Author name: Jen

Self-Sufficiency In All the Ways

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I’m kind of an old fashioned gal. I like to garden and can and use things in ways their creators didn’t intend to solve a problem. I love being self sufficient.

The girls in our program have been largely bypassed by their community. If there is lowest-rung on the social ladder in the slum, it’s teen girls.

But not at Touch the Slum!

We believe in self sufficiency, sustainability, and personal responsibility. They go hand-in-hand: if we teach a skill that allows a girl to make an income, they then have a sustainable way to continue to earn that income and can be responsible for their own lives.

In short, it’s HOPE.

This week we made liquid soap, thanks to a generous donor. It’s MUCH cheaper to make the soap than to buy it, and we get to do a mini-workshop for the girls on how to do it. Then they can make and sell it while they’re learning a bigger skill.

Win-win.

Every program we have and every program we think of having is within this context. We don’t want to create dependency, we want to create opportunity for IN-dependence. Always.

Thank you for always standing with us – we can’t tell you how much your support and encouragement mean, and how many lives you touch every day because of it!

Webele nyo,

Jennings

PS Teen Jackline was in the Literacy class last term, and will be starting hairdressing on the 15th. The project for her supplies is almost 65% funded – we just need $95. We’d love to have your support!

Jackline’s Supplies!

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Who’s a Farmer Now?!

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One of my earliest memories from childhood is being awakened in the middle of the night to go to the groves and light the oil pots due to an imminent freeze. I didn’t get out of the car or (of course) play with fire, but I remember it clearly. I also remember playing in the packing house as the conveyor belts ran full of beautiful oranges.

My grandfather always had a small vegetable garden at his house and would eat sweet onions like an apple as we walked back to the house. (Which I found horrifying!)

As an older (cough cough) adult, I dream of having a farm one day. I just didn’t know it would be in Uganda!

But we are farmers now!

We officially own the land (with paperwork started), witnessed by the neighboring landowners and the local community leaders. It has been surveyed and marked and we will start building our fence soon.

Honestly, I keep having to pinch myself that we own this land. Land that already has papaya and cassava growing and soon ready to harvest. That already has a partially finished brick building ready to be finished into a home for our caretaker and storage.

I’m still hoping for a farm a bit closer to home one day, but I am absolutely staggered at your response to our need for food, and for another vocational skill to teach our teen moms. It has so far exceeded our wildest expectations that I’m not sure there are words to express our gratitude.

In Luganda, “Tweyanzizza nnyo, tweyanzeege!” (We are so grateful, thank you very much!”)

Blessings,

Jennings

PS While we may be farmers now, we aren’t actually farming yet! Our project to help us bridge the gap between our budget and rising costs is 30% funded on DonorSee – we’d love you to help us so we can fully restock in 2 weeks when classes resume. Click the button – it’s super easy, and 100% goes to the program!

Click here for FOOD!

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It’s “Summertime” But They’re Still Coming To Class!

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Uganda doesn’t have “summer.” I have spent a lot of time over the years trying to explain seasons, daylight savings time, and why our daylight is short in winter and long in summer.

When you’re on the equator, it’s a hard concept to grasp!

Their schools also don’t have a summer break. Typically, a school year starts in January and ends in December, with two breaks. As a vocational school, our schedule is a little different: we have about 5 month terms, with the last few weeks being exams. Other than Christmas, we’ve never actually taken a “term break” until now.

WHY are we taking a term break?

  • Well, first, the staff is TIRED! We’ve instituted a ton of new programs this year, including the literacy class, the computer lab, the daycare, the clinic, and Advanced Tailoring.
  • We went from 20 students per term to 60+. That meant Mama Santa is cooking a whole lot more food each day.
  • We went from 8 residential girls to 12, with the addition of our dormitory.
  • We went from 4 teachers to 9.
  • And finally, and importantly, food-inflation has more than doubled what it costs to feed all these people every day.

Everyone and our budget needed a break!

But we also recognize that we have girls who are particularly vulnerable to voluntary or involuntary sex work, starvation, and abuse. The girls in our Literacy program, both from the first term who are awaiting the start of Term 3 to learn a skill, and from this current term, have no way to make an income yet. For very many of them, the meals they get at the compound are the only meals they get. They are at risk of bad peer groups who influence them on drugs and alcohol use.

