Acts of Joy International

Medical mission to village of Olony, Northern Uganda. A team of medical, construction & professionals teaching village healthcare workers basic hygiene first aid & CPR while also providing multi-vitamins and other medications. The mission also provides training in farming, marketing, and basic banking. In the year, Acts of Joy has decided to collaborate with a Canadian NFP which also provides similar services in the area, in the future to maximize both ministries' efforts. Both ministries (5 leaders)went to Olony to assess current needs of the community. Acts of Joy will continue basic health & first aid, maternal health & medical training, education for children, constructon projects,and tailoring. While farming & other projects are led by the Canadian team. Eight women graduates of the prenatal/childbirth + CPR classes in prior year are teaching other women (hut-to-hut). Additional hand-washing stations and latrines continue to be added to the community.

Olony Community Center Building Project - The team planned and completed its project to build a separate Olony Community Center building on Olony Community land to house: a separate Tailoring room with sewing machines; a Storage room in the center; and a Classroom for the various classes currently taught and those that are planned in the upcoming years. The classes will include first aid & maternal health, hairdressing, education, farming & gardening, raising chickens & pigs, and mentoring for men.

Olony Development Farming & Business Project - The team provided gardening basics in prior years so each family can learn to grow their own vegetables. Olony women continue selling fruits & vegetables at the central community village market. Eight graduates from the prior year tailoring classes continue sewing dresses and other garments and are teaching other women in the community. Again, the tailoring skills enable young women to remain in school after menses since they know how to sew washable sanitary pads. With washable products the girls have the confidence of protection and they reach out to teach other young girls and also sell their products in the market. Under the rotating savings and credit association(ROSCA)8-10 women continue to share the responsibilities of running the organization. This combined peer-to-peer saving & lending continues to assist the community and its individuals to have access to needed funds to further their businesses in the community and allow the community to grow and succeed.