BRICK BY BRICK NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2016

LETTER FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IN UGANDA

Max Ssenyoga is a Mzee. (Pronounced Muzay) In Buganda, the major tribal community of central Uganda where we do most of our work, a Mzee is a trusted elder. Max began his work with Brick by Brick as a community volunteer in 2010. He is a man of Rakai, born and raised in Kalisizo, where Brick by Brick began back in 2003. Max befriended our young Peace Corp volunteer, Jonathan Blanchard, who had an idea about creating a social enterprise, a construction company utilizing Interlocking Stablized Soil Bricks (ISSBs) that help preserve forests and wetlands in sub-Saharan Africa. In time, Max became our first full-time Program Coordinator, helping us to successfully expand our School Program and making Brick by Brick Construction, a profitable social-enterprise with 14 employees. Even when traveling to the most remote villages in the Rakai District, there seems to be not a soul who does not know our Mzee. So when you need the support of a local village chief, or a partner in the district government, there is no one you would rather have at your side than Max!

Several weeks ago Max was in the office working on a report on our recently completed construction projects at three primary schools. Collaboration is a part of Brick by Brick’s culture so for Max to request the assistance of our intern James was not unusual, but the fact that Max was half-crawling across the room to ask his question certainly was! Max and our staff immediately recognized that he was having a stroke. Of course, a stroke is a life-threatening emergency anywhere in the world but even more so in our region of Uganda.

Our staff immediately responded to get Max to one of the best hospitals in Uganda, Nsambya Hospital in Kampala, the capital city. By the time they arrived in the hospital it was very late on a Friday night. James and our driver Aklam Kalule, stayed by Max’s side until his very high blood pressure was stabilized and he was resting comfortably. From the time that Max’s condition was recognized until he was out of danger, our entire staff worked together to ensure that Max was getting the best care possible. The three physicians on our staff, Executive Director, Dr. Dan Murokora, BAMA Clinical Director Dr Eleanor Nakintu and myself, were all in communication to ensure that everything that could be done was being performed in a timely and correct manner. A job well done!

Max is now recovering at home, engaged in a vigorous schedule of physical and occupational therapy. Despite persistent weakness on his left side that has slowed him down a bit, his only complaint is that he can’t return to his job. On a recent visit with Max at his home in Kalisizo, we reminisced on how far we have come since 2010. “Max, can you imagine, just seven years ago, you were our only paid employee.” Max had a wide smile on his face as he said, “I am so happy for all we have accomplished and I am so grateful for my life with Brick by Brick.”

As I sat with Max and his wife Teddy over a traditional Ugandan lunch, I thought of how grateful we all our to have Max with us. How much we all appreciate the many staff who pulled together to support Max. They say “it takes a village to save a child” and this month it took the entire Brick by Brick team to save a life and to show our love and appreciation for our Mzee.

Warmest regards and as always we thank you for your support,

Marc

For more information on how you can partner with Brick by Brick e-mail: marcsklar@brickbybrick.org

And please share this great news on social media by clicking below:

BRICK BY BRICK NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2016

ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER IS A HUMAN RIGHT

The problem?

In Uganda, like most of sub-Saharan Africa, women and children's days often begin with the drudgery that is fetching water. Before starting the mile long walk to school, Frances is up before sunrise carrying a 20-liter jerry can weighing 44 pounds on her head, gathering water for her family. Before Brick by Brick partnered with her primary school, she would arrive with her classmates, and be sent off again to fetch water for the school. Day after day, year after year, precious class time is lost due to the lack of access to clean water. Sub-saharan Africans spend about 40 billion hours per year collecting water. That's equal to the work performed by the entire nation of France! This burden, which is carried disproportionately by women and girls, is more than a waste of time. While walking miles on remote rural paths to collect water, women and girls are especially vulnerable to rape and other acts of sexual harassment and violence.

