Support Programs and Service for youths

Project Report | Mar 18, 2019
Supporting Rural LGBTQI programs

By Mbarara Rise |

Dear our Valued donors

Thank you for helping us to provide support to the LGBTQI people from deprived communities. It is because of your support, we are able to organize monthly stipend, pay office rent and bills, and carry out monthly meetings to measure our progress.

Due to unavailability of basic health facilities, vast numbers of LGBTQI in western Uganda area either receive health care services or fail to acquire information to protect them from deadly diseases like STIs, HIV/AIDS etc. Since October Last year, through our office space, a total of 37 LGBTQ have accessed the MRF office space for our services, Out of this number, 6 were referred to The Anti AIDS Support Organization (TASO), an international HIV/AIDS care, Support and services referral center in Uganda with its branch in mbarara for ART services and regular checkups to monitor their basic health and progress, with your continued efforts and support towards our office space and programs, MRF will continually be able to accomplish its mission and vision. We couldn’t do this without your help.

Mike not his Real name, who didn’t know about his HIV status explains that had it not been his random visitation to MRF office, he could not have been motivated to test for HIV. He says he has been able to test because when he reached MRF offices where he read a couple number of HIV testing awareness messages, ICE materials, he talk to our adiministrator who refferred him to our partners for HIV testing and counselling, Today Mike is talking his ARVs medications well and he says there is an improvement since he started taking them despite a few challenges like lack of sleep, night mare scarly dreams, food to support his medication and some times evening fever.

We need your Support to continue offering these life-saving services to the rural LGBTQ in western Uganda.

At MRF, every day is a celebration of the achievements we have made over the past years, especially the 349 LGBTQ people who have gone through our Cake baking, safety and security and HIV programs, and the potential of those who have started their own small scale cake baking businesses and have been seen as an example of improvement and effort. We celebrate family, friends, trainers, sponsors, volunteers and all the people who have been part of our projects during the last 2 years. We remain motivated to reach more beneficiaries in western Uganda and to continue making innovative and positive improvements in our processes and methodologies to increase opportunities for rural LGBTQ and communities.

Activites

We participated in a training organized by Human rights awareness and promotion forum (HRAPF) aiming at strengthening organization top management and organisations, since the training, MRF has been able to strenghten its systems.

During our end February month meeting, we discussed challenges like lack of awareness about PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) a term typically refers to the use of antiviral drugs as a strategy for the prevention of HIV/AIDS, human rights violations, gender based violence etc. we were able to come up with solutions to the above challenges, MRF members agreed we carry out PrEP awareness workshops and dialogue meetings so as to increase PrEP uptake among the LGBTQ people in order to fight HIV/AIDS. In the comming months, We will launch a PrEP awareness fundraising and we will need your contiuned support and efforts to reach our target goal.

As per gender based violence (GBV) reports that publish on a monthly basis, there is a slight increase of gender based violations faced especially the transgender people because their sexaul orientation gender identities (SOGI), Rape, Physical assault were among the most noted violations. MRF is committed to continue responding to all forms of Violations.

Thank you for the confidence that you have placed in us and the financial assistance provided, Mr. Raymond Twinamatsiko the Executive Director says he is happy that MRF is offering quality sevices to the LGBTIQ+ people through its Office space which makes it easy for both him and staff to carry on, plan for the activites and offer services, he says that he is deeply grateful for all the help and support.

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Dec 26, 2018
Supporting Rural LGBTQ services

By Mbarara Rise |

Mbarara Rise Foundation is an engine to build rural grassroot communities and empower agents of change in our world. It is a space in which LGBTQ discover their value and ability to transform their environment and turn it into opportunities for growth.

Today we celebrate the achievement of all the 349 LGBTQ who have gone through our Cake baking, safety and security and HIV programs, and the potential of those who have started their own small scale cake baking businesses and have been seen as an example of improvement and effort. We celebrate family, friends, trainers, sponsors, volunteers and all the people who have been part of our projects during the last 2 years.

We remain motivated to reach more beneficiaries in western Uganda and to continue making innovative and positive improvements in our processes and methodologies to increase opportunities for rural LGBTQ and communities.

Last week we had an engagement with United Nations Human rights office of the high commissioner aiming at enhancing and strengthening the capacities of the human rights to engage with international and regional human rights mechanisms and acquire skills for advocacy for us to raise human rights concerns national authorities.

With our partners Most at Risk Population Initiative (MARPI) a clinic which is dedicated to addressing the universal access to HIV/STI interventions among most at risk populations (MARPs) not limiting the LGBT community in Uganda that also focuses mainly at the prevention and control of HIV and other STI’s among the most at risk and vulnerable populations in Uganda and offering Other services that include Proctology which is a branch of medicine that deals with diagnosis and management of Anal Pathologies, supported MRF to carry out a dialogue meeting to mobilize and sensitive our communities on anal STI’S, pathologies and other prevention and care services in mbarara district.

20 LGBTQ who participated in the program acquired information and knowledge on anal STI’S and management, pathologies, and care services. Participants (LGBTQ, MSM and sex workers) contributed the best strategies to use to acquire better quality health care services at regional-level.

We look forward to Share more updates in the coming months.

Merry christmas and we wish you a happy new year 2019

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Oct 10, 2018
Supporting LGBTQ services in Uganda

By Mbarara Rise | Organization

Dear Donors, Thank you very much for your continued support.

From the very beginning of Mbarara Rise Foundation exactly two years and four months ago, we had four pragmatic and concrete priorities:

Economic empowerment
Offer better health care services with the help of partners and donors.
An LGBTQ community monthly peer program platform sharing and
Raising awareness campaigns on equal human rights for all.

All our programs have been accomplished in a relatively short period of time and we've done it all from cafes, couches, and one shared computer. As we aim to strengthen and increase the services we provide, we must acquire the proper tools.

We are very proud to report that we are on track with executing our priorities.

We will be training rural LGBTQ with safety and security measures to boost their skills as well as working with the whole community to improve and develop sustainable strategies, tactics and individual safety management approaches. In Uganda, LGBTQ people consistently face threats to their safety and security. Our goal is to equip over 120 LGBTQ individuals in rural Uganda with the skills and tools necessary to protect themselves.

We are looking forward to work on the rollout of a PrEP program, so as to reduce new HIV/AIDS infections among the LGBTQ people and regionally work on rural LGBTQ coordination.

We processed an actively safe two roomed furnish office space for the staff, volunteers and LGBTI Community and its now operational. With your continued support, our office space will be equipped with the proper tools to advance our efforts to bring equal rights to our local LGBTQ community, a safe place for the LGBTQ to meet and share experiences.

Opening of the furnish space is our top priority for 2018. We hope to achieve more great things, since we have a safe space to carry out our work from.

“In this time of gratitude, we give thanks for you. We value your patronage and appreciate your confidence in us. Counting you among our donors is something for which we are especially grateful, you help us provide award-winning services to our clients, without your commitment, creativity, and high standards, we would not be the thriving nonprofit we are”. Our Executive Director.

There are still many goals to meet, we hope that you will continue to partner with us in our commitment to achieve them:

The addition of the cake baking project to continue providing skills to the LGBTQ community.
Advocating for eqaul human rights for all.
Staff trainings in capacity building programs.
Constant health care servies deliverly.
Creating safe spaces.

In conclusion, we rely on the generosity of people like you to ensure the financial viability of MRF. Any donation of any size will be extremely appreciated and will enable us continue operating.

Condom Dispensers for condoms distribution

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