Greetings to you all,

For us here, it has been filled with so many ups and downs but mostly, we have received so much rain during these last few weeks which slowed me down a little bit. I have also put in more hours trying to look for a solution to our most recent challenge; we might get a breakthrough sooner or later. Keep sending us positive thoughts as we indulge in this activity.

The following Mamas are the Mamas I managed to see with the time I had last week;

I went to Kyengera to see Maria because she had a few concerns over the weekend about her pigs plus she was running out of feeds. She is very good with her pigs and piglets such that they even know her voice when she comes close to the pig sty. She also needed some food supplements because she had just vaccinated the pigs so that was done. The pigs look well and they are growing well too.

Christine is doing incredibly well. She has since sold the first batch of chicks she got about 5 weeks ago. She has bought new ones and the progress is looking good. She also bought quite a few bags of feeds so we shall not be worried about feeding for the next few weeks. She discovered a place where she can buy her maize brand cheaply and maybe I will try to hook up the other Mamas with this new supplier. If she can keep it up this way for the next two or three batches of chicks, I am sure sustainability will be attained for her. There is still some weakness on the parts of the pigs — I don’t know why — but maybe I can introduce her to what Maria does with hers. Something that I am not familiar with but she buys leftover food from chicken houses and mixes it with salt and some supplement ingredients and that’s why it is cheap and sustainable for Maria.

Finally, we are putting our hands off Justine for a moment because we got the wood pallets she needed to close up the gaps between  the timber plunks on her 5-star stall. She also got sand and started raising the ground beneath her stall which is good to help prevent flooding or muddy water from entering the stall. Unfortunately, sometimes the water rises so high that it even enters their houses. The rainy season seems to have started so we will see but it is good that she is modified and above all she has been really happy these last few visits.

Angel is also doing okay with her vegetable stall. She is pretty lucky because, unlike Justine, her stall is planted on dry land and her only challenge is the sun but she has managed a simple tarp sheet that she moves around when the sun is up. Her stall design is pretty simple and works for her very well at the moment. Business is good for her at the moment and all the children are in school. Angel has twin boys so it’s wonderful to hear that she is doing well to ensure that all of them attend school.

Francoise is doing better. Her medication was done because she is only able to purchase in small quantities so sometimes she is not able to complete the dose. It was fortunate that this week, she was able to get a box of the medication she is using so this time round she is sorted for the dose and will have a few left to start when the next attack comes around. The business is doing well and her daughter has been running it over the last few days when Francoise was down. The only challenge they have had is the fact that beans have become incredibly expensive for them so they have cut down on the quantities. The rains have not disturbed them as the umbrella we updated is doing well for the rainy morning. It is good to see her happy. The girls too have stepped up and they want to open up a salon to practice the hairdressing both have learned. This is good as this will help them make money to support Francoise and empower themselves too.

Betty N is doing well. The shop has been busy these last few weeks including her WhatsApp status as she uses it to do some marketing for herself. She has two girls helping her out at the shop so this is good for her. She said it makes sure she catches up on the deadline. Deadlines are one of the biggest challenges for tailors in Uganda as they never deliver anything on time. This might just be the competitive edge she has over her competitors. She is happy and the kids are doing their homeschooling which she is passionate about as it is easier and much cheaper for her.

The week went well. A bit of rain here and there slowing things down a little but I am glad I saw a few Mamas and hopefully next week we will have our momentum back. I tried to visit Margaret but she had travelled to her hometown to catch up on a few opportunities from a local medical outreach program. She told me that there was a medical outreach and she needed to get a discounted treatment and that is why she had to travel to Tororo. I also managed to make a program with Anna M and her baking business will be up and running by next week. Lorna K also was not in town as she went to deal with a few issues with one of her boys in school. Thank you all who have continued to be a part of us and together we will make this world a better place.

Yours,

Andrew Echel

Director of Programs, Uganda

ISEE Solutions Society