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Uganda: Community Development

Community Development

In this town in Central Uganda, people struggle for the basic necessities of daily life: clean water, good sanitation, shelter and even food. Access to basic health is limited and poor health services have resulted in preventable illnesses becoming severe.

Uganda_237.7% of Uganda’s population lives below the international poverty line of US$1.25 per day. Orphans and vulnerable children may find it impossible to break free from the poverty cycle without the kind of intervention that our partners are giving.

 

 

 

Many of the townsfolk engage in subsistence farming, others are market vendors, some are motorcyclist drivers. Everyone finds it difficult to make ends meet. Crossroads is shipping to an NGO that is deeply engaged in community development programmes in this town and broader region, including a primary and secondary school, programmes to reduce HIV/AIDS, poultry farming assistance, financial assistance for complex health care, water projects and supporting the reduction in child abuse.

Shipment includes:

  • Medical equipment to support the local health clinic
  • Books, stationery and basic school supplies
  • School furniture and toys
  • Office furniture for local administration

Potential Impact:

  • Improved facilities to support 800 families in reducing HIV/AIDS
  • 130 vulnerable women and youth to be assisted with the poultry farming project
  • School fees for 450 students to attend primary, secondary and vocational education

Uganda_1Unlike most 18 year old boys, Samuel was unable to enjoy the freedom of being young, fit and able. Samuel could do very little on his own. Daily life was a struggle, let alone making his way to school for study. A complicated heart problem caused Samuel to live a very limited and dependent lifestyle. In his town, near Kampala, Samuel did not have access to health care to treat his heart correctly.

Thankfully, staff from our partner NGO met him. They were able to raise enough support to send Samuel to India for a life-saving heart operation. Today, Samuel attends secondary school without any trouble. Both teachers and staff at our partner organisation are impressed to see Samuel not just get by but excel in all areas.

 

This shipment will provide medical equipment and goods to improve the life of children like Samuel.

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Uganda Snapshot

Population: 37.58 million
Capital: Kampala

Uganda is a fertile, land-locked country in East Africa, in the Africa Great Lakes region, with a tropical climate.

Great progress has been made in fighting HIV in Uganda, but 1.5 million people still live with the disease, and there are 1 million children orphaned by HIV/AIDS.

39% of girls are married by the age of 18. 37.7% of people in Uganda live below the international poverty line of US$1.25/day.

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» » Archives for April 2016

Microsoft serving a world in need

The digital divide is very real in remote parts of Nepal. About 50% of the population is illiterate and, given the pressure of poverty, there is a high drop-out rate from schools. Even those who stay in school might not emerge with an ideal education as infrastructure and equipment is often insufficient.

Meanwhile, Microsoft told us they were interested in helping people in need. “We were just looking for an opportunity to allow our team to give back in some way to one of the global communities we serve,” they wrote. They came out to Crossroads and took part in our poverty x-perience, the Struggle for Survival, along with a massive volunteering team-build. Following that, they assisted with our shipments, gave Crossroads exceedingly generous software provision and then began discussions about helping people cross the digital divide.

“Our computer lab is really becoming fruitful for students of class 4-8. It’s being nearly 1 year but we can’t express the outcome in words.” School principal to Microsoft.

The result? Microsoft, through a partner group, New Zealand nonprofit, Global Equity Brokers. donated hardware, software and expertise to children in a remote part of Nepal. They gave a fully equipped computer lab, with twenty computers and the needed software. They also sent six members of staff to install it and train the students. This equipped the laboratory to provide 1500 computer training slots for students each week, enabling many to cross the digital divide.

We often say that, in this work, we love to be as our name suggests: a crossroads between people in need and those who can help.

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Syria: Aid and empowerment for refugees

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» » Archives for April 2016

The Crossroads equation: Multiplying lives released from poverty

The day the copper mines changed hands was a huge blow for the people of Kitwe in Zambia. The government gave the huge local mines over to the private sector and, quickly, our partners tell us, ‘approx. 70% -80%’ of the employees were made redundant. As the mines had provided the major employment for the area, and many men were then out of work, their wives tried to become the breadwinners by selling vegetables. That brought in little income, however, and depression, even suicide, soon took hold in the community. The toll of the massive unemployment was compounded as HIV/AIDS wrought the area a further deadly blow. Children were left without parents and many had to fend for themselves by sleeping on the streets and trying to find a living through simple jobs, drug selling or prostitution.

