We are so thankful for YOU!
Blessings!
All of us at Touch the Slum
We are so thankful for YOU! Read More »
General
Say Happy Birthday to Ronald!
Over the weekend, Ronald had the flu, so when his 26th birthday came on Monday, he wasn’t ready to celebrate. (We’re so thankful for Nurse Sherry who got him on some meds to help!)
But he’s feeling better now, and we want to make sure he knows how much we appreciate all the amazing work he does as our Managing Director. Need a list? Let me count the ways:
- He’s an administrative superhero!
- He manages 22 paid staff, a half dozen regular volunteers, random visiting groups of students from Makerere University, and 100 or so teen girls and their kids every day.
- He effortlessly (for Uganda!) deals with local leaders, police, and government authorities and has developed an amazing relationship and reputation with all of them.
- He has a heart as big as Lake Victoria for the suffering of teen girls in his community.
- He’s from the Namuwongo slum and, while he definitely could get a job that would allow him to move out and forget it, his heart and home are still there.
- He’s quick to join a dance party!
We literally couldn’t have built the program that we have without Ronald over these last 2 1/2 years, and I am thankful every day for him.
Hit Reply and send a shout-out. I’ll forward it all to him!
Blessings,
Jennings
PS SAVE THE DATE! November 29th is Giving Tuesday! Not sure what Giving Tuesday is? From their website:
GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of radical generosity. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Since then, it has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.
Say Happy Birthday to Ronald! Read More »
What’s Ten Eighteen’s Impact in the Slum?
We appreciate your encouragement over 2022 – it’s been a great year!
Webele nyo!
Jennings
What’s Ten Eighteen’s Impact in the Slum? Read More »
Do You Have a Minute to Leave a Review?
In 2020, we got connected with GreatNonprofits online. At the time, we didn’t even realize people could give through the platform — we were just happy to be able to be listed in a way that people could find out about us.
Then, thanks to you all, we got this award!
For a small nonprofit, that’s a pretty big deal. And it brought in more than $1000 in donations over the past year.
Now we only have 3 more weeks to get the award for 2022.
Will you help?
It only takes a few minutes to leave a 4* or 5* review, but it means a lot to us for the upcoming year. Just click the button below now, and let the world know what you love about Ten Eighteen and Touch the Slum.
Webele nyo!
Jennings
Do You Have a Minute to Leave a Review? Read More »
YOU Are the HOW at Ten Eighteen Uganda!
I’m from Florida, as were six generations before me. I have been accused of having “thin blood”, because I start wearing long sleeves in early September, and have been known to wear a wetsuit if the water temperature is below about 78 degrees.
I also do NOT like to sweat. That led me to have a young life filled with swimming pools, diving boards, sailboats, water skis, and canoes. No tennis or (heaven forbid) cross country running for me!
All that to say, I was never part of a TEAM. Yes, swimming and diving means you’re on a team, but they are individual sports at heart. You can win a First when the team comes in last. Really, you just need a ride to the pool!
I’m also an introvert, and could (honestly) probably be a professional hermit.
But THIS, Ten Eighteen Uganda, is truly a TEAM. It’s way beyond me, and that’s wonderful!
Our team in Uganda is 22 paid staff and another handful of full time volunteers who work tirelessly with and for our teen mom and teen girls. They are all from the Namuwongo slum themselves, and live there or nearby still, so they are well aware of the circumstances in which the girls live.
Our team outside of Uganda — me and our small board — does all the communications, fundraising, technical stuff, and project development. For free.
But NONE of that would have produced the incredible program we have now if it wasn’t for YOU. Every single donation, no matter the size, is put to work immediately. 100% of it. Day in and day out, you come through.
It’s not because I’m such a great communicator, or that the media team produces such great content, or that Ronald is an extraordinary administrator. It’s because, for some or all or none of those reasons but also because our mission lit a fire in you, you saw the need, you saw that you could do something, and then — most importantly — you took action.
Trust me, most people get hung up after that second one! They don’t think $5 or $10 or $100 can “do anything” so they end up not doing anything. But hundreds or thousands of people doing something equals an incredible movement that can shift a culture.
That’s what you’re doing. Shifting a culture!
I wish we had the budget to send you all… something. A hat or a shirt or fly a banner over your house to thank you. This will have to do.
We really can’t ever thank you enough…
Webele nyo!
Jennings (and the team!)
YOU Are the HOW at Ten Eighteen Uganda! Read More »
Thank You So Much – Mwebele Nyo!
It’s hard to believe that I got back from Uganda 2 1/2 months ago… Time has flown by!
But one thing has remained constant: YOU!
Our monthly donors give month in and month out so we can continue our work.
You have funded 156 projects on DonorSee, with a total of $53,200 raised.
You have allowed us to purchase land for the farm, fence it, clear it, put in a latrine, and given so we could plant bananas and get ready to plant beans.
We have weathered crazy inflation because YOU have given to make up the difference.
You have funded our free clinic and daycare all year long.
You have allowed us to create a safe place for at-risk girls to be cherished and loved and educated and supported.
YOU!
We honestly can’t thank you enough, but here’s a short thank you video we made for you.
Blessings!
