The Problem

The coronavirus pandemic has affected us all, and we can see the problems it causes even in a relatively secure country like the UK. In the rural southwest of Uganda, severe lockdowns are in place once again, with people unable to go to work. However, the consequences are devastatingly more severe. People are kept at home without pay, are unable to travel the often long trips to pick up basic necessities such as food and medicines, or to access hospital care and treatment. Moreover, educational provisions are limited, with home-delivered schoolwork being implemented but seriously hampered by lack of basic facilities such as a printer to ensure schoolwork can be created and distributed.

Why We Know We Will Make A Difference

We already have! A previous fundraising campaign earlier in the pandemic last year enabled us to set up a motorbike-based support/ambulance service and support for additional people to provide necessities to vulnerable communities via bicycles: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ugandacrisissupport. As a result of this initiative we have been able to deliver required help and care over the last year, including:-

- Providing access to life-saving medicines for 95 HIV patients.

- Delivered food to 186 vulnerable people.

- Enabled 22 pregnant women to access maternal health care resulting in the safe delivery of 25 healthy babies (and provided those families with basic food and health packs to ensure the babies have a good start).

- Transported 8 serious accident victims to hospital.

- Provided earnings for locals helping with bicycle deliveries (supporting both the recipients of the delivery and the helpers who have otherwise lost income due to COVID).

- Delivered learning materials to 243 school children so they can continue their education from home.

This support was entirely community-led, with local volunteers on the ground informing what would be of greatest benefit, as well as running the initiative - we are simply helping to provide the necessary funding to allow it to happen. The money to support this initiative have lasted well but has now run out. Following this success we are asking for your help to enable us to continue this crucial support for another year.

What Your Donations Will Provide

1) Fuel, repair, and maintenance for the motorbike purchased last year to continue to enable a local volunteer to run a free service that will support the most vulnerable families by providing a food and medicine delivery service. The motorbike also provides a local 'ambulance' service for emergency transport to hospital, which can be very slow under current resources and services available to this rural community.

2) We will also continue to cover a small salary for members of the community to provide free delivery of essential food and healthcare using their own bicycles. This will provide some income for local families to help support them during the crisis, while ensuring that communities have access to care.

3) To further support the education of school children during the pandemic, we are also asking for help to purchase a printer/scanner to enable us to provide basic resources to generate and distribute a wide range of learning and study materials for school work. As this resource is long-lasting, your donations will continue to provide support for local school children long after the current pandemic has declined.

Taken together, for a modest sum we can help support a great many of the most vulnerable families in this part of Uganda through the immediate crisis and ensure that vital support continues into the longer term.