Hello Everyone!
We are proud to welcome a new member to our staff. Doreen Tigah has been hired on as our Communications Officer and Caretaker, and she is now co-writing this newsletter! Doreen graduated from Makarere Univeristy in Education with a background in counseling and working with orphans and vulnerable children. She is very happy to be at Miryante working with the children and staff.
Our housing project is rapidly progressing. One of the houses is already occupied by a caretaker and children; another house will be occupied by children by the end of this week. The builders have been doing great work, and the houses are very impressive when finished.
We now have 35 kids at the project and are in the process of registering more in conjunction with UNHCR. We have been monitoring the growth of several children who were struggling as a result of malnutrition. Thanks to improvement in diet, all the kids who were at risk have mightly improved. We celebrated our one year anniversary on August 15th. We marked the occasion by holding a prayer service, singing and dance performances by the kids, and a special meal with staff, children, and a few community members.
We are also in the process of registering Miryante as an NGO so that it can be run independent of the district and will be able to apply for funding. So far, we are in the process of collecting signatures and stamps from Local Councils.
We are currently in the planting season. Crops we have planted include beans (around an acre), ground nuts, and maize. Since we are trying to improve the variety in the kids’ diets, we have been concentrating on our vegetable gardens. A special thanks to Margaret from St. Francis De Sales for her donation of vegetable seeds.
Furthermore, we are preparing to welcome 20 kids this upcoming month. We have been working hard to purchase essentials such as mattresses, basins, books, blankets, cups, and plates for when they arrive. The new group of kids will be staying in our newly finished houses.
Our chicken project is in the process of expansion because the chickens (30) have been laying eggs around the children’s dormitory, compound, and in the bush. We deemed it necessary to expand their house so that they all stay in a fenced location and hatch eggs in the same house to increase in their number. We would like to thank St. Peter’s Parish for fundraising our goat project to help the kids save money. The goat project has yet to commence, but it will start as soon as we finish the chicken project. In regards to the goat project, we have moved around and secured 5 acres of land that has a constant water source and will be used to pasture goats and cows.
We would like to thank everyone for their continuous support and involvement in this project. May God bless all of you for your work well done, and we look forward to continual progressing with this project.
Together in Christ,
Doreen Tigah
Communications Officer