Click to view this email in a browser
Twekembe Working together for a healthier Iganga | |
| |
Meet our staff: Maureen Nakalinzi
Our latest "meet the staff" features Maureen Nakalinzi, UVP Program Manager. Maureen grew up with a passion for helping people and serving her community. While studying at Makerere University, she began volunteering as a UVP intern and developed her interest in public health. She was an intern each summer from 2005 until 2008, making her an early member of the UVP family! After university, Maureen worked as the program manager of a women's empowerment program focusing on incoming generating projects. Maureen has been working full time with UVP since 2011. She is the program manager for the Family Planning program and works with Loy on the management and data for the fistula program. In addition to her program activities, Maureen helps manage the internship program and keeps the office running smoothly. Maureen is passionate about reproductive health. She finds fulfillment in providing services that are greatly needed by the women in the communities. She enjoys meeting and engaging with Village Health Teams and community members. Maureen says she likes her job because "UVP gives you the opportunity to try out new ideas for improving programs and allows you to make your mark on the program. As staff, you can start with an idea and a concept paper and follow it all the way through implementation and follow up." The best thing that has happened while she's been at UVP has been the expansion of the family planning program. Maureen says "Now UVP is providing a long term method, the implant, during our outreaches. We will also able to add cervical cancer screening to our family planning program with the help from newly trained government nurses." When not working, Maureen serves on two boards: the International Community Empowerment Fund and Nazareth Children's Home. She loves working with children, and in every town she lives in she gets involved at the local baby's home and teaches Sunday school. When asked one thing that readers might not know about her, Maureen shared that she danced ballet while in school and likes ballroom dancing.
Water for communities in need
At Uganda Village Project (UVP) we treasure our work and are always happy to show off what we're doing thanks to your help. Visiting friends from the United States who had donated in the past wanted to see what we do and where we work, and so we arranged for a field visit.
We went out to the field with our guests and visited the villages where we had constructed shallow wells and one where we were in the process of shallow well construction.
They were happy to see how the shallow well project was impacting to the people. We also heard a great story about how the shallow well users in Kabila village--who received a well in 2010--have been dedicated to maintaining their well. Previously, the shallow well in Kabila village had broken down. The water and sanitation committee convened a meeting and agreed to bring in a pump mechanic. The well had a problem with the cylinder valves and it needed a new valve which was able to be bought from the community contributions in the committee's treasury. The pump mechanic was paid for his labor and in a short while, the well was functioning normally again.
UVP builds the capacity of the Water User Committees so that on the day of commissioning we can shift the responsibility of well maintenance to the committee and the entire community; at that time the well is declared a community asset.
This is a good indicator of sustainability and it was satisfying to find a community that takes care of its shallow well by taking responsibility of the maintenance and repairs. We're so grateful for donors like those who visited us who help us bring safe water to communities who need it.
A Fistula Ambassador Informs her Community
 Annet Kyaliki, 29, of Nakabaale village in Kaliro District is a mother of six. She developed a fistula as a result of total hysterectomy which was not properly done in 2013. After being identified by UVP's Fistula Coordinator and screened as a first step toward surgery, she went with UVP for a successful surgery to repair the fistula in March 2013.
Later in the year, Annet was trained as an inaugural member of the Fistula Ambassadors. She learned about the causes and treatment of fistula, community engagement, record keeping, and communication skills. The two day training empowered the Ambassadors with knowledge about fistula and how to pass on the information to the other community members. Since then, Annet has been organizing outreaches and regularly communicates to community members about fistula and how it can be managed.
Having Fistula Ambassadors has expanded our reach and we're able to spread information about fistula to many more communities through the program. We appreciate the great work done by UVP staff especially Loy, our Fistula Coordinator, in championing the idea of Fistula Ambassadors.
Stories by Patrick Tulibagenyi and Leslie Stroud-Romero
| | Support UVP Your donations are critical to allowing us to help communities in need. Please donate today to help us continue educating families about sanitation, building shallow wells, and more.
Want to increase your donation? GiveBIG, an online giving event hosted by The Seattle Foundation, will be happening on May 6, and it offers you the chance to stretch your donation! All donations made to UVP through The Seattle Foundation's website will be eligible for a partial match, depending on how much we earn. The more you give, the more we get of the Seattle Foundation stretch pool. If that weren't enough, you also have the opportunity to win some cool prizes, just by donating! Watch your email for more information, and mark May 6 on your calendar.
Help spread the word! Do you know someone who would be interested in the updates and stories in our newsletter? Please forward this message to share with a friend, or contact us at leslie@ugandavillageproject.org to share an email address. It's one of the easiest things you can do to help spread the word about the great work you're helping us accomplish.
Stay connected We post all of our messages on our Facebook Page, so if you're a member of our Group, consider moving over to the Page instead to get the latest information about UVP! We look forward to seeing you there!
| |
| If you no longer wish to receive these emails, please reply to this message with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line or simply click on the following link: Unsubscribe |
Uganda Village Project
2632 42nd Ave West
Seattle, WA 98199
USA
Read the VerticalResponse marketing policy. |  |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Keep a civil tongue.