Gift of Life Missions visit the Rotary Club of Kajjansi

Wednesday November 30, 2011, the Rotary Club of Kajjansi recieved the Gidft of Life Medical Team. The team is here to carryout open heart surgery to 10 children.
Due to the high cost of heart surgeries world wide, the Rotary Club of Kampala North and Kajjansi, together with a team of visiting surgeons from from Riley Children's Hospital Indiana USA have been holding a one-week long open heart surgery camp at Mulago Hospital Heart Institute.

The guests are delighted to taste Luwombo

As part of this camp, ten (10) children are beneffiting from the free open-heart surgeries that started on November 28^th till December 2^nd 2011 courtesy of The Capacity Building Missions, sponsored by Rotary, Gift Of Life (GOL) and MOGUS. The cost of such surgeries is over $20,000 (50 million shillings), but The Missions are making this possible at a reduced fee of about USD 2500.

The Capacity building Missions are part of the bigger program i.e. 'Our Hearts are in Uganda' program an initiative by GOLI aimed at building capacity of Ugandan surgeons in order to develop a sustainable Paediatric cardiac surgery program in Uganda. At the end of this program 2013, Ugandan doctors should be able to perform complex surgeries on their own at the Uganda Heart Institute Mulago. This will make surgeries cheaper and more accessible to the Ugandan population. Now over 2000 children on waiting list

The Rotary Clubs of Kampala North and Kajjansi are reinforcing Rotary’s motto, service above self which holds the humanitarian spirit at all times. With this background, they believe that being part of saving the lives of four (4) children will make a difference in the community in which Rotary operates.

 

PAG  Charles Kulibanza Byanyima, welcomed the team to Kajjansi and requested them to feel at home. 

In his speech the Executive Director of Gift of Life,  Rob Raylman  appreciated the work done by the Rotary Club of Kajjansi and also praised MOGAS for the donating $10,000 towards this noble cause.

Gift of Life Missions visit the Rotary Club of Kajjansi

Wednesday November 30, 2011, the Rotary Club of Kajjansi recieved the Gidft of Life Medical Team. The team is here to carryout open heart surgery to 10 children.
Due to the high cost of heart surgeries world wide, the Rotary Club of Kampala North and Kajjansi, together with a team of visiting surgeons from from Riley Children's Hospital Indiana USA have been holding a one-week long open heart surgery camp at Mulago Hospital Heart Institute.

The guests are delighted to taste Luwombo

As part of this camp, ten (10) children are beneffiting from the free open-heart surgeries that started on November 28^th till December 2^nd 2011 courtesy of The Capacity Building Missions, sponsored by Rotary, Gift Of Life (GOL) and MOGUS. The cost of such surgeries is over $20,000 (50 million shillings), but The Missions are making this possible at a reduced fee of about USD 2500.

The Capacity building Missions are part of the bigger program i.e. 'Our Hearts are in Uganda' program an initiative by GOLI aimed at building capacity of Ugandan surgeons in order to develop a sustainable Paediatric cardiac surgery program in Uganda. At the end of this program 2013, Ugandan doctors should be able to perform complex surgeries on their own at the Uganda Heart Institute Mulago. This will make surgeries cheaper and more accessible to the Ugandan population. Now over 2000 children on waiting list

The Rotary Clubs of Kampala North and Kajjansi are reinforcing Rotary’s motto, service above self which holds the humanitarian spirit at all times. With this background, they believe that being part of saving the lives of four (4) children will make a difference in the community in which Rotary operates.

 

PAG  Charles Kulibanza Byanyima, welcomed the team to Kajjansi and requested them to feel at home. 

In his speech the Executive Director of Gift of Life,  Rob Raylman  appreciated the work done by the Rotary Club of Kajjansi and also praised MOGAS for the donating $10,000 towards this noble cause.

Open Heart Surgery starts at UHI

The long awaited open Heart Surgery has started at  Mulago Hospital’s Uganda Heart Institute with MOGAS fulfilling their pledge of US $10,000  towards the Rotary Club of Kajjansi’s project of Heart Sugery.

The Rotary Club of Kampala North and Kajjansi, together with a team of visiting surgeons from from Riley Children’s Hospital Indiana USA are  holding a one-week long open heart surgery camp at Mulago Hospital Heart Institute.

As part of this camp, ten (10) children will undergo free open-heart surgeries starting November 28th till December 2nd 2011 courtesy of The Capacity Building Missions, sponsored by Rotary, Gift Of Life (GOL) and MOGUS.

Heart Patients benefit from free Surgery

Over 2,000 Ugandans mainly children have been diagnosed with heart defects and are awaiting any opportunity for surgery.

