Final Food Distributions, donating plastic face shields, and a Plastic Free July!
Greetings!
As strict lockdown continues in Uganda, we've continued our efforts to support the Masaka community throughout the month of July.
Thanks to your kind donations, we've delivered more food parcels to vulnerable groups in the area and have also donated 200 Plastic Face Shields to the main hospital.
Plus, to celebrate 'Plastic Free July', we wanted to share some easy-to-do tips on how you can reduce your plastic consumption at home!
FINAL FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS
Since lockdown began in late March, as part of our COVID-19 Relief Programme, we've been organising regular food distributions to support the vulnerable through this challenging time.
Working alongside our partners, the Ugandan Marathon, July saw us complete our final deliveries to the community.
The first distributions were made to school teachers who, with schools closed, have not received any income since the lockdown began.
We then focused the remaining distributions on supporting religious groups in the area. Like the schools, with religious centres not being able to open due to lockdown, these organisations have not received any funds in months, and some of the poorest communities rely on these institutions.
Furthermore, this lack of income has also put religious leaders' welfare at risk too, who's wages solely rely on weekly collections during services.
Below, Father James, who is also a member of our Ugandan board, shares his thanks on behalf of the community of Ssaza - once of the poorest areas of Masaka.
Father James's thank you message to those who have donated to our relief programme
DONATING 200 FACE SHIELDS TO FRONTLINE HOSPITAL WORKERS
Over the past few months, we've been producing face shields from recycled plastic waste in order to protect people from COVID-19 in Uganda. Whilst we've been selling these in order to generate an income (and fund our plastic collection system), we've also been looking at ways to support the staff at Masaka Referral Hospital, who need these the most.
Last week we were proud to be able to donate 200 Plastic Face Shields to the hospital, which is enough to protect over 50% of their staff from the virus.
Many of these donated face shields have been made possible by our supporters in the UK who have purchased our fabric face masks - for every set of face masks purchased, it's funded the production of one face shield for a key worker in Uganda.
A big thank you to everyone who has participated in this initiative which has made a huge difference in protecting frontline workers!
If you’d like to buy a set of facemasks and help us to protect even more hospital staff in Masaka, they can be purchased via our partners here.
INTERESTED IN REDUCING YOUR PLASTIC CONSUMPTION?
The month of July has been 'Plastic Free July' - a global movement seeking to empower everyone to help solve the plastic problem, by cutting down on their consumption of plastic in their everyday lives.
Therefore, it seemed only fitting to finish off this months newsletter with some tips to help you do just that!
This great video by plasticfreejuly.org outlines some ideas which are quick and easy to start today! :)
Some quick and easy ideas to go plastic-free, one step at a time!
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