Category Archives: Uganda

Sewing Partners, Uganda

P4P and the EIT Take a Position in the Future of Uganda’s Economic Development

by Charles Mulamata, Founder and Co-Director of EIT

At the Entrepreneurship Institute of Technology (EIT), formerly known as the EIAAT, we believe that entrepreneurs are the key to the future and that there is an imperative need for young Ugandans to learn viable skills and to be able to earn a living using them. The spirit of entrepreneurship is that one identifies opportunities, builds a business based on these options and creates jobs that transform the community. EIT helps these entrepreneurs find ways to do so, by providing training and helping identify sources of start up funds.

Uganda is on target to meet its goal of halving poverty and hunger by 2015. Uganda’s, according to the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative Feed the Future, “is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, with sustained growth averaging 7.8% since 2000” and a “2.9% growth in agriculture.” Despite these recent gains, Uganda still suffers from the hardships of unemployment, poverty and food insecurity. The average Ugandan must live on less than $1.25 a day and thirty-eight percent of children who are under the age of 5 suffer from what is called stunting (chronic malnutrition). What is important to note is that the population of Uganda is growing at the second highest in the world (3.2%). This boom has led to 75% of the population being under 30 years old, with fifty percent under the age of 15. Imagine the societal ramifications if these young adults remain unemployed, hence, unproductive and idle.

In order to stimulate entrepreneurship and job creation in Uganda, we need to celebrate success stories more. We also need to re-orient the education system to make it relevant to the needs of today, which are enterprise, wealth creation and production. This will change the mindset of young people and make them understand that indeed the traits of a successful entrepreneur can be acquired.

Studies also show that when gains in income are controlled by women, they are more likely to be spent on food and children’s needs. When investment is in women’s businesses, benefits are amplified both within the family and across generations. At the Institute, we offer courses in tailoring and provide the individual’s first sewing machine. These machines are available because of our partnership with P4P and their continued dedication to making affordable, reliable equipment available to us. Students learn the value and importance of saving income by allowing them to pay a regular installment towards the permanent acquisition of these sewing machines so that when they graduate from the tailoring class, they already own the equipment and can immediately open a tailoring business and begin to earn income that will enable them to expand the business by investing in more machines. Applicants not only learn how to use these machines but also how to ensure productivity by keep a schedule of regular servicing and maintenance. This, we have found, makes the students learn to use the sewing machines carefully, creating a tradition of responsibility and focus, which they carry with them into their working lives.

There never seems to be sufficient capital to be an entrepreneur, especially on your first venture. The Institute’s students are also assisted in identifying sources of funding. The Ugandan government has set aside 44 billion shillings in the 2011–2012 budget for the Youth Entrepreneurship Venture Capital Fund. Startup businesses and very small-scale enterprises can be given 100,000 to 5 million shillings. With Uganda’s massive unemployment, 100,000 shillings (roughly the equivalent of $35 U.S. dollars) can make a huge difference in helping a jobless graduate get started. There is less emphasis in Uganda on coming up with a truly unique idea or a revolutionary product than there is on securing ways of delivering simple solutions to ordinary problems.

There is no need for a perfect business model, but there is demand for those who work hard, and are willing to stay the course and gain experience and expertise. Public opinion is often a detriment to Ugandan women venturing out on their own. With the skills they learn and the pride of having earned their first and subsequent sewing machines, “What will people say?” is replaced with “How much have I earned this week and how well fed is my family?” It is the end result that counts. P4P and EIT offer the starting point so that young Ugandans generally and women specifically may take the lead.

Sewing Partners, Uganda

P4P and EIAAT Aid in the Expansion of Vocational Training Courses in Uganda

by Patricia Hamill
Readers may recall from our spring newsletter the story of an ambitious and successful Ugandan woman, Jane Kigoye. She was able to save her family from poverty by expanding her small tailoring business with the purchase of sewing machines from one of our partner programs, the Entrepreneurship Institute of Applied and Appropriate Technology (EIAAT). Not long after the newsletter went to print, we received word from Charles Mulamata, Founder and Head of the EIAAT in Uganda, that a vocational school that he was influential in developing within the Sacred Heart Primary School has developed into a successful and continuing program for the students.

In 2005, Charles’ two daughters, Olivia and Vivian, were studying at Sacred Heart. The school, located in Kyamusansala, Masaka District, in southern Uganda, had a tailoring section run by a woman named Nalongo Christine Namugerwa. The school’s only sewing machine was used mainly to mend school uniforms and other clothes. During a parent meeting, it was requested that parents should come out with constructive ideas and support in kind to further develop the school’s vocational programs. Charles thought it would be advantageous to arrange the acquisition of more sewing machines for the school so that the young could be taught a skill at a young age. Since the EIAAT had been receiving sewing machines from Pedals for Progress, they had some machines available in stock.  In order to initiate the process, Charles offered the school 4 electric sewing machines. The EIAAT could not give away more; operating and shipping costs are such that they needed to earn income from the sale of the rest of their machines. The school headmistress, Sister Annet Nankusu, was very grateful for the initial donation of these machines but knew that there would have to be more if the program was going to be accessible to multiple students across grades.

There were stumbling blocks to furthering the development of the program and acquiring more machines. According to Sister Annet, most parents are “struggling low-income earners, who may not be able to pay a full cost of a sewing machine. A few parents who are middle class earners would be able to help but they are unable because of the many family dependents as a result of poverty and AIDS/HIV consequences (orphans and widows). The only way we sometimes get parents help us to get money for machines is during our school meetings when we beg them to contribute to this noble part of education of our children.” As a result of these pleas and the dedication of the parents to do what they could for their children and the school, Sacred Heart purchased a total of 6 machines from the EIAAT. With this generosity and motivation, the school was able to further its plans and the EIAAT was able to earn income to cover necessary expenses.

Because of EIAAT’s initiative, the school now has 18 sewing machines and gives formal tailoring lessons. Of the more than 500 students, at least 90 students attend these classes. They learn tailoring starting in the third grade and continue through to the sixth grade. Sister Annet emphasized that there is no tailoring class in grade 7 because this is a very busy year for finalizing primary school coursework.

The students who complete these courses adeptly design and tailor skirts, blouses, aprons, table cloths, pillow case covers, among other useful items. This combination of education and practical job training is essential for the country’s economic development. A perfect example of this direct connection is Sister Annet’s proposal to start selling the products of this section as a means of raising money for the school and the students whose products are sold. These tangible rewards help the students realize the advantages of enterprise and income earning at a young age. The pride and joy these kids have when they present the completed products is indisputable. While acquiring a certificate of academic achievement is very important, the concrete and immediate reward of earned wages offers more comprehendible representations of success. These successes also show the parents the advantages of teaching life skills alongside academics and encourage them to work together to include the school in their community-building enterprises.

Another economic benefit of this vocational program is that the school is able to retain a highly skilled staff to train the young and assist the original tailoring teacher Nalongo Christine. She is very happy because, with this division of the school and availability of machines, she is now allowed to earn extra income by tailoring activity such as making school uniforms. She can also take on other small jobs. These opportunities and the earning of a proper living wage give her satisfaction and incentive to stay on the job. In the children’s eyes, she is not only a teacher but an example of the successes that come from hard work, academic and practical knowledge, and a supportive community.

According to Mr. Mulamata, the EIAAT believes that vocational studies need to be recognized as major contributor to “industrialization, poverty abbreviation, and development of a nation.” This is quite true and more people and organizations like P4P are finding ways to ensure that their work is not exploited or neglected. Sister Annet states this point most succinctly: “I think today, it is very difficult to get honest people who will put in use each coin given to them to help the poor people. . . . It is most likely that small groups of people [or untried organizations] may fail to operate their services to the poor. My advice is that if our friends would like to join in the education of the . . . child, let them choose wisely the institutions they can channel their funds and help of any sort.”

Sewing Partners, Uganda

One Woman and a Sewing Machine

It is often the case that the hardest and most expensive places to reach are where the greatest need exists. P4P works to surmount obstacles—both physical and financial—that stand in the way of isolated regions realizing economic success. Since 2006, we have measured our success in helping Ugandans develop economic independence by noting the increased demand for the delivery of bicycles. Now, through our existing partnership with the Entrepreneurship Institute of Applied and Appropriate Technology (EIAAT), which receives and distributes our shipments, we have included sewing machines along with the bicycles and extended more opportunities to more Ugandans.

Of course, this is not as simple as it sounds. Uganda is among the most expensive places to ship. Getting from here through the Suez Canal to Mombasa Kenya is relatively reasonable, but our vessel, the Maersk Alabama, was recently attacked again by pirates. Trucking containers inland across thousands of miles from Mombasa Kenya to Kampala Uganda on bad roads is much more expensive than maneuvering within pirate-infested shipping lanes. We funded the most recent shipment with grants from the Helen & William Mazer Foundation and the Clif Bar Family Foundation.

