December is here!!!
Christmas is here too!
Christmas is very special at the Kitega Centre in Uganda. It is an opportunity to celebrate, share and be a miracle!
From 19th – 25th December , we will be celebrating Christmas with hundreds in various communities served by the Kitega Community Centre. We hope to provide essential basic needs, and a Christmas Party! In addition we hope to raise a fund that will help support community members recover from the effects of covid -19 and reinstate their income generating projects – yes we can be the miracle.
You can partner with us this season and help us celebrate, Share the Christmas joy and Be a Miracle!!!
Obituary
Prof Rafa (RIP) passed away in October. Rafa was very instrumental in the development of the Agricultural project at the Kitega centre and facilitated the partnership between the Universität Politecnica Valencia and the Kitega Centre.
The centre lost a key VICOBA member that succumbed to the pandemic and several friends and relatives have been lost too.
Our dear friend and partner Kelly Bean – Founder and CEO of African Road lost her son Elliot at the end of October.
Nothing can replace them, but so thankful for the work and legacy that will inspire the community Centre family to ‘make it Happen”
We continue to pray for the families.
Covid -19 Response
The centre is still open and this has been a great opportunity to reach out to the beneficiaries of the Kitega Centre, inspiring hope during this difficult time worldwide. We are thankful for the local and international partnerships that have made it possible for the centre to serve.
The centre as reached out providing key relief items to families in need and through VICOBAplus, a facility is being developed to help community members recover from the effects of the pandemic.
Tuwone Project:
The project was specifically set up to address the effects of the COVID -19 pandemic in partnership with the British Association of Social Workers. Through the Tuwone project the centre has been able to provide: public interest Litigation, Child protection and addressed domestic violence, Legal aid and sensitisation. The project has been very helpful several communities served by the centre.
Youth Conference
A youth conference was organized by the Kitega Centre – Tuwone team. This conference attracted over 200 young people and addressed several challenges during this time.
Local Partnerships:
Stanbic bank Uganda – Lugazi Branch visited the Kitega Centre and brought with them some relief items to support the children with disabilities. The team led by the branch manager pledge continued support to the work of the centre. some children,Parents, Guardians, the Kitega Team were all present for the handover, the children represented by Susan thanked Stanbic bank for thinking about them.
The team later enjoyed a football game with the Kitega Centre team. We can all predict the winners (2-1) of course the Stanbic bank team was really prepared for the match!
Sickle Cell Awareness
Sickle Cell Disease is a silent killer and like many disabilities people connect it to witchcraft and evil spirits. The Centre was blessed to partner with the Sickle Cell Rescue Foundation of Uganda. The organisation has pledged full partnership to create awareness about Sickle cell and to support patients in the future. The first sickle cell awareness day was held at the Kitega Centre, attracting several community members.
VICOBAplus Imapct Assessment
A team from the Kitega Centre was able to join other community leaders from across East Africa in Rwanda to report and assess the impact of the VICOBAplus process. The results and lessons are exciting and we look forward to sharing the full report in our 2021 annual report.
VICOBAplus is helping change mindsets, inspiring people to dream and giving them the confidence that they need to achieve these dreams. VICOBAplus has been played a key role during the pandemic, and in the Ugandan communities, members report that VICOBA has given them the hope to move on during this time.
The VICOBA meetings have not stopped, and these have been key in deepening community and support during this time, new ideas for sustainability are being developed, and several opportunities that come from sharing as a community.
VICOBA members have reached out to the underserved in the community, providing relief items and support that they mobilise as groups.
The VICOBA mill still produces flour for the wider community and new developments are ongoing to support sustainability of VICOBA, however the pace is slower due to the current economic environment.
The Inspire Fund facility is slowly progressing, and the hope is that community members will use this resource to reestablish their small businesses.
The Agricultural project in collaboration with professors at the University of Valencia is ongoing, this is helping local farmers research and discover new and better ways of maximizing agricultural production.
Volunteers
We have enjoyed hosting several local volunteers for the last weeks, we are thankful for the work done during their stay at the centre. The Tuwone project has facilitated local volunteering and equipped several young leaders in communities to address community challenges.
We are also excited to have Linda Hopper with us for a little while at the centre, Linda is working with Community Counselors right now, creating a space to meet together and learn from each other. The pandemic has created several problems and some have caused secondary trauma to the local counselors
Supporting learning of vulnerable children:
The Centre has provided support to the teaching staff of Katungulu school to support learning and activity during this lockdown season. The study assignments are helping pupils find good use of time while they also revise and keep motivated to get back to school in January 2022. The learning is supervised by the school staff in home clusters.
Disability and Sports
Robert participated in the National Qualifiers to select Ugandan dear representatives for the International Deaf Athletics competition. Robert did so well and we are hopeful he will represent the country in the next time.
Robert - First - Right with other athletes Kitega Sunday
On 21st November, the Centre held a tahnksgiving service – Celebrating 22 years of the Kitega Centre. The celebrations were limited to tghe local church in Kitega.
The Kitega Team led the two services – and this was a great opportunity for sensitisation and awareness. Derrick our sign langauage Instrictor was the main preacher, and this was happening for the first time in the local church at Kitega.
We later held a joint birthday celebration for the founders of the Kitega Centre; Rev Canon Silas Musoke and Mr James Kalule.
Watch this space for our end of year news. Ebenezer!
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