Please give on #GivingTuesday - December 2nd

Tuesday 2nd December marks the first-ever #GivingTuesday - a charitable alternative to the start of the Christmas shopping season. We at UDS are focussing our #GivingTuesday appeal on our literacy work in Uganda.   

Much of UDS' work in Kamuli is aimed at children's welfare - particularly helping children of primary school age learn to read. Literacy is an essential factor in helping populations rise out of poverty - and it's best if literacy skills are acquired in early life.

UDS books handed to Bezallel Primary School

This is why our literacy programme for primary schools is such a significant part of what we do. For the last couple of years we have actively promoted literacy in a number of schools in and around Kamuli - providing books, training teachers, starting debating clubs, getting Ugandan children enthused about books and learning. 

Teachers tell us the project has been a great success. Children are coming to them for books, and reading on their own initiative. One primary school reported that children in the year that benefitted from UDS' input were reading with much greater proficiency than the older pupils in the year above them.

You can help us supply more books to schoolchildren in Kamuli by texting UDSL14 £5 to 70070.

This short video explains further.  

Help children in Kamuli for Universal Children's Day

Thursday 20th November marks Universal Children's Day, when the United Nations draws attention to the welfare of children worldwide.

Much of UDS' work in Kamuli is aimed at children's welfare - particularly helping children of primary school age learn to read. Literacy is an essential factor in helping populations rise out of poverty - and it's best if literacy skills are acquired in early life.

UDS books handed to Bezallel Primary School

This is why our literacy programme for primary schools is such a significant part of what we do. For the last couple of years we have actively promoted literacy in a number of schools in and around Kamuli - providing books, training teachers, starting debating clubs, getting Ugandan children enthused about books and learning. 

Teachers tell us the project has been a great success. Children are coming to them for books, and reading on their own initiative. One primary school reported that children in the year that benefitted from UDS' input were reading with much greater proficiency than the older pupils in the year above them.

Here you can view a short video explaining how you can help, and find a link to a list of books we are still looking for to send to schools in Kamuli. 

Pulusuka Wotali - another UDS farmer

Pulusuka Wotali is another UDS farmer living and working in Kitukiro. The  UDS staff describe her as a hard working lady who has set an example among women in her community.

UDS gave Pulusuka  five banana suckers in 2012, and by July this year (2014) she had 160 plants. She has also prepared another plot for 100 plants, and is waiting for the second season rains before she plants.

Bananas provide a sustainable income - once they grow, they keep fruiting at different times throughout the year. In addition to her bananas, Pulusuka also grows onions and beans. In the previous season March- June 2014, she harvested over 200 kilogrammes of both crops. At  1,500 Ugandan Shillings per kilogramme, this means that from one season she earned over 300,000 shillings  in beans and over 300,000 shillings in onions - that's more than £70 sterling for each crop. 

Pulusuka told us: “ I thank UDS so much for the skills and the support they have given me. Before UDS’ intervention, I struggled to pay my children's school fees. After all the training, I concentrated on growing onions and bananas and these have greatly improved my income and now I’m able to send my children to school. I've chosen enterprises to concentrate on which have a ready market in my community." 

Please help UDS to help more farmers like Pulusuka, by texting  UDSF14 £5 to 70070. 

UDS farmer Moses Biyansi

Moses Byansi is a UDS farmer from Nsomba Parish and was also trained in 2012. Moses now has  very good banana and plots. He was initially given just five banana suckers but now he has 200 plants.

He was also provided with 440 pineapple suckers, but when he realized that pineapples were doing well he bought more suckers independently, and now he has 600 plants.

Moses at work

We asked Moses to sum up how UDS has helped him: “I have been a UDS beneficiary for the past two years and I have started getting income from the enterprises that I grow, and I get money.  I invest it in other income generating activities. For example, when I started selling banana fruits I saved this money and started a small fuel shop at my village and here am getting profit because there are many motorbikes that provide transport services in our community. 