Computers

Education, in the midst of this was beyond the reach of many. Our partners in Kitwe decided to open a school and computer training centre which they asked us to equip. The students enrolling have constantly increased such that, today, they are needing to open another school. A typical student was Brian, a young man in his twenties who, every day, sold homemade scones and cupcakes from a basket he took from office to office. He earned very little money, but saw no alternative. He enrolled in the computer training centre and learned quickly (pictured). After graduation, he was employed by the local government for a short term project and earned an astonishing US$2,500, more money than he had ever dreamed possible. “My life begins now,” he said. He bought a photocopy machine and a computer and began a tiny business. Today he has his own centre (pictured) and four employees. He has taught xxxxx students and given them the chance to cross the digital divide and find a different future.

 

We love the multiplication in stories like this. We call it ‘the Crossroads Equation’. Computers sent from Hong Kong can literally re-start people’s lives and they, in turn, can then multiply many, many more. It’s why we love this work and why we love your help. If you are upgrading your computer, please don’t throw them out. Please email donategoods@crossorads.org.hk

 

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read more ...

Liberia: Youth empowerment

WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING? Liberia as a nation is still suffering deep social and economic wounds from a civil war that ended...

read more ...

Syria: Aid and empowerment for refugees

Shipment Feedback: The conflict in Syria continues to devastate lives and communities, with thousands of people still displaced and living in flimsy...

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Cameroon: Educating and rebuilding

WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING? When we first started working with our Cameroonian partners in 2010, they were planning and working on...

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» » Archives for April 2016

Uganda: Education, training and health

Education, training and health

“Education is a major problem here, since most of the children do not go to school,” wrote our partners in Uganda when requesting a shipment. “There are very few schools in the area and those which are there are in a worrying state. Many young girls end up being forced into marriage at an early age because they are not going to school.” They asked Crossroads to help them with supplies and equipment that would help not just young school students, but young adults who need job training, and also community health centres that are seriously under-resourced.

DSC_0257

“The donation of hospital beds has led to improved health at our institute and also within the community at large.”

 

The goods in this shipment, which included furniture, hospital beds, medical goods and school equipment, were an injection of hope into this community, where our partners are battling against poverty with few resources themselves. They told us of thousands of dollars saved by schools and health clinics, who now don’t need to purchase or upgrade equipment. “This donation saved us around US$10,285,” they said, of the medical supplies and hospital beds.

Most of the goods from the shipment simply can’t be purchased in this part of Uganda, making them all the more valuable to our partners’ work. The toys and educational aids, which are already enriching the lives of local children, will also be used to set up a child training centre where the NGO will loan out the equipment to families that can’t afford them. A vocational centre received beds, bedding and kitchenware which will allow them to support young people who stay in the residential centre while studying.

Thank you for your part in transforming the lives of so many in rural Uganda through this shipment!

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Donate to a shipment like this one.

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Donate Goods!

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Uganda Snapshot

Population: 37.58 million
Capital: Kampala

Uganda is a fertile, land-locked country in East Africa, in the Africa Great Lakes region, with a tropical climate.

Great progress has been made in fighting HIV in Uganda, but 1.5 million people still live with the disease, and there are 1 million children orphaned by HIV/AIDS.

39% of girls are married by the age of 18. 37.7% of people in Uganda live below the international poverty line of US$1.25/day.

A6

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Liberia: Youth empowerment

WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING? Liberia as a nation is still suffering deep social and economic wounds from a civil war that ended...

read more ...

Syria: Aid and empowerment for refugees

Shipment Feedback: The conflict in Syria continues to devastate lives and communities, with thousands of people still displaced and living in flimsy...

read more ...

Cameroon: Educating and rebuilding

WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING? When we first started working with our Cameroonian partners in 2010, they were planning and working on...

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» » Archives for April 2016

Uganda: HIV Care and prevention

HIV care and prevention

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Uganda has caused untold misery for children there, with large numbers orphaned and left to be cared for by aging grandparents or in orphanages. While public awareness campaigns and health initiatives have made excellent progress in Uganda, 7.2 percent of the population still lives with HIV (2012).This amounts to an estimated 1.4 million people, which includes 190,000 children and overall an estimated 1.1 million children have been orphaned by the epidemic.

