This was the catchy message given to 31 girls living in the town of Katikamu this past Saturday as part of the Just Like My Child Foundation’s Girl Power Project.

Girl power helps build self-confidence in girls and teaches them about sex education and life skills like personal empowerment, communication, social survival skills and how to avoid peer pressure.

I think the 7B’s is a funny sounding message, but an important one, since girls are not always encouraged to focus on education, but on preparing for marriage and having children.

One cultural practice young girls are pressured to do is labia pulling, what Ugandans call “pulling,” so named because girls pull the labia minora regularly to lengthen the labia. There are strongly believed myths that a woman will not be able to find a husband or get pregnant without long labia. Long labia are also believed to give the man and woman more pleasure during sex. Who knows, maybe it’s true?

Girls as young as 12 are pressured at home and during school breaks to go off into the bushes and pull on their labia. One concern about pulling is that it increases the girls’ interest in sex at a very young age, possibly increasing their risk of contracting HIV/AIDs, because they may not have received sex and reproductive health education to protect themselves. JLMC’s Girl Power Project facilitator, Monica, teaches the girls that it is important to focus on education first and remember the 7 B’s. She doesn’t say pulling is good or bad, just that a girl should wait to make that decision when she is much older.

Every culture has their beliefs that put pressure on girls to want to modify their appearances to reach the dominant culture’s ideal beauty, like breast implants, Botox, laser hair removal, hair dye, anti-wrinkle cream, diets to reach a certain weight, etc. So, this is not an issue uniquely Ugandan. If girls are educated, they can make informed decisions for themselves like whether or not they want to engage in certain cultural practices.

Be a part of empowering girls in Uganda to make informed decisions about their bodies by supporting the Just Like My Child’s Girl Power Project.

Written by Sara Todd, JLMC Country Director

George William

Construction Supervisor

George William was the fabrication Genius behind JLMCF’s Universal Education Program. He worked with our Project Coordinators to create school building plans and then transforms those creations into safe and shining learning environments where eager and knowledge hungry Ugandan children can thrive.

George William was a person whom you would never hear gloat, but we will not hesitate to brag about the wealth of experience that this accomplished man brought to our team. A moment in his presence told the story of an individual with a steady and true wisdom that comes with years of life and building experience. He was well known and respected within the communities we serve and came highly recommended by our Project Coordinators. Before joining us on our first ever school building project, George William worked for decades in building schools with Plan International. He never failed to continually design feasible and appropriate blueprints, budgets and plans that incorporate JLMCF’s methodology and vision. He commanded a quiet respect within every community he worked with, while at the same time setting an essential standard for ethical building practices. George William had a knack for transforming perceived community constraints and limitations into opportunities for creative building solutions. He acted as a professional mentor and guide to both skilled labor and unskilled volunteers, who were contributing to the building process with an aim to achieve capacity building, community ownership and participation. Since joining our team as Construction Supervisor in 2008, he had proven an efficient builder, maintaining quality and safety, while still coming in under budget, which allowed for JLMCF to spread our resources across a larger population of communities in need of school buildings. George William had a gift for turning our big ideas and inspirations into real life sanctuaries for learning. Our favorite grandfather who certainly got the job done will be greatly missed and always honored.

George William’s capacity building contributions to our programs and his expert building plans will continue to be drawn upon by JLMCF. Our school building projects are currently being carried out by his skilled apprentice, Mr. Akwong Janan Wilson, who has now graduated to Construction Supervisor through George William’s guidance and support.

Sara and Maria

Todd was a Peace Corps volunteer in Armenia training and consulting with local non-profits on project management using a gender lens and educating teachers and children on environmental issues.

Todd’s professional experiences inspired her to dedicate her career to serving marginalized groups and advocating for justice, which makes her a perfect fit with Just Like My Child Foundation’s initiatives and goals.

Todd also has a personal blog called My Life in Uganda.

In Luwero district in rural Uganda, we are so excited that a new partnership with Heifer International will bring even more dignity and “wekembe” to our families. Over the next three years 740 families will receive goats and vegetable, bean and nut seeds and fruit seedlings for passion fruit, oranges and mangoes. We can already see those new trees blossoming along with this project!

The 740 families join 20 other families already benefiting from Just Like My Child’s Project Grace Initiative. Project Grace empowers rural Ugandans to create and sustain businesses.