"I started with 20 litres which cost s 73,000 Ugandan shillings, and sold them at 80,000 shillings, making a profit of 7,000 (about £1.60 sterling). Currently this shop has a capital base of 40 litres and these are consumed in a period of two weeks. 

"In addition to this, from the banana income I have been able to buy a piece of land where am going to plant the 200 banana suckers. Because my garden is good, I have gained popularity in the community and am grateful to UDS for opening my eyes and enabling me to do good work.”

To enable us to help more farmers like Moses, please donate to UDS by texting  UDSF14 £5 to 70070. 

Fred Bikaba, a UDS farmer

We thought we'd like to introduce you to a few of our beneficiaries. Over the next few weeks, we'll bring you stories of some of our farmers in Kamuli District. 

The first is Fred Bikaba.  Fred lives and works in Kitikuro, and is one of a group of 15 farmers trained by UDS in 2012.

Fred and family in their banana grove

Fred was initially given five suckers for his banana plot, but now he has over 300 banana plants. The bananas are well managed and they produce good fruit which attract a good price. Banana are highly valued in the local market, and customers often buy the fruit before they are ripe.

Fred has now  started growing other crops in order to build an income. These include African eggplants, onions, tomatoes and cabbages. His cabbage plot contains over 1000 plants,  and he plans to sell them at an average price of 500 Ugandan shillings (about 12 UK pence).

Fred tends his cabbage crop

This is how Fred described his change in fortunes to us: “I am grateful to UDS for all the knowledge and skills given to me. Before UDS’ intervention, I was practising traditional farming where I was planting mainly maize and rice as food and cash crops, and I would only get income every end of season (June and December). After gaining skills in better farming methods and production of short income crops my life has greatly improved, because currently I get money on a weekly basis. In addition to this, I learnt how to use my land profitably. For example I have a swamp and for long I was growing only rice which is seasonal. The knowledge I got from UDS opened my understanding that I can grow short term crops throughout the year regardless of whether it is a rainy or dry season and here I grow cabbages which I harvest every two and a half months."

Fred's life has been transformed by the skills given to him by UDS. To enable us to help more farmers like Fred, please donate to UDS by texting  UDSF14 £5 to 70070. 

International Literacy Day

As the world prepares to celebrate International Literacy Day on 8th September, now would seem a good time to tell you about progress in our literacy programmes in the last year. 

We've put a lot of work into our reading project for primary schools. School administrators in Kamuli do not place enough emphasis on reading, as it's not examinable. So UDS has stepped in to provide books, train teachers and get children reading. And it's working! 

Children show off their new books from UDS

Teachers in one of the schools involved told us that younger children, who have benefitted from our help, are reading better than the older children, who sadly missed out on the reading project. 

We started off in two primary schools, giving them 158 books each. And we trained four teachers in library and book management.Now four schools are involved - not only do they have extra books, including dictionaries, but they run reading events and clubs And classes stage "reading aloud" sessions, which helps the children build their confidence.

Rose, a teacher who is in charge of reading at Bezzallel Primary School, told us this: " Since we were given books last year, we have seen a tremendous change in our pupils, they can now read and write in English. Apart from that they have also developed the habit of reading on their own. This has never happened before, pupils are now self-driven, and we no longer need to force them to read during their free time."

Reading aloud in class builds confidence

The students can borrow books to take away and read in their spare time - and the teachers report that they are doing so, with enthusiasm, and at their own initiative.

The principle of Kasambira Public Day and Boarding School told us: "‘Our prayers are being answered, we have been crying out for this for a long time."

With such swift progress being made in such a short time, this project has really proved its worth. With your support, we can make it bigger and better in the coming year.  Just £5 would buy two reading books for a class which would help children get the start they need in learning to read.   Text UDSL14 £5 to 70070 to donate to UDS and make a difference today. 

A pupil shows his appreciation

The Lost Mojos raise the roof - as well as funds for UDS!

