The Margret Project
Donation protected
Hi everyone,
I HAVE 30 DAYS TO RAISE £10,000 AND I'D LOVE YOUR SUPPORT :)
I’m writing to you from Masaka, Uganda. I run a UK-based social enterprise, The Nerve Network, and I’m here with our local partner, MADIPHA, who are on a monumental mission to end the stigma and discrimination around people with disabilities living with HIV & AIDS.
We have exactly ONE MONTH (aargh!) to build a home - the very first stage of a project which will positively affect the lives of this community. A dream led by a formidable lady called Margret Nakiyaza.
This is me with Margret (right).
THE STORY
Margret’s story is a tough read starting out... Her husband told her she was worthless and that she should "go away and die". Depressed and at her lowest point, she did just that. She started planning her suicide, to the point that she calculated how and when: By drinking pesticides a neighbour stored at her home. And it would be done on a Saturday, so that people would be around to find her body.
Prior to this, Margret was rocked by news delivered by her doctor: Having suspected that she may have Malaria, she was in fact, HIV positive. She had an adverse reaction to her medication, which put her in a coma, and when she woke up, her hair had fallen out and she had lost her sight.
Can you just imagine?
Fortunately, MADIPHA was there for her when she was at her lowest point, and with a lot of hard work and commitment, Margret believes in herself again, her fearless spirit has returned and she is BACK ON IT.
She was given a lifeline and she is now ready to take on the world. And all it took was a bit of love, respect and support.
MARGRET’S AWE-INSPIRING DREAM
We only have 30 days to act...
She wants to build a home and resource centre that welcomes others like herself, to support them mentally and physically when at their lowest points. Children with severe disabilities so that they can learn basic life skills. Parents who need resources and understanding of their own abilities (not inabilities!) She’s a catalyst: Audacious and brilliant…and this was all her idea.
She wants to pass on what she has learned from her own experiences.
And she’s making it happen! I’m blown away by the progress already made. With the help of funding from Nerve, a plot of land has been bought and Margret is officially a landowner...
But we are a long way from the finish line, we’re against the clock (and wet season).
THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN...
To get Margret onto her land we need to build her house - the first step towards building the resource centre.
The architect tells us the project will take one month.
How long is my trip duration here? Also one month.
THE PLAN AND NEXT STEPS - £10K CROWDFUND BUDGET.
We need your little pockets of money to buy…
* Bricks
* Iron sheets
* Iron bars
* Cement for the house and accessible ramp
* Sand and limestone
* Timber for roofing
* Roof tiles
* Paint
* Windows and frames
* Steel doors with locks - for the house and toilets
* Wooden doors with locks (for the chicken house)
* Jerry cans for water
* Building tools - wire mesh, cables, nails and other materials
* Electricity provision and wiring
* Solar panels
* Solar lamps
…and of course, very importantly, we need to cover costs of local labour and transport.
THE WORK SO FAR…
WE HAVE WATER!
MADIPHA arranged for the Water Board to dig a 250m trench from the main road, where the water mains are, through neighbours' front gardens and all the way to Margret’s plot of land.
Why is this AMAZING?
* Essentially we've brought water to the village!
* Margret has her own, clean, accessible water source
* It gives her a source of income because she can sell water by the Jerry Can.
* She can stay healthy, cook, clean, and maintain her home as well as the-soon-to-be resource centre!
This was all the idea of our partner MADIPHA, who come up with smart solutions every week to make this and an even more efficient and more sustainable project.
WE HAVE A TOILET!
Not only did the team get the water line installed, they have dug a 50ft hole for toilet latrine - by hand! That’s a very deep hole! They’ve been using ropes to get up and down the pit. It’s tremendous - I’ve never seen anything like this before.
THE FIRST BRICKS HAVE BEEN LAID!
When I arrived on-site it was a hive of activity: Everyone was head down, getting on with it. They are working so hard....and you could smell the freshness of the newly unearthed soil.
And that’s why everyone working on this project…. TOTALLY. ROCKS!
SO LET’S DO THIS! PLEASE HELP US COMPLETE THE HOUSE.
We’ve got this far with the combined efforts, energy and the good vibes of friends in our community. I would LOVE to day that it was thanks to you lovely folk that we got it done.
We don’t want to stop now.
THANK YOU!!