Every year 1.6 million people die around the world due to diarrheal illness. In the time it will take you to read this newsletter 12 human beings, mostly children will have died, not from some mysterious or hard to treat disease but simply due to the lack of access to clean and safe water and sanitation. 1.1 billion people and over half the world's primary schools around the world lack this access. How is it possible that this problem has gone unsolved year after year, decade after decade, not for the lack of a solution but rather that of political will and smartly invested resources.

Brick by Brick is determined to be a part of the solution.

Since we began our work in 2004 in the Rakai District of Uganda, we have been focused on providing access to safe and clean water to our partnering communities. In everyone of the six universal primary schools that we have rebuilt we have constructed rainwater harvesting systems that ensure adequate clean water for all students and teachers. In partnership with the Peace Corp and other Ugandan NGOs, our social enterprise, Brick by Brick Construction Company has built over 90 such systems throughout Uganda, providing clean water for 100,000 people throughout the country. A 30,000 liter rainwater harvesting tank, which can provide adequate water for a school community costs $2,000. Now the good news.... if well maintained our rainwater tanks have a life span of 30 years or more, that's 18 cents per day to provide water for 500 students! 

What can you do to guarantee clean water as a human right?

Over 12 million people in Uganda lack access to clean, safe water, so we still have a way to go. Brick by Brick is nothing without our powerful partners both in Uganda and here in the U.S. So here are a few ideas:

• Throw a Water Party Fundraiser with a goal of raising enough money for Brick by Brick to build a rainwater harvesting tank. You can save money by serving clean, cold water as your beverage of choice!
• Start a Crowd Sourcing project to provide clean water for an entire school of 500 students. We can provide pictures and great stories to get you started.
• You can partner with us in ensuring access to clean water for all children by clicking DONATE

For more information on how you can partner with Brick by Brick e-mail us at: marcsklar@brickbybrick.org

And please share this great news on social media by clicking below:

BRICK BY BRICK NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2016

BRICK BY BRICK UGANDA HIRES NEW PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Since its founding in 2004, Brick by Brick has always depended on a small core of dedicated Ugandan staff and American volunteers. We have experienced extraordinary growth over the past six years. From a single paid staff person in 2011 we now have 10 full time employees working for Brick by Brick Uganda, and an additional 14 skilled staff employed with our social enterprise, Brick by Brick Construction Company.

With this rapid growth has come the need to build and strengthen the capacity of our organization in terms of program management, monitoring and evaluation, ensuring that all of our programs are well directed and that every dollar spent is invested wisely. A key part of our long term strategy is to rely on the knowledge and experience of our Ugandan staff. In the hiring of Alice Male as our new Program Director, we have taken a significant step in ensuring strong leadership for Brick by Brick Uganda, now and in the future. Here's what Alice has to say about this new opportunity:

What excites you most about the opportunity of becoming Brick By Brick's first Ugandan Program Director?

"By deciding this is the right time to have a Ugandan as a Program Director, the organization has shown it has trust and confidence in the abilities of Ugandans to effectively manage and expand our organization.... Brick By Brick is a prominent organization in this part of my country, Uganda. It has a good reputation and proven record of delivering development initiatives that are both locally appropriate and sustainable. I therefore consider it a great honor to head its programs. I am representing Ugandans at this realm of directorship - a call I find a great personal achievement. This opportunity gives me the platform to bring the Ugandan perspective to program development and management. It also offers me the opportunity to showcase what Ugandans have and can offer in the overall program development sphere. Like any other Ugandan, I bring on board the national's perspective and understanding of development challenges that can lead the way to birth solutions that are not only relevant, locally appropriate but also sustainable."

Where do I see Brick By Brick Uganda 5 years from now?