Jane in her workshop
Jane in her workshop

The courageous hard working Jane Kigoye is just one example of how the inclusion of sewing machines in these shipments has begun to change lives for the better. Jane had no employment and worked as best she could in her garden for food. Sometimes she could find beans, nuts, and other cereals and she improvised as best she could. Her husband’s job as a motor vehicle mechanic did not bring in enough money to keep their four children from hunger. Jane did have some knowledge about basic tailoring; all she needed was a reliable sewing machine. As is often the case, necessity breeds innovation and she managed to search out and hire a manual sewing machine and a small shop to operate from. When she made some money, she made some inquiries in Kampala about the cost of sewing machines. From there she was directed to the EIAAT by one of the agents who buys bicycles from them. She went to the institute and, after looking at the various electric sewing machines, selected one. They told her that it cost $85 but, after some bargaining, they settled on $80. She only had $40, so she left that as a deposit and had to leave the sewing machine behind, promising to pay $10 from what she made from the tailoring every week.

During this time she was mastering the art of tailoring and the income she was making was used partly for home provisions and partly for her weekly payments on the sewing machine. As her business grew, she was no longer digging in the garden and she was able to hire casual labor to take the manual chores over. All her efforts were on growing her tailoring business and creating a stable life for her children. This may all sound rather charmed, but it was not an easy path that led to full stomachs and financial security. A major setback occurred after only two weeks of payments.

She arrived at the EIAAT almost in tears telling them that the sewing machine she had hired was taken away from her and she did not know what to do. Inevitably, if she lost her tailoring shop, somebody would readily move in and take over her customers. Getting a new place is very expensive. She would need to be able to pay for three to four months’ rent at once, plus the fee for the house “blocker” who finds the place for her. She would also have to furnish the new place and develop new clients.

 
  COUNTRY FACTS: UGANDA

  POPULATION: 25 MILLION

  GDP PER CAPITA: $1,200 per year  

  LITERACY RATE: 70%

bicycles, Sewing Partners, Uganda

EIT: P4P Partner in Uganda

[As of Summer 2017, the P4P partner in Uganda is the Mityana Open Troop Foundation. The information below refers to our previous partner, the Entrepreneurship Institute of Technology.]

Based in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, the Entrepreneurship Institute of Technology (EIT) is a vocational institute which serves men and women who, for many reasons, could not continue their formal schooling. Our mission is to prepare them for a working life and a bright future. We offer courses in, among other things, tailoring, welding, metal fabrication, bicycle repair, and computer literacy.

In our country, private institutions are among the most important providers of vocational training, accounting for almost half of all such education. A population of skilled workers is essential for any country seeking to reduce poverty and develop an economy strong enough to provide the hope for a better future for its citizens. Vocational schools help establish, sustain, and expand the industries necessary to do this.

But in Uganda there are not enough opportunities for youth to attend quality schools. There are widely differing standards of education. Poor administration and insufficient communication between institutions and the government mean many schools have failed to gain official recognition or attention from the people whom they should be helping. And student payments are the primary means of finance for vocational schools—resulting in high fees that the majority of Ugandans cannot afford.

Bicycles arrive at EIT.
Bicycles arrive at EIT.

EIT (formerly EIAAT, Entrepreneurship Institute of Applied and Appropriate Technology) was established by directors Charles Mulamata and Joyce Kayongo, a married couple who are also involved in other businesses. Their work in metal fabrication, solar and other renewable energies, and energy-efficient stoves helps them afford to run their institute differently than other Ugandan schools.

Another difference is that EIT receives donated containers of second-hand bicycles and sewing machines from Pedals for Progress. The used bicycles are sold at low cost locally. Most of the income is then used to finance the importation of more P4P containers. The surplus money is used to finance the vocational school’s administrative costs and its other development activities.

spring2009ugandaStudents

The sewing machines EIT receives from P4P are used in our school’s tailoring program. A student starts on a machine and learns how to use and maintain it. Students, if interested in their particular machines, have the option to pay for them in small installments as their studies progress. Then, if at the end of the course the sewing machine is fully paid, students can take them away for their future work. In this way students not only learn tailoring but are encouraged to plan and budget for the future, and motivated to care for their sewing machines. Students are introduced, in a practical way, to entrepreneurship.