Jennings
Thank You So Much – Mwebele Nyo! Read More »
Self-Sufficiency In All the Ways
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!
Self-Sufficiency In All the Ways Read More »
Thank You For an Amazing June!
June has been a big month — and it seems like it was both long and short simultaneously. It feels like a long time ago I was there (and I’m trying to block the travel from my mind!), but the month has also flown by with a handful of truly heartbreaking situations.
And yesterday, we crossed $30,000 in donations made to us through DonorSee! THANK YOU for your support and encouragement that have made this possible.
I hinted at a large project coming soon, and that’s still on deck. Due to the emergencies we handled over the last couple of weeks, we moved the launch date to July 11. You’ll be hearing more about that next week — it’s a GREAT project that will really change a lot of things at Touch the Slum.
Exams started for all our Skills for Life classes this week. All the students get to show their skills and their creativity, creating unique hairstyles and clothing designs to impress their teachers. Many of the girls will start internships when exams are over, which is an awesome way for them to get real life experience and hopefully set them up for outside employment.
Skills for Life will be taking a month off, from July 15 to August 15. The residential girls will continue in their computer class and our Neema Development entrepreneurship training will continue during this time, but otherwise we will be repairing and restocking, planning and tweaking the curriculums, and generally taking a rest from the crazy busy first half of 2022.
Of course, our clinic will remain open and the daycare will be operating for the residential girls and staff.
In short, the first half of 2022 has been AMAZING, and we couldn’t be more grateful to you for your support. If you know anyone who would be interested in our work, please feel free to forward this email and direct them to our social media (and DonorSee!). We’re working on some things for the 3rd quarter of the year, and are always looking for ways to grow our supporter base.
Blessings,
Jennings
Thank You For an Amazing June! Read More »
When the Ship Hits the Span
When I was in grad school in Pensacola many moons ago, a big ship ran into the bridge going over to the beach and broke it. It caused huge issues, since many people commuted to work. Ferries had to be set up, etc. But the “best part” was that, within 24 hours, some bright lad or lass was selling tee shirts that said, “I was there when the ship hit the span.” Brilliant – I’m sure they made a killing!
That phrase has stuck in my head in the nearly 40 years since, as the “nice way” to say, well, the other phrase about bad events.
The last 10 days have been one slow-moving ship aiming at the span.
- the 16 year old girl raped and impregnated by her father
- one of our Literacy program students becoming homeless and living in a church with her family
- another Lit student whose aunt is trying to prostitute her to bring in money for food
- Now, our landlord didn’t pay his property tax bill in conjunction with a broke KCCA desperate for money which has suddenly “reassessed the value.” The gate to our compound has been sealed and the water turned off until we pay a month’s rent 2 months in advance so he can pay off the debt
My staff is exhausted, Ronald is frustrated, and I am ready to head to the beach and stay there! And then there’s the state of the economy in general, both here and there… Which is better not thought about, to be honest.
In our 13 1/2 years working in Namuwongo, this isn’t the first crappy week. We’ve had people’s homes bulldozed in the middle of the night. Two years of incredibly harsh (and even more incredibly harshly enforced) lockdowns. Primary school girls sold off as brides. Fathers shot and killed for poaching to feed their family.
It’s HARD.
And yet, it’s these hard things, these TIA things (This Is Africa), these frustrations and set backs, that make all the GOOD things so sweet. All the laughter more joyous. All the accomplishments more amazing.
I’m incredibly proud of our team, our work, and how far we’ve come. I’m incredibly grateful for all of you who have come alongside to help us — in the hard things and the great things. We really can’t thank you enough!
Webele nyo,
Jennings
PS We have a lot of “hard things” projects up right now on DonorSee, and we’re close to our June goal of crossing $30,000 raised on the platform. Even $10 goes a long way — please click below to see the projects! 100% goes to the program.
When the Ship Hits the Span Read More »
When Culture Gets You Down
I’ve been traveling to Uganda for a long time — 13 years now. And I’ve spent a lot (a LOT) of time in the slum. So I’m pretty used to the culture, the difficulties, the injustices.
But this week…
We have just had an emergency admission of a pregnant 16 year old who was raped by her father.
I’ll pause while you throw something… I know I wanted to.
Of course, most of us are immediately screaming things like, “LOCK HIM UP!” But no. He isn’t going to be locked up. He isn’t even going to be arrested.
Why? Because the GIRL is the one who will be blamed. The GIRL is the one whose life will be ruined if it is made public. We aren’t even telling more than a few people in our own staff because we have to protect her.
She and her sister are terrified. Of the father beating or even killing them. Of others if they find out.
The mother is leaving them in the slum — to the mercy of their father — and going back to the village.
I’ll pause again for you to throw something else…
So we’re doing our best to protect both girls, deal with the extreme trauma through counseling, and find a safe way forward for them.
We’d all appreciate your thoughts and prayers.
Webele nyo,
Jennings
PS We’ll have a project up for this once we can figure out how to do it and create a safe situation and protect anonymity. Meanwhile, you can become a monthly donor or make a one-time donation to help us with this and similar situations. We’d really appreciate your support!
When Culture Gets You Down Read More »