"I see Brick By Brick implementing programs that are:

• Wider – expanded geographical coverage, reaching a diverse category of beneficiaries in large numbers
• Deeper – implementing high-impact projects, tackling deep-rooted underlying development issues
• Diversified – expanded range of interventions to include thematic areas new to the organization

I envision Brick by Brick Uganda as a national, strong and solid organization of experienced professionals that successfully delivers on its promises and commitments, meeting or exceeding project goals. We will be known as a lead organization championing staff career development, personal growth and development achieving this through a model  of mentorship, coaching and supporting staff to achieve their dreams as they commit their time, resources and efforts in working for and with disadvantaged, marginalized and oppressed communities. We will become the organization of choice for prospective donor organizations and development agencies looking for credible local organizations to partner with for emergency relief and development programs. I can see Brick by Brick Uganda in the forefront of harnessing and developing new practical, innovative and sustainable development interventions that are scalable."

Tell us a few things about yourself and your family?

"I am 39 years old, married to a loving husband who owns his own construction company. Together we live just outside the capital city of Kampala with our two beautiful children Samantha, who is eight years old and Samuel who is five. A Muganda by tribe, I grew up in a family of nine siblings, with five sisters and four brothers. I was born and raised in Kitetiika village located eight miles from Kampala. My late dad’s passion was to educate all his kids at a time when girl-child education wasn’t a priority in Uganda. This however, did not deter him since he took us to some of the best schools around Kampala; a move that paid off in the long run. Today two of my sisters are lawyers; one brother is a doctor, 3 of my siblings are teachers, 2 social workers and myself a  Public Health professional."

We are all very excited about having Alice join the Brick by Brick team. Thank you Alice, for your commitment to the communities that we serve together.

And please share this great news on social media by clicking below:

BRICK BY BRICK NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2016

MY PADS PROGRAM AWARDED DREAMS INNOVATION CHALLENGE GRANT

When Brick by Brick Uganda Finance and Administration Manager, Prossy Nakayiba wrote an e-mail to our Executive Director about the DREAMS Program it was on the evening of Good Friday.

"When is the deadline?" Marc asked.

"Tuesday, but I think we can do it!" Prossy responded.

For the next four days, including Easter Sunday we worked to get our 'Expression of Interest" submitted. Two months later we learned we were selected as a finalist. We then put together an international team, led by Ugandan grant writer, Margaret Namugamba, and for two weeks we researched and wrote a first class proposal. Two weeks ago, we received the news that we were one of 56 organizations awarded significant funding that will allow us to scale up the My Pads Program to reach 2400 students over the next two years. The DREAMS Program is a US Government led initiative in 10 sub-Saharan countries the goal of which is to reduce HIV incidence in women age 15-24 by 40% over a two year period. The My Pads Program is an innovative educational program that empowers young women with vital knowledge and life skills that can reduce their risk of HIV infection, unwanted pregnancies and dropping out of school.

According to UNICEF one in ten menstruating girls skips school for 4-5 days out of every 28 day cycle or drops out completely. That degree of absenteeism means means losing 13 learning days or 2 weeks, 104 hours of school every term. About 23% of adolescents between ages of 12-18 drop out after they begin menstruating. A study carried out by the Netherlands Development Association in seven districts in Uganda revealed that girls miss 10% of school days due to menstruation. “Girls with even primary level education are two times less likely to have had sex, while girls with secondary education are 3 times less likely.” About one-third of girls drop out of school between the ages of 10-14. Therefore an important part of any strategy to reduce the risk of HIV infection is to intervene early to keep girls in school and address any and all impediments to regular school attendance.

In a survey completed by Brick by Brick Uganda in 2012 among 139 girls in three UPE schools in the Rakai District, 78% reported using dirty old clothes or rags during menstruation. 88% said that they would not purchase Afripads (a locally manufactured hygiene product) at a cost of 12,000 UGX, 92% said they would be interested in making their own reusable pads at a cost of 2500 UGX. 34% reported missing days of school due to their menstrual periods at an average of 3.3 days per month. 23% told us that menses negatively affected their studies. We found profound lack of knowledge in basic reproductive health, with 96% of the respondents reporting they were eager to learn more.

