glo-2022

COVID-19 Women’s Empowerment and Employment Program Update

tom@thekarasco.com (Thomas Karas) — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 13:17:35 GMT

At this time of great worry and uncertainty for us all, we sincerely hope that you and your loved ones are in good health. Kurt and I have called many of you to “check in” and see how you are doing. We will continue to reach out and would lov e for you to share (good or bad) how all of you are managing through this troubling time.

Thank you for your past and ongoing support as our lifeblood especially for the children, the women and girls whose lives you touch.

In terms of Guiding Light Orphans, Inc we can assure you that we are following both the USA and the Uganda Government and public health officials advice and we have put strict measures in place to protect our medical staff, patients, students and everybody they come into contact with through hand washing, utilization of masks and cleaning and disinfecting.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, some of our services are still suspended and this is tough for us knowing that the quality of lives for the children and their caregivers has been greatly affected.

In the last couple of weeks, Uganda slowly eased its restrictions and Guiding Light Orphans put a plan into place to cautiously allow half of the women and girls back into their Micro-economic Enterprise.

The women have been so excited to be back to learn more skills after being under total lockdown for the last three months and now able to make scholastic materials and produce hygiene products like liquid soap which they are selling to generate some income. It’s important to note that the woman also donated some of the liquid soap to vulnerable communities in response to COVID-19.

To encourage the women, we started checking in with weekly calls to make sure they were doing okay. Last Saturday I checked in with one of our newest member, Juliet Asaba, a 24 year old single mother of eleven month old twin girls. Here is what she had to say:

“It’s been very difficult during this time and all we can do is pray for God’s mercy. Sometimes I was not sure where I would get the next meal to feed my babies, but it’s been great coming back to work and now I am earning some money. Right now after coming back, I know I can feed them and they will be healthy. I am proud of myself because I have learned so many skills and grateful for all the support you have given me and my babies”

Without YOU, our young women and girls would have no HOPE!

As a result of YOUR commitment, not only Juliet will not have to worry about whether she can feed her eleven months old twin girls, but also her co-workers are now able to return to earning an income to support their families.

UCONN Seniors Win 1st Place In Design Contest With Biogas Digester Design For GLO

tom@thekarasco.com (Thomas Karas) — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 13:17:36 GMT

This past year we partnered with the UConn School of Engineering and sponsored a senior design project. Working with this all-female team of Katarina Konon, Brianna Markunas, Abigale Monasterial, Renée Rogan and advisor Kristina Wagstrom was such an honor. We are so proud of them for winning first place for this project!

The Impact

Their project included a full design as well as an environmental analysis, health and safety analysis, economic analysis, and social impact analysis. This Biogas Digester will keep our community sustainable and free from waste. Watch to learn more about the Biogas Digester they designed and if you are interested in learning more and helping to fund the project or know anyone who might be, please reach out to us!

How The System Works

Finding New Hope: Lilian's Story

tom@thekarasco.com (Thomas Karas) — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 13:17:35 GMT

More than 1 million women in Uganda are exposed to sexual violence every year. They are not taught that they own their bodies or how to stand up against harassment. Of women reporting recent violence and threats, 28.8% cited their neglect of household chores as the reason violence was inflicted upon them. Women in Uganda are controlled by society’s antiquated expectations of them.

On our most recent visit to Uganda, we had an introductory vocational training course that empowered 20 young women.

Lilian, age 23, said, “I thought my life was over and that I had to depend on my husband for everything even if he was beating me almost every day. At first I thought it was okay to beat me because I thought I was doing something wrong. But now I can do a lot of things on my own without a man who does not respect me. Thank you for empowering us. God bless you and your friends from USA.”

We hope to continue empowering young women like Lilian. To-date, in only a short period of their training, the women have reached over 1,000 people in surrounding schools, local farmers’ markets and churches through the advancement of community-led health education programs. With your help, we are working to build a vocational training center so that our girls can have their own space for education and production. Their outreach can then continue to spread and ignite change for the whole community.

Regaining Independence: Lucy's Story

Mon, 20 May 2019 16:45:36 GMT

The rate of teen pregnancy in Uganda is staggering. 1 in 4 teenage girls are pregnant or have a child. 23% of girls who drop out of school do so due to early pregnancy . Without an education, they find themselves dependent on others for survival. Lucy was at risk of becoming one of these women, but she refused to become dependent on anybody.

Lucy had just completed her Advanced Certificate of Education (equivalent to the 12th grade) when she found out that she was pregnant. Life became difficult and she decided to start digging. Her bean harvest was stolen by her boyfriend, which meant she could not support her baby when he arrived. She had heard of our training, and with her fierce determination, she walked 4 miles each way every single day for two weeks with her 2-month old baby Alfa to attend class.

“My boyfriend cannot take away the knowledge I have learned, nor will he be able to steal the menstrual kits I have learned how to make”.

If all girls received education, the frequency of teen pregnancy would drop by 59% and child deaths would decrease by 49%. We continue to work to bring our girls education and supplies so that they too can be self-sufficient. With your support we can help more girls like Lucy regain their independence.