April 2024

Spring Fever(s)

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So how’s Spring 2024 going for you? In the past 6 weeks over here with the Wrights, we’ve had one broken leg, one ruptured achilles tendon, and one “someone must accompany you and drive” procedure… And it’s not even May yet!

At Touch the Slum, we’ve seen an uptick in malaria cases with recent rains but nothing major. We are reminding our girls of the importance of using mosquito nets. Believe it or not, this is a cultural challenge:

  • Nets are valuable, so families who are given them free will often end up selling them for quick cash.
  • Nets can be used to pen in chickens, fish, and other creative things.
  • To most Ugandans (and others in Sub-Saharan Africa) malaria isn’t seen as a big deal. While it can cause brain damage, other organ failure, and is a leading cause of death in children under 5, the fact on the ground is that they have lived with it and will continue to live with it and they’re ok with that.

Providing a good meal for our day students and three meals a day for our residents, making and using liquid soap to help with cleanliness and prevention of communicable diseases, providing free medical care at our clinic, and regular seminars on health issues are all part of our daily lives at the compound. Our goal is not just that the girls learn a skill that can support them through their lives, but to educate them holistically (which includes health!) so that they thrive.

We can do this because of your support, and we can’t thank you enough!

Mwebele nnyo!

Jennings

PS As you know, we have several girls in Literacy whose families are refugees from the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. All of them fled with nothing but what they could carry. Merevey’s family is in desperate need of basic household necessities — you can see her story by clicking the button.

Help Merevey’s Family!

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Update on Farmer Derrick

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I don’t normally post off-cycle, but a lot of you reached out after my last email regarding Derrick’s wife’s passing.

I wanted to let you know that the baby just passed away as well, literally minutes ago. I am so, so sad, and I know you will be based on the love you sent his way last week.

If you’d like to contribute to his new burial expenses, please use Donorbox with the box below.

Derrick’s baby

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Life, Death, and Ugandan Health Care

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When my son was fourteen, he spent 4 days in the International Hospital of Kampala, a private hospital started by an Irish doctor, for pneumonia. Despite being the premiere hospital in Uganda at that time, it was a pretty hair-raising experience. I’m very thankful for the British doctor who took over the case the second afternoon, and very thankful that we were able to make the daily payments at the bursar’s office to keep him in care.

I’ve also spent a fair amount of time in local and regional hospitals during the three years I worked with Hospice Jinja and Hospice Tororo. These are the kinds of hospitals with 1930’s style metal beds where you have to bring your own mattress if you want one, and a family member has to stay with you, often sleeping under your bed in a 40+ person ward and cooking on a charcoal pile outside so you have food and someone to change your bandages.

Unfortunately, the latter is the norm for most Ugandans. Since the pandemic, even the government hospitals, such as those I visited, charge in advance for care, effectively excluding most before they can even be seen. Maternity care and labor and delivery services are almost nonexistent.

Sadly, yesterday morning our farmer, Derrick, lost his wife in childbirth. The baby girl is healthy, but the mother passed away. I don’t know the specific reason, but it is probably something shocking to our Western sensibilities because it is so easily treated. This is way too common for Ugandan women.

We have a project up to pay for transport and the burial costs. Yesterday was a Muslim holiday so nothing could be done, but today Derrick will begin the process of burying his wife. We’ve already sent the money for his expenses, but this is outside of our normal budget. If you’re interested in helping, the project link is below.

Mostly, I want to thank you for your support of our compound clinic. While the majority of our nurse’s time is spent on things like malaria, typhoid, and pink eye, both Nurse Sherry and now Nurse Brenda have stayed with our teen girls as they give birth, rushed sick babies to the hospital in the middle of the night and made sure they got seen, and taken hurt toddlers to the children’s hospital in Mulago to make sure they get appropriate treatment and care.

YOU are doing that. You are giving a tremendous gift — the gifts of health and of life. We truly cannot thank you enough.

Mwebele nnyo,

Jennings

PS – I woke up Thur morning and found that you all had already funded this project! That’s amazing!

If you’d like to make a donation to Derrick’s baby’s needs and care, you can still donate to this project (It can go over 100%) and we will purchase baby items and other things the caregivers may need with however much we get in.

Project for Derrick

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Real Talk

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Raise your hand if you get overwhelmed by all the bad news, prices at the grocery, important things falling off planes, and more happening throughout the Western world. (Me!)

I get that the daily dose of disaster is exhausting.

My goal with this weekly newsletter is to bring you stories of how your money is making a real, tangible, priceless difference to the teen moms and teen girls in our program. While I do make “asks”, I rarely ASK.

Today, I’m asking.

As of this writing on Wednesday, we haven’t had a single donation on DonorSee in 6 days. While January and February were slow, in March, til last week, had seen a distinct uptick in activity. This is a very normal and expected pattern after year end giving season. But I don’t think we’ve ever gone a week without a single donation on that platform.

Why should you donate to Ten Eighteen Uganda and our Touch the Slum program?

  • 100% of your donation goes to the work
  • We are able to run a residential program, Literacy program, Vocational Skills program, and community outreach that reaches over 100 daily and over 5,000 over the course of a year with under $125,000 in donations.
  • I have 15 years of experience working in the Namuwongo slum, and almost all of our staff are from this community, meaning we know the needs and know how to address them in ways appropriate to the culture.
  • We have been recognized by Plan International and added to their “recommended list” — one of only 2 for the District that is home to millions.
  • We were named the top Youth Led Organization in Kampala in 2023.

In short, we are small but mighty, and your donations allow us to transform lives and change a culture that does not value its girls.

Will you consider making a donation or becoming a monthly donor? Your support will ensure that our program can continue to serve the most needy in Namuwongo, and we promise that every dollar will go to changing lives for the better.

You can make a one-time donation or become a monthly donor at Donorbox by clicking the button below:

Donorbox

You can also donate to a specific project, become a sponsor of the clinic or residential program, or become a monthly donor on DonorSee by clicking this box:

DonorSee

If you can’t donate right now, that’s ok! Will you share this newsletter and our work with a friend or two? Your word-of-mouth referral means the world.

Mwebele nnyo,

Jennings

PS I just had a message from Ronald that we had an attempted break-in at the farm last night. The would-be thieves made a hole in the wall (!) but Derrick discouraged them from entering (with a machete). Apparently they were going after our boda. Ronald and our legal officer, Jimmy, went to the farm then met with the LC and local police, who say they will investigate. (We’ll see…) The cost for the transportation and materials to repair the hole is $55 – you can use the Donorbox button above to help defray this cost. Thanks!

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