Provide Vocational Training for 10 Ugandan Women

Hello Lovely Supporters!

      We hope this latest report finds you in good health, enjoying a glorious summer! There has been much activity in Uganda since our last report. 

     First, good news! We have moved our office location in Gulu! Our first location was beautiful and we are grateful for the opportunity we had to begin operations there, but unfortunately, several of our beneficiaries found it difficult to get to the location on foot and could not afford to hire a boda each day for transport. Our new site is within walking distance for all of our current employees and trainees and is beautiful, located within a walled compound with a generator for power outages! We hope you will consider a future trip to Gulu to see our operations in person!

      Secondly, more good news! The Ribe Project has achieved a Guidestar Gold Transparency level ranking!  Guidestar is a nonprofit organization that analyzes charities based on impact, compliance, and transparency. We are incredibly proud to have reached this milestone.

       Thirdly, as you may have seen in the news, Uganda has seen a recent, extreme surge in Covid 19 cases and deaths. Because of this, the country has been placed under a very restrictive 45-day lockdown. Citizens must adhere to strict rules affecting, among other things, curfew, local travel, and local village market operations. All schools have been closed. These rules have made it increasingly difficult for families in rural areas to purchase food, as village markets have been severely restricted and are the only option for most families in these areas. This current situation is incredibly dire for many in terms of food and basic medical care. 

     In response to the situation, and out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to temporarily close our Gulu office and workplace until the lockdown is lifted and numbers of Covid cases begin to decline. This decision was not made lightly and was made only after much discussion with our Ugandan director, Gladies, and our beneficiaries. Ultimately, their safety is our number one concern. We will continue to pay salaries during this hardship, for as long as we possibly can, since they and their families are entirely dependent on the wages we provide. 

      As you can see, your donations and jewelry purchases are now more important than ever! If you have been considering donating, we hope you will choose now! We want to make sure that wages can be paid and families fed during these very difficult times. Please consider visiting our website to help the wonderful people of northern Uganda.

With much love and gratitude.

Links:

• Ribe Project website

• guidestargoldseal2021cmyk.pdf (PDF)
  

Greetings Ribe Support Team!

     Exciting news from our Ribe Project training program. We have a new trainee! Meet Florence. Florence is a single mother of four children and she also cares for an additional dependent. Before coming to our program, she was doing any small, temporary jobs she could find, in order to take care of her family. She is very happy to now be receiving vocational training that will provide her with new skills, expanding her job possibilities. As with our other, previous beneficiaries, she will receive a monthly stipend during her training period. Her goal is to save her earnings so she can soon start a small business of her own. Welcome, Florence!

     A quick update on everything else happening with The Ribe Project. In our last note, you met the first three graduates from our program, Concy, Adreen, and Lily. These lovely ladies continue to thrive in our Ribe family. As graduates, all three have chosen to stay on with us, being employed at a fair wage to continue to create beautiful bead jewelry, using the skills they learned in our program. We are so lucky to have them as alumnae and also as new employees!

      So far, two shipments of gorgeous bracelets and necklaces have been sent to the U.S. and are currently proudly displayed on our website (view them here https://www.ribeproject.org). The sales from these beautiful creations, in addition to your generous donations, allow us to continue to provide opportunities for women in need of assistance. As you might imagine, Covid has had a huge impact on charitable giving. This reduction in funds has affected the scope of what we are currently able to provide in the Gulu area. We hope this is only a temporary hurdle, and also pray that the sales from our jewelry collection will increase, providing the additional income we need to continue our mission. In the meantime, we continue to enjoy our Ribe family here in Gulu.

Wishing you all the best,

    Brett Krieble

     President/CEO of The Ribe Project

Links:

• Ribe Project website