Uganda Heart Institute (UHI) Mulago, Director, Dr. John Omagino said that the Institute was overwhelmed with the growing number of heart patients, resulting in some of them, dying of treatable complications.

He was speaking during a press conference  organised by the Rotary Club of Kampala North and the Rotary Club of Kajjansi together with a team of surgeons from the US.

The team started carrying out operations on heart patients at the Mulago Heart Institute.
The one-week operation will benefit 10 patients who are on the list of those awaiting surgery.

“The visiting surgeons are working on two children per day to ensure conclusive monitoring and attention to each before leaving the operating room,” Dr. Omagino said.

“These benefactors (10 children) are lucky to undergo free open Heart surgery which would cost them sh50m each, but the doctors are making it possible at a reduced fee of sh6.5m.” he said.

Most of the beneficiaries he said comprise those from rural areas and the urban poor to whom medical services are lacking or very poor.

Dr. Peter Lwabi said: “Statistics have it that, out of every 2,500 children born in a year in Uganda, 600 have defects on their hearts and 300 need this kind of openheart surgery.

The Rotary Clubs of Kampala North and Kajjansi are reinforcing Rotary’s motto, service above self which holds the humanitarian spirit at all times. With this background, they believe that being part of saving the lives of four (4) children will make a difference in the community in which Rotary operates.

Dr.John Omagino, the Director of Uganda Heart Institute in Mulago hospital applauded the Rotary Clubs of Kampala North and Kajjansi for always looking out for the needs of the communities and urged more partners to come on board because a large number of heart patients die every year from treatable complications.

“We received significant financial support from MOGAS worth $10,000,” Dr. Mark Turrentine, a paediatric cardiac surgeon from Riley Children’s Hospital, said.

“Our aim is to operate 200 children per year and to be fully funded by the Uganda Government and corporations by 2014,” Turrentine said.

Uganda’s first lady to visit Uganda Heart Institute

Uganda’s first lady to visit Uganda Heart Institute



Uganda’s First Lady and Minister for Karamoja, Hon Janet Museveni will tomorrow visit the Uganda Heart Institute to see the work done by Gift of Life, the Rotary Clubs of Kampala North and Kajjansi together with  volunteers from Riley Hospital for Children and Uganda Heart Institute Sergeons.

The  operation of ten children  started on Monday after a  joint press confrence held at Uganda Heart Institute in which MOGAS fulfilled the pledge made during the installation of President Peace Taremwa in July.

MOGAS’  contribution through the Rotary Club of Kajjansi  is worth US$10,000 and will assist in the operation of four children.

You are all requested to visit the children and comfort them as we reach within to embrace humanity.

Rotary club of Kajjansi launches Kajjansi getting green

By Hannington Sebuliba

On saturday September 24, 2011, schools around Kajjansi recieved a total of 1100 tree seedlings planted in their compounds in a bid tomake the areas look green.

The project of Kajjansi getting green is a brain child of President Peace Taremwa of the Rotary Club of Kajjansi. Among the schools that benefitted from this project are Kitende Secondary School, Taibah College, Kigo Prison Primary School, Kisubi Mapeera, St. Kizito Bweya, Musiko Memorial- Lutembe and another primary school in Nakawuka area.

Rotarians and Interactors from the neighbouring schools braved the morning showers and plannted the trees.
President Taremwa said that the reason why they chose to plant trees in the schools was two fold. One to preserve the enviroment and two to see that children nature these trees and develop a culture of tree growing.

Taremwa said that once children appreciate the act of tree growing, they will be able to do it even after school. He went on to say that the money collected from adverts in the Installation Magazine, was used for this project and that more trees will be planted to places of worship.

The Brick

Rotarians at work

Rotarians at work on Saturday

Presido's Message for April 2011

Fellow Rotarians,
I greet and wish you all the best in the magazine month (APRIL).We have got a very tight program during the month, I know we can go about it if we work together.

•    We have a monthly Rotary magazine availed to subscribers who have paid Rotary dues. This is the most available source of information about Rotary.
•    The Rotary International Website source of rich Information about Rotary world wide.
•    District 9200 website which has rich information about our District and visiting other clubs to learn how others do things differently.
The RIDGES group is leading April activities (Presido, Rtns Sr. Angelina, Dorothy, Rose and Deo),please lend it a hand to do things, BIGGER,BETTER & BOLDER

06/04/2011    Director new Generation-Recap of KBMU installation
Country RCC officer/PP Thereza- about Jjongoza functions.
09/04/2011    Keep Kajjansi Clean 09.00am – 11.00am
Jjanyi Immunisation
Kampala South Sports Gala
13/04/2011    Guest Speaker (Mr Charles Kasozi) Enhancement of Agriculture in peri-urban areas.
17/04/2011   Charter Night at Presidents’ Home at 4:00pm
20/04/2011    DCA
27/04/2011    DCA Recap

March was Literacy month. I take the opportunity to thank the  VENTS Buddy Group for taking extra effort to see that we learnt more about Rotary from all sources of information (Bravo).