In addition to our vocational programs, the distribution of bicycles is very important for us. They are more than a means of funding for our school. The benefits to purchasers of our bikes are enormous. The bikes are sold at low price and are very useful in Uganda, as we have very poor road conditions which are sometimes impossible to navigate by car. Some of these unreachable areas are left undeveloped because the local population do not have easy means of mobility to go where services are provided, and those services cannot come to them. The increasing cost of fossil fuels also contributes to the demand for alternative means of transport. The bicycle offers easy, low cost, all-weather, all-road, on-demand transportation and is clearly one of the most appropriate technologies for a developing country.

Mission Statement

The Entrepreneurship Institute of Technology (EIT) is an adult education program. Its primary purpose is the advancement of job creation and skilled worker education. Its goals are:

  • To attempt to enhance the income generating capacity of the graduates through the teaching of specific technical work-related skills
  • To provide on going consultation in small business development to the skilled craftsmen trained
  • To help create more economic prosperity for the Ugandan society in general and the region at large
  • To offer opportunities for all to train themselves for a skilled career
  • To offer the pride of self-sufficiency
  • To acquaint the students to the various job creation opportunities available
  • It shall act to promote school activities and that increase the students’ interest in job growth, education, personal growth and civic affairs.
  • It shall be non-denominational with no bias to race, religion, gender or political affiliation.

Click here for a 2011 report on EIT.

Uganda

P4P has re-awakened our project. We are grateful.

Below is an excerpt from a letter we recently received from our partners in Uganda.

UG100210We look forward to the next container [note: due October, 2010], not only because of its contents but mainly because it has opened a way to achieve our target of six containers every year. Of late we had failed to raise necessary money and our project had come to a halt. The setback nearly wiped out our program, but the assistance received from P4P, for whom we are very grateful, will awaken our project. With the proceeds from this container we will be sustainable and be able to take in three to six containers every year. It was only through the hard work, persistence, and dedication to our cause that P4P was able to solicit the funds to cover the freight cost of our container. We are indeed grateful to David, the Clif Bar Family Foundation and the Helen & William Mazer Foundation for awakening this project. Now we expect to import approximately 2,700 bikes and 300 sewing machines within the next three years. This, coupled with the number of trained students in our school finding work or starting their own enterprises will make an enormous difference in our area.

Our project is based in Kampala, but we have received requests and plan to expand our distribution network by setting up programs throughout the country. We are indeed lucky that EIAAT in Uganda is one of P4P’s active participants.

Kyrgyzstan, Nicaragua, Sewing Partners, Uganda

Sewing Machines in Kyrgyzstan and Beyond

Spring 2009 InGear

Over the years, word got around that, in addition to bicycles, we were recycling used sewing machines. This practice started somewhat by accident, and gradually became a regular part of our work. Initially, “Treadles for Progress” simply meant sending along several refurbished sewing machines with our bike shipments. Since sewing machines are encased and fit neatly in the remaining space in our shipping containers, essentially, they were stowaways with the bike shipments.

But requests from our overseas partners for sewing machines separate from bikes increased. Unfortunately, we couldn’t afford to do that. But we didn’t exactly give up on the idea either.

Shipping bikes is easier, and less costly per unit, than shipping sewing machines. First of all, bikes are light, sewing machines are heavy. Second, shipping containers come in two sizes, 20-foot and 40-foot. Forty-foot containers are the most cost effective for us, and we collect enough bikes to regularly fill them. Used sewing machines, on the other hand, are much less available than used bikes, so we can’t easily fill containers with them. In order for us to get sewing machines overseas, separate from bikes, air freight, which is very expensive, is our only option. This is why we usually send only six or seven machines at a time.

Last year we developed a partnership in Kyrgyzstan. Our partner there, a community organization, wanted sewing machines they would own and on which they could train locals who wanted to become tailors. By selling the products they made, they could help offset the shipping costs. This, along with a grant from the International Monetary Fund, enabled us to air freight 25 sewing machines to Kyrgyzstan.

The success of this program gave us the impetus to start other sewingmachine-only programs in a similar manner. We now have two more, one in Nicaragua, the other in Uganda.

In order to promote our sewing machine program more, we’ve invited several women’s groups in our region to collect sewing machines. Along with this, Vorhees High School in Vorhees, New Jersey, is enlisting their home economics club to do the same.