In response to these findings, Brick by Brick Uganda launched the My Pads Program, an 8-week co-educational after school program focusing on reproductive and sexual health, gender equality and the promotion of healthy life choices. This program culminates in the fabrication by the students of a set of four reusable menstrual pads. To date this program has been implemented for 1000 students in the Rakai District, consistently demonstrating a 2-3 fold increase in knowledge regarding reproductive health. In 2015, we expanded this program to include a Training of Trainers component. This three-day workshop has been delivered in ten schools throughout Uganda with a plan to monitor program implementation in 2016 as well as expand this TOT program to additional Peace Corp Uganda schools.

Thanks to the initiative shown by Prossy, we will now be able to expand this program to thousands of young women in our district. You can help us to reach even more students with the My Pads Program by clicking DONATE

And please share this great news on social media by clicking below:

BRICK BY BRICK NEWSLETTER JUNE 2016

For our first E-newsletter we are focusing on our most ambitious program to date, our:

Babies and Mothers Alive (BAMA) Program.

Every year 6,000 mothers and 34,000 newborns die needlessly in Uganda from complications that are easily treated in the U.S and elsewhere. Why are so many women and babies dying in Uganda and throughout the developing world? We know that the majority of these deaths can be prevented by addressing each of 3-Delays:

• Delay in seeking care
• Delay in reaching care
• Delay in receiving care

Women living in rural communities often lack the knowledge of when to begin to seek maternal health care services. Gender inequality robs many women of the power to make this life saving decision. Once a woman in labor chooses to seek care at a health facility she often faces tremendous challenges due to poor transportation systems, roads and lack of funds. The final insult is that once a woman reaches a hospital she often finds providers who lack the knowledge and skills needed to handle even the most common of obstetric complications, shortages of life saving medications, surgical equipment or the facility to provide blood transfusions.

Access to quality maternal and newborn care is a human right. After completing a needs assessment of the 24 health centers and hospitals in the Rakai District, in partnership with the Ugandan Ministry of Health, we have begun a training and mentoring program for doctors, nurses and midwives to dramatically reduce maternal and newborn mortality in our district. We go beyond improving the knowledge and skills of providers and work to strengthen the management of health facilities to ensure that improvements are sustainable over time.

In the coming months we will provide updates, photos and personal stories documenting both our successes and challenges. Please watch the deeply moving video below that tells the story of why our mothers, sisters and daughters are dying and what we can do to avert this on-going tragedy.

Thank you for all your support that makes our work possible. If you would like to find out more about our work, please e-mail me with any questions or feedback at marcsklar@brickbybrick.org

To help us expand our impact click here to help keep, Babies and Mothers Alive

Why Did Mrs X Die

[video width="640" height="360" mp4="http://www.brickbybrick.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Extract-from-Why-Did-Mrs-X-Die-Retold-SD-1.mp4"][/video]

BAMA Program Opens New Offices In Kalisizo

The Babies and Mothers Alive (BAMA) Program is a partnership with the Ugandan Ministry of Health to improve the quality of Maternal and Newborn Health in the Rakai District. To date, we have preformed a needs assessment in the 24 public Health Centers and hospitals that deliver care to mothers and their babies. In this comprehensive report, critical gaps in care were identified. In the coming months, we will begin training and mentoring activities for health providers in our district, as well as capacity-building in health management. Opening our program offices in Kalisizo, close to the people we serve, will allow us to build strong partnerships with local communities and the Ugandan Government.

Babies and Mothers Alive (BAMA) Program Strives to Improve Health Facility Management

Every year 7,000 women die in Uganda due to complications of pregnancy; almost all of these deaths are preventable. After performing a Needs Assessment at the 24 Health Centers that provide maternal and newborn care in the Rakai District, Brick by Brick Uganda has launched the Babies and Mothers Alive (BAMA) Program. The goal of this program is to reduce maternal and newborn mortality in the district through training and mentoring of heath care providers and institutional capacity building. Last week, we began our work by holding a 2-day training in Logistics Management for staff from each of the district's health centers.