JJONGOZA RCC BUILDS A NEW HOME FOR NEEDY WIDOW

She tends to her banana plantation every morning with her grandchildren, some assisting her with the weeding while the young ones play in the dust waiting for what the day brings.  Deep down her heart are  flowing tears of rejection and hopelessness yet on the outlook you might think all is ok with her. This is the life of Maama Fede Nakachwa a widow of  Jjongoza village near Kalisizo in Rakai District.

Maama Fede’s problems started way back after she lost her husband and all her nine biological children who succumbed to the deadly diseases and also the biting poverty. When they died one by one, they left young ones whom the old lady could no longer be able to look after. Now that she had become weaker due to old age, and the house had also aged seriously with iron sheets rusting away and may be due to some heavy rains some of the iron sheets  were blown away leaving the house literary with a few sheets. Looking at the house, it was just waiting for a great fall since the walls of mad and wattle had started giving way.

The idea of building a home for Mama Fede arose from the RCC’s Sunday weekly meetings pointed out by one of the members Rita Bugoba who presented the old lady’s ordeal to members of the RCC. Members were touched and felt the need to help the needy old woman by serving above self. The RCC went further to build a kitchen and a dryer (katandaalo) for the widow.

The RCC members led by Specioza Lusiba Namatovu, mobilised themselves and contributed whatever local material they could get to see that their fellow villager gets a descent home. Some brought old iron sheets they were no longer using and also baked the bricks used for building the house.

“since the rain season has started, we wanted to see that Maama Fede gets a house in the soonest possible time that’s why we had to work in a record time of three weeks” Specioza revealed.

After completion of the house, the RCC management informed their mother Club the Rotary Club of Kajjansi about the whole project and how they wanted to hand it over. This excited members of Kajjansi RC and decided that the president John Mary Luberenga leads a team of four to go to  Jjongoza to meet members of Jjongoza RCC to celebrate the achievement.

‘The achievement came as a challenge to the Rotary Club and a big surprise too’ said John Mary Luberenga President of Rotary Club of Kajjansi adding that “the RCC members made a combined effort without even support from the mother club and built a house for that old widow known as Maama Fede Nakachwa”.

On Saturday, April 3, 2011, a group of four Rotarians headed for Jjongoza to hand over the house to the widow and also celebrate the achievements. During the function Mama Fede  was overcame by emotions and had to weep tears of joy amidst songs of praises to the Almighty God for giving her a new lease of life more especially for her grandchildren.

“ I produced nine biological children but all of them have now long passed on” Maama Fede narrated adding that she stays with some of the orphaned grandchildren and great grandchildren who are not even  going to school.

“Kati kannegolole, era ne bwetonnya sikyatya nti naafa n’abaana b’abaana bange” she said in Luganda meaning that “ Now I can stretch my legs and sleep, even if it rains cats and dogs, I am quiet sure my grandchildren won’t perish in this shack of a house”

The function was presided over by the country Chair RCC Uganda Charles Baganja who appreciated the act of self help (bulungi bwa nsi) done by the RCC in the entire Jjongoza. He however advised them to identify a project that would generate income for the benefit of the RCC members.

The President of the Rotary Club of Kajjansi together with PP Theresa Baganja Country Chair Rotarian at Work and Rtn. Harriet Nabuuma attended.

The function attracted civic leaders from the Local councils 1, 2 and 3, the chairperson of the neighbouring RCC Mayo Bugaaju (under The Rotary Club of Kalisizo) and another provisional RCC in Kyango.

At the same function the RCC changed their leadership and the outgoing chairperson expressed a challenge they are faced with of being misinterpreted as a government funded project thus people of Jjongoza denying responsibilities of maintaining their well saying “aba RCC bakole ndaba be bafunamu” meaning “Let the RCCs work after all they benefit from government”.

The incoming chairperson pledged to lift the RCC to greater heights. This RCC happens to be one of the beneficiaries of the Kulika development projects. Many nice looking vegetable gardens were exhibited too.

The coffee is also improving and there are high expectations of good yields next year.

