Between International Women’s Day on March 8th Women’s History Month for wrapping up on March 31st, this time of year is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about our Legacy Program and to give toward female entrepreneurship through ROWAN in Uganda!
ROWAN has been empowering widows in the region for 14 years now. This year, every dollar you donate boosts our four-year Legacy Program to empower widows through financial literacy, so that they can open their own businesses and support their families!
When a widow enters the program, they first gain free access to our ROWAN medical clinic, weekly meals, and emergency care so they can focus on the trainings and courses. These include Literacy, Health, Business 101, Land Rights, Women’s Rights, and SO much more.
While the pandemic has brought hardship and struggle to the world, some of us have fared better than others. Many of us have been able to shop online for food and other things, with front door deliveries. We have made use of curbside pickup and Instacart shoppers. And most of us have been able to shop inside grocery and other stores as needed. I am grateful to God for the relative ease of feeding my family during such a hard time.
Our friends in Uganda are facing something wholly different. Due to rising cases of Covid-19 in country, Uganda began a 42 day lockdown on June 19. People may not leave their homes unless for medical emergencies. This has put people in the ROWAN villages in a dangerous situation as they have no way to get food to sustain themselves for this long period. ROWAN asked for your help and you came through! Last week, Paster Paul and our ROWAN team (under the watchful eye of Security officers) were able to distribute food to our widows and orphans.
Without the generosity of donors this would not have been possible. And we’re not done yet! To sustain each person through the lockdown we need to purchase and deliver more food. Please consider giving, anything you can, to our Food to Families campaign, and help us be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to our faithful widows and orphans in the villages who need to eat. All of the money raised from this campaign is going toward the purchase of food supplies during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Pastor Paul just sent this message:
“Good evening to you all,
Thank you for your prayers, we made it. Everyone was excited with the food given to them—God Bless you all abundantly.
You may wonder why we didn’t use the Bus. The first point was that the Kilos were too many for the Bus, secondly the roads are too bad for the Bus when packed with food, thirdly the police we had didn’t allow us because when you carry people in a Bus it can easily spread the virus, so that is why we had to use the truck.
But the most important thing we thank God is that we were allowed to buy food and we were able to distribute it to them.
While Uganda fights Covid-19 with a second lockdown, God’s people don’t stop caring for one another. Just two months ago in April, 2021, the ROWAN board and staff gathered for a two-day leadership workshop in Iganga Town. Pastor Paul and others led the team in activities based on the theme, “Fulfilling our Role and Calling”. Pastor encouraged the close-to-20 team members there to see their work as a divine calling which should be honored and observed.
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 1 Peter 4:10
The board and staff created and took ownership of the following FIVE goals:
To work in love harmony and unity with colleagues.
To ensure ethical conduct while at place of work
To ensure workplan development and integrity while at work
To ensure timely report development and submission
To ensure team work and time management in work processes
Pastor Paul welcomed four new board members and four new staff members. Their names and roles are as follows:
New Board Members:
Malinga Isaac…Board Chair & in charge of Health Affairs
Sam Davis Kuloba…Organizing Secretary & in charge of Sponsor Affairs
Tom Musira…..Secretary &in charge of Human Resource Affairs Edith Edith Nyende…………Board member & in charge of Entrepreneurship & Farm Management
New Staff Members:
Onyango Valiriano…..Farm Manager
Nkonoka Scovia………Sponsor relation staff-1
Rachael Babirye………Sponsor Relation staff-2)
Joy Namuganza………Project Officer
Pastor Paul with three new board members who will use their experiences, talents, and skills for transforming the ROWAN organization in even better ways.
New ROWAN staff: From left, Onyango Valiriano (Farm Manager), Nkonoka Scovia (Sponsor relation staff-1), Rachael Babirye (Sponsor Relation staff-2), and Joy Namuganza (Project Officer)
All those who participate in ROWAN programs appreciate and are blessed by the hard working board and staff. May God give strength to each of the 20 team members who follow HIM and work together as a team to care for so many widows and orphans.
It’s time for you to buy a new shirt for yourself, a family member, a favorite teacher, a new neighbor, or an old friend! These whimsical shirts are a breath of fresh air for Spring 2021. The best news is that the sale of these shirts will directly benefit ROWAN Widows in the new Legacy Program launching next month, April, 2021! See below the photos for more details.
Check out these cool designs! All shirts come in unisex sizes XS to 3XL with multiple shirt color options. Click the image or caption to SHOP!
All sales will directly benefit ROWAN Widows in The LEGACY PROGRAM~
This new program is beginning for widows at ROWAN! It’s a 4-year certificate program.