The 740 families help support about 5000 men, women and children in this area of rural Uganda. They will be trained in animal husbandry, building and managing the animal pens, business building/savings, and other skills. As their businesses and animals grow, the families will proudly pass on more goats and business acumen to other families in Heifer’s “Pass on the Gift” model.

Anatolia will be one of our first Project Grace superstars to help other families succeed. When we first met Anatolia, all she wanted was the freedom to live out the rest of her days in peace. Now she has a bright future and enough money to pay for her children’s education. Anatolia has bred and sold two pigs – for a $30 profit. She’s wisely re-invested most of her profits into other pigs and pens to grow her business. She shows her children each day what empowerment looks like.

“My dream now: to build up my project to a level that I can provide for my family for generations to come,” Anatolia says. “I want to ensure that my children and grandchildren are happy and healthy and have the opportunities for a good education. I’d also like to repair my family home, so it’s suitable for my family far into the future. I am now confident that we will all have access to proper hygiene, health care and good nutrition.”

Now that’s what we call “Wekembe!”

Many in Jillian’s community in the Luwero district north of the capital of Kampala have long given up of the hope of any justice. They assume that the laws only exist to protect the wealthier in Kampala, where 95 percent of Ugandan attorneys live.

But Jillian’s wiser and more empowered. She knew about her rights because her community had participated in our game-changing, groundbreaking Project Justice program.

John Baptist provides training to guardians on creating a Will in Kikoiiro

Project Justice provides rural Ugandans with greater knowledge of and access to judicial information and processes to strengthen the legal safety net, especially for vulnerable women and children, like Jillian (not her real name). Now she is protected, no longer living at home and has escaped an early marriage- if not much worse.

In rural Uganda, most people remain ignorant of most criminal and civil laws and how to uphold them. Couples don’t even know if they are legally married. They view their children, as “property” yet does not know if they even legally own their land and homes. They lose hope and are vulnerable to crime, anarchy, and terrorism.

We demand and work for change. With the African organization FIDA, weaving in legal and medical personnel and community members, we’ve helped people protect themselves from crime, fraud, and abuse by investing in:

• Paralegal training of legal and medical personnel (more than 1,000 trained so far in 50 rural communities)
• Processes that allow people to immediately access counseling, medical and legal intervention, and report all crimes to the legal authorities
• Practices that allow the expedition of the collection of proper medical evidence, reporting, documentation, and legal prosecution according to Ugandan laws
• Personal training so people feel empowered, confident and secure in seeking legal help

It’s hard for us to imagine the legal and human atrocities that constitute daily reality in Africa. Yet they also represent an opportunity for widespread cultural change. Where rape is often not considered a crime or women are tossed out of their homes for not cooking well, we have to stop looking away. Where children are often viewed as property, or forced as young as 12 into prostitution—we have to act now.

The world won’t change and people won’t claim and exercise their rights if the legal system and widespread access to it doesn’t. Help us fuel this justice movement at Just Like My Child Foundation.

This was your first trip to Uganda, did you have any expectations or fears? Anxieties?

I went to Kenya a few years ago, my first experience in Africa being from busy Nairobi, Mombasa, a small fishing village on the coast and it’s adjacent island just a short canoe ride away. I saw children begging for coins and food in the city, Nairobi’s slum, the beautiful lush landscape along the coast and the resourcefulness providing many with shelter and food.

Before I visited Uganda for the first time, I didn’t have any expectations, fears or anxieties – mostly curiosity. I was curious how similar (and different) Uganda would be compared to Kenya – both in culture, food, landscape, and the smell. I really looked forward to meeting everyone I’ve seen in photos and video from my three years with JLMC – the scholarship students, the doctors and nurses, the teachers and community leaders behind our school-building projects, and seeing Sister Ernestine in action.

What was your first impression when you finally landed?

My first impression … FINALLY here! The best part of exiting the airport was the smell of Africa. Like warm, dusty earth with a tinge of smoking wood (okay, and a little burning rubber). It is so, Vivian’s favorite part about Africa. I’d say one of mine, too.

If you had one story to tell about your visit, which one would it be? (First thought that pops to mind)

Definitely witnessing Vivian’s son’s impression of Uganda (and everyone at Asili Hospital) unfold. When we first arrived, we spent a day recovering from jet lag and prepping for the week ahead of us. I think it was unusual for him to spend the day without an itinerary. Our first day we had no itinerary and there were a few afternoons like this, when his mama and others were planning strategically and not available to keep him company. But he adjusted quickly, spending many afternoons reading, gathering mangos, exploring Asili Hospital grounds or playing ball into the sunset with neighbor children outside.

Also, seeing Maria de-feather a chicken for dinner. You don’t get to see that everyday. I made the mistake of telling Zak to come watch. He was interested, but then later lost his appetite for dinner that night. hehe.

If someone were to visit Uganda what tips or tricks would you share with them?

1. Bring a reusable water bottle and get your hands on a few gallons of purified water from the local market. It was hot and dusty when we were there, cause for reassurance to know you’ve got hydration in your pocket when out in the bush.

2. Wash your hands and eat the food. It’s delicious, especially the meats!

3. If you want to speak to locals and learn about them – Learn the greetings – either in the local language or what it would translate to be in English. Ugandans have a long greeting sequence, no matter between a formal or casual interaction. It’s like a standard song sung between two people greeting each other, and goes something like this:

asking how was the day,
thanking each other for the work they do,
asking if they are at peace,
asking how is life,
and asking how the family is doing.

This exchange would go back and forth between both parties. And then after, you’d get to what’s really happening in life.

Whether it happens in English or Luganda, it happens. When Ugandans greet non-Ugandans, I noticed that they abbreviate their standard greeting a bit to apply better to visitors. The sisters do this especially well, as they are used to seeing visitors quite frequently.

But I think it’s good to understand how Ugandans greet each other, how to introduce yourself and get a conversation going. It’s not like it is here, where you can say your name and small talk about anything. There’s definitely that formality that occurs.

Was there one particular person, event, or moment from the JLMC tribe that stands out most?

Meeting Muwango and his family. He has AIDS, and lost his wife to the disease. Now it’s just him and his five children. He and his family participate in our Project GRACE program. It was pretty remarkable to meet a family benefitting from our work half a world away. It was the hope and joy in his eyes and his humble graciousness that really touched me. That his young girls and boys wouldn’t go hungry – and even have the chance to go to school. To enter his home and see how proud he was of his work. It was so inspiring.

What was an average day like for you?

Awesome. Waking up early (I had a rooster right outside my window), putting a few chapters down in the (Harry Potter) book I brought to read, Mangos, Bananas and Black Ugandan Tea for breakfast (everything was labeled “Ugandan ___”: Ugandan Tea, Ugandan Milk, Ugandan Cookies, etc… I took an empty Ugandan Coffee can as a souvenir. and then the day’s itinerary – visiting Project GRACE participants, the school sites, the dental clinic, going-ons at Asili Hospital and sometimes just taking the afternoon nice and easy like a Ugandan: mango in hand, sitting on the front step, smelling the sun go down.

Were the mangoes that great? How many did you eat?

Mangos were awesome – even the “stringy” ones as Puja and Lidia called them. I ate at least one a day. Breakfast and dinner were a fun time because we all gathered around the table for a meal like a family.

The beads are selling upwards of 20+ dollars and range from bracelets to necklaces here on that busy coastal street.  Don’t get me wrong I do love those beads and I wear mine everyday. We here at Just Like My Child Foundation sell  (and sometimes raffle) them at our events to use for our program funding and I often give them as gifts but I would rather give the Ugandan women goats. I would rather give them a business they can grow and sell in their own back yard. This way she can depend on her own destiny and her own business prowess, rather than depending on people half a world a way to continue creating demand for inventory.

The beads will become a commodity here and with a lot of inventory the prices will have to plummet to get rid of the extra pieces, which just furthers poverty in Uganda as well as makes the women and young girls dependent on another’s supply chain. Our purchasing habits are at best fickle and the Ugandan ladies have no control over our buying power. This is why we have teamed up with Bishop Asili Hospital and created Project GRACE. Project GRACE is a microenterprise program that provides a small loan (poultry or livestock, and goats) with intensive training to help create a self-sustaining business that will support Ugandan families.

The beads are beautiful, unique, and not always easy to come by; however, neither are goats in Uganda. Take some time and read about Project GRACE and how we have created sustainable businesses and practices for rural Ugandan families.  You can also send a goat to a family in Uganda, check out how here.  Also, please share with us your thoughts on the subject.

President Museveni said, “I would encourage you to abstain rather than thinking that you would survive on ARVs. These drugs make you live longer but you are no longer a complete person. This is something I have witnessed within the army.”

“Out of 100 children born to infected mothers, there is a 10 percent risk of transmitting the virus to babies born to mothers who are on ARVs. This means that there is still a risk even when ARVs are available,” said Museveni.

I was happy to read that the Ugandan President showed concern for his people and that he offered 50,000 US dollars to a Ugandan community in Rwanda, which was used to set up an auto-mechanic training garage and a residential house for rent. And in other news concerning HIV/AIDS in Uganda, Health Minister Christine Ondoa made a remark that HIV/AIDS can be cured through prayer. The Observer newspaper quoted her to have had a first hand experience with people she claimed was infected by the HIV/AIDS virus but after a series of prayer tested negative.

Head of The AIDS Support Organization (TASO), Richard Ochai said such statements continuously curtail TASO efforts to fight against HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, he relies on science and the fact that ARVs must be taken because without the virus will appear again.

There are a few grey areas here that I would rather not get into but I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter:

Does abstaining from pre-marital sex really protect against contracting the HIV/AIDS virus in Uganda? (Consider this fact from Avert.org: Women are disproportionately affected, accounting for 57 percent of all adults living with HIV.)

Do you think prayer alone can cure HIV/AIDS? If so, how?

You can read more about the article here or by clicking the links below:
- Ugandan President offers HIV Tips
- Minister’s Comment on HIV/AIDS Careless, say Experts

Tessa Davis greeting Nyangoma Rachaels mother, Florence.

Catching up with our “on-the-ground” team in Uganda can prove difficult when it comes to the Just Like My Child Foundation’s blog but we caught Program Manager and former Peace Corps volunteer, Tessa Davis for a brief moment to answer a few quick questions via email.

Tessa has been the foundation behind many of Just Like My Child Foundation’s programs in Uganda. In her current position as Program Manager, Tessa inspires us all with her ability to successfully navigate and inform on the ground projects that translate JLMCF’s guiding principles into relevant and community-led solutions.

What is your fondest moment/memory from the recent trip you took to Uganda with Vivian?

My fondest memory of the May trip was witnessing Vivian’s son share learning materials that he and his classmates in California had worked so hard to raise money for. It was an experience that for me was significant for many reasons. First, being on the ground in Uganda is overwhelming, when abject poverty is all about you and cannot be ignored. It was revitalizing to escape to a moment that replaced all of that frustration with the elation that comes from witnessing beaming Ugandan children meeting an American classroom’s generosity. Without these learning materials, this group of children would have been prevented from enrolling in school the following Monday!

Ugandan children leveraging the contribution that this boy’s classroom back home made as a means by which to invest in their own bright futures through education is a good example of the hand up versus hand out philosophy that makes JLMCF’s strategies so sustainable and inspiring. Secondly, it was incredible to see Vivian’s son at such a young age, sacrificing his comfort zone for the greater good. It too, I imagine is an experience that he will not soon forget! Going back to his American classroom to share what he has experienced in Uganda is a rare, beautiful and life-changing responsibility. Thirdly, and perhaps most significantly is the bridge of opportunity and understanding that has now been built between American and Ugandan children, a connection built on love and participation that in every respect has changed the world for the better.

Left to Right: Nyangoma Rachael, Namata Josephine, Tessa Davis, Nalubombwe Josephine & Kiberu William

If you had one story to tell about your most recent visit, which one would it be?

I was seated at my computer at the guesthouse table, working on some boring budgets for the Universal Education Program. Suddenly I heard Maria, the Ugandan caretaker of the house, scream at the top of her lungs. “Nambooze!!! (my Ugandan name) You Come!!” “Now Now! It’s a snake!!!” Everyone in the room quickly glanced at each other and we ran outside to see what all of the commotion was about. We found a group of Ugandans just outside of the fence gathered around a snake that they had beaten to death with a metal panga (garden slasher tool). It was a thick snake, at least a foot long, black in color with a large head. Some Internet research confirmed that it was indeed a black mamba, one of the most deadly snakes in the world. Maria continued to freak us out by jumping, startled, and rushing us to the side of the house, convinced that the dead snake’s wife or husband was nearby looking for some vengeance. Mary, a new Ugandan doctor of the hospital joked that the cold weather would lead any living snake into our guest house beds, she’d seen cases a million times, but we shouldn’t worry too much because she could save us from death. We all screamed and jumped and ran several times to the porch in between bouts of bravery and curiosity that found us tip toeing back out into the bush for another peak at the dead snake. It was an adventure far more stimulating than those pesky budgets!!

