Regis tered Chari ty 1106860

Issue 14 September 2011

TWO C ON SI GN ME N T S AR RIV E IN M UY E M BE

AFRICAN VILLAGE SUPPORT HELPING VILLAGES IN RURAL UGANDA

Please contact:-

African Village Support,

1, Cockpit Cottages,

Cockpit Road,

Great Kingshill

Bucks HP15 6ER

info@africanvillagesupport.org

Marie Cates 01494 712 932

Thank you for everything that you sent to us over the

last twelve months. Two large consignments were

collected and brought to the village and we set to

unpacking, sorting and distributing. It‟s always

quite exciting unpacking as it seems so long since the

goods were packed in High Wycombe that I can never

remember what‟s been sent! Just about everything

that is sent has been a generous donation from

someone at home and I always wish that those

generous people could be there to see the joy on

smiling faces. The list of

goods is long and there is a reminder in the middle of

the newsletter which shows how you can help. These

donations mean that we can use our money in other

ways.

Bicycles for the computer shop and the hostel, tools for the carpenters, clothes for the Mama

Bags, keyboards for the Music group and a great set of acrylic paints for the artist all arrived.

Add on to that toys, puzzles and dressing up clothes for the nurseries, equipment for the com-

puter shop and a brilliant set of speakers for the music group. Boxes of biros and pencils and readers for the primary schools, shirts for secondary school and shoes and uniform for really

needy youngsters. Science equipment from Lab Aid and all wrapped in clothes which are sorted

and given out to women‟s groups. Nothing is wasted and it‟s all appreciated.

Very needy children get uniform from

Britain. . . . „Their parent‟s did not

know them‟ said the

head teacher.

Since we first mentioned collecting tools some of you

have been really busy and by the time the last consignment

went out we had a good collection of strong and

useful tools for our builder Masinde Juma. There were

drills of all shapes and sizes, planes, saws, screwdrivers,

hammers and plastering trowels to name but a few.

Some were in excellent condition having been

cleaned and sharpened, others will need some work

done on them locally but all of them were greeted with

enormous gratitude. Juma, who had initially requested

the tools, sorted them into sets and then gave sets away

to other local carpenters who are trying to set up in

b u s i n e s s a n d t r a i n youngsters. This was such a

generous gesture from someone who could have

used every last tool for his

own business. We had some lovely letters of appreciation

so I am passing them on to

you. Thank you!

„I am happy to express my

gratitude and pleasure to whoever donated the tools.

They are of really great importance to us and they

will help more youth acquire more skills now that we have

the tools....‟

„Not only are the tools useful to Muyembe Bui lders

Association but they are also useful to some of the

carpentry workshops with

whom I shared the tools. They have really made an impact

on local workmanship.

Here in Uganda accessing all of the tools required is not

easy as original tools cost a lot of money and they are

difficult to get. We are praying day and night so that your

support to us is continued.‟

TOOLS ARE WELCOMED !

You might remember that

we had a special appeal for some ox ploughs for our

women‟s groups.? We have

been able to buy four sets.

These cost four thousand pounds and we thank very

much indeed all of those who contributed We also helped

our groups by asking you to buy a hen, a goat or a cow for

a special and unusual Christmas present for a loved

one. These gifts have made such a difference that we

would really like to ask you to do it again. It‟s amazing

the difference a goat makes in a family! Inside this

newsletter is a flyer with all of the information you will

need to buy your present.

Two of our friends decided

to help them and by making an annual contribution have

lifted them out of despair. Miriam knows that a

contribution will come to help her with her planting.

She doesn‟t sit idle, she

gardens, and when she has some cash she buys

materials and sews some clothes. She is managing to

keep her oldest daughter in school and will struggle to

keep the others there as well. What a difference a

helping hand makes. The whole

family is so much more hopeful

now.

Page 2

W E A R E B R O K E . . . B U T N O T S O B R O K E

CA N YOU B E AR TO T H I N K OF CHR I ST M AS YE T?

M I R I A M A N D FA M I LY

mother, twins and two young

girls, living on the edge of existence with their grass

thatched mud hut hanging over a precipice and leaking.

The father had no crops, they had been washed away, He

was about forty and he had a

malignant tumour. He asked for 50,000 shillings to got to

the hospital (just over £12.50) but before we could

get it to him he died. He left a helpless family behind him.

With the contribution of one of our supporters we have

left the money to rebuild the

family house with the help of the local community and to

buy a sack of maize. It‟s so little, it cost less than £150

but what a difference it will

make.

