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!”

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. So, I got to see a lot – 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 unique Vivian always says it’s her 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. He’s used to having a schedule, and does really well when he knows what the day ahead of him looks like. 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.

You know how every time you go to a conference; you’re given a mass-produced tote bag with the logo of the sponsoring organization?

Well, this year, Traffic Geyser, Inc. did something a little different — and it created a BIG change. Exhibiting it’s commitment to global consciousness, Traffic Geyser purchased conference bags for its Social Media Marketing Machines event from women at the Asili Hospital in Uganda who are on AIDS treatment and ready to come back to life!

Each bag is handmade, and through this income-generating project women are sending their children to school and supporting their families. Each bag represents a woman whose heavy load has been lifted just a little bit by being given the opportunity to create her own solutions.

But Traffic Geyser didn’t stop there! The Social Media Marketing Machines event and Main Street Marketing Machines events were held this past Spring and helped raise enough money for the Just Like My Child Foundation to purchase a desperately-needed new vehicle for Asili Hospital in Uganda, invest in small businesses for over 500 families recovering from AIDS, and helped to fund badly-needed medical equipment!

Entrepreneurs on this side of the world helping entrepreneurs on the other side of the world to be self-sustaining are one of the fastest ways to alleviate poverty. So thank you, Traffic Geyser!

For more information please contact us by clicking here or just donate here.

and we would love for you to be a part of this special evening. On Thursday, October 13th, 2011 from 6 – 9PM, we will celebrate at the historic and iconic Don Room at the El Cortez on 702 Ash Street, San Diego, CA 92101.

The attire is Black Tie OR your most fun cultural garb that you never get to wear!

Opened on Thanksgiving Day 1927 and nestled atop San Diego’s Cortez Hill stands the historic El Cortez. The carefully restored landmark is this year’s host to Just Like My Child Foundation’s annual gala.

In one of the most exquisitely designed rooms in the state of California, we will honor those individuals who have truly helped us make a difference on the other side of the world. Since 1927 Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, William Jefferson Clinton and Barack Obama have all entertained in the 24k Don Room.

And stars from Elvis Presley to Spencer Tracy to Jimi Hendrix have spent time in this amazing space.

In attendance will be an intimate host of celebrities, spiritual and personal development experts, and passionate supporters. Join us for this exclusive autumn gala and enjoy an intimate audience with VIPs from Hollywood, publishing, personal development and more.

Plus, you’ll learn directly what life is like in the field and how your contributions are eradicating poverty permanently for thousands and thousands of people.

Please take a moment to secure your admission by clicking here.

Once you register, we will keep you updated on confirmed celebrity attendees, event details and the unbelievable live auction items we’ll have for you that money just can’t buy.

CAPACITY IS STRICTLY LIMITED TO 230!
(NOTE: We have had a waitlist of 100 in the past – Tickets will sell out rapidly and we cannot increase capacity.)

But the most fun and fulfilling part of the trip was spending a lot of time with the six children we are sponsoring in boarding schools as part of our Mandela Project. Just three short years ago, these children were destined to live a voiceless, nameless existence in one of the poorest villages in the areas we serve — they, like so many others, were at risk of death through early pregnancy and marriage. Several of their parents were on the verge of death from AIDS. These six children have grown and have become such an inspiration to their villages and have made me so proud.

Today, our kids are BIG (they’ve grown so much).  They are speaking English, reading fluently and at the top of their classes. Their parents are on AIDS treatment and they are healthy with new income-generating businesses that are alleviating their heavy burden. The students are full of ideas and fun and have a bit of attitude like all good teenagers. Healthy teenagers!

Witnessing their growth and development is like a metaphor for all of our work in Uganda — slowly by slowly the seeds have been planted, the roots are strong, and the fruit of our work is ripening. The communities are thriving, the children are healthy, and the elders are growing stronger. With so much community in the air it makes one realize how small efforts make tremendous differences.

If you would like more information about Just Like My Child and it’s specialized programs, contact Vivian Glyck at info@justlikemychild.org.  To donate please click here

If you have been following the news lately the economic reports are saying that this past holiday spending period has been the strongest since 2007.  This news makes people feel good as holiday spending is considered a thermostat of our overall economic environment and it is credited as a key indicator that the economy is moving in the right direction.

So how did you spend your money this holiday and how are you planning to close out the year?

Here are a few eye-opening statistics for you.

In a single calendar year…

We spend over $32 billion on video games
We spend over $45 billion feeding our dogs and cats in North America alone.
We spend over $61 billion trying to lose weight
We spend over $160 billion trying to make us look younger

Now consider that if we wanted to send every child on the PLANET to school each year, it would cost $11 Billion.  According to Cynthia Kersey, founder of the Unstoppable Foundation, an organization that raises money to help Just Like My Child Foundation and other organizations build schools, that number represents only HALF the money the US spends on ice cream.  Ice Cream!

So what would happen if you decided to finish out 2010 with a gift from the heart?