What was/is an average day like for you with JLMCF?

It’s a lot of work! Vivian has extremely high expectations, which is why she is able to get so many amazing results! There is a tiny team of incredibly dynamic and organized people that are all putting in a lot of creativity, humor, time and energy to keep everything propelling forward. My day to day as Program Manager looks a great deal different from those spent as Country Director, but a daily reminder of those past experiences inform my work tremendously. These days I spend a lot of my time having conference calls and dialoguing over email, providing support, planning strategically and acting as a bridge. But with all of that work comes a great deal of laughter and reward. My heart genuinely swells up with absolute joy at least twice a week!!

Did you partake in the May Mango Madness? If so, what was your favorite mango fever moment?

Yes. It was really fun to take Vivian’s son outside for a tour of the hospital gardens in the wee hours of the morning, before anyone else was awake, on his first day in Uganda. Tara Hixson and I walked with him through the compound pointing out all of the fruit trees and checking out the livestock the sisters are raising. We got a huge kick out of the calf, bunnies and baby pigs they currently care for. When we were all tuckered out we sat down at the guesthouse table together and cut up his first Ugandan mango ever. It was very sweet indeed.

Why JLMCF? I am incredibly proud to be a part of an organization that not only aims to empower people with sustainable and Uganda-relevant solutions, but also one that cultivates results by building partnerships with a range of stakeholders whose voices and suggestions become a part of the strategy. I get a great deal of joy out of my job. That’s not something that a lot of people get to say.

Puja Shah graduated from Tufts School of Dental Medicine in 2007 and in 2008 completed her general practice residency at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, NY. She works as a dentist in a pediatric practice in Riverside, CA. On a local level, she is involved in community outreach via public health programs such as the UCSD Free Dental Clinics. She has done grant research on the need for dental treatment in trauma cases for victims of domestic violence, which enabled women of shelters throughout Boston, MA to receive free dental care. Her long-term career goals include international outreach and education.

This past May was Shah’s second visit to Uganda with The Just Like My Child Foundation.

Here’s what we asked, and in Puja’s own words, what she said:

How did you get involved with The Just Like My Child Foundation? Why JLMCF?

Vivian and I met through our husbands, both Internet marketing geniuses. We got together a few years ago, in La Jolla one evening, just the two of us, when I had first moved to San Diego from New York. We hit it off right away. After all, she is a New York girl at heart But we shared more than just similar interests; we shared a passion to want to make a difference in the world around us. I loved hearing her talk about JLMCF, I loved its message of deep development, and loved her story of starting it. It inspired me to take action.

What was your first impression from your first visit to the clinic to now?

The dental clinic has grown in so many ways and we hope continues to grow.

When we first created the dental clinic, we just had a small wooden chair and little table. Now it is two rooms and we have a brand new dental chair! We have state of the art restorative (filling) materials as well. It’s so amazing to know that patients will have high quality dental care. These people deserve the best and that’s what the clinic and Dr. Jane, the local dentist, can offer them since she is equipped with the proper instruments and supplies and of course dental chair unit.

What is your favorite moment/memory from your visits?

There is a mesh of favorites for me. Apart from the stories of seeing patients, and the precious moments I shared while treating them, some of my favorite moments were connecting with Dr. Jane and the people who work in the hospital. It was always intriguing to me to discuss her story and what she had to go through to become a dentist.

Is there a particular patient or visit that stands out most with you?