You hear the stories all the

time and they sadden you, It hits home even more when

you see the people and you know the people. There have

been dreadful landslides and floods in our area of

Bulambuli and the Red Cross

has been very active with disaster alleviation. A

number of our committee also work and volunteer for

the Red Cross. They have been up in the hills and

amidst the floods where they met a young family, a father,

Issue 14 September 2011 2011

You will get a card which says

exactly what you have bought.

After the dreadful landslides

and flooding in our area there are people who have so little

that to have a sack of maize to keep the family fed for the

season or to own a hen or a goat would be beyond their

dreams but more importantly would keep them alive.

Honestly, it‟s not just a gimmick it can make the

difference between life or death or the chance to breed

a few goats or hens and make an income. Life is very fragile

out here for so many. Yetaana women‟s group is presented with an ox plough. An

impossible dream comes true!

Sponsoring a family can make the difference between despair

and hope. Miriam‟s husband had been a good provider then he

developed AIDS. He had to stop working and she spent months

and months caring for him and digging in the gardens to keep

body and soul together. They had five children and no income.

Miriam‟s husband died and there seemed to be no hope apart from

digging and planting and willing that the climate would be kind to

them and that it would be a good

harvest.

Miriam‟s family looking pretty

happy in their ‟new‟ clothes

THE NEW COMMUNITY

CENTRE

Please don't forget that our new project is the development

of a community centre in Muyembe. A replacement

venue for the social centre that has been taken over as an

administrative centre.

Fund raising is more difficult than ever and we desperately

need your support for this really valuable facility. The local

women have no place to meet to discuss their group projects

and workshops and life skills sessions are not being

conducted within the locality. The youth are missing the

sporting activities which the old

centre provided as well as

access to TV and music.

Our music group is meeting in

the small home of their teacher, Joseph, but this

doesn‟t allow the space necessary for a proper

rehearsal. However, Joseph is desperate to keep the group

together until the new centre is built. They now have all of the

resources they need for recording and performing their

music. They just need a venue!

Local teachers are ready to teach women and young

people the vocational skills that will help them to become

more independent and give

them a chance of employment.

People are constantly asking when the new centre will be

ready.

CAN YOU MAKE A DONATION

TO HELP US????

AFRICAN VILLAGE SUPPORT

The Health Manager of

Muyembe Health Centre came to see me with three letters of

appreciation. The first was for the on-going support of the

Mama Bags which has increased the use of the

maternity unit from about 40%

to over 70% with an average of 100 deliveries each month.

The numbers used to be about 20. This is not 80 extra

p r e g n a n c i e s b u t 8 0 pregnancies that have a better

chance of a safe delivery.

There are so many people

around the country who are busily knitting and collecting

baby clothes from car boot sales and friendly young

mums. It‟s amazing when these all come together in

Uganda and we see the fruits

of all your labours. Keep on knitting as, no sooner do we

seem to have a good stock than another hundred mums

decimate the shelves!! Barbara a friend from

Shropshire, worked tirelessly to stack our new shelves in

the store. It looked well stocked and well ordered

when we left...... But I keep telling myself that if the

clothes stayed on the shelves looking neat and tidy

they wouldn‟t be doing any

good!

excellent job and the hostel is clean

and well cared for. We still have a few jobs to do, like the rainwater

harvesting and a chimney in the indoor kitchen but mostly it‟s a job

well done. The hostel has a good

It was so good to see the

work that had been completed on the girls hostel

since I was last in Uganda. The new dormitory is finished

and the girls have moved in. They have lots of space now

and are really comfortable in

their new room. We had been given some really good

material for the sewing room so with a bit of a squeeze

we were able to curtain every window in the dormitory, the

recreation room and the matron‟s office. The matron

and staff are doing an

reputation locally and we

had a very good report from the Education Officers

inspection. The girls, from very many di f ferent

backgrounds are being given the best chance possible to

do well at school away from

the chores and the hard work as well as the long

distances to and from school. We would like to

thank the Jephcott Trust amongst others for the

significant donation which

made this possible.

Page 3

P E R M A N E N T M O S Q U I T O N E T T I N G

M A M A B A G S

O U R G I R L S ’ H O S T E L

malaria plague. The Health

Manager showed me around with obvious appreciation

and thanks from all the patients. They have named

the maternity ward „Rosie‟s ward‟ She‟ll be very proud!

