Goodbye Malnutrition

Happiness comes easy for some, but for many, it’s a daily struggle. Our set points for happiness differ, as do our circumstances. Yet, what we do about our circumstances makes all the difference. So does what we eat, because nutrition is the foundation of wellness. Nutrition is the basis of happiness and Malnutrition the opposite.

In our campaign to fight malnutrition in Migeera, 15 malnourished children were identified and have been enrolled on the Nutrition program. The program aims at fighting malnutrition in children through Agriculture and Livestock keeping.

Below are photos of some children that have been enrolled on the program.

In our struggle to end malnutrition, mothers are trained on the following topics: Malnutrition, Nutrition, Hygiene, Breast and complementary feeding and Agriculture. The trainings are conducted by the field educators once every week for a period of 4 months. This is because we believe that an investment in knowledge pays the best interest!

Above are photos of mothers during one of the sessions.

For the need to support the families in the field of Agriculture and Livestock keeping, each household has been given agricultural input (seeds) i.e. beans, maize, green vegetables, fruit trees and chicken.

In the photos, Mothers showing off their agricultural input, then the next photo is the parish priest of Migeera, field educators and the mothers.

In Uganda, Malnutrition is the root cause of the deaths of 2.6 million children each year, and the bodies and brains of 450 million more will fail to develop properly due to inadequate diet over the next 15 years unless immediate action is taken.

Join us in our struggle to end malnutrition in Migeera.

By:  Barbara Nabbosa

Health Program Coordinator

Hard Work Paid Off

The tailoring project was started early last year in May and its main aim is to equip women in the communities of Migyera and Nabbingo with skills they can use to improve their standards of living. After eight months of learning the women were assessed to know their potential, a commissioning ceremony was held to congratulate those who passes upon their success. It has been an amazing experience and every moment is precious; words alone can not take you through this amazing journey, watch the Video.

Thank you

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BY: Clair Namukwaya

Program Coordinator Microenterprise

The Road to Success

Deborah Nagawa is a resident of Kiyanja zone-Nabbingo village, a suburb of Kampala. She is 31 years old and a mother of five children. She is a single mother, divorced from her husband five years ago. She has five children and Denis Tugume is on the CAL sponsorship program. Denis is 10years old and in primary four at Up-rise primary school, Nabbingo.

Deborah is a very hardworking lady who earns her living from fetching water for the community. She fetches twenty jerrycans a day during the dry season earning five thousand shillings (approximately 2 dollars) per day and saving one thousand shillings a day. With the little she earns from her hard labor, she managed to save some money and put up a one roomed house for her family and take all her other children to school.

Deborah Nagawa and her son Denis Tugume infront of the old house (left) and the new house under construction (right)

After a few discussions with her friends involved in the income generating projects Deborah decided to join the Projects of; crafts making and tailoring. She is committed in whatever she does and is ready to go through all hardships to give her children a chance at a better future

By: Lillian Nabanjala

Field Officer Sponsorship

Village Ambulance, A Covered Benefit!

Migeera Health Centre III is located in Nakasongola District 200 metres away from Gulu highway. This place is prone to many accidents and people are rushed to the health center in case of injuries and some cases referred. The health center also provides maternity services to the surrounding villages. Under the conditions described above, the need of a village ambulance is a medical necessity. The use of a village ambulance applies when patients are brought to the health center for treatment or deliveries and also transfer of a patient to another health facility for high level care or for services not available at the health centre where treatment was first
Special thanks to CA Bikes for the donation of a Village Ambulance to our St. Francis Health Center Migeera.
For easy accessibility, the Village Ambulance is kept at the Health Centre. In the photo is the Incharge Mr. Ibanda Rapheal rolling the Ambulance to the Health Centre.

Our field officer takes the Ambulance for a test drive

The Programs Manager checks if its comfortable 

Why a Village Ambulance? It is Safe, Reliable, Convenient, Efficient, Comfortable (compared to use of bicycles or motorcycles) and above all, Affordable by the community since Migeera is a rural area.

‘‘Migeera Community will forever be grateful for the Village Ambulance’’

By: Barbara Nabbosa
Health Coordinator

From A Tot to a Teacher

Emily is a 24year old girl, born in a family of six children and she is the 4^th child. She has been a beneficiary of CALU since 2009 when she was in her Senior Five. She pursued a Bachelors of Arts in Education from Kyambogo University, Kampala. She is now a teacher at Mary Reparatrix Girl’s secondary school in Entebbe. She teaches Geography and Economics. She is now independent and can support herself in all ways. She also helps her family in many ways like buying domestic basics for the home.

                                                 Emily on her graduation day on the 20^th.02.2014

Emily has benefited from the Organization in many ways. She also got a Child Micro enterprise Project (poultry) which multiplied. She sells the eggs from her project and gets some money to facilitate her needs. 

On the 20th of Febuary 2014, her parents organized a thanks giving mass at their home to thank God for Emily's achievement. The Organization was represented and all her speech was full of praising words to CALU which has greatly supported her.  I quote her '' Education degree is very demanding and expensive but i have managed to excel with a lot of support from Change A Life Uganda"

Emily’s family has also benefited from the program in so many ways in that her mother is one of the best women making crafts in Nabbingo where she earns some money for a living. She is well known for making the CUTE bags. On top of that, the mother is one of the learners in Adult Literacy program, She can now read, write and speak some simple English.

All in all Change A Life Uganda has really done a great job in transforming both Emily and her family’s lives.

Thank you Kurry Libby who has sponsored her all through.

LILIAN

FIELD OFFICER

SPONSORSHIP

Un-Recognized Artists

You would never know their story by just looking at them; you might even never know the hardships they have had to endure for their families, being a mother and father to their children. A mother is never happy when her children are not, she has to be strong; a steady rock for her family. Their children would go a day without a single meal, go to school without shoes, trek thousands of kilometers just to get an education. Some would cry themselves to sleep wondering how to go through the next day, but they stayed strong for their children.

You believed in them; gave them and their families a chance at a better tomorrow.  The women of Nabbingo and Migyera have been trained to craft and their products are marketed at a fair price by Change a Life Uganda. One of them once told me, “I always knew how to weave, but I did not know I can make good money out of it.” They give their very best to make unique, beautiful pieces of art to ensure the happiness of their families. Most artists do it for fame or the exposure but they do it so their children can have meals, clothing, education and proper health care.

women being trained at Bumu craft shop 

Visitors at Bumu craft shop in Migyeera 

The artisans busy making crafts at Bumu craft 

The mini exibition in Nabbingo 

Crafts on display at Bumu craft shop

Tailoring trainees making a garment 

Teddy a tailoring trainee joins patterns during the examination in Migyeera

Harriet a tailoring trainee draft a pattern during the examination in Nabbingo

They express their gratitude to all those that have gone out of their way to help them and children lead a good life both at school and home.

They are mothers, sisters but most of all they are my friends.

BY: CLAIR MUKWAYA

Program Coordinator Micro enterprise

Believe in Miracles

by Grace Kabazarwe

This is my success story as a ChangeALife beneficiary.   In my early childhood, when I had just started schooling, life was not very good.  I used to go to school sometimes dressed in shoes and sometimes not. 

At school I went without something to eat and spent the whole day hungry at school.  I would admire the clever children, the smart children and those who had things to eat at break time and lunchtime.

Every time women came to sell eats at school.  I would stand there near them and watch my friends at school buying so that I asked them to give me something to eat at break time and at lunch time.  Some of them would give me, while some would not, and that would annoy me very much.  This sometimes disturbed me in class.  But thanks to ChangeALife when ChangeALife came into my life everything changed.

 

My life changed so much that I have been always happy at school and when I go back home.  ChangeALife started paying my school fees and I was always sure to get something to eat at school.  My performance has improved and my parents are very happy about everything.  

The letters I receive, the gifts and the love I have been shown by both my sponsors and ChangeALife have greatly changed my and always made me happy and proud to be a lucky girl.

Since ChangeALife came into my life, I have always been wearing shoes at school and my uniforms have always been clean.   

I had never thought that I would even be in the boarding school but ChangeALife made my dream come true.  I started being in class in time, have meals on time and this made me perform better and better each year.

When one looks at me today and tries to remember how I used to look before ChangeALife came into my life, you start to believe in miracles.

Thanks you Change A Life for everything you have done to make my life very good.   May the Lord bless you so much.