“This shipment has changed us for the better. You have helped us move forward so fast because the things which we would have done in five to ten years, we are now going to achieve within two years.”

DSC01435Crossroads’ partners who received this shipment have an orphanage   and school for children affected by HIV/Aids, educating and preparing them for fulfilled adult lives. They arrange seminars and workshops to spread information about HIV/AIDS and promote safe practices to reduce the chance of infection. It’s important work in this rural area where infrastructure is limited and access to antiretrovirals is difficult.

The feedback we received from this shipment expressed overwhelming gratitude for how the goods have invested in this community. Educational goods were distributed to the NGO’s school, and other schools in the area, beds to the local hospital, and clothing and shoes to impoverished members of the community, especially those affected by HIV/Aids.

DSC01161

“We received pens, pencils, exercise books, paint and art brushes as well as writing papers. These items have made all our education very easy. All students have been able to receive his or her own items unlike before when they were sharing and their work has greatly improved.” Photos show furniture, play equipment and educational aids from Crossroads.

Their administration offices were also given a facelift withgood quality furniture and accessories that they could not have afforded to purchase themselves, allowing them to better operate their programmes educating the community on HIV issues and caring for those suffering through the epidemic.

We are delighted to play a part in such valuable work stemming the tide of HIV, and are hugely grateful to those who made it possible to help so many.

DSC02076

Give now!

Donate to a shipment like this one.

DONATE MONEY

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Donate Goods!

Want to donate goods for a shipment like this one?

DONATE GOODS

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Uganda Snapshot

Population: 37.58 million
Capital: Kampala

Uganda is a fertile, land-locked country in East Africa, in the Africa Great Lakes region, with a tropical climate.

Great progress has been made in fighting HIV in Uganda, but 1.5 million people still live with the disease, and there are 1 million children orphaned by HIV/AIDS.

39% of girls are married by the age of 18. 37.7% of people in Uganda live below the international poverty line of US$1.25/day.

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Hospital and health:

“Our patients will be able to be treated on beds rather than before when they were being treated on the floor.” (Hospital beds)

“Sick patients who have been carried when brought to hospital will be able to be put in these wheelchairs.”

“The eye glasses have been distributed to many old people with sight problems and they have been given a new chance to see again. These will last them for years and new hope for them.”

Clothing for vulnerable people:

“Most of the people in our community or village have dressed in second hand clothes and some have been putting on clothes which are worn out with holes but this time, the shipment Crossroads sent us had new clothes which were given to all the community members from babies to the old people.”

“Some of our members have even dropped tears of joy when receiving these goods as they cannot believe that the goods were given to us free of charge by people who don’t know us but care so much about the needy.”

Recreational goods for youth:

“Without this donation from Crossroads, I as a coach would never have got this chance to dress my teams in sports uniform and I would never have got this chance to train my sports students with this sports equipment we have received. Thank you Crossroads.”

“From all the people here, please allow me to say a BIG THANK YOU.”

» » Archives for April 2016

Cameroon: Community development

Community development

Most of Cameroon’s poor live in rural areas. While poverty is slowly decreasing in the cities, people in villages and small towns are seeing an increase in poverty. The people hardest hit are those most vulnerable, like children with disabilities, widows, and unemployed youth who find it hard to get a job outside subsistence agriculture.

0unZ80wcD_g7yy6kjL5naS2CQeKu9kRkSvYBvZVFJDADSmkUkyYc9RrXD-Uh3NpKqpkN7rV7=w1246-h767Crossroads’ shipment went to a part of Cameroon that had an industrial boom around the 1960s, but that industry has moved on, and infrastructure is crumbling, warehouse buildings lying empty. Social services and faciltiies are very underresourced, and most people still rely on agriculture to survive. According to our partners who received the shipment, “abject poverty and destitution is the order of the day. Street children, orphans and vulnerable children abound.”

When everyone is so poor, even with family support, children with serious disabilities rarely have the chance to go to school. Yet one of the schools served by this shipment offers innovative schemes like testing for children with dyslexia, and special glasses that help them learn – a first in the region – and vegetable cultivation for pregnant women, to help prevent some of disabilities that can form in babies from malnutrition in the womb.

