Emergency COVID_19 HIV+ youths

Dear Donors

Currently we have partnered with Mbarara regional referral hospital (MRRH) to offer COVID_19 vaccination jabs, we are working with cell coordinators in different hotspots and in regions where our communities live,

The cell coordinators sensitize and mobilizes rural LGBTIQ+ people to meet at a specified venue so that they are vaccinated. A team from the Mbarara Regional referral hospital (MRRH)vaccinates them, it has taken a lot of engagements between staff at MRF and the hospital administration to get this done.

Out of the 950 LGBTIQ people anticipated to be vaccinated, only 38 LGBT people in kizunju cell found in Mbarara district have so far received their jabs, Among the challenge faced per now is that the MRRH administration has complained of shortage of vaccines and they say, their priority is to vaccinate students, head and teachers of all schools first before other groups of people get their vaccines.  

Our staff will continuously lobby for its members and communities to get their vaccines.      

Dear Our beloved donors

This project has trained 30 LGBTQ individuals in both financial literacies, baking and bakery management, and is allowing them to be self-sufficient with a steady income, 02 participants that we recently trained have been employment at Kiddawalime bakery and we hope they will have the opportunity to rise out of poverty and improve their well-being in this corona virus pandemic 

We have so far encountered a Challenge which include 

Demand: There is still high demand from members to get trained and yet the organization had only budgeted for 30 participants, we preferred the small number because it’s easy to train and also monitor progress so as to evaluate the effectiveness of the training and that’s why we selected 15 participants for a one-day training. The project impacted at least 30 LGBT people only in Mbarara district leaving other districts behind. With other support, we hope to extend the program to other districts in western Uganda. Ie in kabale, Ibanda, Kasese, Rukungiri, Bushenyi all found in western uganda 

we will contiune to update you on any progress. 

Warm Regards. 

Dear Donors 

We thank the almighty God for keeping us safe,

2021 is kind a fair start for us and since our last report , We observed that majority who where hit hard by COVID_19 and still ran their small scale bussiness lacked financial skills on how to save, borrow and invest and so we have been able to Amanya Amon a financial consultant working with equity bank in Mbarara branch to train and make awareness and ability for our beneficiaries to understand and effectively use various financial skills, including personal financial management, budgeting, and investing.

We gathered a total of 10 i.e. Two transgender women, 1 lesbian, 4 gay men, 2 transmen and 1 bisexual man at palm world hotel for a one full day interaction meeting about “know your finances” our coordinator in Rukungiri selected participants who are running small scale business and doing badly financially.

During the meeting, participants followed and observed the Ministry of health guide lines inline to prevent COVID_19 from spreading. At the end of the meeting, participants had known their weakness in saving and promised to work upon them, Among the weakness we documented is that when they sell their cake products, they end up using their profits for other things making it hard to refund the used money,

Our financial consultant advised participants to always invest their profits in buying quick to sell things, he further gave am example of buying a young a goat and selling it highly at a later stage. He cautioned how difficult it is for low income earners to save and manage their profits if not investing it wisely. MRF monitoring team will be visiting their business to track if there is any progress.    

We thank you for your support 

Janet Mutesi 

This project has resulted to steady adherence for those HIV positive, COVID-19 prevention and better health care service delivery since our peer educators have been able to distribute medication such as antiretroviral therapy (ART) on door to door which makes it easy for our beneficiaries to access better health care services, easy distribution of Condom and lubricants for safer sex practice and improved HIV drug adherence.

On the 20th April 2020 our peer leaders led by Peruth Komujini and volunteers led by Tusiime Osbert took on responsibility of distributing and delivering ARVS, Food stuffs like posho flour, G-nuts, Sugar and offering Lifesaving medical supplies like face masks, hand sanitizers, hand washing bars of soap to 78 selected rural LGBTQ HIV positive.

Support hygiene awareness.
Objectives of the COVID hygiene awareness qualities good hygiene promoters, Roles and responsibilities of hygiene promoters, hand washing and sanitizing infighting COVID_19.

We have conducted House hold Visits. The peer leaders moved in pairs to the households, so that they can support each other while delivering HIV medications to our clients and disseminating the hygiene messages to fight and prevent COVID_19. The peer leaders also documented the household’s details such as household head name, status of the hold and the number of the individuals that have received the awareness.

We have offered HIV counseling and delivered door to door HIV medication to 78 HIV+ LGBTQ people that is 42gay men, 24 transgender women, 2 transgender men and 10 Bisexual men MRF has mobilized and offered emergency food relief to over 78 rural HIV
+LGBTQ community across western districts in Uganda.

MRF has offered over 90 LGBTQ with facemasks, hand sanitizers, gloves and hand washing soap.

Success Stories.
For the success stories are that the rural LGBTQ community are improving on their income, employment opportunities.
One story that really touched us during the trainings was from Clif (she allowed us to share her name and story:
“My name is Clif a transgender woman, I am from Kakoba Division but currently living in a shelter because the landlord chased me out of his house due to not paying rent for the last four months.

“My family and I have been not on good terms, they also chased me two years ago
after having found out I was Gay and HIV positive, I cannot go home unless I want
my self-dead. I had acquired cake baking skills with MRF but worked as a waitress
at desert pub found in Mbarara city and I would cook once a day or sometimes I
drink tea and sleep because i wanted to save some money to start my own business,
in January, was able to start a cake baking business, I began selling two cakes a
week and towards march before the lockdown, I had started selling five cakes a
week, when COVID_19 hit us which led the country to a lockdown, i kept my
business money in the bank but after having attended a financial literacy training,
I withdraw all my savings and bought 10 hens, the ten hens have in the shortest
period of time produced and I now have 40 hens which am hoping when the
business booms again, I will sell them and resume my cake baking business.”

Clif received the cake baking and empowerment skills trainings in 2018 but lucked capital to start till when he saved some money, however he states that had it not been the “know your finances training” he attended, he would have used up all his both capital, savings and profits.

(Translated from Lunyankole)

Best Regards. 

We thank Donors who responded quickly when we reached out asking for donations to support rural HIV positives sexual minorities in Uganda

Two of our members have been hospitalized in Mbarara regional referral hospital for having not been taking their HIV medication which let their body and immunity to be so weak and we were worried that there might be even more similar cases because majority refused to take their daily medication on an empty stomach.

This came when the country- Uganda locked us all and advised us to stay home as a way of fighting COVID_19. Majority of the rural LGBTQ depend on daily income related jobs like working in saloons, bars, gathering events, some have been working on our cake baking project which were all put on hold, 

With your donations, we have been able to provide and offer  food  to LGBTQ HIV positives so that they continue taking their medication, we have delivered their HIV  medication throught the lockdown and when there were no public means allowed to move.

we are looking forward to issue a full report and we will share it. 

Stay safe