Uganda Sewing Machine Program

spring2009ugandaStudentsIn Uganda, our partner organization is the Malaba Youth Center, which caters to both in- and out-of-school youth in this volatile region along the Uganda-Kenya border. Youth here are at especially high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, particularly those who drop out of school. As one might expect, job opportunities in this region are few. And they are fewer still without a high school or vocational education. The sewing machines we send to the Malaba Youth Center are used specifically for vocational training. Students learn to become tailors, but they can also begin to earn an income as their skills develop. Along with this, they are also keeping themselves safe from the temptations that lure so many of their peers into troubled lives. And once they have a valuable skill, they can remain free from the poverty that would otherwise define them.

Nicaragua Sewing Machine Program

In the developing world, in the hands of someone who knows how to use one, a sewing machine means instant income. The following two profiles are fairly typical examples of how sewing machines help people in the developing world, whether in Latin America, Africa, or Eastern Europe.

Juan Carlos and Migdalia Davila

Juan Carlos and Migdalia in their homeFor years, Juan Carlos Davila worked by day as a receptionist at a private institution in Jinotepe. His wife, Migdalia, is a skilled seamstress. At night, he helped her with the sewing to earn extra money for their amily. His receptionist salary was barely enough for them and their 11-year-old son to get by on. As their tailoring business grew, it was their hope that one day they could come to depend on it as their sole income. But a second sewing machine, a new one, was far too costly.

In November 2008, Juan Carlos was suddenly laid off from his receptionist job. Today, he and Migdalia survive because they can both sew, and because they were able to get a second sewing machine from Pedals for Progress through our partner organization Ecobicicleta Rivas. Today at their tailor shop, they make men’s suits, women’s dresses, curtains, table linens, and they are currently searching for an employee or two to expand their business.

Elvis Cruz

spring2009ElvisAndFamilyElvis Cruz is 25 years old and from Managua, Nicaragua. He was born disabled, both of his arms are severely deformed. While this provided certain challenges, it hasn’t kept Elvis from working, playing baseball, or otherwise living a full life.

Married with two young children, Elvis works as a flagman directing traffic in Managua. But his income wasn’t enough to adequately support his family. After making a public appeal on a local TV show for the opportunity to earn more money, his wife received a sewing machine from one of our partners. A talented seamstress, now she works from their home earning extra income for their family.

bicycles, Uganda

Letter from Uganda

Fall 2005 InGear

This spring Pedals for Progress sent its second shipment to the Biikira health center in Uganda. Mulamata Charles recently sent us photographs of their projects. This work is possible due to the bicycle Mr. Kiibi, the health promoter, purchased through the health center.

 

Dear David,

These are some of the pictures I was able to send you. I will send more as the opportunity arises. Pedals for Progress has helped a lot with the revolving fund to uplift our poor people of the village. These are hard-working people who need small seed capital to uplift themselves from the abject poverty and unhygienic life-threatening conditions they are in. Mr. Kiibi plays a major role in training these people in simple basic knowledge which is essential for a better living.

Thank you,
Best regards
Mulamata Charles

 
2005fallUgandaPlantsBrother Leandro (our chairman, with a hat) is seen giving advice to Mr. Kiibi near him and a woman member of the local co-op tending to an Aloe Vera plant.

This is a money-generating activity. The woman sells the seedlings at 1500 Ugandan shillings each to other members who want to plant. The Aloe Vera plant is medicinal and is in demand locally from herbalists and skin-care product manufacturers. It is also a good household remedy for many ailments, such as minor burns, scalds or cuts, scrapes and sunburns. It promotes wound healing and helps prevent infection.

2005fallUgandaWashingHands

A village woman demonstrates the foot-operated hand-washing equipment which is used by people under Kiibi’s, care. Kiibi’s household cleanliness programs have greatly improved the domestic hygiene and has reduced visits to the hospital due to ill health caused by ignorance. It is more hygienic than holding the jerrycan with hand to wash after visiting the toilet. Now the homes under Kiibi’s care have clean houses, money-generating activities which include agriculture, animal husbandry, and local poultry production, etc.
 
