Wrapping up and giving the gift of sustainability

Hi Guys,

This is a big post for me to write, as this Ugandan project has been a huge part of my life for a good 6 years.

As you may know, I am literally about to pop out a baby any day!

Taking this into consideration, I have decided that I can no longer juggle the responsibilities of Mydel with the responsibilities of being a mum to my own family.

Mydel have proven that they can be trusted, as they are developing the land well and have managed the sponsorships and care for the boys fantastically.

Therefore, taking this into consideration along with the fact that we have £2,800 remaining in the fundraising account, which was donated over the years specifically for Mydel, I have come to the following decisions:

1) Mydel will no longer receive money from sponsors, so they are to now manage their own income and become self-sufficient rather than reliant on charity.

2) I have decided to transfer £2,000 to the Mydel account in Uganda, which is managed my the Mydel team. I have informed Mydel that since they will no longer be receiving sponsor money for schooling, it will be their responsibility to ensure that they use the money wisely, with the children at the heart of all they do.

3) The extra £800 will be sent out to help Mydel with their plans to care for the boys on return from boarding school over this Christmas period.

I have loved being part of Mydel and I am so pleased with how the boy's project has developed with the home, land and schooling. I truly believe that Mydel are now in a position where they can be self-sufficient and this has been confirmed by the amazing response I have had back from the Mydel team with the following plans;

Plans for the £800:

• To give the children an end of year party in Mengo Social Centre Hall, targeting 700 children from the slums of Kampala on Dec 12th 2015
• They are going to take the boys on the 3 day Agricultural Seminar on Dec 29th to help them learn how to manage the acre of land we bought them and increase food production
• They are buying new beds for the home, for their return over the Christmas period.

Plans for the £2,000

They are going to set up another bank account where Redo, Pascal, the Board Chairman and Richard are all signatories to the account, so that they are all accountable to each other.

They will use some of the money to pay for the every boy's first term in 2016, which will buy them some time to get the following projects underway:

• To begin a poultry project in Bulunga, 8 miles away from Kampala. They did consider doing this on their land in Kakiri but Bulunga is closer in location and Richard (who is in charge of the finances) has been given a free space from his father, who can also keep an eye on the project. They are going to start with 300 chicks and believe there is already a market for them in the local supermarkets and restaurants. This will generate an income, which will allow them to expand the poultry project and support the boys in their schooling.
• They have informed me that the hair salon has been giving them small incomes to support the children, so they will continue will this.
• They also want to rent another shop to carry out a whole sale business in selling maize flour, beans and G nuts (the Ugandan's staple diet), which they will grow from their acre of land that we bought them last year. They have local families who will buy from the shop and they will use the income for the boys school fees. 
• They are going to visit the acre of land this Wednesday with the boys to also plant green foods like cabbage, which can be added to the boy's diet along with the cassava and other foods that they are currently growing.

Mydel are going to keep me updated with how things are going, so I will still be able to send updates as and when they come. They have discussed all these changes with the children and they are all very understanding and supportive, which has really helped me to feel even more confident in the decisions I have made. I hope you also feel that I have chosen they right time to let Mydel become fully self-sufficient.

I cannot thank you enough for your continuous support and, although your financial support is no longer needed, I hope you can feel confident that the boys will still receive great education and care in the hands of Mydel. Your support has made a huge difference in these boy's lives and their future is still extremely bright.

Sending you a huge amount of love from myself, Matt, Bump and the Mydel team,

Tiarna xxx