New Groups - New Projects!
Thank you so much for your help in supporting Ignite Change. We hope you are doing ok in these turbulent times. All of us want to let you know how much we appreciate and value your partnership.
For most of you, on some sort of lockdown, life looks a lot different. You’re going out less. You have been working from home. Some of you are just getting back to work. And for those of you that are essential workers, we thank you for your hard work!
In Uganda, many people are out of work. Their small, roadside businesses are closed until further notice. People have used up all their savings – and most have spent all their business capital. Those in the village are more used to this life and are spending their time farming. But simple things like buying salt has become expensive and hard to find. Four of the businesses started by Ignite Change continue to operate during the lockdown. As the lockdown is lifted, more of our groups are getting back to work. Even though business has been slow, the group members are extremely thankful for the little money they are earning.
We are continuing to work on issues that are important to you. Including working with the most vulnerable populations. Currently, there are two populations in Kamdini doing far worse than others:
The street boys who rely on stealing fuel from oil tankers traveling through Uganda. In the past, the trucks frequently parked in town. They are no longer allowed to stop here because of the high risk of spreading COVID. The small money these boys used to earn is no longer there. They are getting desperate and turning to more extreme crimes. Many are taking the risk and secretly meeting with the truck drivers because they say “getting Corona is better than starving to death”.
The same truck drivers that used to park in Kamdini fueled the largest demand for sex workers in Uganda. Some of these women have recently come out publicly as a cry for help. They no longer want to do this work and need some small food to survive. They want a different life and a different future.
The stories you will hear in the coming weeks from these boys and ladies will bring you to tears. Our amazing team has been reaching out to these groups and building relationships and trust. Thanks to your support, we are able to provide an immediate physical need of foodstuff, masks, and soap. But we know, what they need most is to experience and know the love of Jesus. Our Savior doesn’t look at what they’ve done but who they are.
Plans are coming together to work with both of these groups. The boys will farm on our new land. They will be given housing, food, and other basic essentials. Plus, food to send home to their families. During these months of farming, we will go through our trainings and help them come up with business ideas. The profit earned from the sale of crops at the time of harvest will be used to launch their business!
The ladies will be trained in a craft skill, such as basket making. They will also be given housing, food, and other basic essentials. Trainings will be held weekly and the profit from selling their crafts will launch their new business!
Both groups will meet regularly for Bible Studies to learn more about their identity in the eyes of Christ.
They will be housed away from town to limit their ability to return to their old ways. And to ensure the safety of our team and the surrounding community.
These groups need your help. We will be facing higher expenses to house, feed, and provide additional staff for these groups. If you are able, please join the Family Partnership program to be partnered with one of the individuals and be part of changing their lives and their story forever! Or give a one-time donation to help us get started!
Business Updates!
These past weeks have been exciting and busy for both the group members and our staff. All four businesses are up and running and we are excited to share a few videos with you!
Launch Event
Nommy, our Community Outreach Manager speaking (with a translator next to him). Lucy speaking about herself as a widow. Worship celebrating the businesses about to launch! And turning over the equipment and supplies to the group members.
Ox Plow
The oxen have been trained to answer to commands. There are subtitles below - watch them respond.
These oxen will be taken to people’s gardens and plow their field for a set rate per acre. This saves the farmers time and energy they can use for planting and tending the garden after.
Produce Buying & Selling Business
Weighing a small bag of soybean.
Groups will be buying produce from farmers in bulk at a low rate. Then sell large quantities to local factories at a higher rate.
Grinding Machine
Grinding maize into flour.
Customers bring their dried maize (corn), millet, cassava, and sorghum to be ground into flour. These different types of flours are used in many dishes. The group charges per kilo of item ground.
The groups have chosen their businesses!
Since April, we have been meeting with two groups of vulnerable individuals. In total, there are 24 people representing 24 different families. These particular people were chosen because of their extreme state of poverty. For example, there are 7 grandmothers struggling to take care of their many grandchildren because the children’s parents (their own children) have died.
In a span of 16 weeks, participants learned about how God views them and how they should view work. They learned basic life skills. Then we did a deep dive into matching their passion and assets with what can make a profit. Finally, the participants chose their businesses! And we are getting ready to fund their start up!
