Literacy

This summer was a huge success for our education program! With the help of several stateside volunteers, Fount of Mercy hosted two literacy trainings. We were thrilled to have over 22 teachers and parents participating in our phonics training. More trainings to come this Fall.

Dignified Births

Fount of Mercy is working towards helping Ugandan mothers have safer, more dignified births. This article outlines why.

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5676086?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000054

Taxes: Check!

990 submitted! Woohoo! (Nonprofit annual taxes) Riveting news, I know, but such a relief to have them done. Back to the exciting work. Have a lovely weekend everyone.

New Village Bank

We have a new village bank in Bukaya, Uganda! The village bank has 30 participants- both men and women. The group meets once a week and is quickly becoming a tight knit community who cares for each other. We are so eager to watch this group grow.

Breaking the Cycle

This month our community health program associate has been visiting past HIV/AIDS workshop attendees to survey their students. The hope is that teachers have been passing along the life saving information they learned in our workshops to their students. We want to break the cycle of misinformation and believe well informed teachers are vital to this cause.

Our vocational development program had a great month. We taught 3 business class, started a new advanced business class, and now have a second successful village bank moving forward.

One Year Anniversary

Recently we celebrated our one year anniversary of employing 12 Ugandans in our scarf making workshop. So far we have made over 4300 scarves for the GO Exchange and are currently working on an exciting line for the Fall.

New Car

Great news! Through some very generous donations, Fount of Mercy now has access to a vehicle in Uganda via our Community Health Director! Having a vehicle will help keep Fount's staff safe on the often dangerous roads of Uganda.

How Do You Walk Away?

 
Overwhelmed. That's the best word I can find to describe the last several weeks of my life. I recently began my 8 week internship at Jinja Main. The internship is part of the requirements I must go through to become registered as an RN with the nursing council of Uganda. Registration is necessary for me to do what I do here legally and for my work visa. I have wanted to write this update everyday since I started this process, but I'm so exhausted at the end of every day I just couldn't do it. So this is just going to be a brief update to let you know what is going on.

Jinja Main is a government hospital and is the main referral hospital in Jinja. It serves well over half a million people and has a 500 bed capacity. It frequently surpasses that number. I'm not even sure how to describe in words what this place is like. Sure, you may be able to imagine what a third world hospital must be like, but to experience it in person...not just as a spectator, but as a nurse doing patient care, it's....overwhelming.

For the first two weeks I was on Ward 4, a men's medical/TB ward. The incredible suffering of the patients there and the lack of resources is crippling. Even when we know what to do for the patients, the resources to address the problem are often times simply not there. This hospital can't even take your vital signs unless a nursing student has brought her equipment...blood pressure cuff, stethoscope, thermometer. If you are in the hospital as a patient, you better hope you have family or friends who are willing to come and care for you, 24 hours a day. They must provide everything for your care: bedsheets, food, gloves for the nurses, medications, IV cannulas, tape, gauze, everything. Otherwise, you lay there, unattended, hungry, dirty and worsening in condition each day.

I watched as Ben, a man in his early 40s, lay there in a dirty bed, on a torn foam mattress, naked...day after day. He was a living skeleton. Ben was suffering from full blown stage 4 AIDS. Rose, a nursing student, and I tried to keep him covered, to preserve dignity, but he wouldn't allow anything to cover him. He was cold, like a corpse. He was depressed and wanted to die and would try to throw himself on the floor to kill himself several times a day. Rose and I would go and pick him up, put him back on the bed and pray for him. His twin brother tried to care for him but there wasn't much that he could do. One week after I met Ben and began caring for him, he died. 8 others died that same week. Many of them from preventable causes. What do you do when you know what needs to be done, but have none of the necessary resources? Overwhelmed.

Last week I began my rotation in Ward 9. Everyone who knows anything about this hospital knows that Ward 9 is the worst of the worst. It's a surgical/orthopedic/burn unit. It's dark. It's dank. It's dirty. So dirty. There are exposed bones, bones in archaic traction devices, people with burns on over 50% of their body, severely malnourished children with gaping wounds. During dressing changes and treatment time, there is literally screaming and gnashing of teeth. Hell on Earth. And it's completely overwhelming.

