Echututu Women group progress; Date; 8th of July 2015
Introduction;
Echatutu women group is based in the Eastern part of Uganda which is approximately 450kms distance from Kampala the capital city of Uganda. The groups exits to improve on the status of women and children through crafts making, micro-savings, animal husbadary, agriculture product, physical and spiritual needs of the orphans and destitute children in Amorikot Soroti district.
1.2 Acknowledgment’
Echtutu appreciates the diligence exhibited by Mr. Ewan and United Kingdom (UK) donors. The success of Echututu commenced in August 2014 when Mr. Ewan visited Soroti district to see the situation women are going through in that region that was hit by the rebels. We more specially acknowledge your technical and financial support you are giving to the vulnerable groups both street children ad women groups in Soroti district Olwelai village Uganda. The group also continues to request for their continued removing from the deep hole in which members have not yet fully come out of it though they have moved half way the journey. There is request that to enable them walk and sustain themselves without using a stick, women continue appreciating your further technical and financial support.
3.0 Names of the donors
Our sincere appreciation goes to our kind and generous Scottish women donors.
4.0 Implementation of the activities;
Since April 2015 to July 2015 Echatutu has been able to implement the following activities;
4.1 Craft making;
This is the process by which women in the Echatutu group are involved in making meaningful items from the local tropical forests. The making of baskets, ropes, table mats, necklaces, among others is as result of using palm tree leaves which are cut, then dried and later used to construct the products as mentioned above. Since august 2014, the women groups have been able to make many items that have been taken to the local markets for sell. The main purpose of this is to enable the women access money for food, money for medical treatments, money for school fees, money for clothing and many others. Before the donation was realised the group was not very successful but today we see an increase in the quality, quantity of the crafts being made from women.
4.2 Transport and Marketing;
With the help of the bicycle which was purchased from the donation members are able to transport their craft materials to the local market for sell. This is a rational where members agree and select a member to take the products to the market. However, the chairperson takes the overall monitoring of the process and when money is got its given to the treasure who now reports to the chair and later organise a meeting for the feedback and agree on the way forwards.
4.3 Saving cycles;
From the support that is given by the women and men in United Kingdom (UK), the women have started a saving group in which money is loaned to the members of the association and then rerun it with some small interest every after one week. The main aim here is to try and empower women to have entrepreneurs’ skills and also run their business to enable them get money for the maintenance of the families. The group has expanded and men have also been given loans and they return the principle with its interest more than that of the members of the group who are the women.
4.4 Capacity building;
With the support Echatutu group organised training for its members to learn about the cycle saving skills, leadership skills and this they see increased capacity to work formal. As result of the training women are able to; Record keeping, marketing of their project and how to manage the group among themselves.
4.5 Animal project;
In trying to pave possible ways to survive, Echatutu group women have gone mile stone to practice agriculture. Agriculture is a backbone of Uganda since the colonial times. However, this was affected during the time when the rebels invaded the villages making many women, men and children lose their lives. People were forced into hiding in the buses for fear of their dear lives, people went to the camps in fear of their lives, children left schools, and hunger became the order of the day. This was a result of lack of food as people could not practice agriculture. Among the initiatives that have been put in place include the following;
4.6 Cattle rearing;
From the donation that women are getting from UK, they have been able to purchase two cows which are growing and upon producing they will start process of sending a cow to each Echatutu member. Once a cow produces it’s sent to another member, and when it does the same it will be sent to another until the cycle is completed and the project is called ‘send a cow to Echatutu women and kill the poverty’.
4.7 Fenced kraal;
The women have managed to construct a kraal to help keep their animals and avoid them from moving around and eating other neighbours field crops which may cause challenges and compensations.
4.8 Piggery project;
The group has been able to buy two piglets which have grown and both of them are expected to give birth in the next two months and group sees opportunities of having more pigs which will be sold and contribute to the group savings and loans to the members.
4.9 Road side table;
The women have set a road side space where some of the craft products are displayed and targeting the travellers moving along the road, they find it very important though they still lack potential buyers.
5.0 Challenges faced;
There is still a challenge of lack of market for their craft products and this affects the products as some get damaged
The prices of the materials keep on high rocketing and this affects the savings
There is problem of weather where sometimes it’s too hot and the local raw materials dry out and so members lack what to use
More members feel like joining the group but because of the scope the members cannot accommodate more people in the group
End
Photos of an Echatutu Group meeting in Spring 2015
Photos of the group's bike
