Bega kwa Bega Uganda

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July 2024. BkB celebrates its 25 Anniversary. Conche McGarr, BkB founder, sends a message to all of us

“If you can help just one child, you will make a difference.”

May 2024 The girls’ dormitory is now finished. The first boarders move in.

April 2024 Flats for the teachers at Gogolo School. These are a short walk from the school and are a safe place for the single teachers to live.

March 2024 We received a consignment of books from the States. These were distributed to 99 schools with a total of 60,935 children.

February 2024 Yet another Proteced Spring:

Bread and Water for Africa Spring # 22 This Protected Spring is found in Kibanga village, Lwaggwa/Kibaanga Parish, Kammengo Sub County, Mawokota County, Mpigi district in Uganda. It is used by Kibanga village and part of Mpondwe village, that is over seventy (70) households and one church. It was an open water source with water that was not safe for use, community members had a big challenge of getting water especially clean water. They only had hope when it rained, and this was both good and bad for them. It was good that they could collect/harvest rainwater and it was bad because the water of the well got dirtier. Community members actively participated during construction of the well. An education session was conducted about proper use of the well and its maintenance, Water Hygiene and Sanitation. Members elected a water committee including children’s representatives

January 2024 Another Protected Spring:

31st December 2023 Christmas Parcels being distributed to the very poor on Christmas Eve 2023

2023 September JAMES’S SPRING: This SPRING is found in Mabanda village, Mabanda Ward, Kibibi Town council, Butambala district in Uganda. It is used by two villages, that is, Kiziiko B village in addition to Mabanda, two hundred (200) households, one church and one primary school having over three hundred children. It was an open water source, risky for children as they could easily slide and fall into the water, the water was unsafe and not clean for use.

2023 August 113 schools – from Nursery to Secondary- receive gifts of books. 60,995 children benefit.

2023 22nd July Work in a village – Mukono District

Making sour porridge for nausea & vomiting

2023 1st June Village women working in their gardens

2023 7th May Picture from Mukono

2023 11th March Pictures of BkB’s Primary School at Gogolo

2023 1st February More Protected Springs:

2022 Christmas Eve: DISTRIBUTION OF CHRISTMAS GIFTS Christmas gifts were distributed in Kakiri Town Council, Kakiri Sub County and Nalugala– off Garuga road. The gifts comprised of sugar, salt, dry beans, dry peas, rice, bread, blue band, cooking oil and beef. Two hundred and eleven (211) households received these gifts.

2022 18th December ‘Books for Africa’ send a consignment of boxes to BkB. Several casual labourers were hired to help with unloading and reloading the boxes during the book sorting event – heavy work. 30+ teachers from BKB’s Gogolo Junior School spent the first week of their school holidays – the schools having closed early due to the Ebola outbreak – sorting the books into categories which included teacher education, early education, elementary school, high school, vocational school, university level, public libraries…. Some books were sorted by subjects; maths, science, English…. The sorted books were then re-boxed, labelled and reloaded into the container ready for distribution to some 200 schools nationwide.

2022 28th October More pictures from our nutritionist in Mukono.

A small portion of the huge numbers come to learn

2022 7th October BkB is starting to work in a new area for us – Mukono, North East of Kampala. It is an area where many tribes meet. We start by asking the chiefs and leaders for their permission to ask the villagers what their strengths and needs are and if they would welcome any help. It is the villagers themselves who undertake the work they need to do to become self sufficient and move forward in their lives.

Villagers being asked what they feel their needs are

2022 28th September Constructing an energy saving stove for the village:

2022 29th August Joe Grush Family’s Well # 9 This well is found in Munkabira village, Nkungulutale Parish, Kajjansi Town Council, Wakiso district. It is used by one hundred fifty (150) households, one nursery and primary school, two drug shops and one mosque.

2022 10th August Bread and Water for Africa Well # 10 This Protected Spring is found in Nakigalala Cell A, Nkungulutale Ward, Kajjansi Town council, Wakiso district in Uganda. It is used by fifty (50) households, one primary school having two hundred (200) children, one secondary school having one hundred (100) students, four churches and three clinics.

21st July 2022 Here are villagers, earlier in the year, collecting materials for their composts

5th July 2022 We are creeping up to 260 Protected Springs with the ‘Joe Gush Family Spring’. Here is a photo of women collecting clean jerry cans to fetch clean water home.

18th May 2022 This newly protected spring is found in Nabutiti – Ssebagala zone, Kansanga Parish, Makindye division in Central Uganda. Nabutiti is highly populated but has limited sources of water. The well is near a marketplace and school. It is used by 4,000 households . When the water got so dirty, the community members went without water. There were constant fights at the well because everyone wanted to fetch water first. The area has consistent flow of water and it is of good pressure that four water outlets were made. Members elected a water committee including children’s representative.

2022 4th May ‘Bread and Water for Africa’ Protected Spring. This spring is found in Kapeke zone, Makindye division, Kampala district. It is used by over five thousand households. During construction, Community members actively participated plus the area Mayor, public health minister, area women councilors, deputy mayor, local council chairperson.

2022 20th April Farmers engaged in a number of agronomic practices which included land clearing, harrowing, planting, transplanting and manuring.

2022 13th April A new bore hole at Kasoozo village not only brings water into the village; it also reduces the risk of the children especially the girl child who has to meander through bushes and swamps, walk lonely paths, climb up and down valleys to get to wells or ponds. Children here start fetching water as early as 4 years and continue until they get married and further in marriage if they remain in the village because fetching water for domestic use in Uganda is considered a chore for women. A committee of 8 members was formed and charged with the responsibility of overseeing the maintenance of the bore hole.

2022 4th April Our Girls’ Dormitory building at Gogolo School (on the Entebbe-Kampala road) is on the way: the children look at plans, help dig the foundations, and thank the donors.

2022 24th March On this day farmers learnt about soil and water conservation methods that can sustain agricultural production throughout the year. Farmers were able to identify some of the methods which included irrigation, adding organic matter and manure, intercropping, agroforestry and last but not the least constructing trenches while using an A – frame instrument material. Of all the materials, it was found out that the A frame instrument is more efficient in soil and water conservation in comparison to others.

2022 16th March Thursday, 3/3/2022 was the big awaited exhibition day for trainees to show case their practical skills in nutrition acquired from the start of the project year up to that week. All the food preparation was done by the trainees alone without the help of their trainers. Although the trainees had learnt to prepare several foods, only a few could be prepared for exhibition due to limited time. The participants were able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills by what they presented that day. Each participant was able to talk about the food item done and its nutrition value hence showing that they really understood what they had learnt. Some beneficiaries are already earning from their skills by making income generating food items that they sell to support and sustain their families.

2022 7th March Farmers were trained on field management practices which included land clearing, land preparation, different tillage techniques such as preparing a double dug garden and a raised bed which are well suited for growing carrots because the technique improves soil aeration, water infiltration, water percolation, maintains warmth within the soils which all enhance crop growth and seed development.

2022 25th February With the looming of the rainy season the day’s session was to prepare farmers for the planting season due soon. Serious rain is expected to begin in March and climax in April and May. So farmers have to prepare their gardens early enough before the onset of the heavy rain.

2022 19th February FOOD DEMONSTRATION OF STUFFED PUMPKINS. The method involved stuffing different ingredients such as; meat, spaghetti, and Irish potatoes in pumpkins. The purpose was to provide participants with skills of how to cook different food stuffs inside another food stuff. The preparation can either be for home consumption or for sale to earn income.

2022 12th February THE MOBILE HEALTH CLINIC On Monday, 24^th January we had the second Mobile Health Clinic in Kalungu Community. Parents had given their faces masks to their school going children. A total of 123 patients turned up and received treatment at the Clinic. Only one accident patient was referred for further management. Ailments recorded included Malaria, cough and flu, sickle cells, worms, pregnancy related issues, back pain, wounds, toothache, headache, HIV?AIDS, eye infection, UTI, STDs and anemia.

2022 2nd February A report from earlier in the year: For compost making participants were engaged in separating decompostable materials from non-decompostable materials .Ridding soil of non-decompostable materials improves on its fertility, water infiltration within the soils and the formulation of humus which is nutritious to plants and crops. The biodegradable materials collected by farmers such as weeds were used to make compost and humus and the non – decompostable materials burnt in a controlled way. Some training was co- facilitated with 2 intern students from Uganda Martyrs University where participants learnt about different agronomic practices.

