SUBJECT: COMPACT REPORT ON IPOA PROJECTS.
PREAMBLE
IPOA Orphans and Widows Association is a Community Based Organization (CBO) which started on 15th August 2008 at a meeting held by Fr. Richard AJ and Mr. Kenja Thomas in Ibanda Catholic Parish Hall. The Organization is found in Kasese District of the Western part of Uganda and operating its activities in the highland communities of the Rwenzori Mountain.
IPOA Orphans and Widows Association is a registered non profit making organization under the category of Community Based Organizations.
PURPOSE OF THE ORGANIZATION
Starting this Organization was depending on the tough situations facing the people living on the slopes of Mount Rwenzori.
The place is populated by so many Widows and Orphans due to the frequent Wars and Ethnic conflicts that have been ravaging the communities since 1940s to date.
Wars like the ADF, NALU, and other attacks have left numerous lives of people lost especially the Men, and thus leaving the people of this area very poor, wives widowed, children orphaned, and all welfare services like Medical care, education and economics dwindled.
Mr. Kenja Thomas and Fr. Richard AJ analysed these situations and decided to start an Organization that would help to lift the lives of the orphans and widows through skill training, collective effort, and Lobbying and Advocacy.
OUR VALUES
The values that guide IPOA to perform its duties are:
- Team work
- Tolerance
- Sharing
- Openness
- Trust
OUR VISSION
A community Based Organization focused on promoting team spirit, openness, trust and sharing to eradicate poverty in the families of widows, orphans, and impoverished people.
OUR MISSION
To be a voice of the marginalised and poverty stricken widows and orphans, and other impoverished people, through Lobbying and Advocacy, in order to eradicate poverty, and influence self help skills to empower the communities by giving a variety of trainings while restoring dignity, self trust, and hope for a brighter future.
OUR GOAL/ MAJOR OBJECTIVE
To create a poverty free community in favour of the widows and orphans living on the highlands of Rwenzori Mountain.
OUR SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
- To unite the widows and orphans living in poverty for a collective effort through numerous projects and trainings in self help skills.
- To revive the indigenous knowledge of Natural medication, Nutrition, and morel up building.
- To provide knowledge of the standard health, sanitation, and hygiene in order to avoid frequent illnesses.
- To sensitize the widows and orphans against the dangers of HIV, by suggesting the preventive measures.
- To establish an extensive skill development centre where orphans, widows, and other community impoverished people can be trained in various vocational skills that will enable them to establish themselves by putting up a roof, food on their tables, and educating the young. This will also restore their dignity, and self esteem within the community.
TARGET GROUP
IPOA Orphans and Widows Association target the impoverished widows and orphans, and other community people who have an interest in team work and improving the life of the people.
OUR CONTACT
You can contact us on the following address:
IPOA ORPHANS AND WIDOWS ASSOCIATION
P O BOX 263 KASESE-U
Email: maserekatom1@gmail.com
Phone: +256 772 53 29 43
OUR PROJECTS/ ACTIVITIES
- DROUGHT MANAGEMENT
Due to cutting down of trees, clearing forests and swamps for human settlement and agriculture, our climate has changed and temperatures have risen to the extreme degree.
Seasons no longer come with rains and a lot of draught is experienced leading to crop failure, hence food shortage and malnutrition in families. Our community being a peasantry one, once there is crop failure there will also be shortage of income at households.
IPOA has set up activities that will help the families to harvest water when the rains come such that they can irrigate some plants in the organic kitchen gardens around the homes to avoid starvation.
The activities include:
- Constructing rain water harvesting Tanks at households.
- Drip battle irrigation methods.
- Small scale organic kitchen gardens.
- SAFE WATER CONSERVATION
After realising that our community is mostly hit by dirty water related diseases like, Typhoid, Diarrhoea etc, IPOA is engaged in the rehabilitation, maintenance and repair of springs, wells, and broken gravity water systems for safe water to communities.
- WOMEN EMPOWERMENT/ SELF HELP SKILLS
Aiming at improving household income, and restoring hope as well as self dignity in the widows and orphans, a number of practical trainings are always organised in the community on the following topics:
- Hand crafts
- Home made soap
- Home made medicinal ointments, and Tinctures
- Small scale micro finance knowledge.
- Safe birth control moon beads.
- HEALTH, SANITATION AND HYGEINE
IPOA trains and sensitizes communities in the knowledge of:
- Medicinal plants/ herbs
- Nutritional methods
- Medicinal Tinctures, Ointments, and Juices
- Home made washing facilities
These help them to be able to prevent and treat none complicated illnesses at home and saving the money that would have been used for Drugs.
- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
IPOA is engaged in the conservation of the environment through:
- Tree planting on the hills
- Baking smokeless energy saving kitchen stoves, that use less fire wood and charcoal; this will eventually reduce tree cutting, and smoke related illnesses like coughs.
- The women can also sell these stoves for income.
- PALLIATIVE CARE
We are also engaged in helping the Elderly, the very sick, and people with impoverished lives by providing community care support, giving motivation talks as well as showing love by being available to them in order to re assure and restore hope for a brighter future. - THE SKILL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
IPOA is setting up a Skill Development Centre where the Orphans, Widows, and people with impoverished lives can be trained in the following Vocational Skills:
- Metal fabrication and Welding.
- Motor bike mechanics
- Carpentry/ wood work
- Tailoring and Sewing
- Hand and Machine Knitting.
These skills and others shall help them to earn a living for themselves, restore their dignity in society, while they can put food on their tables, educate the children, and put up a good roof for the family.
Most of these our activities are being supported by Dr. PETER BACHMANN FOUNDATION, for a very long period of time since the Organization started.
We are grateful for the Funds, Material goods, and the Administrative guidance Dr. Peter has been giving to our community and we seek for a permanent partnership with PBF.
Thanks and may God bless you a hundredfold.
Thomas Kenja.
Director IPOA
+256 772 53 29 43