I wish to thank our partners in service Mary Tenant and team from Brunswick Coastal, PAG Peters Musoke, District Secretary Robert Nsibirwa and all Rotarians of the Rotary Club of Kajjansi for being so supportive in lifting the livelihood of the people of Jjongoza.

Thanks also go to the entire Jjongoza team for valuing the resources and support given to them.

Compiled by

PP Theresa Baganja (PHF)

Country Chair

Rotarians At Work.

Be Rotarians of Muscle- Matthew Kibuuka

PP. Matthew Kibuuka has called upon Rotarians to be of substance if society is to take them serious. Rtn. Kibuuka said this last fellowship during a talk he gave about ‘my  life in Rotary’.

Kibuuka said that a rotarian who is unethical should be expelled from Rotary. As a Rotarian you should ponder on these questions: Do you regulary attend your fellowships? Do you pay your dues? Do you attend and participate in your club projects? ‘I appeal to each one of you here to get involved in the Club projects’, he said adding that ‘No body can afford to be a Rotarian unless he/she has paid his or her dues’.

He went on to say Kajjansi is my other Club. Rotary to me means a force for Development. It is a unifying force for developing countries.  With all your different professions, we see value for each other. Rotary has allowed us to accept that we are something.

He told Rotarians that he was ready to assist them in writing projects for their Club.

I beg you to be  Rotarians of substance by paying your dues. Be Rotarians of muscle so that people can trust and respect you

ENHANCING COMMUNITY SERVICE THROUGH THE PROVISION OF MICROFINANCE

The reason why we are Rotarians and indeed why Rotary exists and continues to be very relevant to the world is the provision of service to the less fortunate in our society. Our motto of “Service above self” says it all. The 4 Avenues of Service namely; Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service and International Service enable us to effectively execute our noble cause.

Community Service is the opportunity Rotary Clubs have to implement club projects and activities that improve life in the community. In working with communities, Rotarians have over time come to realize the need to empower these communities so that they can reasonably take care of their needs during and even long after a project has closed. Whatever type of project is carried out in the community the fear of the re-occurrence of the same problem or the failure to maintain the facilities provided after the project closure is always apparent. The main reason for this fear is that the communities we try to help live in perpetual poverty.
Pursuant to the principle of continued service to the community, microfinance has been identified as one  of the most viable tools to empower communities that Rotarians work with.
Microfinance can be defined as “the provision of financial services to low income clients, including consumers, and self employed who traditionally lack access to banking and related services”.
“It is a movement whose objective is a world in which as many poor, near poor households, as possible have permanent access to an appropriate range of high quality financial services which include among others savings, credit, insurance and funds transfers”. Microfinance is a proven tool for fighting poverty on a large scale. It provides very small loans to poor people to start or expand very small self sufficient businesses. With microfinance the communities are financially empowered to break out of the poverty circle so that they can with dignity take care of their most essential needs like food, health, shelter, clothing, education and other social obligations.

As Rotarians we need therefore to be cognizant of this powerful tool and incorporate it in our community projects. This will entail focusing on the following:
.At project design, microfinance should be one of the components that is given prominence
.Communities be sensitized and mobilized to form groups that start savings and credit schemes that will eventually turn into small financial institutions
-Provision of capacity building to the groups so that they can plan and manage well their businesses both at group and individual level
-Utilising the RCCs as a nucleus for formation of the financial groups
-Designing appropriate saving and loan products for the groups
-Providing seed capital mainly for credit
Microfinance may not be a panacea to all the poverty and social related problems but is a tool that each club should embrace and mainstream in most if not all community based projects. It may not work well with institutional based projects but history has so far shown that it is a very successful tool for empowering the poor and most the unfortunate in communities .As we implement the New Vision of RI  its imperative that we look at better, bigger and bolder projects that will enable us be more visible in our communities  and microfinance will surely give us mileage towards achieving our goals.
BY AH Charles Kulibanza Byanyima
District Microfinance Chair 2010/11
And 86TH DCA Treasurer

The History of the Rotary Club of Kajjansi

The Rotary year coincides with that of Government. As governments are busy finalizing and reading budgets, Rotary International is busy preparing for organizing and holding District Conferences and Conventions. Again it is in the same period that Presidents of Rotary  Clubs for the coming year (2010/11) are installed. On the 30th June, 2010, the club has installed Rotarian John Mary Luberenga as the 8th President of the club.

I take this opportunity to congratulate the incoming President, wish him well and pledge our Royality and support.

The Rotary Club of Kajjansi held its first meeting or rather fellowship on the 24th of January 2002 and was chartered on the 15th February 2003.