2022 28th January CAKE BOARD CUTTING DEMONSTRATION AND GIVING OUT KITCHEN WARE. The Participants received various items for kitchen ware such as; big sauce pans, frying pans, bakery items and many more. These items were just an addition to others they had received during other trainings. The participants were so grateful; they danced and sung many songs as a way of showing their gratitude to BKB staff. They formed a saving group whereby they also started offering catering services in their community and neighboring villages using the cooking skills acquired. This does not only help them earn income but also to practice and perfect their skills.

2022 12th January Loretta Well Construction and Jerrycans Distribution. This well is found in Makukuba village, Makukuba Parish, Nakifuma – Nagalama Town council, Mukono district in Central Uganda. It is used by 75 households, two clinics, brick layers, farmers, one secondary school comprising of 400 students. It is a source of income because some community members sell the water.

2022 8th January AGRICULTURAL REPORT. Training on: Principles and practices of Livestock production Farmers reported that the common livestock in their areas included: cows, goats, pigs, sheep, rabbits and poultry birds such as chicken, ducks and turkeys. Farmers learnt about various nutrients fed to animals. A practical session was conducted to demonstrate how to formulate a mineral block while using locally available materials. Such local materials used included: wood ash, dried and sieved anthill soil, white salt, brown salt, dairy lick and water. By doing this, farmers appreciated this knowledge and skills since they have been buying mineral blocks at a fee of 20,000 shillings per block which weighs 3 kilograms. By formulating it locally, it requires one to spend only 3000 shillings for the 3kg mineral block.

Local ingredients to make a mineral lick

2021 24th December Every year Bega kwa Bega distributes Christmas Parcels to the poorest. Distribution of these Christmas parcels was done in Kakiri Town Council, Kakiri Sub County and Kisubi – off Garuga road. The parcel comprised of sugar, salt, dry beans, dry peas, rice, bread, blue band, cooking oil and beef. 178 households received parcels.

2021 18th December CORRINE’S WELL CONSTRUCTION AND JERRYCANS DISTRIBUTION This well is found in Mpala village, Kitala Ward, Katabi Town Council, Wakiso district in Central Uganda. The well is used by two hundred (200) households, two primary schools comprising of six hundred children in total. CORRINE’S WELL is a source of income for many community members because some of them sell the water.

2021 14th December REPORT ON NUTRITION DEMONSTRATION ON VEGETABLE SALADS. Vegetable salads were demonstrated as a way of consuming raw vegetables that are rich in various vitamins which boost the immunity and prevent various non-communicable diseases. Blanching of vegetables was also done to kill germs (micro-organisms) on the surface of the vegetables. Participants were requested to practice such health eating habits since the food items are available in the community.

2021 21st November MOBILE HEALTH CLINIC REPORT Treatment was done on patients with malaria, headache, urinary tract infections, backache, worms, chest pains, wounds, cough and flu, pregnancy related issues, HIV/AIDS, toothache, eye infections and peptic ulcers. The clinic was able to treat 174 patients in all.

2021 21st November AGRICULTURE REPORT ON POTATO PLANTING and FOOD PROCESSING Farmers planted improved potatoes vein variety at the demo garden. The variety that is known as Naspot 13 is also locally known as kipapali. It is rich in vitamin A and proven to enhance eye sight. It’s demand is high because of its short maturity period of 3 months Beside being eaten as a tuber the potatoes can also be processed into powder form and consumed in form of porridge hence very good for our children.

2021 14th November DEMONSTRATION OF CASSAVA CAKE This cake comprises various foods with different nutrients that the body needs namely: Wheat flour, sugar, cassava that contain carbohydrates, eggs that are rich in proteins, lemon juice which also acts as a natural preservative, rich in vitamins and margarine that contain fats, hence making each bite of the cake nourishing to the body. The cake is also one of the food items which the participants can sell and earn a living since cassava is one of the food crops grown in this community and therefore making it available and affordable to any participant who may want to make a cassava cake.