Dearest family,

Much has occurred certainly in my life, each of yours, the world at large and in the slums of Katwe, Kampala, since my last newsletter. I write to share with you news that Elijah continues to do well with his cobbling business and Nachan has provided a babysitter to keep watch over his
twin daughters.

As you know, the situation in the slums continues to be dire due to the inherent circumstances of the Life in the slums but also because of the lockdown due to Covid and the prejudice many of the Karamajong face - they continue to be harassed and assaulted while trying to scavenge for food.

Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of a few souls here in the West we were able to send in $1500 which fed and provided masks for 300 people.

You can watch the live IG feed here:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CFCnJT7DM_e/

What is even more extraordinary is that towards the end of the outreach, two young teenage girls approached asking for help. These girls had been trafficked into Kampala from villages to the west and east. They are 14 and 15 years old and had been taken from the Masaka and Iganga areas of Uganda.

Because of our efforts, because of our collective hearts, we were able to re-settle the girls and bring them back home to their families where they had been missing for 9 months.

We provided mattresses, clothing, food and psycho-social support. We will continue to check in with the girls and their families and attend as much as possible to their psychological, emotional and physical well-being.

My heart bursts with joy at this. My heart is filled with rage, too that they and countless other young women and children are taken every day to be sold as sex slaves. I am reaching out to local NGO’s who will be allies with us in the fight against sex trafficking.

Sadly, however, the battle for safety and refuge continues in the slums. Last night, over 180 women and children in Katwe lost their homes (shacks) to landlords razing the buildings. This happened last year as well when the landlords torched many homes in an effort to force them

out.  Luckily, this year, no one has died but many women and some of the children were beaten and suffered blows to the head and face. 

We need to provide corrugated sheet metal for them so that they may have some shelter as the rain and muds have come. We also need to provide a new gear box to our team’s car as it broke while taking the girls home. We will continue to create a larger fundraising platform so that we can continue to provide food.

If you can give, please do so. Either through Fortunate Blessings Foundation in which you will receive a tax deduction or directly to me (funds are needed quickly for the shelters) via Venmo.

*I will provide all receipts and transfers.

Please note that Network for Good which handles donations made to Fortunate Blessings does not distribute funds until the following month. The same is true for Facebook donations which can take 6 - 8 weeks. It is the very sad but very true fact that the people of Katwe oftentimes do not have 1 to 2 months.

Thank you for your care and on-going support! While the struggle continues we have done good
good work!

May All Beings Be Free From Suffering

Venmo: @Gina-delaChesnaye

If you have any questions about

Nachan or Donations please reply to e-mail listed below: