Helixos' first volunteer project is to support the fundraising and capacity-building efforts of the Empower and Care Organization (EACO) in Uganda.
Founded in 2004, EACO is a registered non-profit operating in the Mukono district of Central Uganda. EACO believes that every human being is a unique individual and that we all have a right to good health and basic needs. With 4 full-time staff and 3 part-time, EACO also receives assistance from community members and international volunteers, such as Helixos. They operate six different programs, instilling hope and improving lives for more than 8000 people in the rural Mukono district.
This project intends to draw attention to the problem of achieving a sustainable income-generating activity, a situation with which young people, especially women in the Mukono district of Uganda, are faced. These young women are looking for focused and innovative training that will enable them to create their own jobs and employ others and be good entrepreneurs at all levels, from the artefact maker and the beekeeper to the independent professional in the trades.
To address this need, EACO seeks to promote and conduct training programs that will better prepare young women for the ins and outs of running their own businesses. In addition, they will encourage and support the trained group of women, to start a cooperative, where they collaborate in generating income, and share the profits between each other.
The objectives of this program are the following:
To provide a place where vulnerable young women can learn the necessary skills the project will establish a physical environment, a place of learning in a building, where young women can go, feel safe, and obtain life-skills training and support.
To create and deliver a training program, which will give the necessary knowledge and skills for young women to start and run their own businesses. The training program includes four categories: entrepreneurship skills; computer literacy; life skills; and soft skills.
To support the creation of a cooperative, which will allow women to work together to generate and share profits, as well as to support each other in a more structured way.
Funding is needed for this project to spend on mobilization, training tools and manuals, capital start-up for women, trainer salaries, and used computers. To support EACO and this project, DONATE NOW.
Immediate need for access to safe and clean water
Lack of access to clean water is at the root of devastating social issues including poverty, disease, abuse, and inequality. Due to social and gender roles, women and children bear the responsibility of fetching water for their families. As the search for water takes them deep into the forest, their lives are threatened with danger on a daily basis.
In rural Mukono many families often face no other choice but to send their children to fetch water from wells 2 - 9 km away. With the need for water for cooking, washing, and bathing, this activity requires the children to make two trips each day, affecting their school attendance and learning opportunities. An added challenge to these villages’ water supply is that the water from ponds is being shared with livestock. This causes water contamination and frequent cases of malaria, typhoid, bilharzia, and diarrhea are reported in the health centers in these communities.
By repairing five boreholes in rural areas of Mukono, EACO can help to improve health and save the lives of many children in this region, especially by reducing incidences of diarrheal disease in children. By improving health, boys and girls will have better opportunities for education also women will have enough time to concrete on their income-generating projects.
To support EACO's project for repairing boreholes in Mukono district in Uganda, DONATE NOW.
Helixos' work in fundraising and capacity building for EACO supports the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:
More specifically, the following targets:
4.3 By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.
5.a Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws.
6.1 By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
6.b Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management.
8.3 Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services.