Greeting to you all, 

I hope that you are all doing well and for those who are not at their very best, we can only send you our love and thoughts of support. 

Back here everything is okay and always could be better but the weather has been fantastic and we have had a few rains here and there. 

This week, we continued with our work and we saw the following individuals:

We were honoured to have completed Henry’s chicken coop, purchasing 5 local hens and one rooster. About a month ago we embarked on walking with Henry on this journey and he has been very supportive and positive in every effort we have made. He contributed a lot in constructing the coop and we had to improvise on an outdoor kitchen to keep the smoke away from the chickens. He intends to keep the birds for both eggs and later as they increase in numbers, he can sell them for cash. His desire to create an income and support his family is phenomenal given the rate at which fathers here have abandoned their children. It is incredible to see the zeal in his eyes as he wants this to make him feel complete. 

Maria is doing well. The pigs have picked up since the last visit. The challenge has been feeding lately because part of her garden had been taken away but she is managing with maize bran and some leaves from what remains of the garden. She has been blessed by the rain so it sustains the pig’s feed. She was washing and cleaning the sty because the children had gone away and she says it’s good for her exercise. 

Annet is also doing well with her tea and porridge business lately. The morning rains that have been falling much more frequently have ensured that she has a constant supply of customers. The business has been okay but she just needs a little bit more income at the moment. She has two options to pick from either making books or soap making but according to our conversation, she was leaning towards soap making because books are a seasonal item. Soap can be sold daily and this ensures that her family has a constant supply of some income.  

Betty is incredibly happy with her work lately. A lot of orders have come and the embroidery machine is promising. Previously, I had written about her advertisement sheet on her door. It was in English so one of the people advised her to translate it into the local language so that more people can read and know what services are rendered. Which I actually think is a very good idea to do so she went and did it. Otherwise, she is really happy at the moment. 

It looks like the rabbit farm will be very good for Dorah this time around. Another mother rabbit gave birth to 5 bunnies three days ago. They were very happy that they are increasing by the month and it looks like this will be the story going forward. On a sad note, of the twelve that they received last month, two of them didn’t make it because they caught some infections. Otherwise, she said that the kids are ready for school and soon, the rabbits will be a source of their school support. 

Angel is trying to uplift the business and I was glad to see her stall restocked with some tomatoes and bananas. She said it was important to get it back up and running because she was running out of time as kids had to go back to school the next week. 

Amina has been sick this past week. Her hip developed a very big swelling and it was giving her intense pain. She managed to get some medication for the pain but looks like she will need surgery to remove it soon. Otherwise, she is doing okay business-wise. 

Otherwise, the week has been good mostly and we appreciate all the efforts and support you have given to us this year. Many of the kids have been able to attend school this past term and as things look, the majority will be able to return to school. Thank you.

Report by,

Andrew Echel 

Director of Programs, Uganda.

ISEE Solutions Society