BRINGING WOMEN'S HEALTH EXPERTISE TO KIBOGORA RWANDA

Brick by Brick is partnering with Dr. Lisa Nathan of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in sponsoring Dr. Desire Patauli in his training to become an obstetrician-gynecologist. Upon completion of his studies in Uganda, Desire will return to Kibogora Hospital in western Rwanda, where he will work for the women and children of this underserved community.

BRICK BY BRICK TO LAUNCH PROGRAM TO IMPROVE MATERNAL AND NEWBORN CARE IN THE RAKAI DISTRICT

Brick by Brick is launching our BAMA Program (Babies and Mothers Alive), designed to improve maternal and newborn care in the Rakai District of ‪‎Uganda‬. Brick by Brick Uganda Executive Director, Dr. Dan Murokora and Program Coordinator Sandra Mirembe, met today with Brick by Brick Partners co-founder Dr Marc Robert Sklar to plan our program initiatives for the coming year.

MY PADS TRAININGS TO BE HELD THROUGHOUT UGANDA

Brick by Brick staff Suzan Kyambadde and Robin Rentrope are traveling through Uganda in August and September to conduct 5 more My Pads trainings of teachers at Peace Corps Volunteers' schools. Last week they headed to Fort Portal to work with the teachers of Saints Peter and Paul Primary School - site of Peace Corps Volunteer Madeleine Oulevey. The teachers learned how to make reusable menstrual pads and lead engaging lessons and discussions about sexual and reproductive health. They even had the opportunity to inform teachers about good nutrition, especially foods high in iron for those students suffering from fatigue and anemia during heavy flows. And also about cognitive behavior therapy exercises such as journaling through worst fears, practicing deep breathing, and doing yoga stretches and meditation as ways for teachers to help calm students struggling through episodes of anger and anxiety.

These trainings are part of Brick by Brick's strategic plan to expand on our successful programs through a Training of Trainers model throughout Uganda. Thank you Peace Corp Uganda for your partnership!!

My Pads Training at Kyamaganda

Today, we completed another My Pads training of teachers at a Peace Corps Volunteer's school. Thank you Mary Jameson for inviting us to help implement youth sexual and reproductive health and RUMPS sessions at Kyamaganda Primary School. The teachers were very receptive and excellent participants. We are confident that the program will help empower the students. The teachers also learned really engaging activities to use during lessons - thanks to Mary's Base Pack games and our youth development sessions.

BAMA Program Training for Staff

Brick by Brick's Babies and Mothers Alive Program started off with a training of all the staff in order to understand the objectives of their participation. It gave all the staff an overview of the project. A team of 5 members is currently carrying out research on the quality of service for newborn maternal health in 22 Level III health centers and 3 hospitals in Rakai district. This research is carried out in the hope that it will allow for the improvement of maternal and newborn care that is currently prevailing in the health centers.

HI PEP Program Up and Running

We couldn't be more proud of our HI PEP Peer Educators who have become confident, well-educated, exemplary role models at SEED Secondary School! In their most recent workshop on Prevention Methods they exhibited a strong understanding of the subject material and comfort teaching. They have come such a long way from the shy students we started working with several months ago. Three Peer Educators have even volunteered to form a committee to continue the program next year!

My Pads Program Begins New Training of Trainers Model

On Tuesday, Suzan Kyambadde, our My Pads Program Coordinator, and Robin Rentrope, our Peace Corps Health Volunteer, traveled to Arua in the West Nile region of Uganda to conduct a two day training of teachers for our My Pads program. Suzan and Robin have been working diligently to redevelop the training, and it turned out to be a huge success. Sessions included: building knowledge and skills to deliver sexual and reproductive health lessons; building leadership in youth development work; Modeling lessons - teacher practicals and feedback on lesson delivery; and creating an implementation plan for the program at school. These pictures are from the first day of the workshop.

Marketing to the Base of the Pyramid

Our team has been conducting market research using the skills we've gained from our +Acumen classes 'Market Analysis for the Botton of the Pyramid' and 'Human Centered Design'. We've learned how to best design and market products to appeal to and be useful to people making under $2.50 a day. We have interviewed over 50 women in the past two weeks to get a sense of how to market our My Pads re-usable menstrual pads (RUMPs). Thanks to what we have heard from these ladies, we have a pretty good idea of how best to sell this product in villages. We are hoping to make a small profit from selling My Pads locally so that we can expand our youth sexual and reproductive health and RUMPs making program to more schools in Uganda.

HI PEP (HIV Intervention Peer Education Program) Is Launched

Today is World AIDS Day. Brick by Brick will be launching a new HIV Intervention Peer Education Program (HI PEP) in 2015. Led by Brick by Brick Intern Jeremy Brecher-Haimson and Community Health Educator Susan Kyambadde, this innovative program will train secondary school students to serve as peer educators, promoting healthy choices amongst their schoolmates.

Brick by Brick's Expanding Mission

[portfolio_slideshow id=1995] For the past five years Brick by Brick has widened the scope of its work with partnering communities in rural Uganda. Since our founding in 2003, our focus has been on improving the quality of education by building sound infrastructure for free Universal Primary Education (UPE) schools. With the success of our social enterprise, Brick by Brick Construction, which employs 12 skilled masons and has turned a profit in each of its four years, we began to realize the value of a more holistic approach to development. Brick by Brick has a unique opportunity to partner with local communities to promote sustainable development. Over the last three months, our Board of Directors has been developing a new 5-year Strategic Plan. After receiving valuable feedback from both Ugandan and US staff and stakeholders, we will now expand our work to partner with communities to address the following critical needs:

• Access to quality health care: Brick by Brick will now work to address critical gaps in health care delivery, focusing on improving the physical infrastructure of health centers and hospitals and the knowledge and skills of providers.
• Health Education: We will continue to expand on the success of our My Pads Program, which educates young women about reproductive health, while teaching them to fabricate their own reusable menstrual pads. In 2015, we plan to launch a new program, an HIV Peer Education Program    (HI PEP) for secondary school students.
• Water and sanitation: Brick by Brick has already built water and sanitation systems throughout Uganda and we will continue to implement community-based solutions in this critical sector.
• Economic Opportunity: We will continue to expand Brick by Brick Construction Company, which provides good paying jobs and training for our communities, while providing revenue to support our programs.

As our new Mission Statement affirms Brick by Brick will:

Create partnerships that improve education, health and economic opportunity in East Africa.

Together with our Ugandan partners, we have accomplished much in the last eleven years. We look forward to even greater change in the future!

Empowering Girls Through Health Education

The excited looks on these girls faces was incredible! They had just completed the fabrication of their own Re-usable Menstruation Pads. (RUMPS) This was the final class of a 7-week program that educates girls in primary schools regarding reproductive health. Throughout the program we addressed topics such as: Healthy Choices, Adolescent Pregnancy, Puberty, HIV/AIDS, and other STIs. The girls have been incredibly responsive to this program thus far: providing thoughtful responses in class and picking up on the making of their RUMPS quickly.After the success of the My Pads pilot project last year, we have completed this second phase in two schools: St. Tereza Kajaguzo Primary School and Nakasoga UMEA Primary School. The initial results of the post-course tests have been very promising with a solid improvement of scores from the pre-test. We are very excited to continue and expand this program in the coming year.

Brick by Brick Seeks To Improve Health Through Quality Housing For Health Care Providers

According to the Ugandan Ministry of Health, only 20-25% of health workers have housing at their place of work. In combination with inadequate salaries and housing allowances this situation results in many providers living far from their health centers or hospitals and is a major contributor to the 'brain drain' of trained professionals from rural under-served communities where they are most needed. The inevitable result is a lack of qualified personnel, increased absenteeism and long response times to life threatening emergencies. Brick by Brick is currently looking at how we can help alleviate this problem through the construction of quality housing for doctors, nurses and midwives. By leveraging our experience in environmentally-friendly construction, we can begin to address this barrier to greater access to quality health care for Ugandan families.