But as overwhelming as all of that is, I have also been overwhelmed by God's goodness. He has given me favor with the nurses and doctors that I have met so far (this is a huge blessing as Ugandan doctors are notoriously mean and defensive toward outsiders...anyone really). He has shown me the kindness of certain nurses who, though they haven't been paid in over 6 months, continue to care for and buy food for indigent patients. He has shown me that even in the pain and suffering and severe lack of resources, there are glimmers of hope. I see it in the resilience of some of my patients. I see it in Sister (nurse) Molly's concern for the patients even after dealing with such horrible conditions for so many years, day after day. In some strange way, I'm actually 'happy' to be there. I find satisfaction in teaching the nursing students and Medical Officer students (like physician's assistants). I have quickly grown to love certain patients and am very attached to them. At first, I thought I wouldn't be able to wait until this 8 week internship was over. Now I can't imagine how I'm going to stop going there. I need to know that Francis will heal from his burns, and I need to see little Ryan (2 years old) gain weight and come back from severe malnutrition and heal the huge abscess on the lower half of his body. How do you just walk away from people like this after you've met them and loved them? You don't. I won't. And I'm not even half way through.

And just in case you were wondering...yes, I do in fact have to wear a uniform which is an antiquated white dress. It's stunning.


Vanessa Crowley
Community Health Initiative Director
Fount of Mercy

Manuela....our newest staff member

This is Manuela.

She is Fount of Mercy's Community Health Initiative Program Associate.

She also was one of our beautiful scarf models this year!

 

Manuela is the newest member of Fount of Mercy’s (FOM) local staff.  She completed her diploma in Social Work and Social Development in January 2012, and came on staff part-time later that year.  

We are happy to announce that, thanks to a grant we received this year, Manuela became full-time this year!  

This work is truly her passion.  In her own words, Manuela states, “I love my job so much, as part of my job is to develop people in my community.”

So, what does Manuela do with FOM?  And, why is it so important?

In Uganda, women and young girls are often marginalized.  Culturally and historically, women have been treated as possessions; being valued as commodities for their fertility and their usefulness in the home and garden.  As teenagers, they are often given for marriage to older men because the family, who struggles in poverty, will receive a bride-price in return.   As older women, they can be a part of a plural marriage, in which a man takes many wives. However, he cannot provide for them all, let alone all the children he creates with them.  They suffer as much from poor self-esteem as they do from physical need.  As a result of these [and many other] problems, a cycle is created.  

A family’s poverty leads to giving of teenaged wives, who have not finished high school and don’t know basic information about their own menstruation, reproduction, birth control, and/or disease such as HIV/AIDS.  Combine this with the fact that, culturally, it is inappropriate for a girl to talk to her own mother about these topics.  It would be ideal if a girl confided in an aunt or teacher.  Unfortunately, more often than not, a girl will turn to her peers whose knowledge base is equally lacking. Many will enter either a formal marriage or an informal sexual relationship without the knowledge they need to protect themselves and prevent situations that will escalate the hardships in their lives. These include unplanned pregnancies, plural marriages, abandonment, disease, abuse, etc. As a result, a cycle is created in which misinformed young girls grow up into misinformed women who give birth to a new generation of women who lack that same information. 

Manuela combats this problem by hosting what FOM refers to as “Girls Camps” for groups of adolescent girls.  She goes into a community and mobilizes the local female youth by using the local schools and community leaders.  Then, they meet with Manuela and she gives them life-saving information. The curriculum used in FOM Girls Camps is designed to combat the dangerous cycle of misinformation concerning women's bodies in Uganda.  These myths can lead to unplanned pregnancies and HIV infection. The goals of the classes are to replace myths with facts, and to create a generation of women who educate and empower each other.   

Manuela has also developed a Boys Camp to be taught alongside the Girls Camps.  We hope to implement this course in 2014.  Women’s quality of life in Uganda is often dependent on how the men in their lives treat them. If boys are taught to respect and value the girls in their life, then later they will become men who value and respect the women in their lives.