Through a comprehensive curriculum, training will empower widows to become successful and independent in all areas of life. The Legacy Program will focus on:
Entrepreneurship & Financial Training
Health & Wellness Training
Literacy and Educational Training
Family Needs & Healthy Relationships
Life Skills Training
Spiritual Development & Discipleship
Social Training (addressing local issues such as women’s rights and land rights)
In May 2019, a summer ROWAN team visited many homes for the first time and met families common to East Uganda; families where children have lost parents and are being raised by grandparents, aunts and uncles, or older siblings. The team held and loved on these precious children. The team met Uncle Yazidi, who was caring for his nieces and nephews because they had suddenly lost their mother. Yazidi’s youngest nephew was Bruno, and he was only 9 months old. Everyone at ROWAN fell in love with this sweet baby boy! His caregivers had no way to provide breast milk and could not afford to buy formula to feed him and give his body the nourishment it needed. He was given black tea, because that was all they could offer him. ROWAN was able to provide him formula and secured two sponsors to help with his daily needs! This praise was met with eventual grief, as Baby Bruno’s body could not fight the irreversible damage due to malnourishment. At the age of 11 months, Bruno passed away.
And what happened to Bruno’s siblings? Uncle Yazidi is still caring for all of Bruno’s brothers and sisters, as well as his wife and their own three children. This is a large family with many needs. ROWAN recently completed TWO house for Yazidi! ROWAN built one house for Bruno’s older siblings, and one house for Yazidi, his wife, and all the little ones!
Yazidi, his wife, and the little ones in front of their beautiful house! These two houses were built for a total of only $5,000! This tangible, life-changing gift for this family and future families was made possible by those who’ve been giving to the ROWAN HOME BUILDING campaign. We give these donors and sponsors our very special thanks for helping HOPE CARRY ON.
There are many more families that need homes. If you feel God leading you to give, please visit the HOME BUILDING campaign page!
Thank you for helping us honor Bruno and his family.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life,neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future,nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,will be able to separate us from the love of Godthat is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”
Isaiah 43:19
A new program called The Legacy Program is beginning for widows and adult members of ROWAN! An enormous amount of prayer and planning has gone into this brand new program for Adults; these Adults are the sponsored Widows, Widowers, and Caregivers of ROWAN.
The Legacy Program is a 4-year intensive certificate program for sponsored ROWAN widows and other adult members.
Program Details
ROWAN leaders have partnered with other reputable professionals to create a comprehensive curriculum that will encompass all aspects of education, training, care, and follow-up. Each year, the Legacy adults will attend specific trainings to help them become successful and independent in many different areas of life. Our new program will focus on these key areas: Entrepreneurship & Financial Training
Health & Wellness Training
Literacy and Educational Training
Family Needs & Healthy Relationships
Life Skills Training
Spiritual Development & Discipleship
Social Training (addressing local issues such as women’s rights and land rights)
How does The Legacy Program relate to adult sponsorship?
88 adults in the first round will move through The Legacy Program together, and a new group will enroll in four years as these incredible members graduate from the program with a well-earned certificate as well as many new life and business skills.
LEGACY will replace our earlier adult sponsorship model. Previously, adult members of ROWAN would enter programs as beneficiaries with no end date. As co-founders Pastor Paul and Kelsey Hargadine evaluated ROWAN programs and plans during his time in the U.S. in 2020, they found that this wasn’t completely accomplishing the vision they set out for.
Sponsorship with no end date placed a lot of pressure on sponsors of adults in contrast with sponsors of orphans, who can see when the projected graduation date will be of the child they sponsor. It also wasn’t as effective at empowering widows toward independence and self-sufficiency as this highly structured, goal-oriented Legacy Program will be.
The Legacy Program will also cover medical care and regular, nutritious meals throughout the 4-year program. When you support a widow, widower, or caregiver… you make Legacy a possibility in more ways than one.
At the end of the program, these women and men will attend a ROWAN graduation ceremony where they will be presented with their program certificate and get to celebrate all of their hard work and development. We will celebrate them as a community: our newest ROWAN Alumni adult members!
The Legacy Program will prepare the enrolled members extensively for this day and the ones that follow, as the certificate symbolizes thee official beginning of a self-sufficient, sustainable future. It marks the journey toward building a Legacy through entrepreneurship and a healthy lifestyle.
If you currently sponsor a widow, widower, or caregiver, please send them a note to encourage them on the 4-year journey ahead!
If you’d like to partner with us in transforming a widow’s life and making her legacy possible, please meet our adult members and sponsor one of these heroes today! If you sponsor a Jajja (grandma), thank you for supporting one of the elderly women cared for by ROWAN in their final chapter of life. While they are too old to go through the entire 4-year intensive program, they will join in different aspects and experiences of The Legacy Program as much as they can!
Join us in the coming months!