 
 

2005fallUgandaBishopKagwaMeet Bishop John Baptist Kagwa of Masaka Uganda. He is an avid bicycle rider and he says that the exercise keeps him fit and allows him to enjoy visiting his parishioners. With the arrival of the second container he bought 3 more bicycles for his priests to encourage them to exercise! He is photographed here with Sister Antonia Nakiyaga and Mr. Kamoga the driver to the sisters.

bicycles, Uganda

Uganda

Spring 2005 InGear

The most remote places on Planet Earth are very often the poorest because it is so very difficult for products and materials to reach such distant locations. This remoteness usually causes bicycle container shipping costs to be quite exorbitant, and, for example, shipping bicycles to the very center of the African continent is two times more expensive than shipping the same bicycles to Central America. This is further complicated by the insistence of governments in these countries to tax heavily these goods. These high shipping costs and taxes have severely challenged attempts by Pedals for Progress to establish partnerships in Central African nations, but, despite these tremendous financial challenges, in late 2004 Pedals for Progress initiated a program with the Biikira Development Centre Project at the Biikira Health Center (BHC) in Masaka, Uganda.

This new partnership with the Biikira Development Center (BDC) in Masaka-South Buganda in Uganda began with a shipment of 436 bicycles, predominantly women’s bicycles. BDC Supports different development projects in the area all revolving around St Andrew’s Biikira Health Center (BHC). BHC provides primary health care services and health education through an extensive network of volunteer health workers, most of who are female. Uganda Electronics & Computer Industries Ltd Company funded the trans-Atlantic freight costs for this initial shipment, and it also funded the costs of trucking the bicycles from the port of Mombasa-Kenya to the BHC site about 1,000 miles inland.

Pedals for Progress has applied for a grant to fund this program during 2005. This grant is imperative because the cost of trucking the bicycles across Kenya to Uganda increases the total transportation cost per bicycle to more than $21, well beyond the $10 per bicycle transportation cost that allows a typical partnership to remain self-sustaining. Although this specific Biikira Project is urgently needed by the people of Masaka, its viability is extremely challenged due to these high transportation costs. Pedals for Progress has accepted this program fully acknowledging that its standard financing program will never be sufficient, but it is hopeful that long-term financial sponsorship will be received for both this Biikira Project and other programs in sub-Saharan Africa.

2005springUgandaKibiThe initial 400+ bicycles received by Biikira Development Center have already changed the lives of many Ugandans. Hopefully many more shipments will follow. Here is one story about a bicycle recipient – it illustrates the significant value of this entire project. Pictured here in front of the St. Andrew’s Biikira Health Center Administration Building is Mr. Kibi Francis Xavier, a Community Based Health Care Outreach Staff Member who works as a professional trainer for Community Health Worker trainees. Kibi works with the Franciscan Congregation in the Biikira Health Center in Rakai District in Masaka Diocese. He is routinely assigned to a wide variety of job responsibilities for the Health Center, and his newly purchased bicycle allows him to now perform these varying job tasks with much greater efficiency and effectiveness.

During a typical week, here’s a brief summary of Kibi’s many varied duties.

  1. Works as a Health Center Mobilizer for immunizations in two neighboring villages (Biikira Gayaaza L.C.1 and Biikira Bijja L.C.1).
  2. Gives personal hygiene, nutrition, and malaria health talks at the Health Center and in nearby villages every Monday and Friday.
  3. Conducts home visits to check on disabled individuals and discharged patients.
  4. Completes school inspections regarding health improvements such as checking school toilets, student linens, and the nature of hostels.
  5. Serves as a trained counselor for the VCI/PMTCI Government Program, even though the community hosts an HIV/AIDS Testing Center.
  6. Counsels attendants, voluntary donors, and other people on a variety of blood-related matters in addition to the local blood transfusion service that is offered.
  7. Assists the Health Center by attending local village council meetings as the Health Center delegate.
  8. Participates in the local HIV/AIDS Data Collection Program in Masaka Diocese.
  9. Partners with the Health Center to provide eye care and dental mobilization systems.
  10. Utilizes his home business management skills by assisting women’s groups, widows, youth, orphans, and guardians with their day-to-day income-generating projects.

Kibi is truly a remarkable man in a remarkable land. His bicycle is his lifeblood. Without it he could not possibly serve the Health Center and nearby villages with the care and compassion that is so vital to the everyday lives of countless people in the remote village of Masaka-Uganda. Despite the tremendous financial challenges, it is this very story and others that propels the desire for Pedals for Progress to continue its partnership with the Biikira Development Project and pray that long-term financial sponsorship will soon be received.