Thank you!

For allowing me to speak to your class again. And thank you for wanting to give towards starting an English Learning Program! You are touching so many lives here in Uganda and the impact is truly seen.

The descriptions for the English Learning Package (in addition to the other 2 projects) are found below. To donate, just click the DONATE button on this page.

-Emily

English Learning Package: $950

One of the national languages of Uganda is English. When communicating between different tribes, English is most commonly used. Additionally, in a formal business setting, all employees must know English.

For those who dropped out of school at an Elementary level, they typically do not know English. In the case of Ignite Change, most of the people we work with do not know English, or how to read and write.

To bridge the gap, we want to offer groups an opportunity to learn how to speak, read, and write English. This initiative will start with our group of former street-boys. Each afternoon, they will have a 1-hour lesson followed by individual and group work. The English teacher we hire will also use this same material to teach other community members in small groups. The community members will be charged a small fee which will offset costs of rent, materials, and the teacher’s salary. Due to the COVID situation, schools have been closed in Uganda since April. This would give students an opportunity to begin learning again.

For this project to start, we will purchase teaching and learning materials from a local nonprofit that trains teachers how to teach English (pictured above). We will also purchase reading books at various levels for the students to practice reading. Then a lamination machine for laminating pages that are printed for continued use. All of these will help ensure a quality program!

Business Improvement: $750

Back in February, a group of young-adults who went through our training program started a juice production business called Harvest. They have been producing juice from local fruits including orange, lemon, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, and tamarind (everyone’s favorite!). Those who have tried the juice have loved the quality and freshness of the product.

During the first months, the group could sell over 80 bottles a day by traveling to the weekly markets. Since the COVID lockdown, there are no weekly markets, and sales have significantly decreased.

Their largest problem, at the moment, is the shelf life of the product. During the process, they pasteurize the juice and add a tiny amount of preservatives. This gives the juice an expiration date of about 2 weeks while in the fridge. It has been a challenge to sell to local shops which don’t have fridges.

It was our wish and plan for the group to have made enough sales by this point to get a further training in preservation methods to extend the shelf life to a few months. However, due to the slower sales, the group hasn’t been able to expand to shops.

As an organization, we would like to step in and help grow this business by bringing in a trainer. We have located a food scientist who works with Coke in Uganda to come train them. They will learn how to make a new type of juice (banana) and how to preserve what they produce. This will help them increase their sales, get larger profits, and be able to save money for the next step of a food safety certification.

Snack and Baked Goods Business for Former Sex-Workers: $1,850

The office of Ignite Change and the majority of our projects take place in Kamdini, Uganda. This location is the largest in the country for sex-workers. Tractor trailers from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, and DR Congo travel through this town in route to other countries. They park their trailers here overnight and they use the services of the sex-workers.

Our Community Outreach Manager began communicating with these ladies to see how they ended up here and why they continued to do what they are doing. Many of ladies were orphaned as children and so they began selling what they had – which is their bodies. Most want to leave this activity and start a new life, but they are uneducated and have to family or resources to support a new venture.

Just as we began a project with the street boys of Kamdini, we plan to help these ladies. The selected women will all live together where they can stay in community. With your support, we plan to rent a location to make a kitchen for the ladies to learn how to bake. They will make snacks (popcorn, roasted peanuts, potato chips, etc.) and pack them to sell at various shops. Additionally, they will learn how to bake breads, muffins, and other goods for sale. This business will provide enough income to pay for their mentor who will live with them full time, their rent, food, and other hygiene needs. When the COVID situation stabilizes, we will move them to a location within town and open a restaurant. This business will make a larger income which will help them start their new business venture after working there some months.

The cost for an oven, fridge, tables, and all other supplies and equipment needed will reach approximately $1,850. Just as with the other projects, the ladies will go through training and get close support from our team. We are hoping and praying they transform their lives as the boys in our project are already changing!