Please watch this space as we follow some Legacy members throughout their journey to see how God moves in their lives and in the ROWAN community. Thank you for praying for these women and men as they battle to care for the young ones they are raising and the generations that will come after them. With your help, they are well on their way to establishing a legacythat will impact their family and community for many years to come!
Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”
While the number of Covid-19 cases in Uganda remain low, the number jumped 106% this last week. The country continues its response by asking people to follow guidelines and distance from others which will also keep the healthcare workforce safe. Another example of Uganda’s response is this: The Minister of Health and State Minister for Health in charge of General Duties have established the first border health laboratory at Mutukula border entry point shared by Uganda and Tanzania. The border is crossed easily, daily, and now, given the rise of Covid-19 among truck drivers, those drivers accessing this entry point will be tested by the new health lab and receive results in 45 minutes. The lab can process 64 samples per hour.
An ongoing concern in Uganda and all of Africa is food shortages. According to the World Health Organization on March 14, 2020:
“COVID-19 is unfolding in Africa against a backdrop of worrying levels of hunger and undernourishment, which could worsen as the virus threatens livelihoods and household economies,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Hunger and malnutrition heighten vulnerability to diseases, the consequences of which could be far reaching if not properly addressed.”
In Africa, it is estimated that one in five people is undernourished, and that 30% of children under five – approximately 59 million children – have stunted growth, greater than the global average of 21.9%. Wasting occurs in approximately 7.1% of children in Africa. The continent has the highest burden of malnutrition compared with other parts of the world, in terms of percentage of the population. While there has been little research so far into malnutrition as a co-morbidity for COVID-19, people with weakened immune systems as a result of undernourishment are at greater risk of a range of serious illnesses and so are likely to be more severely affected by the virus.
Recent estimates of food insecurity have suggested that as many as 73 million people in Africa were acutely food insecure. COVID-19 is exacerbating food shortages, as food imports, transportation and agricultural production have all been hampered by a combination of lockdowns, travel restrictions and physical distancing measures.
The burden of movement restrictions and lockdowns is being felt particularly strongly by low-income households and those working in the informal economy due to their loss of livelihoods and inability to access markets.
ROWAN continues to deliver food to the widows and orphans in the ROWAN villages. But the need is great and we need your help. Any gift will go directly to food for our sisters and brothers who are locked down but need to eat. Thank you for praying for these dear ones and giving as you’re able.
“Oh God, our help in ages past Our hope for years to come Our shelter from the stormy blast And our eternal home…” Isaac Watts, 1708
As of today, May 14th, 2020 at 8 pm EST, 160 Ugandans have tested positive for the coronavirus, of which none has died and 63 have recovered.
Although the virus infects a mere fraction of Uganda’s 43M citizens, the pandemic’s impact on the economy and government resonates nationally. Measures to slow the spread often clash against the normalcy of daily life and the vitality of essential trade. As information about the virus emerges daily, Ugandan policymakers must propose national recommendations that adaptively balance the physical and economic well-being of their people.
Second-hand clothing markets annually reap $200M for the Ugandan economy.
Illustrating this volatility, bans that were placed on the second-hand clothing market were reversed on May 8th – just 24 hours after their institution. Although they may remain open, clothing sellers must abide by heightened hygiene mandates such as fumigation before they can make any sales. While the government did not release any comments concerning this policy reversal, its desire to maintain the $200M industry and to prevent backlash from the U.S. – the main source of imported clothing – may have motivated the decision.
Ugandan truck drivers have been mandated to carry digital tracking devices.
On May 12th, Ugandan officials ordered all truck drivers to carry digital tracking devices. This strategy came in response to a disproportionate rate of infection that was reported among these workers last month. Although preventing the spread of the disease remains paramount, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni emphasizes, “We need the cargo. We need the goods.” … And they certainly do. Stifling the dispersion of COVID-19 has necessitated significant economic sacrifices. Already, the International Monetary Fund, a multinational organization working towards global financial security, has loaned $491M in relief to Uganda’s COVID-19-related economic downturn.
President Museveni’s final campaign rally from 2015.
Beyond the economic strain, the country expects a postponement of polling for its 2020 general elections. Should the pandemic remain out of control through July, President Museveni predicts a delay of the elections until early 2021.
The Nalubaale Hydroelectric Power Station, where the blackout-causing blockage occurred.
It gets worse. As if COVID-19 did not pose great enough hardships, the Ugandan people now face extreme flooding – the likes of which they have not seen since 1976. This month alone, the floods have killed 4 people, trapped 200 patients inside of a hospital, and displaced 5,000 others for the sake of emergency relocation. Recently, the record 44-ft rise in Lake Victoria dislodged an island of vegetation – measuring 2 acres –from a riverbank. Ultimately, this floating island clogged one of Uganda’s four main hydroelectric power stations, which precipitated a brief, yet nationwide power outage.
