When we first met Anatolia she said that all she wanted was the freedom to live out the rest of her days in peace, raise her children and her animals in order to secure a bright future for her whole family. She has done just that and now will have enough money to pay for her children’s education. Like so many mothers, Anatolia wants the best for her children and for them to want for nothing. Anatolia is taking action to break the cycle of poverty and showing her children (and grandchildren) what empowerment looks and feels like.

In my previous blog, Project GRACE: Micro-enterprising to Achieve Self Reliance in Uganda, I shared a video and details about how our program is providing families like Anatolia’s with the tools to create, manage and profit from their own business. For thousands of these families the physical effects of HIV/AIDS and/or the stigma associated with it prevents the adults from being able to support their families.

Through Just Like My Child Foundation’s work with Bishop Asili Hospital, mothers and fathers are provided with the necessary treatment, and Project GRACE empowers them to become self-reliant: through micro-enterprise. Through a loan of poultry of livestock along with training, these impoverished families can create a self-sustaining business that gives them hope and pride.

Project GRACE is giving HIV families a second chance and a step up not a hand out. It brings me great joy to share Anatolia’s heartwarming success story that your funds to Project GRACE have made possible.

Thank you to those of you who continue to support our efforts with your donations.

$300 provides an entire family of 6 with a complete sustainable business. Invest TODAY in Just Like My Child and help us empower communities to achieve self-sustenance and break the cycle of poverty.

In previous posts I wrote about the distribution of mosquito bed nets to the rural communities of Uganda.  This is one way to help combat the unbelievable statistics that a child dies every 30 seconds of this treatable, preventable disease. And nearly one million people (mainly children in Africa) die each year from malaria, the mosquito-borne parasitic disease.

Preventing the initial bites is critical, as is treating people who already have these parasites in their body.  According to research, “an estimated 10 to 100 parasites per mosquito bite invade the liver where they replicate. About a week after infection, tens of thousands of parasites are released into the bloodstream where they are responsible for malaria’s recurring fevers and life-threatening complications.”  (Full research article)

So the question is once these already frail children are bitten by malaria-carrying mosquitoes, what can be done?  New research has shown success in utilizing preventive antibiotics as a vaccine-like immunity against re-infection.  A study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine describes this antibiotic as a ‘needle-free’ natural vaccine against malaria specifically designed to control malaria in poor communities.

“In this study, the researchers showed that the antibiotics caused a cellular defect in malaria parasites during their passage into the liver of the infected host. This action did not prevent parasite replication in the liver but blocked the malaria parasite’s fatal conversion to the disease causing blood stage. The very late arrest of parasites in the liver allowed the immune system to mount a robust defense against subsequent infections, akin to experimental whole organism vaccine strategies using attenuated parasites.”

This is great progress on a research and trial level.  However, in what year and in what areas will this vaccine be available?  Many adults and a large population of children in Uganda cannot wait for these ground breaking antibiotics.  It is important that we use our resources now to provide education and distribution channels for insecticide-treated nets and existing drugs to the communities that are losing their children at alarming rates.

You can help support the efforts to make resources available to what are best described as ‘resource-poor’ communities such as Uganda.  You can contribute to our life-saving and life-empowering programs here

Is this possible? Could a community, a generation or a gender honestly believe that women who contract HIV or are raped brought it upon themselves? I am at a loss on how best to report on this subject so let’s start with the facts.

21-year old Regina Joseph was beaten by a group of men on the street of Tanzania’s Mkinga District and forced to remove her clothes because it was their way of “punishing her for allegedly dressing in an alluring way with the intention of passing on the HIV virus.” (They had no knowledge of her HIV status).
Community health workers in Mkinga are trying to change the methods the male elders of their community are using to fight HIV. The elders believe the best way to reduce the spread of HIV is to go back to their ancient cultural values and they are encouraging their communities to punish “inappropriately” dressed women. They go on to say that men would not stray from their wives if women dressed more plainly which in turn would reduce the cases of new HIV infections.

Strong moral values are an essential part of a healthy community, however, all data suggests that how a woman dresses has nothing to do with the spread of HIV. Men must be brought into the dialogue to understand and accept their role in perpetuating this deadly disease In the U.S. we would not tolerate this type of punishment nor would we excuse a gender-based hate crime of this nature. Could you imagine your daughter, niece or sister being accosted on the street the way Regina was? It is a travesty that this example has to demonstrate the enormous lack of women’s rights in Africa. The stigmas associated with AIDS are still tremendous, and many women in parts of Africa are treated like outcasts when they are only “believed” to have HIV. When they actually do contract the disease they lose their jobs and their ability to support their families.

Education is the key to reducing HIV infection and cases of discrimination against women. If you are like me and stories like Regina’s leave you feeling as though you must make a difference, you can support Just Like My Child’s successful program to teach men and women in rural communities about human, children’s and women’s rights through our life-empowering program, Project Justice. We need your help. Please make a difference by visiting: https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=26195&Itemid=108

Click here to read the full article about Regina Joseph.

You are young, have a family with small children and have contracted HIV.  You cannot work because of the illness or find employment because of the stigma associated with HIV so you are unable to provide for your family. You live in a rural community in on one of the poorest continents. But now, you’ve been given a second chance because you are receiving treatment for AIDS, and you’re feeling stronger, more capable – ready to go back to work. Because of the impact of the illness, your life is in shambles. You have to start all over again. What do you do?  What are your days like?  Do you have a compelling future?

For thousands of families in Uganda this is their life.  This is not a hypothetical situation.  So how do they begin to make a successful transformation?  The answer: With their own businesses.

The solution is not a matter of funds it is a matter of self-reliance.  Imagine being given the tools to create, manage and profit from your own business when there are no other opportunities available.  Now what are your days like?  Do you have a compelling future?

Just Like My Child Foundation is making microenterprise a reality for many families in Uganda through Project GRACE. Microenterprise has emerged as one of the most powerful ways to empower those living in poverty. Just Like My Child worked together with the people in the communities they serve and asked the question: “what do you need to empower yourself, to take the next step in life?” The answer was Project GRACE: Guiding Resources and Creating Empowerment in the most needy communities

Project GRACE provides a small loan (poultry or livestock) together with intensive training to healthy, self-motivated individuals with HIV to create a self-sustaining business that will support their families and send their children to school. They learn how to raise and shelter the animals while budgeting and setting prices for their goods at market.  They are taught how to use their garden and livestock together in sustainable and environmentally healthy ways. The gardens help feed the animals, and the animals provide natural fertilizer for the garden.

Each of the participants help to expand the program in their communities by donating two of their own animal’s offspring back to Bishop Asili’s Hospital in rural Uganda so that another family can become self-reliant.  It is a cycle of transformation rather than a cycle of poverty.

Project GRACE participants support each other and work together to succeed.  They are role models for other members in their community. They encourage others to be tested for HIV at Bishop Asili, raising awareness and hope for others to overcome the virus. By working together, they move closer to eradicating a stigma widely held in Uganda towards individuals with HIV/AIDS.

$300 provides an entire family of 6 with a complete sustainable business. Invest TODAY in Just Like My Child and help us empower communities to achieve self-sustenance and break the cycle of poverty.

To learn more about Project GRACE, watch the inspiring video at the top of this post.

In the past year I have seen various news outlets make the correlation between our current economic challenges and poor health.  When the price of a fast food meal is a fraction of the cost of the fresh meats and vegetables that go into a healthy meal, it is no wonder that American’s are experiencing spikes in the numbers on the scale, and their health issues.

In Africa, similar choices are being made, at the detriment of the health of their communities.  Recently, journalist Allan Richter accompanied me on a trip with other Just Like My Child supporters to Uganda to learn more about the nutritional issues that impact health and wellness in Africa.  His findings are documented in a recent article In the Belly of Africa.

Richter draws attention to the nutritional issues and what motivates their food choices. Just like in the U.S. “filling stomachs trumps nutritional value.”

While writing his article, Richter met with Josephus Walulya, a veterinarian and farmer who helps train villagers how to take care of and earn money with the chickens or pigs they receive under the Just Like My Child program.  “When a child is hungry the parent will buy bread instead of an egg so the child will feel more full,” says Walulya.

Does this sound familiar?  What will make us full for the least amount of money?  What is more readily available and most convenient?

Richter goes on to explain, “as a result, poor villagers pursue convenience and cost savings over nutritional diversity, evidenced by the widespread reliance different regions of Uganda have on a single food.”

To combat the issue of single-crop production, Sister Ernestine of the Bishop Asili Hospital in rural Uganda teaches patients how to diversify crops and optimize the soil and weather conditions.  Through Just Like My Child Foundation’s and other donations, the hospital is supplied with dietary supplements to help the patients with a more balance diet.

In the U.S. we assume there will always be a variety of food to choose from and that skilled farmers will take care of the production and distribution.  What if you had to be as self-sufficient as the villagers in some of the most impoverished communities of Uganda and produce your own crop diversity?

The staff at Bishop Asili Hospital understands that education is the best form of prevention and health and they are  providing exceptional services, education and programs to Uganda. We are proud to be the main benefactor for these efforts.

To read Allan Richter’s article and see his beautiful photos from his trip, go to In the Belly of Africa

Warning: This video may be disturbing, but it’s worth watching to discover the reality that so many girls live with every day.

Just Like My Child Foundation has partnered with an amazing Ugandan woman named Nyiraguhabwa Monica, who is an expert in equipping young girls with life skills and counseling that will empower them for the rest of their lives.

We had an awesome workshop over the weekend with Monica at Namumira Primary School, which is the community where Just Like My Child Foundation is currently building a much needed classroom block, teachers housing and pit latrines.

Girls empowerment activities are absolutely necessary deep in the village where these girls are often placed in devastating situations and don’t otherwise have any counseling or support. The girls of Namumira ranging in ages 10 to 15 were incredibly engaged and open with Monica! You could see that they clearly looked to her as a guide and a role model. A few major issues came out in this particular training that Monica was able to address. Many of the girls come from a trading center near the school where truck drivers and construction workers are staying while the road is being repaired.

This factor in connection with the fact that there are several discos in the trading center where these men are drinking alcohol, raping and in one case killing a young girl has created a terrible set of circumstances. We learned through the workshop that most of the girls are already really effective decision makers and have managed so far not to be exploited or become victims of peer pressure.

Monica encouraged them to stay on that path and gave them strategies for avoiding risky situations and identifying people who wish to take advantage of them. She equipped them with skills that would allow them to display their confidence and demand respect in order to keep themselves safe.

This group was also struggling with menstruation, which prompted Monica to facilitate a comprehensive session on puberty and menstruation. Private counseling sessions are also given by Monica at the end of the sessions to ensure the girls have an opportunity to express any serious issues that they might be embarrassed to bring up in a group setting. Just Like My Child Foundation in partnership with Nyiraguhabwa Monica will be facilitating twelve similar workshops throughout the year in communities where vulnerable girls will become empowered for life!

15 year old Kiberu William, who is a top performing scholarship recipient of Just Like My Child Foundation was just given his first opportunity to travel outside of his home country of Uganda. William traveled through Kenya recently with several of his classmates and observed many interesting comparisons and contrasts to Uganda.

He was given the opportunity to meet and learn about the Masai people of Kenya and even got to see them perform their traditional dancing. The trip included a safari where William was able to see the wild animals of Africa in their natural habitat for the first time ever. He was beaming as he told us about how he saw a cheetah amongst other interesting wild life. He visited museums, swam in the hotel pool and got a tour of the airport; all experiences that are all too uncommon for the youth in Africa.

The highlight of the trip for William was experiencing the hustle and bustle of Nairobi for the first time. He described some of the vast differences he observed between Kampala and the capital city of Kenya such as the level of cleanliness and security. He expressed his desire to continue traveling the world and seeing other countries in East Africa with his very own eyes. William’s mother Nankinga Grace has expressed how extremely grateful she is for the opportunity to broaden his horizons.

Just Like My Child Foundation is so proud of William’s dedication to studying hard and utilizing his opportunities to the fullest. He truly is an absolute joy to be around and a definite super star!

