Nakiganda Dorothy (born 1942)- As mentioned, we are highlighting a few stories of elderly women in the community. All of these stories have come directly from the women and their families with the intention of sharing.
Nakiganda is a 78 year old mother of 2 and lives in Nasuuna Village in Kiboga District. She is left with one of her children having lost her other child to a fatal accident two years back. Whereas this has been a traumatizing experience for Nakiganda, COVID-19 amplified her suffering by leaving her unemployed by the lockdown. She sold roadside snacks like gonja (roast banana) in the nearby daily market, which has since been closed.
On top of that, her only surviving child has a physical disability, and is unable to support their household. Nakiganda herself is very old and has a problem with walking, unable to fully support her child and herself outside of the lockdown.
Community well-wishers contacted Pauline Juliet on the plight of Nakiganda and requested for support. Pauline Juliet reached out with a food package which can last for two week only. Her situation calls for immediate help for her and her daughter.
Nakayima Sarah (born 1916)- As mentioned in our last post, we will be highlighting a few stories of elderly women in the community. All of these stories have come directly from the women and their families with the intention of sharing.
Sarah is 104 years old. She lives in a one-room household in Kyayimba Village of Kapeke Sub-County in Kiboga District with her granddaughter and two of her great grandchildren. She barely walks, and her granddaughter, Agnes, is her caretaker.
Sarah had been abandoned by everyone including many of her relatives due to her frequent illness and old age at her ancestral home, having lost all her biological children. It’s only when her grandchild, Agnes, invited Sarah to live with her that she was given another chance of life. Despite living in a single room, Nakayima has been well taken care of by Agnes, but COVID-19 has greatly affected their livelihood.
Agnes has been working as a saloon (salon) attendant, where she earned daily hand-to-mouth income with which she supported her grandmother and her two children. The lockdown instituted by the government meant that all saloons and other businesses were closed leaving Agnes with no source of income to support herself and her dependents.
The effects of COVID-19 have been far-reaching, with millions of people threatened by poverty and hunger globally.
Having gone through a very hard situation, community leaders contacted Pauline Juliet to help this family out. We responded by visiting the family with a food package that could last for at least two weeks, but we would like to do more.
This week we will be sharing the stories of 4 elder community members. As a part of our emergency relief distribution, we distributed care packages to them, but we’d like to do more for these women.
In its endeavor to support marginalized populations, PJ believes in the importance of helping create a fairer environment for the elderly so they can live safe and healthy lives.
Older people experience numerous problems such as economic insecurity, poor health, and disability. These problems are policy concerns throughout the world but the extent and the nature differs considerably from country to country.
In developing countries like Uganda, providing for elderly is still primarily a family responsibility. Formerly, in Africa the old were seen as custodians of information and wisdom. However, changes associated with development and modernization have weakened traditional values that stress the importance of older people in society. These changes include formal education and migration of young people from rural to urban areas, leaving old family members behind struggling to thrive.
Most of the elderly may be affected by illness due to old age, but they are also more likely to be affected by the death of their adult children due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. These children may have been a source of support and caregiving. The elderly are also faced with additional obligation and responsibilities for grandchildren (orphans) left behind by their dead children.
For elderly women, age and gender discrimination is a major concern that often leads to disempowerment and can result in poor health outcomes, victimization, and even death.
The focus on diseases such as HIV/AIDS means that preventive care is usually targeted at younger people. Elder adults are often given little information on healthy ageing and must compete for services with all other age groups. Chronic poverty is a major risk factor for the well-being of older people.
Today is International Day of the African Child; our work began trying to help girls go to school and has since expanded to dozens of projects helping girls and women. We believe every child worldwide should have the right to healthcare, education, nutrition, and every resource they need to thrive. Thanks to the leadership of women and community members, we have began to firmly set these precedents for children, young women, and mothers. Thank you to every one who has supported us since the very beginning! Thank you to all the wonderful children who have brought excitement and joy to our work. -
Photo Credit: @ecoescapades
In the past week we have made 25 more food drop offs to families who are without work due to the lockdown in Uganda. We also were able to help pay medical fees for 3 sick girls in the community. Thanks to all the support our fund has received, PJ has helped 125 families with emergency relief packages and 3 families with medical care. Thank you to everyone who has donated what they can, we are grateful for you.
In the past week we have made 25 more food drop offs to families who are without work due to the lockdown in Uganda. We also were able to help pay medical fees for 3 sick girls in the community. Thanks to all the support our fund has received, PJ has helped 125 families with emergency relief packages and 3 families with medical care. Thank you to everyone who has donated what they can, we are grateful for you.
In honor of #menstrualhygieneday2020 we will be posting about our menstrual health projects over the next week from resource distribution to research to programs at schools. Help us celebrate #MHDay2020 by donating to your favorite menstrual hygiene organization, by sharing your lived experiences, or by honoring those who menstruate in your lives.
Everyone at Pauline Juliet is lucky to partner with @afripads_ltd who help to give the girls and women we work with a sense of dignity, autonomy, and comfort, in an environmentally conscious way. Check out this quote from the wonderful Marjorie, one of our long term beneficiaries who has been by our side since day one. We are proud of Marjorie, proud to work with AFRIpads, and proud to work towards menstrual equity and destigmatization. Help us celebrate Menstrual Hygiene Day this Thursday by donating to your favorite menstrual hygiene organization, by sharing your lived experiences, or by honoring those who menstruate in your lives. #mhday2020
Happy Mother's Day! The Pauline Juliet community is filled with mothers: they are the backbone of PJ, they are leaders in their families, in their communities, and in our projects. With every donation to PJ you are helping mothers directly with resources and skill training or indirectly with projects like scholarships that help their children. Thank you to all the mothers involved with PJ and all the mothers that support our work!
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Photo Credit: @ecoescapades
As of yesterday, we have delivered 100 relief packages! We made dropoffs to 11 families yesterday to help them during the lockdown, adding to the 89 before. We did not get any pictures yesterday, so this photo is from Tuesday's pickup by PJWEA executives. Thank you to our donors, our volunteers, our team, and our community. We are doing everything we can to get through this pandemic together and we hope you are healthy, safe, and finding some peace in these uncertain times.
As of yesterday, all 17 executive members of PJWEA received relief packages; this is the leadership team of our women's association. Then 5 of our long-term beneficiaries received relief packages. These are individuals who have been given long-term support by means of full scholarships including: boarding, scholastic materials, mentoring, and more. They are among a group of the first people we worked with. Each family had a specific pick-up time at the office to promote social distancing. 2 additional money packages were sent to families that were difficult to get supplies to during the lockdown. In total, that makes 89 families helped during the pandemic thanks to our amazing donors and volunteers. We have even been able to pay salaries and our bills with your help which is essential to the livelihood of PJ. Thank you! As always, stay safe.
Today is #givingtuesdaynow, a global day of giving during the pandemic. Your donations help us greatly with our relief efforts throughout the lockdown. You can donate to our Facebook fundraiser (link in bio) to help us deliver emergency packages of bulk food items and other materials to those left vulnerable because of the pandemic in rural Uganda. We appreciate all the support we have received thus far which has allowed us to help 65 families. We are grateful for the local community and the global community now and always! Stay safe friends.