Greetings from a quarantined world! Due to the Coronavirus, Uganda has been under one of the strictest lockdowns on the continent of Africa. On May 5, 2020*, according to Reuters, Uganda began to loosen their restrictions.
Reuters continued to report:
The country of 42 million reported 97 confirmed cases* and no deaths in 45 days of restrictions, and President Museveni said it was now better equipped to trace and detect new infections faster.
“We have somehow tamed the virus,” Museveni said in a televised address late on Monday.
“It is high time we … start slowly and carefully to open up, but without undoing our achievements.”
However, Africa also has extremely low levels of testing, with rates of only around 500 per million people.
Uganda, alongside neighboring Rwanda, had some of Africa’s strictest lockdown measures, including the shutting of all but absolutely essential businesses, dusk-to-dawn curfews, and bans on both private and public transport vehicles.
Businesses including hardware shops, restaurants, wholesale stores and others will now be allowed to reopen.
Public transport and most private vehicles would still remain prohibited, however – meaning that workers for reopened businesses will have to commute either by bicycle or on foot.
Schools and international borders were to remain shut, Museveni said.
After a 14-day period, he said, authorities will announce the next level of reopening.
While this is good news for people who can work again, there are still several restrictions in place. Challenges remain for the people ROWAN serves. Widows, who are the sole providers for their children (and who were already up against incredible odds before the virus hit), are dealing with severe food shortages. Additionally, there has been no word as to when children can go back to school. If you are able, please consider donating. We are thankful to have a good relationship with local law enforcement, which means we are able to continue to use our bus to deliver food directly to orphans and widows in their homes.
Pastor Paul and Mama Edith remain in Colorado waiting for borders to open in June. ROWAN staff members are using this time to pray, work, and plan for ROWAN. God has been loving and guiding during this difficult time. He is always faithful and brings us Hope!
In just 3 months, COVID-19 has spread to 74 countries. Almost instantaneously, its scare has gone global.
As of today, cases of the coronavirus have emerged in 7 African countries, including Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Senegal, Nigeria, Morocco, and most recently, South Africa. Uganda remains unaffected, but its Ministry of Health has taken measures to thwart the virus’s first breach.
At all major points of entry, including Entebbe International Airport, the government has instituted a surveillance program, which isolates potentially-infected persons while they undergo testing. So far 722 travelers to Uganda have been isolated out of precaution, including some 499 Chinese citizens and 150 Ugandan citizens.
According to the Minister of State for Primary Healthcare, Dr. Joyce Mariku Kaducu, 10 suspected samples of COVID-19 have undergone laboratory testing. All returned negative. Moving forward, the Ministry of Health is actively equipping hospitals with testing apparatus, establishing mobile testing units, and preparing ambulatory transportation for suspected cases.
While the country has not banned all international entrants, 93 Ugandan students, who were in Wuhan at the time of the outbreak, are prohibited from coming home. Consequently, the government has issued financial assistance to these students while they remain abroad.
The Minister of State for Primary Healthcare, Dr. Joyce Mariku Kaducu, addresses Uganda’s current position with COVID-19 on NTV last Monday, March 2nd.
Beyond the issue of personal travel, the COVID-19 outbreak could have massive implications for Ugandan trade. Many Ugandans travel to China to pick up plastic, mechanical, and electronic goods for resale, but are now limited in their ability to do so. Furthermore, the scare has prompted many ships – which routinely transport cargo from China to ports in Mombassa, Kenya – to cut back on delivery. So far, the preventative measure has not inflicted a major blow to the Ugandan economy, but its consequences will become more apparent when businesses run low on inventory. Recognizing this possibility for low supply, Ugandan banks are preparing for widespread deflation of national currency.
Finally, the Ministry of Health seeks to educate the public on the best preventative measures. They recommend that all should wash their hands thoroughly and often, carry personal alcohol-containing hand sanitizers, and abstain from sharing drinks and utensils with others. If experiencing flu-like symptoms, one is advised to self-isolate and refrain from self-medicating. Antibiotics will not help against a virus; people must seek proper medical attention instead. To discourage large gatherings, which are more vulnerable to disease spread, Dr. Joyce Mariku Kaducu warns,
“Every gathering must get clearance from the ministry. If you are organizing a mass gathering without asking the Ministry of Health, we have powers to stop you.”
Invisible and insidious, the COVID-19 virus continues to elude containment efforts across the globe. While many countries have failed to block the coronavirus from crossing their borders, Ugandan public health authorities are doing everything they can to intercept COVID-19 importation and minimize spread in the event of its arrival.
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Information and images presented above were compiled from these sources:
