RUGLI’s Bag Weaving Project Has Uplifted Families

Rwenzori United Group for Life Improvement (RUGLI) works to empower women, raise awareness around HIV/AIDS, provide support to disabled, and elderly people and equip vulnerable community members with opportunities to improve their livelihoods. Recently, they provided an update on their project, Weaving Bags for Economic Independence, in which they’re providing training in weaving shoulder bags and entrepreneurial skills to women, including disabled women and young mothers, so that they can support themselves and their families.

The organization identified weaving shoulder bags as an in-demand skill that they could train large groups of women to do in order to start their own businesses. Many women in the area have been unable to support their basic needs, and have come to RUGLI for help. In response they’ve employed a number of community based trainers who have been teaching bag weaving skills and will continue to check in on the participants afterward.

This project is ongoing, and will be shaped largely by the goals and needs of the participants. Since all trainers and participants live relatively close to each other, they will continue to weave bags together, and can decide if they want to create individual businesses or form a collective. RUGLI shared testimonials from the participants on the impact of the project.

Tusiime Agnes told them, “I have been so honored to be part of this project. My children now have hope that after selling our initial products our lives changed completely. I am a mother of 5 children and the man died of HIV/AIDS in 2014 and ever since then we have suffered. We only ate once a day, my children lacked even clothes to wear. The skills I have learned and the startup capital provided to me have really helped me a lot. Thanks, RUGLI for always helping me whenever I am in need, may God continue to bless the work of your hands. Moreso, I have started a small business shop which has increased income inflows into my family and I have also put my children back in school.”

Another participant, Nyamwiza Venacia, explained, “I lost my dignity and honor when I was a 16 years old when I was raped and got infected with HIV/AIDS. This gave me the honor of being a mother but I never had any employment that could help me look after my child. I was dragged into prostitution so as to be able to provide the best I could for my child who never had a father. I have been a prostitute for 5 years now and I regret the day I began practicing it but I never had a way out. When RUGLI offered help I was really so grateful and positive about it. You have taught me weaving and entrepreneurship skills, provided us with startup capital and I have established my business. Thank you so much for what you have done for me, with this I believe people will have some respect for me as I will be able to provide basic needs for my child doing a decent job.”

Kabugho Moreen said, “I cannot express my happiness of what RUGLI has done for me, I am a single mother with one child. I dropped out of school when I was in primary four and after 5 years I got pregnant. When I got pregnant my parents chased me away from home to go to the person who was responsible for the pregnancy, life became so hard because the man also ran away. I have been struggling to earn income to support me and my child for the last 10 years, tried looking for jobs but life here is so hard, of lately (four months back) I was fired from the job where I was working as a maid and they were paying me UGX15,000 ($4.80 USD) per month. But because of this training acquired, I can manage to get that very amount in a day or two. I am able to get relevant needs for my child and I hope to get more. Thank you so much RUGLI and Rockflower for the support extended to us. We are grateful that you have changed our lives as women mothers.”

It’s astounding to see how education in just one skill can change the lives of entire families. The majority of these women did not have the opportunity to complete a formal education and have had no access to career training. With RUGLI’s support and belief in the power of education, they have been able to uplift and provide economic stability to these determined women.

KYID’s Community Discussions Around HIV/AIDS are Changing the Narrative

Kinyamaseke Girls Youth in Development (KYID), based in the Kasese district of Uganda, has been working to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in their area by changing the narrative and perceptions around the disease. The organization was started in 2008 with the goal of breaking the domestic violence cycle created by social structures undermining the rights of girls. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among school aged girls has increased drastically. KYID identified a real need in the community for people to gather and discuss the issue and learn more about stigma and prevention and they have shared the results of the project with us. What they uncovered in the process was shocking and will greatly inform their work moving forward.

In the Kasese District, 11.5% of the population is affected by HIV/AIDS, which is much higher than the national average of 7.5%. Most of the girls in the District have little or no education and are therefore unemployed. In order to meet their basic needs, they enter into marriages at a young age, with men who are not capable of supporting them. Some of these girls become victims of sex trafficking after being brought to large towns under the guise of traditional employment. Not only are they victims of abuse and sexual assault, but they are exposed to a number of STD’s including HIV/AIDS. Most are under 18 years old. COVID-19 has led to an increase of young people being exposed to HIV/AIDS, and a decrease in those getting tested. 

KYID knew that they urgently needed to open up discussions and bring the community together to better understand the causes of the increase in HIV/AIDS and to uncover the best way to help solve the problem. Throughout the course of the project, they conducted two exploratory meetings, five awareness sessions, three advocacy meetings, held two training workshops and produced five concerts to raise awareness. By connecting with the people in their community, they were able to uncover a lot about the issues at hand, much of which will inform their continued work. For the workshops, they focused on meeting with youth affected by HIV/AIDS to help them better understand their illness and put together a will.

Some of what they uncovered in these meetings involved the shift in parental responsibilities that has put much greater pressure on the parents. They learned that many of the girls affected by HIV/AIDS did not have their basic needs met by their parents, and come from households where domestic violence was prevalent. Additionally, many of the girls, having grown up in an abstinence first culture, have little knowledge about safe sex. 

Some conclusions from these community meetings were that educating and training needs to start with parents and adults in the community. KYID plans to hold awareness training for parents, school teachers, union leaders and youth counselors to help them identify risk factors in young women and how to help young women affected by HIV/AIDS. They also made the decision that one of the most effective ways to get the information out would be through plays and concerts. They had young girls create skits and songs to advocate for their rights. The importance of young men having education on these topics is also crucial. KYID will be distributing condoms and teaching boys how to use them in order to practice safe sex.

Something unexpected to the group was the consistent participation of those with dwarfism. The challenges they face are immense, and KYID is determined to help improve their quality of life. The little people in attendance spoke up about the terrible abuse and sexual harrassment they face. There is an old cultural belief that engaging in sex with a little person will cure ailments like HIV, which has led them to be raped and often infected with HIV/AIDS. 

“They were brave to be open and disclose that most of them are HIV positive because of people flocking in for them. The whole meeting was sorrowful and other people shed tears. We were concerned as human rights advocates for our fellow women being used as objects of laughter.”

KYID held a separate meeting for men and women with dwarfism to come together and discuss the extreme discrimination they face and how vulnerable they are to abuse. They have asked KYID to step in and assist them in advocating for their rights and bringing awareness to the community, which they plan to do, as they recognize this serious human rights violation.

“In Bukonzo County of Kasese District, we identified about 30 dwarfs to benefit from the training. We feel touched and concerned about our fellow girls and women to be left behind in matters concerning social development when they are suffering. In our training we will also have counseling sessions to find out those who are infected by HIV/AIDS.”

This exploratory project brought to light some shocking, yet extremely important discoveries. KYID now has a clear idea of what they can do to help improve their community, starting with helping the most vulnerable groups. Overall, the project was successful in teaching people about HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and how to break the stigma and has led to a larger discussion which will continue in various forms. KYID has a great deal of work ahead of them as they continue to fight injustices and advocate for those who need it most.

YWISD is Proving to Women That They Can Make It

In September, Youth and Women Initiative for Sustainable Development (YWISD) based in the Wakiso sub-district of Uganda, completed its first round of their project, Kisoboka (you can make it), where they educated 50 women and girls in tailoring skills. YWISD was founded in 2016 by 5 young, unemployed women graduates, who grew up witnessing their mothers being exploited by men in the agricultural industry. They saw women in their community doing the majority of the work tending the crops, and then allowing men to sell the products, and take most of the profits. YWISD was created to take a stand against gender and economic inequalities and to increase women’s participation in securing their livelihoods.

Kisoboka was created for indigeneous women and girls with disabilities to engage in viable employment opportunities to support themselves and their families and increase their overall quality of life. Beginning in March 2022, 50 women were selected to participate in a six month training program in tailoring. The goal of the training was to provide a practical, profitable skill to women who are unemployed and unable to find traditional work. YWISD identified tailoring and baking as skills with high demand in their community, and following this first round of training, they are beginning a second cohort to teach women baking skills.

YWISD has shared some participant stories with us to demonstrate just how impactful this project has been in the lives of women with few opportunities to support themselves.

Nakimuli Angelinah, a seventeen year old who left school in senior one said, “I stay with both of my parents. My mother is a house wife and my father is the one financially taking  care of us. Due to COVID-19, my father lost his job, making it difficult for him to sustain the family. Therefore, being a girl child, I was forced to drop out of school for my boy siblings to study. My  father has an old belief that educating a girl child is a waste of money. ‘After all, I am going to get married and leave home.’ He was planning to marry me off as he could see me as a source of dowry. When I heard about Kisoboka I hurried to join the training because I always wanted to  learn tailoring even though the funds weren’t available and I hadn't yet got any opportunity. It is  really a once in a lifetime opportunity for me and I am really so grateful. Thank you very much Angella [YWISD founder], may God really bless you for me because I have nothing to give back to you.” 

