BROCHURE

Below is a resume of our project with a couple pics. (?!?!? Don't be shy, talk about it, shout about it...distribute it). For a hard copy that is printable, foldable and distributable - please email us We miss you. Love, J-M & D.
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UGANDANS WORKING FOR THEIR COMMUNITIES

In July of 2007, two young Canadians arrived in Uganda (East Africa) after a year of planning. They were to begin work with a local community-based organization called PARDI (Participatory Action for Rural Development Initiative), led by a team of young and passionate Ugandans. PARDI’s primary focus is to improve the lives of the most impoverished and vulnerable members of society, such as those living with HIV/AIDS, widows and orphans.

POVERTY & AIDS IN RURAL UGANDA

As most of you know, the problems are many in our world’s poorest countries. Uganda is no exception. Here, poverty affects every aspect of life from basic needs such as shelter and nutrition, to chances for a brighter future in terms of access to education and health services.

Compounding these challenges are those brought about by disease. Although the devastation caused by HIV/AIDS in Africa is well known, the long term impacts of the virus has received little attention. In Uganda, over 1 million HIV/AIDS related deaths have left behind 2.2 million orphans and vulnerable children now fighting to survive. Their swelling numbers have overwhelmed communities and government, both struggling to provide them with assistance and support.

CHILD-HEADED HOUSEHOLDS

The first AIDS cases in Africa were recorded in the Lyantonde/Rakai Districts, making it one of the areas in the world most severely affected by the pandemic. There are over 40, 000 orphans in this district and 1,000 children live without parents or guardians in child-headed households (CHHs).

Over the past six years, PARDI has provided counseling and psycho-social support to these children, as well as clothes, shelter, food, clean water and education (including vocational training). In a survey conducted by PARDI in 2003, 68% of the orphans interviewed mentioned lack of food and water as their most immediate problems.

WATER IS LIFE

In rural Ugandan families, women and children bear the brunt of fetching water for the family. Depending on the season, this can take anywhere between 1 to 5 hours and span, on average, a distance of 2 to 6 km. Entire families are sometimes forced to relocate to other villages in order to have ready access to water.

For children, these long treks before class time often translate into absenteeism and fatigue. The 2003 Lyantonde District Education report indicates that there is a 35% drop-out rate in primary schools because of water scarcity.

As for mothers, instead of using their energy to work on the shambas (fields) or on income generating activities (eg: raising poultry, weaving), their attention must, like that of their children, be focused on fetching water.

ABUSE OF WOMEN & CHILDREN

The walk in search of water, especially during the dry season (8 months or more of the year), is not without danger. Often passing through remote areas, young girls and women are left at the mercy of assailants. Reports of rape are not uncommon. Children are often advised to travel in large groups to avoid sexual predators. Those guilty of such offenses, if found at all, often settle with the victim’s family through monetary compensation. Here, the profoundly disturbing effects of poverty can be observed.

During the dry season, physical violence is common as those in search of water get into fights over positioning in the line-up at the water source. The women, and especially the children, must sometimes wait for hours before they can return home, not only pushed aside by men collecting water to sell, but also by each other.

DROUGHT & FAMINE IN LYANTONDE DISTRICT

Because this geographical area receives an abnormally small amount of rainfall every year, droughts causing regular food and water shortages are common. During the rainy season, the communities in this region rely on swamps or ‘unprotected-dug wells’ (large holes dug in the ground) to catch rain water.

Many ‘unprotected-dug wells’ are shared with farm animals (cattle, goats, pigs etc) that drink and defecate near the water sources. When it rains, water flows through towns, farms and fields and into the ‘unprotected dug well’, collecting bacteria, garbage, fertilizers and human/animal waste as it goes. Consequently, community members point to the large number of waterborne diseases afflicting them, such as dysentery, cholera and various stomach worms and bacteria.

Another tragic aspect of these ‘wells’ are the number of children that drown each year while trying to retrieve water for their families.

SAFE WATER FOR ORPHANS, WIDOWS & PEOPLE LIVING WITH AIDS

Although the aim of the local government is to reduce the distance between every individual and a water source to 2 km (whether safe or not), their capacity to do so is limited. PARDI is trying to fill this gap by raising funds to construct rain water tanks for the most vulnerable members of the community.

To accomplish this goal, we are asking for your help.

PARDI field staff and its board of directors have, in conjunction with vulnerable schools and communities in the Lyantonde district, agreed on specific areas where the tanks are to be erected. During the past few months, we have worked hard to ensure that the chosen locations, communities, and schools will help the most vulnerable.

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

After meetings with these communities and discussing the project (details below), we asked them how they could help us and were amazed with the response. They offered to participate through small financial contributions, the provision of basic materials (bricks, sand), labor, food and accommodation for skilled workmen, and the establishment of a water committee to ensure the upkeep of the rain water tanks.

Ensuring the communities are willing to contribute to any project is important for two major reasons: Firstly, it provides confirmation that the project addresses an issue considered to be a priority, and secondly, it creates a sense of ownership, vital to the sustainability of the project.

Additionally, seminars on the proper use of water tanks and on the importance of clean water and hygiene will be held at all chosen sites.

While we are also seeking to obtain grants for our project, the assurance that something can be done begins with you.

HARVESTING RAIN WATER

Rain water collection systems consist of installing gutters around a tin roof, thereby directing rain water into one or more large cement tanks. Each tank is covered (to protect the water source and children), and includes a filter and a faucet to access the water. They can each contain 20,000 liters of safe water and alleviate the water crisis by storing water during the rainy season to be used during the dry season. Each tank costs about 2,400 USD.

Our goal is to construct one cement tank at each of the chosen locations. They include six vulnerable communities, and six vulnerable schools. The project’s total cost is approximately 28,800 USD ( 12 tanks, 12 sites). Any donations exceeding this amount will be used to construct additional tanks at selected locations. Our fundraising deadline is December 30th, 2007 (late donations will not be refused. Construction begins in January 2008.

TO DONATE
(Any amount makes a big difference!)

Payment Methods:

 Via INTERNET using PAY PAL: Click on "Make A Donation" (at the top of this page)! This will automatically bring you to the PAY PAL website where you will be able to pay by credit card, or register and create an account. The process is simple & quick.

 PERSONAL CHECKS and CASH: Payable to Ms. Donna Buckley, Ms. Suzanne Leclerc, Mr. Trevor Kennedy, Reverend Graham Kennedy, Mr. Jeff Dalziel, Mr. Emmanuel Resch, Ms. Maia Leclerc, Ms. Lisa Lefebvre, Ms. Natalie Hunter, Mr. Tony Saker, Ms. Sara Kerastas, Mr. Homero Brum, Mr. Eamon Tierney & Mr. Francois Poilly. These are PARDI’s Canadian Fundraising Volunteers, responsible for the collection of Canadian funds.

 If you would like to transfer your donations directly to our Canadian bank accounts, this can also be done online, through your INTERNET BANKING service (Canadian banks can offer e-mail as a means to transfer money from your account to another).

 Otherwise, contact the project managers for our account information! Jean-Michel Kennedy (dr_jmk@hotmail.com) or Denise Brennan (denise.brennan@gmail.com). The money will be wired to Uganda.

Thank you so much,
Jean-Michel Kennedy and Denise Brennan

For additional information about PARDI, please visit http://www.pardiusa.apictureaday.com/ or contact PARDI’s Program Manager, Richard Hagaba at richardhagaba@yahoo.ca

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