Just Like My Child & The Collective Heart worked side by side with community members in Katikamu, Uganda to construct the rural community’s first primary school.

Now, hundreds of children have the life-changing opportunity to obtain an education.

Its takes so little to make a DIRECT difference in Africa.

Help us bring joy, laughter, health and future to the children in Uganda- And YOU can help them achieve their true potential.

A full School Management Committee has been recently elected to aid the head mistress in both policy implementation and planning as the school continues to grow. Budgeting, planning and projecting are the most common themes in the teams analysis process for the development of the school. Serious recruitment initiatives and intensive interviews have been done as part of the process for hiring competent and qualified teachers to join The Children’s Academy for the Collective Heart teaching team.

The Children's Academy for the Collective Heart

Some members of the School Management and Project Support Committees are shown here working on school development planning.

Akware Judith, the Headmistress of The Children's Academy of the Collective Heart is hard at work in her office

The Children’s Academy for the Collective Heart has constructed a temporary kitchen and hired a cook to prepare the students daily lunches. They have also taken the initiative to start a poultry project, plant fruit trees and begin growing a garden that they will utilize as both an agricultural educational tool as well as a supplemental source of food for the students.

This temporary kitchen was constructed by the school until a more permanent one can be built

Katikamu has started a school garden that will be used as an educational tool as well a source of food for school lunches

As for the students!! All of the things that we take for granted in the western world such as clean classrooms with seats for every child, balanced school lunches, learning materials and books, a station to wash hands and a playground to enjoy at recess are things that the students at Collective Heart are experiencing for the first time ever from their learning environment. The students are literally beaming with joy from all of the benefits they are gaining by studying and growing at a school that has their very best interest at heart.

First Graders and Kindergarteners combined

Look at those happy first graders!!

The children of Collective Heart are shown playing at recess with playground equipment provided by Just Like My Child Foundation and Collective Heart. A school playground is rare in Uganda! Not only has it provided joy to the children who study from the school, but has also served as an enrollment recruitment tool to children and families in the surrounding area that are not yet attending the academy

The values that The Children's Academy for the Collective Heart are dedicated to embracing and implementing include the necessity of friendship, generosity, responsibility and sharing! Ah!! Just look how cute they are!

The Children’s Academy for the Collective Heart has already shown so many incredible successes! They are living proof  of how far motivation, committment and global love can make such a huge impact on the whole wide world.

The Children’s Academy For the Collective Heart is open for transformation! Our first school in rural Uganda, built in partnership with Debbie Ford’s foundation, The Collective Heart and with support from Cynthia Kersey’s Unstoppable Foundation and the Mark Victor Hansen Foundation, opened in May and the finishing touches are still continuing.

I just received this photo this morning and it made me cry! I have been to dozens of “well established” schools in Uganda. Not one of them had a “No Tolerance Policy on Caning.” “Caning” is just a nice word for beating children in the classroom.

While caning is “illegal” in Uganda, there is seldom punity for this action because it’s so ingrained in the culture. Many times parents, who have been caned themselves, request that their child be “disciplined” in school.

Our counterparts on the ground in Katikamu, where our first school has been completed are educators who believe passionately in the Rights of Children, and with this school, they have the liberty to stand up and declare their beliefs! Thank you so much Ben and Beatrice for working to affect social change at the grass roots. I can’t over-emphasize what a HUGE step this is for the children of Uganda!

Beau Bressler Changes the World One Child at a Time

When Beau Bressler donated all of his Bar Mitzvah money to help build the first Children’s Academy for the Collective Heart in rural Uganda, he changed the lives of thousands of children in the U.S. who learned from his selfless act, and the lives of hundreds of children who will now receive the benefit of a GREAT education. Bless you, Beau! You represent the Globally Conscious future we all need.

The full view of the first Children's Academy of the Global Heart, 3 classrooms plus Headmistress' office

Children learn with Eve, one of the most progressive teachers in Uganda

A visioning exercise conducted with the administration of the school provides a breakthrough mission and vision for a rural Ugandan school. The protocol for the visioning exercise was provided by Debbie Ford's foundation: The Collective Heart. It was warmly embraced by the teachers who want to create a breakthrough school in their country