In order to affect more and more girls and boys, Manuela also teaches what FOM calls a “Life Skills Course” to adults who work with youth.  The adults can then teach the course in their own communities.  The curriculum she uses is based on seven principles of behavior change developed by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS).  The belief is that once individual motivation is in place, then skills can be implemented and information given to create a positive life change in youth.   These positive life changes include effective communication, decision-making, thinking, managing emotions, assertiveness, self-esteem building, resisting peer pressure, and relationship skills.  This course goes hand-in-hand with the Girls Camps, as once a youth possesses these life skills, they can take the information from the Girls Camps and have the confidence and tools to apply it in their own lives.  The hope is that women who understand their bodies, their health, their relationships and their lives as a whole will be able to make decisions for themselves that are healthy and positive. 

Manuela is the perfect liaison for this work.  She not only has the educational background, but the heart and the understanding of what it is like to be a youth and a woman in Uganda.  She has also overcome the hardship of growing up without her parents.  As many Ugandan children do, Manuela lived with relatives.  This can often be a hard situation, as many times these “extra” children are last on the extremely long list of priorities, so they don’t receive school fees, adequate medical care, clothing, or even food.  Manuela has worked hard to earn her diploma and hopes that her job with FOM can last for a long time and she can pursue more schooling.  

We hope so too!

Just in time for Christmas....

Just in time for Christmas....

We are very happy to announce the debut of a new Christmas CD by Sarah Lentz!  

                "O Joyful Night  with love, from: Brooklyn to: Uganda"  

In Sarah's words..."In lieu of my annual Christmas benefit concert this year, a slew of artist friends and I have put our Christmas arrangements together to make a benefit CD for Fount of Mercy.  With 15 songs ranging from folk, pop, instrumental, gospel and bluegrass, it is a BEAUTIFUL collection of carols and original songs.   And almost all of these songs can only be found here!  The CD is being offered for download by donation only with all proceeds going to Fount of Mercy.  I am suggesting that a dollar a song or $15 for the project (or more? ;) ) would be a wonderful way to support this amazing organization and be a great thank you to all of the artists for sharing their gifts.  Your generosity is so appreciated.  I hope you enjoy what you hear!"

Sarah has been a strong supporter of Fount, and a great friend to our staff for many, many years.  I interviewed her about her new Christmas CD on our blog.  Here are her heart-felt words....

When did you start having a yearly Christmas concert? 

I can't find a definite record of the year we began but it was I believe 2003.  First year was in the manse of the church and we packed it out, one other artist and I, even though it was a large room, with people sitting down the stairs even.  That's when the priest offered his sanctuary for the following year.  I hadn't even thought about making it an annual thing until then, and when I saw the sanctuary I thought I would never be able to fill that space.  That's when I got the idea of inviting more artists to join in.  And it grew in attendance every year.  It became a special tradition for me and many of the artists and attenders.

What prompted you to have the concert?  

I often played in churches and enjoyed rearranging carols for a special Christmas service.  I had a good collection of them and thought it would be nice to play them all in one concert.  A friend was doing a fundraiser for sponsoring a child in need at the time and that seemed like a great reason to do a concert as well.  So the first two years I did it for that sponsoring a child, and then following that is when I met Michelle and Lori and decided to start doing the concert for Fount...since 2005 or 2006?

Why did you start donating your Christmas concert proceeds to Fount of Mercy?  

Ever since I met them I knew I wanted to support them.  I have always had a draw to ministries in Africa.  I have always dreamed of visiting or helping children there in some way. I always have dreamed of adopting a child, and that may or may not happen, but in the meantime I really wanted to help in any way I could.  For now, that's through the concerts and the CD. I love that with Fount, all the money goes straight into the good work they are doing.  They have people in the US volunteering their time and then person or two on the ground in Uganda using the funds exactly where they are needed, going straight to helping these widows and their children.

What inspires your music, and this Christmas cd specifically?  

For my music in general, emotion inspires and matching an emotion to a lyric to a chord really is what excites me.  In the hopes that when I play it, others will either resonate with that emotion within themselves, or will bring out something that they haven't felt or thought of before.  My first Christmas CD was inspired again from having this collection of songs that I only ever got to sing once or twice because of the church setting and holiday focus. This second CD came out of writing for the annual concerts and having a new set of songs that only got sung once a year.  The same went for a lot of the other artists, they either arranged something for that night or had things that there were few chances to perform.  This CD was a great way to document all of those songs and to capture a bit of what those concert nights were like.

