Greetings to you all,

Happy New Month! It is amazing how time really flies; it’s already July 2020 and many of us wish this year would end already in the hope that 2021 will be better. Many of us have not done or achieved half of the goals we set out to accomplish, that is if we even set goals to achieve annually. I have a friend of mine who once told me these so-called New Year resolutions just put people under pressure and for sure life is what it is. 

The Covid 19 situation here hasn’t changed much from last week’s situations. The only lockdown measure that still remains unshaken is the curfew. Many people want it to be removed but the president still believes that by doing so, he will be doing us a disservice. He thinks all the work that has been done will go down into the drain if he removed the curfew. Curfew is at 7PM thereby causing a lot of traffic because everyone is trying to go home at the same time. I have been a victim of this traffic three times this week because I have decided to go see the Mamas in person after such a long time. 

The Covid 19 cases have risen to 893 infected people, still no deaths registered yet.

It is amazing how much things have changed over these last few months. Some of our Mamas have closed shop, some have lost their business and  the majority have gone back to square one. I have also learned that it is different when you speak to someone on the phone and also when you actually see them. It was harder to get to them because of the limited transportation. Only a few taxis are allowed to operate but also they are expensive in terms of cost. Anyways whereas it was a struggle to go and meet the Mamas, the satisfaction of seeing their faces brought me healing. 

One of the first Mamas I met was Rehema N.

Rehema used to fry and sell chips served with either meat, eggs or greens at a roadside stall. Unfortunately she had to close shop because the owner of the plot wanted to sell it, so he had to vacate all the occupants. As a result Rehema had to close shop and try to move to another area and ever since she hasn’t been able to pick up well.  When she moved, she tried opening a restaurant cooking for construction workers but it didn’t work out as the demand was not enough to sustain the business. They now want to buy a movable tin shop to put it by the road near their home. The challenge is that she hasn’t been working so she can’t afford the tin because the owner wants almost a million Uganda shillings for it.

About a month ago or so Rehema bought four chickens and she has been trying to keep them for resale later. Her intention is to fatten them a bit and sell them at a higher price to raise some finances. She bought 4 chickens and is keeping them for resale.

I dropped by Justine and I am glad she is doing well. She has been surviving on her veggie stall. The saucepan hire business has not attracted any demand lately so they are depending on the stall. The market for saucepans came from social gatherings like weddings, engagement parties, funerals and many others. These gatherings can’t be held anymore so the saucepans aren’t hired anymore therefore no business at all.

Grocery shop is doing well for Angel N. I looked into the shop and it looks great. The stock has been maintained well and she has decided to buy some  onions and tomatoes to add to the grocery shop. All her kids have now moved to the shop to live with her because they had been living with their father before the pandemic started in Uganda.

Last week Hadijah N almost lost her roadside working space. The owner of the plot hadn’t seen Hadijah for a while because she wasn’t cooking anymore due to the fact that the demand wasn’t enough to sustain the business. When Hadijah’s neighbour sensed something, she called Hadijah who later came to discuss the issue with the landlord. Hadijah is now back on her roadside business trying to make it work. Unfortunately, she had to close her charcoal stall to be able to retain her chips space because it is what she desires the most.

On a good note, Annet N was about to bring back her property from town. The property on the other hand was mismanaged by the ladies she was sub-renting with. Her cups and saucepans were destroyed so she made the decision to bring back all the property she was using while there. 

Cissy N also closed her business for a few weeks now. When I visited her she said that her family came and picked her up for the Covid 19 season. They knew that it would be hard for her to survive since almost all businesses were closed, so they came with her to the village.

The poultry business is doing so well for Christine N. This week she hatched 225 chicks from the 10 trays she took to the hatchery. She intends to keep 100 and sell the rest of the chicks to a few people who booked them, including our very own Maria A who wants to add to her piggery farm. From the sale of the chicks, Christine wants to complete a house to do her own piggery farm. She also gave me a bag of chicken droppings to fertilize my garden. 

I also dropped by to see Maria A but she wasn’t there. Sadly Maria’s grandfather had died so she had gone for the burial. I found her husband who stayed to take care of the home and the pigs. The pig house really looks good. I think they have been maintaining it very well. The floor was washed and the pigs looked pretty and clean. One of her pigs that had refused to grow now looks really good. She also has two pigs that are about two months pregnant.

This  week I also made it as far across town to a place called Namuwongo to see Lorna K. She doesn’t have any business lately as she doesn’t have any sewing to do for others, no fabric and also doesn’t have money to help her buy fabric. I tried to engage her in a conversation to explore if there is any way that we could help her to maybe start a new business but there was nothing she could think of at the time.

My week has been successful according to what I had set out to accomplish. I wanted to visit Mamas for three days this week. I visited all the Mamas I wanted to visit except Maria A, who had gone to attend the burial of her grandfather. Otherwise everything went as planned and I also managed to get my fertilizer from home. This weekend I will be mixing it with the soil I have and I will prepare the ground for planting now. Thank you for keeping tabs with us, thank you for reading our weekly reports. Above all, thank you for supporting ISEE Solutions Society. Stay Safe, stay sociable.

Report by:

Andrew Echel