POSHU Newsletter September 2023

Issue 21

2023 Summer Updates

The POSHU disability support program continues to support mothers and children in the community, and sewing classes remain vital.

Welcome to the 21st edition of the POSHU Newsletter. The aim of this newsletter is to raise greater awareness of the work POSHU is doing, to keep regular supporters informed and to outline how supporters (new and old) can help.

In 2009, Australian woman, Susan Howe founded POSHU. The organisation is a registered fundraiser based in Victoria, Australia, and is recognised as a Community Based Organisation in Uganda. Encompassing rural, urban, and remote areas of Uganda, POSHU works with groups of women impacted by violence and poverty, affected by HIV/AIDS, and internally displaced persons (IDP).

As well as the generosity of POSHU’s many supporters, the project is grounded in Susan’s personal funds. Currently POSHU operates women’s education classes in 16 villagesin Kumi, Bukedea, Palisa, Katakwi, Moroto and Njeru.

Funds raised go towards health care, school fees for children, vegetable seed, sports and more. In addition, funded projects involve teachingwomenliteracy in English andlocal language, mathematics, sewing, crafts, and agriculture.

Over time, many groups have transitioned from training programs to independent Friends of POSHU Sewing Co-operatives.These transitions bring liberating and autonomous skills to individuals who canearn an income from sewing. Despite the challenges of covid, POSHU continues to successfully provide support to many projects.

2023 Summer updates

POSHU support continues through the summer

POSHU Vegetable Seed Distribution:

Women in each village are now picking eggplantfrom their POSHU kitchen gardens. In Kumi many women benefit from vegetables grown in their community garden where they all work to plant, weed and care for the gardens. The land for the gardens is loaned to the women by their village elders.

The harvest this year is so abundant that women have enough eggplant to share with extended family and neighbours. A few seeds produce many kilos of eggplant.

POSHU Elder Support:

Coordinator Grace again travelled to the market to buy provisions (sorghum) to distribute to elders in need of support. After winnowing the grain to remove chaff and stones, Grace cycled it to the mill for grinding into porridge meal.

Her helpers divided the meal into 8 portions, then made parcels including matches, soap, sugar, salt and tea leaves. Eight very happy women received POSHU parcels in August. 8 more women,mothers caring for a child with disabilities,also received parcels of food.

POSHU Sewing Classes:

Sewing classes continue to have wide and lasting impacts across the POSHU network.

POSHU provides sewing machines and teachers to 14 villages with some villages now supporting their own sewing teacher. In each group there are women earning income from sewing clothes, especially dresses and children’s clothing.

In Kumi, our sewing teacher, Roda, and 8 of her students have been earning income from sewing school uniforms. The school and parents are very pleased with their work. Another POSHU Sewing Class has been making pads for women’s hygiene and teaching the girls how to manage their periods.

Their coordinator, Esther,is now training other groups to sew pads which will improve hygiene among our students in the villages. In thesewing group at Zaga in Kumi District, thewomen have 2 sewing machines donated by Rotary in 2012.

POSHU supported the students and their 2 sewing teachers until 2017 when they became an autonomous Friends of POSHU group. Thereareover400 people living in Zaga village, mostly poor subsistence farmers.Currently 45 women use the machines to sew children’sclothes and women’sdresses for their families. Six women sew clothes to sell in the village.

When asked about the benefits of having the sewing classin their village, the women say they value being part of the group because it gives “hopes for many, both those in early marriage and those who could not complete their schooling”. They value the job creation and respect in the village that comes with learning to sew.