May 31, 2024
The Rainy Season
It’s hard to know where to start the report this month. May has been challenging, to say the least! The floods in Kyarumba have caused so much devastation that it would seem there is only bad news to report. At least six high-traffic footbridges were either badly damaged or washed away entirely, which meant that many hundreds of people who depend on them were cut off from essential services, or risked injury — or worse — trying to find a way across.
There is some good news, however. We were able to raise $1100 through an emergency appeal, and transmitted that amount to Joseph on May 21. He mobilized a crew, and four bridges were completed over two days. Two more need to be repaired when funding becomes available.
This month we sent some funds for the School Gardens startup for both Musasa and Bughungu P/S. These gardens must be planted this month, so preparations must get under way. We have divided that budget into four parts, so that we send a little bit every month as it’s needed.
Correspondence
Salt Spring Coffee, a very decent, socially-minded company that purchases coffee beans from the coffee growers’ collective in Kyarumba, started a GoFundMe campaign to help the growers at Bukonzo Joint Coffee Collective who were affected by the flooding. I sent a Thank You note to them on behalf of Omughisa Rwenzori.
Our Charitable application now shows as “Pending” as of April 12, the date I submitted it. That does not mean there has been any action taken by Revenue Canada, but I consider it a good sign that we are not lost in the void.
A Plea for Assistance
While we wait for our charitable application to be approved, there is much we can do to make sure that we are prepared. We need to brainstorm and research fundraising options; to look for grant opportunities that might be a good match for us; to find out about similar organizations doing similar work; to develop personal contacts and raise our profile on social media. The list is long. Do you want to help? Contact me at karen@omughisarwenzori.org if you would like to get involved!
Traveling to Uganda
The next Directors Report will come to you from Uganda! I will be landing in Entebbe on June 21, and back home by the weekend of July 20. Travelling with me on this trip will be a family of five: mom, dad, and three teenage girls. It should be a blast! We will spend two weeks touring the country, with time spent in Kyarumba and Muhokya. While the Society is not in the tourism business, I believe that, if people come as tourists, they will leave as supporters, and we need as many of those as we can find! Once they leave, I have a few meetings lined up with people who have shown encouragement and support to us as we navigate the charitable organization waters. I will post updates as time permits. You can follow along at https://omughisarwenzori.org/news
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