Donations to Just Like My Child will bring progress and empowerment to entire communities for the price of the average gift card.

$25      Parasite and De-worming Treatment for 25 students
$50      Lunch for 5 students for 1 term (3 terms per year)
$100    Insecticide -Treated Bed Net for 30 people PLUS Malaria Prevention and Treatment Education
$200    Bicycle for family members to get to and from school, town and medical aide
$300    Pair of poultry / livestock to breed or an agricultural kit with seed PLUS health education and business and financial training workshops for HIV+ women – Enabling them to create their own sustainable business to support their family and send their children to school.

If you still have a few colleagues, clients or friends you forgot to buy for, you can also purchase a charity Good Card so that the recipient could use to donate to one of 1.2 million charities.

To donate directly to any of the Just Like My Child programs, please click here. https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=39639

Our Project GRACE participating families are making progress and learning valuable lessons along the way.  Whether impoverished families who suffer from HIV/AIDS make money from their eggs or by selling new chickens, they are becoming self-sufficient and overcoming challenges that come along with raising poultry.

Just Like My Child’s Country Director, Dena Lewerke shares an update from her first-hand experience with our families.

For the most part, participants with chickens are doing well.  They were all getting and selling a lot of eggs and were very, very happy!  However, they didn’t necessary plan for the expensive cost of continued feeding of chickens.  They can make revenue from just selling eggs, but they need to put more than 50% of profits back into good feeding for chickens to continue to lay eggs.

When I visited along with our consulting veterinarian, Joseph, the chickens had taken a break from laying eggs and some of the participants were discouraged.  We reminded them to save money for feeding and the importance of giving growers mash (good quality feed), not just corn brand, if they wanted them to lay more eggs.  Joseph was encouraging to participants and told them to come in and at least buy feed in order to start the chicken laying eggs again.

Our families in Kikombe are all keeping records on what they were selling and spending on animals.   Okumu is one of our participants and he was following our advice and buying growers mash (good feed) and his family is eating and selling eggs.

Some of the participants with chickens were initially discouraged because their hens do not want to sit on and hatch the eggs for new chickens.  Some of our recommendations were to put the eggs under the local chickens for hatching, but because of a disease, many of those chickens have died.  Since finding out about this, we have given them guidance with proper training and vaccinations for keeping the chickens healthy.  For those who have followed our advice all the chickens in our project survived. The added benefit is the participants truly believe in the importance of vaccinating birds, which is not very expensive.

Both Joseph and I are very happy with how the participants are doing.  Joseph is very impressed with how hard participants are working despite hardships and any setbacks. They are taking very good care of the animals.  He has been involved in projects with other organizations where participants get tired and just sell off animals or give up.  I believe what sets Project GRACE apart is how selective we are in finding the participants best suited for sustaining their own self-reliance.

We both agree that the monitoring, evaluation and training throughout has been a key success factor, without that participants wouldn’t have made it this far.  We are also very happy that they feel comfortable and confident enough to get vaccines and other things they need on their own.

The Just Like My Child’s Project GRACE participants were happy to see us at their houses again and appreciate the follow up, additional training and support.

To help us expand our programs and provide even more support for our Project GRACE families, please make a donation.   https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=26195&Itemid=108

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.

The pilot of this program includes ten households, all headed by HIV/AIDS patients of Bishop Asili Hospital from two small villages in the surrounding area. These families were chosen based upon a  developed criteria, counseling sessions and home visits that ensure they are in desperate need, are extremely dedicated to the success of the project and have a family support system to take on the bulk of the project should the patient fall sick.

Nayiga Sarah, Project GRACE participant is shown in the back row left with her elderly grandfather & the many children she supports

Twenty seven year old, Nayiga Sarah is an AIDS patient at Bishop Asili Hospital. She is currently on Anti-Retral Viral treatment and has real hope for the future of her family. She is currently attempting to support seven people, which includes her elderly grand-father, her own three children and three children of other relatives that are living in her humble home. Sarah did not have the opportunity to get an education beyond seventh grade and through her struggles she has learned the importance of sending her children to school. With the help of Just Like My Child Foundations Project GRACE support, Sarah will start a poultry project that will lift her out of her desperate situation and enable her to pay for her children to go to school as well as feed her family. It is Sarah’s wish to grow and expand her poultry project and use the eggs from her hens along with the garden she has already started to provide herself and the many children of her household with nutritious meals.

Tezigatwa Amina, Project GRACE participant shown left with her children and elderly mother

Project GRACE participants are recieving intensive agricultural training to ensure the success of their projects

Nayiga Sarah and her family have already begun gathering materials for their poultry shelter

Tezigatwa Amina and her family have gathered strong materials that will be used for the walls and roofing of their poultry shelter

Trainer James from NAADS visits Nayiga Sarahs home and gives her training and advice on how to use her own home as a model for her poultry shelter

James, trainer from NAADS gives Tezigatwa Amina advice on where to place her poultry shelter and draws a diagram to help explain the building process to her