Lifeline for Equality: Hunger Relief Fund

This project has resulted to steady adherence for those HIV positive, COVID-19 prevention and better health care service delivery since our peer educators have been able to distribute medication such as antiretroviral therapy (ART) on door to door which makes it easy for our beneficiaries to access better health care services, easy distribution of Condom and lubricants for safer sex practice and improved HIV drug adherence.

On the 20th April 2020 our peer leaders led by Peruth Komujini and volunteers led by Tusiime Osbert took on responsibility of distributing and delivering ARVS, Food stuffs like posho flour, G-nuts, Sugar and offering Lifesaving medical supplies like face masks, hand sanitizers, hand washing bars of soap to 78 selected rural LGBTQ HIV positive.

Support hygiene awareness.
Objectives of the COVID hygiene awareness qualities good hygiene promoters, Roles and responsibilities of hygiene promoters, hand washing and sanitizing infighting COVID_19.

We have conducted House hold Visits. The peer leaders moved in pairs to the households, so that they can support each other while delivering HIV medications to our clients and disseminating the hygiene messages to fight and prevent COVID_19. The peer leaders also documented the household’s details such as household head name, status of the hold and the number of the individuals that have received the awareness.

We have offered HIV counseling and delivered door to door HIV medication to 78 HIV+ LGBTQ people that is 42gay men, 24 transgender women, 2 transgender men and 10 Bisexual men MRF has mobilized and offered emergency food relief to over 78 rural HIV
+LGBTQ community across western districts in Uganda.

MRF has offered over 90 LGBTQ with facemasks, hand sanitizers, gloves and hand washing soap.

Success Stories.
For the success stories are that the rural LGBTQ community are improving on their income, employment opportunities.
One story that really touched us during the trainings was from Clif (she allowed us to share her name and story:
“My name is Clif a transgender woman, I am from Kakoba Division but currently living in a shelter because the landlord chased me out of his house due to not paying rent for the last four months.

“My family and I have been not on good terms, they also chased me two years ago
after having found out I was Gay and HIV positive, I cannot go home unless I want
my self-dead. I had acquired cake baking skills with MRF but worked as a waitress
at desert pub found in Mbarara city and I would cook once a day or sometimes I
drink tea and sleep because i wanted to save some money to start my own business,
in January, was able to start a cake baking business, I began selling two cakes a
week and towards march before the lockdown, I had started selling five cakes a
week, when COVID_19 hit us which led the country to a lockdown, i kept my
business money in the bank but after having attended a financial literacy training,
I withdraw all my savings and bought 10 hens, the ten hens have in the shortest
period of time produced and I now have 40 hens which am hoping when the
business booms again, I will sell them and resume my cake baking business.”

Clif received the cake baking and empowerment skills trainings in 2018 but lucked capital to start till when he saved some money, however he states that had it not been the “know your finances training” he attended, he would have used up all his both capital, savings and profits.

(Translated from Lunyankole)

Best Regards.