Corona in Uganda – How a local organization is handling the situation

How is Uganda handling the Corona situation? We asked our project in Jinja and they wrote us an extensive report. Dive into their world and learn about current challenges and hopes.

The beginning of Reinhard Foundation

Five years now since we started the active movement as Reinhard Foundation. This was idealized by one of our Founders in 2015 that went through a tough time while he was growing up as a total orphan from the age of Seven years. Having lived in a society where there’s no security and care for orphans. He struggled through to find a suitable place/home where he could stay and of cause do petty jobs at the village in order to support himself pay his school fees.

He later connected with a German friend with whom they Co-found GlobalMatch.e.V from which Reinhard Foundation was initiated. Fellow Ugandan friends motivated to empower the needs of citizens joined in and we’ve had meetings where we agreed to do a social causes and activities of basically helping the needy Elderly people, needy orphans, and vulnerable youths around Njeru village, Budondo and the surroundings. 

The first reaction to Corona in Uganda

During the pandemic season we’ve seen that many of the different organizations working to solve some communal problems stayed passive when curfew hours and social distancing started to make everything difficult. 

We were different. After long calls with the team, we decided to first of all source for immediate long lasting food that we could distribute to our target group. This was just after hearing rumors about our first case of covid-19 in Uganda.

This case put a lot of tension to all Ugandans and rumors of the home stay quarantine started which put most of us in a tight moment. No one had prepared for anything and we were very sure that our government couldn’t have the capacity to provide everyone with enough food thought the lockdown season.

Looking for solutions

Ideas of food being collected from our personal gardens came in fast as they were the cheapest options. Afterwards we used the little collected funds to buy some other items like sugar, salt, soap and other very essential staff that could become problematic to access. The big issue then arose after underestimating the lockdown time that went up to more than three months. The little we had could only take us up to less than two months. 

The Corona-Campaign on social media – a small success

As we were still gambling with what next to do, here we come to meet two wonderful partners that came to share with us our burden. We exchanged ideas on ways of handling the crisis as an organization, improving systems and many more which has empowered and motivated the team a lot.

These include one amazing Kathrin David, founder of give & grow, who is more than willing to connect to any volunteers who will be interested in coming to Uganda. She has helped us in the running of the campaign to help our target group during the lockdown of the current pandemic situation of COVID-19 together with socialbnb. So far we have been able to raise 81.87 Euros. 

What we have done

According to our layout, we’ve managed to reach out to 25 individuals amongst our target group. This time however the pandemic didn’t only affect our original target group. We decided we will reach out to those other people that could not support themselves with food, soap or any other possible support in our areas.

We as well extended our communication services to various people online were we make comforting talks to keep people together and friendly in the difficult times including tips how  to keep safe from the virus. We’ve visited the old people and the orphans and provided them with some of the basic needs that they can use thought the Corona times and hopefully they have gotten through it slowly as we look forward to the vaccine. 

After Corona – this is what we look forward to

Some of our projects have not yet started due to the limited funds available. After Corona we look forward to assist the orphans to get back to school. Also, the IT support is gradually getting better and we are now getting more and more in the technological arena. In 2018, we requested a donation in form of computer materials from ‘Labdoo’, a Germany organization that empowers startups and schools with IT materials. They donated to us four laptops, four tablets, and three digital E-books and we have been able to once in a while teach computer skills to our target group starting at the age of three.

The fact that all Education facility programs have been put on hold until 2021, Reinhard foundation has seen this as a big problem that is going to keep people idle thought these times. The skill empowerment program would is vital.

New Jerseys for the local football team

In June 2019, while one of our co-founders visited Germany, he got in touch with one football team called Lutzelburg in Augsburg which sponsored us with two sets of sports wears to our orphaned football players and youths in the community believing that it would keep them focused.

We still need more support

We therefore call upon all that can support us through this phase to please donate all they can to our platforms so that we can put our program in place to skill the youth in these times.

There are very many risks that are already rising in the communities. The fact that all people are home doing nothing. No matter if starting teachers or schooling students. Teenage pregnancies, rape, defilement, family conflicts and many more are all in place but this is due to the limited work schedules in the communities.

Many of the peoples’ businesses are more likely not coming back for the fact that all their capital has been used up. Parents are going to fail to push children back to schools due to limited funds and many people are being chased from rental houses and to pay the rents.

Let’s face this crisis together.

Thank you,
Reinhard Foundation

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