Crossroads’ shipment included medical goods, tools for vocational training, educational supplies, furniture and much more that are investing for the future of this challenged region.

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Tanzania Snapshot Cameroon Snapshot

Population: 22.25 million

Capital: Yaoundé

Cameroon is in the west Central Africa region, with natural features including beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests, and savannas.

Although the country as a whole has improved standards of literacy and healthcare, there is still a long way to go. Less than half of children go on to secondary education, and over 40% are involved in some kind of child labour. In rural areas, less than half the population has access to clean water and sanitation.

Cameroon_S2893_5

» » Archives for April 2016

Uganda: Care for young children at risk

Care for young children at risk

When Florence, of Uganda, used to travel to school as a young girl, her heart would break to see tiny children left alone on the streets, or carried around with their mother while she worked. “It kept me wondering if it was a kind of imprisonment,” Florence reflects, “robbing children of their right to play.”

Now many years later, Florence has realised her dream of opening a day care for children like the ones she saw on the streets. Instead of wandering on their own or being locked up at home while their mothers worked long, difficult hours, these little ones now have the chance to play and learn in a safe and stimulating environment.

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Sadly, though, she realized that once children were graduating day care at 3, she would too often see them back on the streets idle during the day while parents were at work. It was only once her NGO received Crossroads’ shipment, filled with school materials, toys, furniture and other things, that Florence could successfully open the next stage of their work, a preschool for 3-5 year olds.

Crossroads’ goods are now benefitting the day care, preschool, nearby youth centres, a health centre and the impoverished families of school children.

“Now we have expanded to a Kindergarten section to help 3-5 year olds because we have all the materials to run school classes. All this was prompted by your generous donations.”

Florence commented that the quality of the furniture in the shipment, such as the beds, chairs and table, was superior to anything she could source locally, and that many of the toys and school materials aren’t available in Uganda at all. She estimates that the furniture, school supplies and uniforms alone saved the organisation US$17,000 out of their budget.

There is no doubt that this shipment has made an impact on the lives of young children in this part of Uganda. We are so grateful to all involved in making it possible.

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Donate Goods!

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» » Archives for April 2016

Ghana: Investing in education

Investing in education

“How many computers do you have in your computer lab?” asked our team member, visiting a school we’re helping in Ghana. “Not one,” replied the teacher. There was a pause. “Then how do you teach the kids computer skills?” The teacher smiled and explained they were hoping someone might bring a mouse, or a keyboard or other parts so they could set something up.SANYO DIGITAL CAMERA

Education is an uphill battle for children in the district of Ghana where our partner NGO is based. “A significant number of children in these community schools are sitting under trees and sheds,” wrote staff when they first applied. In the area, nearly 75% of the population over 15 can’t read or write in any language, keeping people locked in poverty.

“As a result of the shipment, we were able to open our new ICT centre.”

When this shipment arrived, staff reported on the incredible investment that the computers, furniture, school supplies and other goods have made into their work. “Until the arrival of the shipment from Crossroads Foundation, our organisation had only one desktop computer. We needed to pay for usage of our warehouse, buy stationery, do printing and rent chairs to host meetings. However, the situation has now changed significantly. The [goods] and the container itself are saving us USD10,000 per year as we no longer need to hire or pay for using them.”

The schools likewise were overwhelmed. One school for disadvantaged children has now been able to open two new classes to cope with demand, thanks to goods from the shipment. At another school, the primary 5 and 6 students previously sat on the floor, but now each student has a chair and desk. At yet another school, students were learning about computers in a theoretical sense, but had none to use themselves. Now, students can put their learning into practice on real computers in their own school!

All the schools reported increased student attendance following the distribution of goods. We’re thankful to our sponsors for making it possible to invest in the education of Ghana’s children through this shipment.

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Donate to a shipment like this one.

DONATE MONEY

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Donate Goods!

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Ghana Snapshot

Capital: Accra

Population: 27 million. 45% of the population is under 18.

Ghana is in West Africa, located along the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean, and has a tropical climate. It is the fifth most stable state in Africa.
There are about 1 million children orphaned for a variety of reasons in the country.
34% of children are involved in some kind of child labour, and education is often inaccessible in rural areas.

Ghana_S3350_6