Mary Kabonesa, a participant and advocate for the creation of Kisoboka told us, “When I was in senior five, my father married a new wife and ended up separating from my mother. He was previously the one taking care of us, and he had stopped my mother from working. After marrying his new wife, my father refused to pay me and my siblings’ school fees, claiming that we would be able to survive without studying because he also didn’t study but was surviving. I was forced to get married  when I was 17 years old and I have 4 children and without any income. I want to be in a position to  provide basic needs to my children as well and to avoid what happened to us. I have always  wanted to learn tailoring skills and I was among those who suggested that YWISD could help extend to us these services. I am so grateful for the skills I have learnt for free of charge, they will help me earn a living.”

Another participant, Nabirye Mariam explained, “I lost my mother when I was in primary six. My mother was the one taking care of me and also paying my school fees because my father had neglected his responsibilities and no relative was willing to take me in. I had to drop out of school. This forced me to go to the city to look for a job and I got a job as a maid. However, without guidance from any parent or relative I found very many  challenges and I was forced into marriage when I was fifteen years old. I currently have three  children. I am the breadwinner for them, but I don’t have any skill other than digging people’s gardens to earn a living. I am grateful for this opportunity as now I will be able to earn a decent  income and provide basic needs for my children.”

The participants in the first cohort of Kisoboka are looking forward to starting their own businesses and are optimistic about the future and their ability to support their families and keep their children in school. This month, YWISD will begin its second cohort, training 50 women in baking. When the second training is complete, they will hold a graduation ceremony for both groups. 

Currently, YWISD is overwhelmed with interest in the program, as many women and girls were forced to leave school during the COVID-19 pandemic and are looking to earn an income. The organization has plans to construct an outdoor awning, allowing them to expand their capacity and train women outside even during the rainy season. They have 25 women registered for the next tailoring training and are working to raise the funds to implement the program. Kisoboka, which translates to “we can make it,” is living up to its name as it continues to provide opportunities for economic empowerment of women on the margins.

UWADS Continues Providing Women Marketable Skills for Economic Independence with New Project

Rockflower is pleased to announce the continued support of Uganda Women Advocacy and Development Services (UWADS), as they undertake a new project to economically empower the women of the district of Bududa. In the past, Rockflower has worked with UWADS to construct a local bakery in the district of Mbale and provide women the skills necessary to bake and establish their own small businesses. This project proved to be a great success as the women were able to learn useful skills, create their own small businesses and even move forward to create small savings programs in their communities.

In their new initiative, UWADS will replicate and expand this program utilizing the help of the women previously trained, to build a local bakery in the district of Bududa. UWADS will train women to bake, start their own small businesses and take strides toward economic empowerment and independence. This group of women includes single mothers, many of whom are still children, girls who have left school, and women and girls who have escaped abusive situations.

Given the success of the organization’s previous project, the potential for the women's success in this endeavor is extremely high. Rockflower looks forward to supporting UWADS in this new project as the women of Bududa gain skills, education and most importantly independence.

Foundation for Women's Dignity

Uganda

Uganda has had one of the strictest lockdowns in Africa with only essential businesses functioning, dusk-to-dawn curfews, and bans on transportation. In addition to the coronavirus, Kasese, Uganda has been devastated by flooding.

Concerns and Challenges

Due to the lockdown and flooding, Foundation for Women’s Dignity (FOWODI) has had trouble reaching their beneficiaries as they were only able to travel by motorcycle.

As with many of our partners, FOWODI has seen that food was in high demand. Now, due to the displacement of so many from the floods, food supplies are essential.

Emergency Fund

Rockflower’s Emergency Fund aid has supported FOWODI’s community and beneficiaries by supplying food and introducing a Seed to Life program.

The food supplied per beneficiary included: 10 kg of high quality processed maize flour (totaling 400 kg for 40 women), 2 kg of soya milk powder (80 kg total) and a variety of fresh fruits.

The Seed to Life program is fulfilling a gap in the lack of vegetable farming in the community. FOWODI beneficiaries were supplied with vegetable seeds to begin their own kitchen gardens for sustenance and market consumption. So far, 100 tins of different vegetable seeds were purchased and distributed to 48 households in the Kasese district.

Food distribution to a FOWODI beneficiary

Seed to Life program

Hope for Rural Women

Uganda

Ugandan women are some of the most resilient, innovative and adaptable humans you can find, and yet the recent events in Kasese are pushing the limits of even the strongest. The people of the Kasese district have had their lives upended by flooding and rock slides. It began in the middle of the night on May 14. Four rivers in the Kasese district – the Nyamwamba, Mubuku, Nyamughasana and Lhubiriha – had burst their banks. On Sunday, flash flooding caused more devastation. Thousands have been displaced as the waters swept away homes, schools, farms, roads, the hospital and power station.

Concerns and Challenges

While the threat of COVID-19 is looming, the immediate problem for Hope for Rural Women is to help those that have been moved to emergency camps due to the flooding. The government of Uganda has provided provisions, including 200,000 kgs of maize flour, 100 blankets, tarpaulins and jerry cans. But there are more people than there are supplies resulting in many not receiving anything at all.

Hope for Rural Women is unable to check on their members as the town has been devasted sending everyone in different directions to multiple emergency camps.

Emergency Fund

Fortunately, the newly built Aquaponics Fish Farm survived the flooding however it is within the floodplain of the rising waters.

Hope for Rural Women utilized the Emergency Fund to educate its members on the risks of the coronavirus and to procure essential supplies. Hope for Rural Women printed 1000 posters in three local languages to spread correct information on how COVID-19 is transmitted. Members received maize flour for food, and soap and basins for washing.

Rainbow House of Hope

Uganda

Ugandan President Museveni has extended the lockdown on multiple occasions but begins to ease measures. Uganda has had one of the strictest lockdowns in Africa with only essential businesses functioning, dusk-to-dawn curfews, and bans on transportation. While the lockdown was extended yesterday, it will begin to ease as businesses including hardware shops, restaurants, wholesale stores, and others will be allowed to reopen.

Concerns and Challenges

Rainbow House of Hope works in one of the most challenging environments possible when it comes to the spread of COVID-19, the slums of Kampala. They have multiple concerns ranging from lack of resources to physical challenges. As with so many of our partners their focus is on the women, who depend on daily income and are now struggling to survive. The lockdown and curfews in Uganda have had severe impacts on their entrepreneurial businesses.

Emergency Fund

Rainbow House of Hope used the funds from Rockflower to reach out to the women they work with, their families, and their communities. They have purchased sanitary pads, water tanks, and face masks. The water tanks were placed in slum communities for handwashing.

Women Advocacy and Development Services

Uganda

Ugandan President Museveni has extended the lockdown on multiple occasions but begins to ease measures. Uganda has had one of the strictest lockdowns in Africa with only essential businesses functioning, dusk-to-dawn curfews, and bans on transportation. While the lockdown was extended yesterday, it will begin to ease as businesses including hardware shops, restaurants, wholesale stores, and others will be allowed to reopen.

Challenges and Adaptation Measures

As with many of our partners, Women Advocacy and Development Services (UWADS) has seen the women entrepreneurs lose their daily incomes and turn to their savings for survival.

UWADS has sent basket-making materials to the women for an additional activity to do while in lockdown.

Emergency Fund

With the Emergency Fund from Rockflower, UWADS was able to purchase 500 kgs of maize flour, 2 cartons of soap and a box of hand sanitizer. In addition to distributing the previous items, materials were given to the women entrepreneurs to make their own reusable masks.

Update from June 2020

UWADS Coordinator and two volunteers have spent two weeks visiting each member of the organization to provide them with food items, soap and materials to make face masks.

Update from July 2020

Around the world, over 243 million women and girls have been subjected to sexual or physical violence in the last 12 months. UWADS has been providing trainings against domestic violence throughout the pandemic. In their discussions with the women they work with, they have found that none of their members has been abused during the lockdown due to the education they have provided in how to respond accordingly to a situation and their economic empowerment in being able to support themselves.

Rwenzori United Group for Life Improvement

Uganda

President Yoweri Museveni continues to extend the lockdown initially set for 14 days beginning on March 30, increased for 21 more days until yesterday, May 5, when it was extended again for 2 additional weeks. Uganda has had one of the strictest lockdowns in Africa with only essential businesses functioning, dusk-to-dawn curfews, and bans on transportation. While the lockdown was extended yesterday, it will begin to ease as businesses including hardware shops, restaurants, wholesale stores, and others will be allowed to reopen.

Concerns and Challenges

As we have seen with many of our partners during the pandemic, Rwenzori United Group for Life Improvement (RUGLI) has reported that families who rely upon their daily business lack basic needs, such as food and medicine.

Adaptation Measures and Emergency Fund

RUGLI provided sanitation equipment and face masks to local women in Kasese. Rockflower provided support through our Emergency Fund. RUGLI quickly utilized the funds and identified vulnerable families to receive food parcels.

Youth and Women Initiative for Sustainable Development

Uganda

Uganda’s President Museveni originally placed the country on a 14-day lockdown beginning March 30. On April 14, the border closures and lockdown controls were extended for an additional 21 days.

Concerns, Challenges, and Adaptation Measures

Nankindu Angella, Chairperson and Co-founder of Youth and Women Initiative for Sustainable Development (YWISD), has been working from home with her family due to the lockdown. Everyone is confined to their homes, and as a result many people are struggling to survive as they rely on their daily incomes to feed their families. YWISD is very concerned for the vulnerable populations in their community that are at high risk of starvation.

Emergency Fund

YWISD received money from the Emergency Fund and was able to act quickly and put it to good use. They purchased essential food items to distribute to community members and are in constant contact with those who will be most at risk of hunger in the coming weeks.

Kinyamaseke Youth in Development

Uganda

Uganda’s President Museveni originally placed the country on a 14-day lockdown beginning March 30. On April 14, the border closures and lockdown controls were extended for an additional 21 days.

Concerns and Challenges

Information about prevention measures air on National TV. However, most people in rural areas don't own TVs and are unaware of the virus, how it spreads and how to prevent. This has led to some people believing the disease is linked to witchcraft.

Adaptation Measures

Biira Miriam, Chairperson of Kinyamaseke Youth in Development (KYID), has been working with two other team members to maintain the office. They developed simple, easily remembered concepts for preventing COVID-19 to pass information to members of the community.

Emergency Fund

With the money we secured for KYID through our Emergency Fund, they were able to:

• Purchase washing buckets with taps

• Purchase washing soap and distributed it to the members

• Purchase reusable facemasks

• Purchase boxes of gloves

• Compiled WHO health guidelines and translated them into the local language to provide to organization and community members

• Used airtime on the phone to mobilize members for distribution of the aforementioned items

• Hire a van (as public and private vehicles have been banned due to the lockdown) to transport the aformentioned materials from Kasese to Kinyamaseke for distribution

Update from June 2020

The continuation of our Emergency Fund gave KYID the opportunity to distribute essential food items, including cassava flour, maize flour, and beans, and sanitary pads to vulnerable women acting as single heads of their families.

Hope for the Future Organization

Uganda

Uganda’s President Museveni originally placed the country on a 14-day lockdown beginning March 30. On April 14, the border closures and lockdown controls were extended for an additional 21 days.

Concerns and Challenges

Hope for the Future has a number of concerns and challenges, including but not limited to lack of daily income for women, access to medical supplies and food, and the surge in reports of domestic violence.

The lockdown controls have closed businesses, markets and roadside stalls. Many of the beneficiaries Hope for the Future works with who are dependent on daily trade are unable to make an income. This results in a lack of basic necessities needed during this pandemic. Women who now have to ask their husbands for help are being met with violence in return.

“Accessing medical care and food is a far fetched dream to many. Domestic violence against women and children is on the rise as they demand basics from their husbands.”

Emergency Fund

Rockflower has sent money from the Emergency Fund. Hope for the Future has been able to provide powdered milk, maize flour, sugar, soap and cooking oil to elderly women with grandchildren, refugee families and those families headed by both women and children respectively.

Update from May 2020

Hope for the Future continued their food distribution program. Through their community outreach, they have seen an increase in domestic violence, families falling apart, and many young women unemployed due to the closing of the hospitality industry.

Rockflower Partners with Kinyamaseke Girls Youth in Development to Conserve Black Bees in Uganda

Rockflower is pleased to announce a new partnership with Kinyamaseke Girls Youth in Development (KYID). KYID promotes a community of female youth that is responsible, tolerant, accountable, respectful, and working voluntarily to improve their livelihood for meaningful development.

Rockflower will partner with KYID on a project to conserve black bees as pollinators, seeking both a solution to environmental degradation and providing economic opportunities for young girls through the sale of honey and by-products to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.  

Find out more about the Black Bees Pollinator Project.