Individuals have been divided into teams of 6 to run the businesses as a group. The group members currently make between $0 - $8 a month off their petty businesses. These businesses will be run alongside any ventures they are pursuing now and generate around $30 a month per person!
The first group, Obanga Awero “God is Able” chose Produce Buying and Selling then a Grinding Machine.
The second group, Obanga en Mera “God is Love” chose Produce Buying & Selling and Oxen Plow.
Produce Buying & Selling: Groups will be buying produce from farmers in bulk at a low rate. Then sell both small quantities in a shop in their local community and sell large quantities to local factories at a higher rate.
Oxen Plow: Tilling large acres of land here can take a long time and be exhausting. Many families chose to rent a pair of oxen to come plow their field instead. This saves them time and energy that they can use for planting and tending the garden after. These Oxen will be taken to people’s gardens and plow their field for a set rate per acre.
Grinding Machines: Customers bring their dried mazie (corn), millet, cassava, and sorghum to be ground into flour. These different types of flours are used in many dishes. The group charges per kilo of item ground.
If you would like to sponsor a business, please click here!
Sickness to health
“Sickness has become history in my life and my family members’. The knowledge I have acquired made me know that not only meat is considered diet which was the case with me for so many years and as a result, I was lacking a balanced diet in my life. I have benefited a lot from the various lessons covered and ever since I started attending the lessons organized by Ignite Change, I have never fallen sick. I used to visit the hospital nearly every week. In addition to that, the trainings have had a very significant impact on me and my family at large since I can now eat a balanced diet with nutritious food and am now healthy.
Concerning the business, my mindset has changed because before the training on business ideas, I used to think of only one business which was pancake selling. Since then, I can think of other businesses like I am currently selling millet flour and brooms among other small-scale businesses. Now, I can save something for the future.” -Apil
What is Community Outreach?
Recently, we hired a new Community Outreach Manager to begin working in the community of Kamdini. But what exactly is Community Outreach?
Community Outreach is our main activity where we work alongside families to help them develop life and business skills to be able to provide for their families. At Ignite Change, we value self-sustainability and want to work WITH the families instead of giving them a handout. This was the first focus of Ignite Change back in 2016 with the goal of helping these families send their kids to school to be able to feed them and get proper healthcare when needed.
Once we enter a new community, we go to a few churches to identify vulnerable families. These include widows, orphans, and disabled persons. We then visit their homes and conduct a survey to determine what assets they have, how large their family is, are their children in school, how many meals they eat in a day, etc. From this, we choose those with the most immediate needs and form groups.
In Kamdini, 70 families were identified and surveys conducted at their homes. A chart representing the sizes of the families is found below. [There is a large population of (18) elderly individuals living by themselves who are disabled or widowed. Their needs are different since most cannot do physical labor. We are going to work with the churches or another nonprofit in order for them to get the tangible resources they need.]
Out of the 70, we made two groups of 12 people to begin conducting classes. The first classes are to encourage the participants by learning about our identities in Christ, that we have been given gifts and talents from our Creator, and sharing dreams for the future. The next sections of classes are on basic life skills that many people may have never received. These include family and community, hygiene and healthcare, nutrition, infant care, importance of education, and budgeting.
After about two months of weekly classes, the participants now have a more open mind on how they can identify work to make an income. We work with them to see their natural talents, passions, and assets then see if these choices can actually make money. The profitable choice that most aligns with each individual is then created into a business plan. We help them launch their new activity (or a better version of something they had been doing previously) by giving them goods (seeds, cloth, etc). After the activity is launched, we continue classes with the groups, monitor and get feedback for the various activities.
We are exciting to begin sharing stories with you! Classes will continue over a span of approximately four months before businesses are launched. It is a slow process, but changing the mindset of people can be the most difficult task. Helping them look at themselves not as poor, but as capable, hard-working individuals with plans to change their lives.
If you have not joined our monthly giving team to become a Change Maker, this is a great time to do so! Families are working hard to make a better life for their children – making a bright future.