Update from BHW Uganda Partnership Facilitator

This is an endeavour to provide an updated report in relation to CFC Childcare Ministries. There is actually a lot of encouraging information from James, even though it has been a very difficult time. The following are some comments about various aspects of the ministry. 

Recent Events

Education

Primary and secondary schools, which have largely been closed for the last two years, re-opened on 10 January 2022. Tertiary training centres and universities went back in October and November. Lockdowns have significantly disrupted schooling in Uganda over the last two years and payments would be made for the students but then after a month or two the students are sent back home due to the effect of COVID-19. The money paid as tuition fees was not refunded and in particular for tertiary and universities, tuition fees for 2021 have to be paid in full before students are permitted to begin the new year. 

Pangani School, Kween (UGA02b)

In relation to the school in Kween, they managed to put up temporary structures hoping that the government would reopen the schools in time for last year. However, this did not happen last year and the opening of the school was delayed until early this year. The school has actually been able to open, although the critical issue is trying to put up permanent structures on the site. Most structures that are put up are destroyed within a year or two by termites. However, the school is functioning. The school on the old site has closed and there are about 250 children in the school that James and Gorret are running. 

Churches

Churches are now allowed to open and they are allowed to carry out personal evangelism in trainings of between 20 and 200 people.

Loan Programme

The COVID pandemic adversely affected the economy and small businesses in the loan programme dwindled. I will need to get further information from James on what might be needed here but I do not think it is appropriate that any further financial involvement will be made into the programme until we have more information.

COVID

James was very grateful for the emergency financial support from BHW's COVID fund. Both James and Gorret have been sick with COVID and have recovered. There have been a number of deaths in the community but even though his household was sick, and all of them had it, nobody died.

Foundations for Farming

Foundations for Farming has been going very well in the Busia area. James has sent me a large number of photographs both of Gorret’s garden (cow belongs to Gorret), but also of other people in the programme. Some of these are shown here and are extremely encouraging. In particular, Josephine Juma is one of the people who is fully practising Foundations for Farming and you will see photos of her garden and the steps that she is taking.

Plans for the Future

James is training up some future upcoming leaders who he hopes will take over the responsibility for leadership of the ministry in the years ahead. James is conscious that he is getting older and he is looking at how to transition the leadership of the ministry.

Comments

I realise that it is very difficult to make a recommendation about continued funding given the extensive uncertainty that surrounds things like schools and other aspects of ministry in a country like Uganda which does not have particularly good safeguards, or a particularly robust economy.

My understanding from the presidential announcements confirms that the schools were reopening from 10 January, and it would appear that it is highly unlikely that there is going to be any great change to this. It would appear that there is little appetite for further lockdowns in Uganda. The downside of this is that school fees in Uganda have increased significantly and James has indicated that they have nearly doubled. I guess that that is in line with the international inflationary trends.