Family planning at BLC

Periodically, Bududa Learning Center hosts a family planning session for students of Bududa Vocational Academy and the community. A total of 180 students attended the session, filling our main hall. 

It was a great day of learning for everyone! Midwife Jessica Agwena, the family planning educator for Bududa District, was the main speaker. She was engaging with what could be an awkward subject. She continuously confirmed that the group was following her logic. She explained the benefits of family planning, the methods, and, notably, the myths surrounding family planning, an example of which is that birth control pills or implants can cause mothers to have children with oversized heads.

Some BVA students are already overwhelmed with caring for their babies and attending classes. Some come with babies to school, and some are currently pregnant. Two of the girls told us they became pregnant because they thought that if they used contraceptives, they would get cancer or become barren. Jessica, the midwife, showed everyone her upper arm where her contraceptive implant had been inserted, helping them understand that contraceptives are safe for women. She also outlined some reasons a woman may use contraceptives: those who wish to delay having children, those who want to have space between children, or women who decide not to have children. 

It is challenging for many students in Bududa who had children before completing school. They can't afford medical care, food, and school fees for their children and themselves. Life is complicated for most people but worse for students with children. They are required to attend school five days a week, and most of them come from peasant families with many issues and cannot provide basic needs for their children and grandchildren.

We want to thank all our donors for their sponsorship of our organization. This tremendous work of helping young women and men learn about family planning and contraceptives will enable them to complete school and have a manageable number of children. 

At the end of the session, 26 students got contraceptive implants, 8 ladies made an appointment with the midwife, and all 5 boxes of condoms and pills were taken. We still have some implants, but girls are gradually coming into the office to ask us to make appointments with the midwife on their behalf.

February in Bududa

Greetings from Bududa! Sheila Havard, Children of Bududa's International Coordinator, and I have been back in Bududa for several weeks. Bududa is experiencing an extended dry season, the resulting hardship of which is compounded by the impact of inflation on the local economy; access to and the cost of food has continued to skyrocket. Nevertheless, the Bududa Learning Center (BLC) remains a beacon of hope. Sheila has been busy traversing the mountainside of Bududa visiting the 70 students in the Children of Bududa (COB) program assessing the hygiene and health of each household. It continues to be astounding how rural Ugandans live and manage to get by on so little. With every home visit, a report is prepared for the child's sponsor, this work is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. 

Meet Nasbushuyu Phiona (pictured above), a star pupil in the COB program. Phiona has been boarding at a local secondary school and received outstanding marks on her O-level exams. It is difficult to describe the magnitude of this achievement given the poor quality of education and lack of resources in most rural primary and secondary schools. She attributes her success to the timely payment of school fees by her sponsor, a learning environment where she can concentrate on her work, the provision of good lighting to study, and regular meals. COB is looking forward to supporting Phiona's next step in her educational journey.

Our visit to COB student Kuloba Emmanuel who attends a local primary school, revealed that the family has fallen on hard times since the mudslide in September 2021 swept away almost all of their land. What remains is a wide area gouged out of the mountainside, pitted deeply in places and covered with enormous rocks. Thankfully, the mud that swept down the hillside spared the family’s house and the newly built latrine, but the banana trees planted on the landslide site in April 2022 have barely grown due to the lack of topsoil and manure. 

The Bududa Vocational Academy (BVA) continues to thrive with a line of students outside the Head of School's office waiting to register for vocational classes as the new academic year begins. Meanwhile faculty and administrators deliver best-in-class instruction, attend to a myriad of student needs and curriculum requirements. Each day we are confronted with students that want to attend the vocational academy but are unable to afford the modest school fees. As such, we have included within this year's annual budget funds for additional tuition assistance.    

We remain thankful for the generosity of our sponsors and donors.