We just funded a food project on DonorSee to provide the extra food to keep these girls fed over this one-month break. But they don’t just come for the meals – they come to dance, to practice their English, to watch a movie, and to hang out in a safe place.

Our staff is taking rotating days off during this time so that we can accommodate the girls coming in, and the teachers are even coming up with some games and activities for them. We’re all committed to creating change in this community, and it doesn’t stop because school does!

Thank you for your tremendous support. We couldn’t do it without you! Follow us on social media (links below) to keep up with what’s happening at the compound during this break.

Blessings!

Jennings

PS. WE DID IT! We crossed $50,000 in all-time donations on DonorSee yesterday. That means we went from $30,000 to $50,000 in 27 days! WOW!

Patricia is in the Literacy Class and will start S4L Tailoring on August 15th. Her supplies project is over 60% funded – we’d love your help to get her set up for success! Just click!

Help Patricia with supplies!

It’s “Summertime” But They’re Still Coming To Class! Read More »

Time To Buy Some Farm Land

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The way DonorSee works, we get the money for our projects as it comes in. For large projects that we need to gather all the funding for, I just put the proceeds into a savings account while we wait.

Because the farm project is now about 60% funded, we have the money in the bank for a piece of land! Ronald has been reaching out to all his contacts and visiting plots, and we *may* have found one yesterday! (More on this in a later email as it develops.)

I can’t thank you enough — you’ve been so generous with both your money and your encouragement. It’s definitely a leap of faith, but as we watch prices continue to rise we know it’s the right thing to do.

Obviously, we won’t be buying and improving the land and then gathering in crops the next week. I grew up in a citrus farming family and have done a lot of my own gardening; there’s no rushing nature. We can’t wait to get started!

I can’t believe we’re here — and it’s all thanks to YOU. I’m truly gobsmacked, and so so grateful!

Webele nyo!

Jennings

PS On DonorSee, we crossed the $30,000 raised mark on June 29. We are now (in 3 1/2 weeks!) close to crossing $50,000! (I can’t even wrap my head around that!) If you’d like to help us get over that amazing milestone, click the button!

Click Here for $50k!

Time To Buy Some Farm Land Read More »

Ways To Help During the Current Food Crisis

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Stories like this one are popping up in Ugandan media, even as the government is trying to ignore the severity of inflation and supply chain issues. As the President said recently, “Just don’t eat wheat – have matoke instead.” (Sound like any French monarch you recall?)

Now, Karamoja and the northern portions of Uganda that are bordering South Sudan are very dry and arid. The Karamoja tribes are herders, and can travel large distances to find grazing for their cattle. But what is happening there is coming to the rest of the country if it can’t get a handle on a few things:

  • Stopping the export of commodity crops to other countries until the supply chain problems ease
  • Forming some sort of safety net program for the extremely poor who have never recovered from the pandemic lockdowns
  • Stopping the new post-pandemic policy of charging at “free” hospitals

I’m not holding my breath, and we’re not waiting for the government!

Here’s how YOU can help the teen moms and teen girls in our programs – as always, 100% goes to our programs:

  • Become a monthly donor on DonorBox. We will receive the money in 1-3 business days.
  • If you are a big Paypal user, we are part of the Paypal Giving Fund. We will receive the money electronically in up to 45 days.
  • You can give through GreatNonprofits, too. We get a check within once a quarter. (Leave a review while you’re there so we can be a 2022 Top Rated Nonprofit!)
  • We are a verified charity with the National Christian Foundation (NCF). We’ve received one donation through them, and it was a check delivered fairly quickly. They take no fees.

THE BOTTOM LINE – we’ll take money however you want to give it to us! 😀

Thank you for your support!

Webele nyo,

Jennings

PS Make sure to follow us on social media for the latest updates!

Ways To Help During the Current Food Crisis Read More »

We Had a Fashion Show – and It Was Great!

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When I tell people that we take 3 weeks to do final exams – in a program where the coursework goes 4 months – they are amazed. And a bit horrified, thinking back to their own school exams.

But that’s not how we roll…

During our exams, the Tailoring girls each make a two set designs: a school uniform and a work uniform. These are things they can make money doing in a small business, or get a job doing at a small factory.

Then they get to create a dress, and WOW! These are their own designs, their own creations, their own imaginations. Then they do a fashion show expo to show off their work.

Not only did they do a great job, they had SASS. Attitude. Pride. They strutted down the “runway”, popping their hips and twirling for the audience. It was great!

Why is this more than just a fun anecdote?

The girls in Skills for Life are among the poorest of the poor. Most have never been to school. Many are teenage mothers who have engaged in sex work to survive. Not only did their mothers not encourage them to great things in the world — they often are the ones encouraging them into prostitution.

NO ONE expected anything, literally anything, from these girls.

Until they came to Touch the Slum.

Without fail (so far!) they rise to the expectation, and it’s truly glorious to watch.

THANK YOU – you are the one making this possible. This smile, this sass, this HOPE. That’s on you!

Webele nyo!

Jennings

PS Our project for funding the hairdressing supplies for final exams is 77% funded — we just need $65. We’d love your help to close it out! Click —->

Exam Supplies Project

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Celebrating Literacy (With a Party!)

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Husinah, right, is our poster child for the Skills for Life Literacy program. She came into the program without a word of English beyond “hello, how are you?” (Which every Ugandan kid learns as one word: howareyoufine.)

In less than 5 months, she is the first one to volunteer to do videos in English, she engaged me in conversation multiple times on my visit, and she literally *always* has a smile on her face because she is so excited about everything she’s learning and doing.

We are throwing a party for the 20 girls who’ve finished both our first-ever Literacy class and a month of auditing their chosen vocational class so they’re ready for Term 3 next month.

We want to PARTY, to celebrate, to make sure they know that they have beaten every expectation — not just expectations from people in Uganda who look down on anyone in the slum as a criminal or prostitute or drug addict. But OUR expectations, too. Where we thought a 6-month course would be ambitious, they just said the (non-alcoholic) equivalent of “hold my beer.”

So we’re getting a big cake, and soda, and they’ll do a huge THANK YOU to Teachers Lillian and Fortunate as well as to YOU and our friends at Expat Money Show who funded this amazing program for us.

WEBELE NYO!

Blessings!

Jennings

PS We have a project up on DonorSee to fund the party —> click the button! Shhhh, it’s a surprise!

Click for the party!

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The Farm Project Has Launched!

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Our FARM PROJECT has launched on DonorSee!

There are some values that we hold at Touch the Slum –

  • Sustainable change
  • Personal responsibility
  • Hope + Growth

This goes for our own work in the community, for what we try to instill in our girls through counseling and education, and for how we plan and dream for the future of the Namuwongo project.

The 50%+ food inflation that Uganda has experienced has really stretched our budget while limiting our food options. We have had to limit our carbohydrates to mostly posho with a little bit of rice, and we’ve also had to reduce our fresh produce to the general population so that we can make sure that our breastfeeding teen moms get all the nutrition they need.

This has led us to the farm project. The farm will be able to provide all of the vegetables that we need, and eventually fruits such as mango and avocado. Girls who are interested in learning about farming and agriculture will be able to visit the project a couple of times a month, which will give them a wonderful skill for their future.

This is a really large project for us, but we know we will be able to fund it on DonorSee thanks to you and our wonderful partners there. Below, I’ve itemized the expenses so you can see where every penny will go. 100% of donations will go to the project (minus processing fees), and we’ll be keeping you updated all along the way.

Click the button to see the project on DonorSee — we need to get 10% of the funding before DonorSee will show it in their feed, so we’d love your help today!

TAKE ME TO THE FARM!

BUDGET

2-3 acres of arable land $11,500

Green house $1,460

Cement fencing poles + wires $2,640

Farm tools $500

Water pump system $1,100

Motorcycle $1,775 (for the caretaker, deliveries, etc)

Caretaker home $2,500

Maize milling system $1,775

Fertilizer & pesticides 1 year $350

Caretaker salary 1 year $500 (plus room, board, transport, etc)

TOTAL $24,100

Webele nyo!

Jennings

The Farm Project Has Launched! Read More »

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