It’s hard to narrow it down to just one. These kids, their eyes and voices stay with you. I can’t describe what it feels like; the feeling is just so pure. There was one girl, who needed a lot of dental, but she was scared and nervous. She had teeth extracted before when she was younger, as per her mom, by the witch doctors of the area. There is a belief in Uganda that if a child’s canine teeth erupt prior to their incisor teeth (front teeth) then it is unlucky or like the devil. Therefore, witch doctors extract the teeth and it impedes proper development of the other teeth, of jaw relation. She had another tooth that was extracted as well and her mother said she just had bad teeth. We educated her on brushing or proper oral care so that she could save what she had and so her other permanent teeth wouldn’t have the same number of cavities. She was shy and didn’t speak to us the whole appointment. Then at one point, she looked up at me and started singing. Her head was turned down, and she was smiling at me. It was so beautiful.

There was also a 3-year-old boy who needed many extractions. Almost every tooth of his was what we call ‘bombed out’ which means cavities extending so deep that there is no tooth structure remaining and just mainly black stubs remaining. When we told his father who was with him that all his upper teeth were sources if infection due the cavities, the boy responded, “No, that’s not true, only my bottom teeth have cavities.” We laughed because he probably said that because he could not see how damaged his back teeth in his upper jaw were and also since he was so observant and aware that we were talking about him. We needed to anesthetize him via injections so he sat in his father’s lap. He was of course, not happy about that, and when we were done, he climbed off the chair out of his father’s arms with his arms flailing and said “Stop, just stop! Do not give me any more injections! I have been struck with Malaria because I am shaking!” We hugged him, told him he didn’t have malaria; he was just such a character. When we were finished, he was crying from the procedure but stopped, took money out of his father’s shirt pocket and handed us the larger of the 2 bills he found. We started laughing and told him no, it’s okay.   He even smiled at us before he left.

There were kids who would sit and point to areas in their mouth that were painful. I would know when I’d see the teeth that these things were hurting them for awhile and they would sit there so still during the
extractions, that I knew they just wanted to be out of pain finally. Often they would take our hand and say thank you or bend down on knees and kneel to us, their way of showing gratitude. It always warmed my heart.

If you had one story to tell about your most recent visit, which one would it be?

Finally having the dental chair installed! Getting that dental chair implemented was not a simple task, but rather a battle of its own. We had to call engineers every single morning to be sure they were coming, since the track record of many was not good. Finally, at the end of our stay, we got one out there, and our chair was installed and working! It was amazing to see it there, after knowing how hard we worked to get it installed.

What was an average day like for you?

An average day consisted of heading over to the clinic and starting at 9 am. There were already kids who were lined up around the door and down the hospital corridor. The other dentist, Dr. Jane, gave every child a number to hold their place. Lidia would manage the kids outside, teach them OHI (oral hygiene instruction), and bring in the next one and help us get set up for each patient since we were bringing them in and out at a fast pace to see the most children possible. Some kids who were scared or in a lot of pain required more attention and coaxing, so with those, Dr. Jane and I would assist one another and take more time with them. At some point in the afternoon, we would realize we hadn’t eaten lunch and when the instruments were all used and in the sterilizer, we would go eat something and tell all the patients who were waiting to do so also. The sterilizer took one hour to sterilize and cool off instruments so we would return in an hour and resume seeing patients until about 6 pm. On our last day of the clinic, we went until 7 or 7:30 pm, and even that felt like it was not enough. There were so many children with needs and in pain. We ended up treating about 150-200 children as an estimate in the 5 days our free clinic was open.

Did you partake in the May Mango Madness? If so, what was your favorite mango fever moment?

Mango Madness! I love it Lidia and I climbed the mango tree on the day we left and sat on a branch together overlooking our little world we had gotten so used to and had grown to love. It felt like the perfect ending to our trip since we had mangos every morning with breakfast and even started to figure out which types were the stringy
ones vs. sweeter etc. One morning at breakfast, Vivian’s little boy was eating one and probably decided the mango was his science experiment calling it a volcano as it squeezed out onto his face and shirt because it was so juicy. It was so fun to have him there. He made us laugh every morning and even in the evenings after seeing so many sad cases in the clinic, it felt good to come back to the guest house and know that this healthy little boy would be being silly and smiling.

I am just so grateful for JLMCF to continue to inspire me, to search and find meaning in all that I do. This trip was amazing.

~

Thank you, Dr. Puja Shah. For more information about The Just Like My Child Foundation or if you would like to make a contribution, please click here.

Photo by Lidia Trainer-Domagalska