How do you celebrate Christmas personally?  

I used to always say that the concert night was my real Christmas, my most special night of the year.  But I also of course celebrate with my family when I can relax after the concert....and for this year, now that the CD is finished!  I have two little boys and we enjoy time with their grandparents and enjoy doing special things in New York City like seeing the Rockefeller tree and all the lights on Fifth Avenue.

Is there anything else you would like fellow Fount-supporters to know about you, or this cd?

This CD is a beautiful document and tribute to the first 10 years of concerts we've done.  I thank so much everyone that helped bring it together, especially Paul Kim who recorded my songs and helped organize all of the artists work.  I had a dream for several years of doing this and feel so blessed by all the musicians and songwriters who offered their time and talents to this project.  Most of the songs you cannot find anywhere else, not on the artists' CDs or on iTunes or Spotify so this is a really special compilation that I hope everyone will enjoy!

From Tara:  If you want some beautiful music for your own Christmas celebrations, and want to support Fount's work at the same time, please download her CD in part, or in full, by clicking the link below. We think it will be a great addition to your Christmas celebrations! 

Merry Christmas!

here is the link: http://sarahlentz.bandcamp.com/album/o-joyful-night-with-love-from-brooklyn-to-uganda

Sarah's website:  www.sarahlentz.com

Why give to Fount this season?

WHY FOUNT?

This season I'm sure that many nonprofits have asked you to donate to their cause. Why, then, should you consider donating to Fount of Mercy?

1) We invest in local, pre-existing community organizations. We are focused on their long-term success and sustainability.

2) We are responding to the orphan crisis holistically by addressing the needs of the entire family.

3) We empower women to earn a living wage, provide for their dependents, and become change agents and leaders in their communities.

When you give to Fount, your donation goes a long way towards building capacity. For example, thanks to three generous donations, we will be able to increase our Ugandan Educational Development Program Associate's work from part-time to full-time!

This means more professional development for community school teachers, who are teaching orphans and vulnerable children in outlying villages.  This also means more capacity to complete our new phonics curriculum, allowing us to begin training educators around teaching literacy. 

Please consider donating to Fount of Mercy this season. Together we can encourage lasting, sustainable change in Ugandan communities. 

http://www.fountofmercy.org/donate/donate-.html

So much to be thankful for...

So much to be thankful for...

This year has been full for Fount of Mercy, and although we always have so many goals and so much more we’d like to do to help Ugandan communities, we know that it is good to stop and think about what we’ve accomplished this year, and what we have to be thankful for.

   

Our upcoming end-of-year posts will remind you of this past year's accomplishments, so for now, I just want to share with you what some of our new Ugandan staff said when asked what they are grateful for...

Thank YOU for helping us accomplish so much in 2013! 

Please remember us in your end-of-year giving.  

www.fountofmercy.org

Calling all Interns!!!

In our almost 8 years of existence, we have been  fortunate to have many volunteers come our way.  In 2009, we had our first interns begin working with us, and since then, we have almost always had at least 1 intern working in Uganda with us…sometimes 3 at one time!  These amazing, hard-working, smart women have had an integral part of developing our work on the ground.  There is no coffee-making, envelope-stuffing for our interns!   They write curriculum, do hands-on research, teach and train, and set up systems for our work in Uganda.  In short, they are VITAL. 

This is the beauty of being a small organization…we can offer experiences that large ones cannot.  Our interns learn, alongside our staff, and gain knowledge that is invaluable for their future, whether it is as a small business owner, a non-profit staffer, a development worker, a mother, or just a compassionate person.  We are so proud that we have had 2 interns return for a second 6 months with us…even though they are paying their own way to be there!   This tells us that we are doing something right.   

We are suddenly finding ourselves in need of interns.  It is ironic that for the first time, we are actively seeking interns rather than them finding us, but our work is currently at its peak as far as the quality and quantity of projects we have happening in Uganda.  

So, we are putting it out there to our network, and hope that you will pass this along to anyone who may want/need an internship for school credit, or just for life experience.  

Our biggest needs currently are an administration intern and a vocational development intern. 