Friday 13th turned out to be an auspicious date for our first "band night". It was a great success, with 120 supporters and revellers turning out to listen and dance to the music of the Lost Mojos.  It all happened at the Turk's Head, Twickenham.

Aside from the music, there was a raffle - with first prize of a £500 voucher for Margaret Howell clothing - and an auction of promises. This included a night at the theatre for two to see a dramatisation of James Herriot's country vet book All Creatures Great & Small, plus an opportunity to meet the cast. Thanks to actor and TV presenter Mark Curry for this donation, and all the other businesses and individuals who donated prizes.

The Lost Mojos

But top prize was a framed art work of Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, signed by former captain Thierry Henry and manager Arsene Wenger. That single item, provided by our new Chairman David White,  went for £150.

The night as a whole raised £2,270, which organiser Trustee Helen Putland's employer Microsoft will match pound-for-pound.  So thanks to the Lost Mojos - Chris, John, Ian, Robert, Paul and singer Shelle - for making it such a great night, to all of you who came and also those who helped on the night. We can't wait for the next one!

Photos courtesy of John Frye Photography  

Thanks to our Nightrider team!

Congratulations and thanks to our six-strong Nightrider team, who joined thousands of other cyclists riding 100km round London overnight into the morning of Sunday 8 June. Andy, Ruth, Ade, Fabiano, Sam and Conrad between them raised around £2,000 for UDS. Five of them set off from Crystal Palace, with one plucky rider setting off alone from Alexandra Palace.

Despite a threat of rain during Saturday, it luckily held off, and the night was warm and dry - perfect cycling conditions for our riders to enjoy the sights.

Support, encouragement and hot drinks were supplied by trustee Laura Ferreira.

Laura (in green) sees off three of our riders

We did it! At the finish in Crystal Palace

World Information Society Day

It’s World Information Society Day! 

Saturday 17 May is a day to recognise the importance in ALL of our lives of ICT and the internet, and to think about closing the digital divide.

Students logging on for another class

In rural Uganda, access to ICT and the internet is not an everyday affair. In the developed world we now take digital connectivity for granted, including on the move, but in Kamuli only a few weeks ago the city’s internet access was cut off thanks to a truck on the outskirts of town bringing down the single overhead cable that supplies it!

Despite such privations – and an intermittent power supply – UDS continues to work to train young Ugandans in the computer skills that are transforming lives.

Irene is now working and earning thanks to her ICT skills

Our young students are learning skills and gaining opportunities their parents never had. They are going out and getting jobs, earning a wage, going to university even, thanks to the grounding in ICT that UDS has given them.

Please help us to carry on and educate further generations of young Ugandans. Click here to make a donation of £10 which could train a school child to use the computer and give them essential, life long skills. 

International Families Day 2014

It’s time to celebrate the family. Thursday May 15 marks International Day of Families 2014, 20 years since the UN General Assembly declared 1994 the International Year of the Family.  And as we approach the 1015 target for the MDGs, this year’s theme is “Families Matter for the Achievement of Development Goals.”

Farmer Fred Bikaba tends his pineapple crop

Our work in Kamuli is based around families, rural families in one of the poorest countries in the world. Most of the families we serve live from farming, eking out a living from small plots in the countryside.

But slowly we are transforming lives, teaching better farming methods, encouraging farmers to grow more and better crops, and encouraging them to expand beyond mere subsistence farming.

Model farmer Robert Lyadda

A few years ago, most farmers in Kamuli district simply grew enough to feed themselves and their families – living, effectively, a dirt-poor existence. But now many of them have been trained to harvest bigger and better crops, providing them with a surplus to take to market and sell for much-needed cash. 

Robert Lyadda runs a training session

One of our model farmers, Robert Lyadda, leads the way, growing and selling his own crops and going out as an instructor, teaching others to follow his example.

So please help us continue this work, and get more rural families benefitting from our programmes.   

Click here to donate. Just £10 a month would train a farmer and help their family escape poverty and live a healthier life.