Thank you Rosie! Now the

third thing that the Manager was thanking us for was the

gift of two wheelchairs which he says are extremely useful

when they have patients who

are unable to walk. Crutches

With money raised with her

friend Thalia, Rosie Mc Allister, a student who stayed

in Muyembe, provided some permanent mosquito netting

in the wards at the local Health Centre. The wards in

the centre were always full of

mosquitoes and a great danger to the patients. The

wards are now very well protected and as soon as the

dusk comes the windows and doors are closed and the

patients are safe from the

SUMIA

I wonder if you remember

Sumia? Last time I was in Uganda she so nearly died,

but this is a happy story. Hospitalisation and good

after care means that she is now strong and growing.

Without money being available for treatment

Sumia would be dead as are

the babies of so many

mothers in Uganda.

HOW YOU CAN HELP?

The most fundamental way

is by a regular donation

to the charity. This gives

us the confidence to know

that we have the funds to maintain the projects that

we have undertaken. Or You

could:-

Fund transport costs

Sponsor a student

Support our work with the women‟s groups.

Pay for some Mama Bags

0R the following items would

be gratefully received.

For Secondary school

Students

Footballs, netballs, volley

balls

Lap tops

Strong black shoes

White secondary shirts

School bags

For the computer services

Flat screen monitors

Lap tops

For the nurseries

Tennis balls

Skipping ropes

Dressing up clothes

Baby dolls

For the Mama Bags

Baby clothes

Small blankets/shawls

Vaseline & soap

For the builders

Basic tools, carpentry, plumbing and building tools

Shelves looking well stocked after two

consignments from home

are also very useful in the Health Centre for patients who

have lost limbs.

P E O P L E W H O C O N T I N U E T O H E L P U S

Computer and printing services

supported by Annodata

Focal Point have been supporting us with regular monthly donations

which make a tremendous differ-ence to the range of things we are

able to do. They are also helping us to develop a fundraising database

Page 4

Return to Muyembe

On 20th September, Barbara and I fulfilled our pledge, made during our February visit, to return to Muyembe. I had agreed to

help a group of young men, Apollo, Fred, Steven and Geoffrey (3 brothers and a cousin) to develop their embryonic photo studio business. Barbara was there, not simply to accompany me: she manages the sourcing and distribution of children‟s

clothing on behalf of Greenfields Africa, which operates in several African countries and of which we are trustees. She wanted to familiarise herself with the Mama Bag project, and to ascertain that the goods we send to Muyembe are appropriate to the

needs of the recipients. She worked hard unpacking and sorting the clothes that had arrived as part of a large consignment.

n Muyembe the local people are required to carry identification photo cards, and children need to provide identifying photographs for school. This establishes the value to the whole community of a local photo studio: instead of a costly trip to

Mbale and a long wait for a rather expensive passport-size photograph, they can have them taken in the village. Many parents said they would love to have photographs of their children being baptised or starting at school, whilst family group

and wedding photography would be most welcome.

The boys already occupied a lockup and used one old film camera to take

their photographs. Each week they would take the film to Mbale to be developed, then, a few days later they would return to collect the prints and

leave another film. Their costings revealed that they were making little profit.

My task was to introduce them to the advantages offered by digital photography –such as the ability to see the image as soon as the picture had

been taken, to take pictures that cost nothing until they were printed, and the

ability to edit, size and print in house.

I have never had more enthusiastic pupils. Within the three weeks at our

disposal they quickly learnt the advanced camera techniques that would enable them to capture images in all the circumstances they were likely to

encounter and to manage the harsh sunlight of their outdoor shots.. They now speak of, and understand „exposure value‟, „histogram‟, „ISO settings‟ and

many other terms and concepts that were previously well outside of their

vocabulary. They now know how to set up studio lighting to avoid shadows, and how to pose their models for best effect. The computer work was a

particular challenge. Two of the lads had never used a mouse!

Electrical power was not available in the studio, but Greenfields Africa shared with AVS the costs of an electricity supply, a

security ceiling and a small stand-by generator.

The business, Excel Photo Studio, is up and running. The four

entrepreneurs are very busy, with a steady demand for their services. One official from the District Council buttonholed

me to express the local feeling of gratitude to AVS for providing the district with, “photographic facilities to equal

those in Mbale; facilities that would serve other villages, saving the people money and opening up the possibility of

every family being able to possess photographs of their children.” He went on to say that we had upgraded the whole

district….. Praise indeed.

For me, the task offered the opportunity, as we did our

fieldwork, to meet many locals, to visit people in their homes,

to relax and make friends with them.: a priceless opportunity.

We are planning to return early next year; and four young

men have a thriving livelihood.

Thank You Big Yellow Self Storage

Company! They continue to support

us by providing storage each year.