Administration Intern (1 needed at a time):  Will assist our International Director in the management of the entire organization in Uganda, including training/assisting Ugandan staff, helping with financial organization, researching sources and best-practices, social media, documentation, research, and curriculum writing.

Vocational Intern (1-2 needed at a time):   Will help oversee inventory, quality control, new designs, and general production systems of our scarf project.  Will also continue to oversee the beginning sewing classes, and begin writing an intermediate sewing class.  Social media and documentation will be expected also.  This person may have a fashion or sewing background, entrepreneur or small business experience, and/or strong organizational, production knowledge. 

Interns could arrive as soon as January 2014, and need to commit to at least 3-6 months in-country…up to a year.  All costs are currently the responsibility of the intern, though housing could potentially be offered.  Interns need to be initiative takers, able to work independently, and have self-motivation. Ample time and discussion with occur during the application process to be sure a candidate will be a good fit for our work, and us for their skills and interests.   

Estimated Costs:  Plane Ticket=$1500-2000.  Monthly Expenses Average:  $550/month

Please contact Tara H Nyanga for more information and/or to apply for an internship in 2014.

taralhawks@gmail.com

Who are our scarf models?

Who are our models?

 

Sometimes when you see pictures online, whether they are in a publication, from an article, or on a website, it is easy to forget that the people in the photos are real, actual people…or maybe that is just me. Ha!  I know I sometimes feel this way when I see nameless photos from other organizations….and assume that the child or woman in the shot is unknown. 

If you relate to these thoughts, then I’d love to share with you exactly who the beautiful women in our scarf photos are.  I can attest that we, here at Fount, know each of them VERY well. 

First, on the far left, is our Community Health Director, Vanessa.  Vanessa has been with Fount since the beginning in 2006, when she took her first trip to Uganda, and became hooked.  She started as a volunteer, and now is on staff, splitting her time between Texas (4 months per year) and Jinja (the remaining 8 months).  Being a practicing labor and delivery nurse, she is passionate about women and adolescent health, reproductive education, and dignity during the birth process.  Her dream, and goal, is to set up a dignified, safe, high-quality maternity center in Jinja.  

Second from the left, is Manuela.  Manuela has been with Fount for almost 2 years, working as Vanessa’s associate.  She has helped write and develop health education curriculum for educators and community leaders to teach to the adolescents in their communities.  Her sweet, calm demeanor and radiant smile are an asset, as she is able to connect easily and quickly with her students.  Thanks to a grant Fount received earlier this year, she is now a full-time employee of ours, and has a computer to aid her work. 

Third from the left is a woman who I am proud to call my “sister”, Olivia.  Olivia is married to my husband’s brother, Robert…another community leader whom Fount has partnered with for about 4 years.  In fact, it is through this initial contact with Robert that Grace (my husband) and I met!  Although Olivia does not work officially for Fount, she is a valuable aid and advisor.  We trust her opinion greatly, and she never hesitates to help when needed.  Olivia sprung to mind immediately as a model for our scarves because of her contagious, continual laughter and amazing smile…not to mention that she LOVES us and will help us whenever needed!  Olivia is currently preparing for her traditional introduction ceremony, which will officially and publicly recognize her marriage to Robert...no wonder she is so happy! 

And finally, on the far right, is our amazing intern, Katie!  Although Katie just recently left Uganda, this was her second time working for Fount in Jinja.  She had such a good experience in 2011, she decided to go back this past June!  Katie was the guiding force behind our basic business curriculum…not only writing it, but also testing it with a group of village women, and editing it to be even more effective.  This curriculum is now a successful mainstay of our vocational work in Uganda!  During her second trip, she worked with another intern, Sarah, to test and edit our Beginning Sewing class curriculum, as well as overseeing quality control and inventory practices in our new scarf project.  Katie is super-fun, and always eager to jump in wherever needed…in this case, to be our beautiful scarf model!

Every time I post/see these photos, it really brings to home the fact that these scarves are not made by nameless/faceless workers “somewhere in Africa”.  They are each made, by hand, and with love by people whom we love.  

Get yours today…[think Christmas gifts]…here! 

--Written by Tara Nyanga, on behalf of FOM.