Ugandakreis Heiligenstadt e.V.
1 / Educational development
The promotion of school and vocational training in our partner community Lwamaggwa has been the core concern of the Uganda Circle since its beginnings. Together with the Ugandan partners, we want to promote equal access to affordable and high-quality education and training for people in our partner community, starting from pre-school to entering the work life.
For 30 years now, we have been arranging school sponsorships and scholarships for vocational trainees. With the help of a school fund, it can also be ensured that students outside of sponsorships also receive financial support with which they can pay school or examination fees in full or in part. In addition, the aim of the project is to continuously improve the learning environment of the students, e.g. by renovating two school complexes, building boarding schools, modernizing sanitary facilities and building teachers' housing. In addition, the provision of clean water and ensuring basic medical care for all students make St. Pius Primary School and St. Aloysious Secondary School in Lwamaggwa highly attractive.
2 / Clean environment
The project "Eco-Waste" is a project in Lwamaggwa funded by the “Ugandakreis Heiligenstadt e.V.”. It goes back to a joint idea by students from Lwamaggwa and Heiligenstadt during a visit to Uganda.
After a garbage collection and tree planting campaign by German and Ugandan students, we thought about how waste recycling could be further developed. Caritas MADDO wrote a project application in 2021 and “Ugandakreis Heilienstadt e.V.” signed a contract with Caritas MADDO in 2021 and supports the project with a total of €36,000. The project will run for three years in the first phase - from September 2021 to August 2024. Project manager is Gerald Baryomunsi. The focus is on educational measures in the "St. Pius Primary School" and the "St. Aloysious Secondary School" and activities for garbage collection as well as tree planting with the students involved in so-called "Eco-Clubs". The collected garbage is sorted. The plastic waste is sold and the organic waste is processed into natural fertilizer. The first successes can be seen in a cleaner cityscape and the use of previously unknown collection containers. Now it is important to involve the state structures more closely and thus work in a larger community for a clean environment in Lwamaggwa.
3 / Health
Based on the 3rd sustainable development goal of the United Nations 2030 agenda, "Good Health and Well-being", we are improving health care in the area of Lwamaggwa municipality.
We are committed to providing people with access to basic health services, reducing maternal and child mortality, and improving protection against diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis and others. In doing so, we support the expansion and equipping of a health center and the payment of medical staff. However, many people in the scattered settlements in the surrounding area do not have the opportunity to visit the health center. By supporting a mobile home health care program, we are also improving access to screening and counselling, AIDS testing, medicines and vaccinations for these people.
4 / Poverty alleviation
Poverty continues to be a development challenge for the population in Lwamaggwa and the surrounding area. This is often visible in the fact that upcoming payments, e.g. for school fees or medical treatment, cannot be paid. This is where a new project developed by Caritas MADDO supports. The project is funded by the BMZ with 75%, the “Ugandakreis Heiligenstadt e.V.” contributes 25%.
The project has a project sum of just under €100,000, a duration of 3 years and will start in spring 2024. The aim is to increase the income of the participating farming families. More effective cultivation methods, more resilient and higher-yielding plants and the use of simple irrigation methods should lead to an increase in the yield of the harvest. At the same time, the goal is to form and train farmer groups so that a productive exchange and joint work can be organized. The sale of the harvest is to be carried out through these groups of farmers in order to achieve higher prices through larger quantities and suitable sales times. About 600 farming families from Lwamaggwa and the surrounding area are organized in the project, there are 20 farmer groups for coffee cultivation and 10 farmer groups for maize cultivation. At the end of the project period, the farmer groups should be self-governing and prepared in such a way that the formation of a cooperative will also be possible in the future. We would greatly appreciate donations to the project, as successful implementation can effectively alleviate hunger and poverty in the Lwamaggwa region in the long term.
Completed projects
In the past 30 years, we have already been able to implement several projects together with our partners and supporters.
2002
Expansion of the dispensary in Lwamaggwa
(first project funded by BMZ)
Project Goals:
- Expansion of the existing ward with a maternity room
- Construction of a cookhouse and a toilet and a wash house
- Construction of a sisters' residence
- Construction of a photovoltaic system
Project amount: 45,250 €
Trips
Whenever possible, a group travels to Uganda to our partner community in Lwamaggwa each year. It has been a long-standing tradition that during the trip, we not only live together but also work on small projects, plan new initiatives and get together with the local people.