Esther Kwaku
The Nerve Network
I HAVE 30 DAYS TO RAISE £10,000 AND I'D LOVE YOUR SUPPORT :)
I’m writing to you from Masaka, Uganda. I run a UK-based social enterprise, The Nerve Network, and I’m here with our local partner, MADIPHA, who are on a monumental mission to end the stigma and discrimination around people with disabilities living with HIV & AIDS.
We have exactly ONE MONTH (aargh!) to build a home - the very first stage of a project which will positively affect the lives of this community. A dream led by a formidable lady called Margret Nakiyaza.
This is me with Margret (right).
THE STORY
Margret’s story is a tough read starting out... Her husband told her she was worthless and that she should "go away and die". Depressed and at her lowest point, she did just that. She started planning her suicide, to the point that she calculated how and when: By drinking pesticides a neighbour stored at her home. And it would be done on a Saturday, so that people would be around to find her body.
Prior to this, Margret was rocked by news delivered by her doctor: Having suspected that she may have Malaria, she was in fact, HIV positive. She had an adverse reaction to her medication, which put her in a coma, and when she woke up, her hair had fallen out and she had lost her sight.
Can you just imagine?
Fortunately, MADIPHA was there for her when she was at her lowest point, and with a lot of hard work and commitment, Margret believes in herself again, her fearless spirit has returned and she is BACK ON IT.
She was given a lifeline and she is now ready to take on the world. And all it took was a bit of love, respect and support.
MARGRET’S AWE-INSPIRING DREAM
We only have 30 days to act...
She wants to build a home and resource centre that welcomes others like herself, to support them mentally and physically when at their lowest points. Children with severe disabilities so that they can learn basic life skills. Parents who need resources and understanding of their own abilities (not inabilities!) She’s a catalyst: Audacious and brilliant…and this was all her idea.
She wants to pass on what she has learned from her own experiences.
And she’s making it happen! I’m blown away by the progress already made. With the help of funding from Nerve, a plot of land has been bought and Margret is officially a landowner...
But we are a long way from the finish line, we’re against the clock (and wet season).
THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN...
To get Margret onto her land we need to build her house - the first step towards building the resource centre.
The architect tells us the project will take one month.
How long is my trip duration here? Also one month.
THE PLAN AND NEXT STEPS - £10K CROWDFUND BUDGET.
We need your little pockets of money to buy…
* Bricks
* Iron sheets
* Iron bars
* Cement for the house and accessible ramp
* Sand and limestone
* Timber for roofing
* Roof tiles
* Paint
* Windows and frames
* Steel doors with locks - for the house and toilets
* Wooden doors with locks (for the chicken house)
* Jerry cans for water
* Building tools - wire mesh, cables, nails and other materials
* Electricity provision and wiring
* Solar panels
* Solar lamps
…and of course, very importantly, we need to cover costs of local labour and transport.
THE WORK SO FAR…
WE HAVE WATER!
MADIPHA arranged for the Water Board to dig a 250m trench from the main road, where the water mains are, through neighbours' front gardens and all the way to Margret’s plot of land.
Why is this AMAZING?
* Essentially we've brought water to the village!
* Margret has her own, clean, accessible water source
* It gives her a source of income because she can sell water by the Jerry Can.
* She can stay healthy, cook, clean, and maintain her home as well as the-soon-to-be resource centre!
This was all the idea of our partner MADIPHA, who come up with smart solutions every week to make this and an even more efficient and more sustainable project.
WE HAVE A TOILET!
Not only did the team get the water line installed, they have dug a 50ft hole for toilet latrine - by hand! That’s a very deep hole! They’ve been using ropes to get up and down the pit. It’s tremendous - I’ve never seen anything like this before.
THE FIRST BRICKS HAVE BEEN LAID!
When I arrived on-site it was a hive of activity: Everyone was head down, getting on with it. They are working so hard....and you could smell the freshness of the newly unearthed soil.
And that’s why everyone working on this project…. TOTALLY. ROCKS!
SO LET’S DO THIS! PLEASE HELP US COMPLETE THE HOUSE.
We’ve got this far with the combined efforts, energy and the good vibes of friends in our community. I would LOVE to day that it was thanks to you lovely folk that we got it done.
We don’t want to stop now.
THANK YOU!!
Esther Kwaku
The Nerve Network
Organizer
Esther Kwaku
Organizer
