HIVAIDS to many families.” – OneMama Community Member

ONEMAMA IN ACTION

Through our OneMama family planning training programs we also are teaching women how to protect themselves in these scenarios. We are looking to partner with a group who directly target clean water issues in Uganda.

WE NEED SHOLASTIC MATERIALS

“Our husbands have already abandoned their obligation of giving scholastic materials to our children. Our children have no school uniforms, books, pens, pencils, shoes socks, and sanitary pads. We want our children to have access to better elementary education.” 

– OneMama Community Member

ONEMAMA IN ACTION

While OneMama.org doesn’t officially work with traditional education, our economical suitability programs help the women fund and pay for school that the men in their families will not pay for. Our next step is finding partnerships to help provide direct solutions for some of these problems.

From reading, you can tell that there is a common theme scattered throughout each need of the community – women creating actionable plans to better their lives and the lives of their children. Aligned with the OneMama model of grassroots empowerment, we are asking the individuals in the community to directly voice their most immediate needs. Through this process, we can find the most direct solutions to take action on these high-priority issues. We are building community, enacting actionable solutions on-the-ground, and strengthening the foundation of social change that is OneMama. This is the OneMama way. We love partnering with powerful women, even in the midst of their struggles; they commit to working hard to better the community for themselves and future generations. That is what is at the heart of this OneMama community and all the future OneMama communities

We are all OneMama.

If any of the specific needs of our community resonate with you, we would love to partner with you. Email our team directly at info@onemama.org

Links:

• electrifying-solutions-from-the-onemama-community-in-uganda