{note: Sorry for the delay in reporting — rest assured that all is well, and Andrew has been diligent in sending in his reports — the failure is entirely on our side. Sometimes life just gets away from us and things fall by the wayside. Apologies to anyone who may have wondered exactly what happened and where we were. -ed}

Salutations to you all,

I hope you are well. 

It was an interesting week here, as we had some downpour around the country and in some parts we had floods that destroyed a lot of property and people drowned too. In Mbale District, over 20 people drowned and until last evening, civilians were still trying to search and rescue people. One vehicle that was carrying 11 people was washed off the road and into a river causing all of them to drown. 

In areas around Kampala, it also rained but the damage was not as bad as it was in other areas. It was surely good to see the rainfall but it was sad to see the outcomes in some areas. It had been a while since we last experienced this amount of rain. Most of the crops that people planted this season were destroyed by the sun hence reducing the harvest of crops like maize and beans.

I also visited some Mamas this week and the following are some of the outcomes of my visit. 

I started my week following up on Francoise and Jolly about the assignment I had left them to see if they could secure a space for a salon for Jolly. Jolly has been moving across and within the village to plait people’s hair but we wanted to see if she could work out of one of the rooms at home. The first attempt was denied but I asked them to try again. The story is the house they are living in was built by Francoise’s deceased husband but his brother assumed custody of the property and he now controls it. Everything done at the house must be consulted by him or else he will cause commotion therefore, we needed to get his authorization. She handed me a list of some of the items she will need for the salon.

Asia B. is surviving really but is doing okay. The market business has not been the best recently so not many people are frequenting the market. Very few trucks are bringing foodstuff to the market which has affected the beverages and everything else in her shop. 

Pulakiseda N. is also doing okay. The business is slow in the market just for the same reasons as above with fewer and fewer people coming to the market. The fuel price is becoming a menace to the economy and market situation in the country. 

I visited and spoke to Semmy S. and she is doing well. The term was closing as students were finishing their exams that very Friday. I was also trying to see if she can organize the school class so we have the training there. Fortunately, it is a possibility and we will have the meeting there. 

It was unfortunate that Hadijah N. had another surgery last week to reopen the wound on her foot to remove the infection that was causing the swelling. She will now need more antibiotics to help protect her from a new infection and we have divided to follow up on this matter so that she doesn’t lose her foot. 

Rashida S. is doing okay. She has managed to pay all the school fees for the term for all her three children in school. They all sat for their exams and now they are waiting for their results. She also managed to save up some money to repair her leaking roof and replace the broken or rotten pieces of timber. The veggie stall now looks better and the roof was raised a bit higher than the previous one.

Aidah K. seems to be happy and carrying on with her business well. Her daughter Angel was able to finish school this term successfully. Aidah has also decided to involve Angel a little bit more in the business by letting her peel and cut the Irish potatoes in chips. This is a great idea as her daughter can actively participate in the business.

Rovence N. has started to pick up on her sales in the restaurant this last week. In our last report with Rovence, we saw how she was struggling with the numbers of people coming to eat but now our story is positively changing. This is encouraging to see and hear that things are changing and we hope it stays this way.

Lastly, I visited Florence A. and she was a bit sick with malaria. Otherwise, the salon and chips business is doing well. She has now hung tarps over the shop to create a shade for her to work in the sun which was not the story previously when the sun directly would shine and scorch them. 

The week has surely ended in mixed feelings with the rains seemingly coming back but with devastating effects. As I type this report, the rain is falling outside for the second time in the last hour. We surely need this rain as the temperatures have been a bit crazy over the last few weeks. This is going to improve food production but we hope the rains fall in moderate measures to protect our lives and property. 

As we start this month of August, we hope that the climate and weather remain sane as we have already seen disaster within our community.

Report by;

Andrew Echel

Director of Programs, Uganda.

ISEE Solutions Society.