A Message from Brick by Brick Executive Director Marc Sklar who is in Uganda to meet with our local staff and plan our work for the coming year.
Greetings from Kalisizo, Uganda. Today I visited one of our newest partnering school communities, the St Tereza Kajaguzo Primary School, a free Universal Primary Education school in rural Uganda. Meeting with students, parents and teachers we shared the dramatic transformation that has occurred in this school over the past six months. Seven classrooms and a staff office that were crumbling, with dirt floors, have been completely renovated. Thanks to the full partnership of the local community, who have contributed significantly in labor and materials, we have accomplished the first two phases of our work plan for just over $18,000. Today I heard words of thanks for Brick by Brick's work at St. Tereza and I in turn thank all of our partners both here and in the US who have made our success to date a reality. There is much more to do but today was a day to acknowledge how far we have come in just six months. 
100 and Counting!!
It was a sunny, warm afternoon in Kalisizo, Uganda and a very cold morning in Brooklyn as Brick by Brick celebrated a landmark worthy of celebration. For the past 100 weeks we have held our weekly staff meeting on Skype, reviewing our work and establishing our goals for the future. For some, this may seem like only a modest accomplishment but for our staff both in Uganda and in the US we took a moment to acknowledge each other for a job well done.
Two years ago, in a thorough analysis of our strengths and weaknesses our U.S. Board of directors identified our lack of clear lines of communication between our Ugandan and American staff as a major threat to our work. It took some time and an investment in training, a few laptop computers and a USB modem but it has paid off. Almost two years later, we are still meeting every week, led by our Kalisizo-based Program Coordinator Max Ssenyonga. The meetings allow us to share ideas, set targets and goals and keep our work moving forward. But the meetings are not all work, as laughter, the sound of neighborhood children and the occasional goat or rooster are often heard. We are all looking forward to the next 100 staff meetings and a year filled with good work performed together.
New School Building Completed at UMEA Primary School
Brick by Brick Uganda has been partnering with the UMEA Primary School community since 2007. During these past six years we have built and stocked a library, renovated multiple classrooms, and addressed the water needs through the construction of rainwater harvesting systems. This month Brick by Brick Construction completed a new multi-purpose building. Now the students and teachers of UMEA Primary School will have a performance space, place to study, and space to meet and hold assemblies. In addition, this beautiful new building will provide much needed classrooms for the 420 students of UMEA.
Our work has been made possible through the support of the students, parents and teachers of Kennedy-King Elementary School in Brooklyn, New York. Thanks to Kennedy-King and many matching fund donors we have made much progress at UMEA Primary School.Thank you to all who have made the dreams of UMEA's families a reality.
Brick by Brick 3rd Annual Board Retreat
Brick by Brick's Board of Directors met this past Sunday for its 3rd Annual Board Retreat. Over the past three years Brick by Brick has invested time and energy in attracting an active and dedicated board. Led by Board Chair Adam Rabinovitch, this year's retreat focused on re-thinking the way we communicate our work and mission. Brick by Brick has been engaged in innovative projects that challenge the traditional way non-profits work in the world of development. How can we most effectively tell our story in a way that will expand our community of supporters? The board also worked on developing a new volunteer program that will expand our work, while providing an opportunity for us to partner with members of our community who share our passion for sustainable change in the developing world.
TRAINING UMEA STUDENTS ABOUT ECO-SAN TOILET
A training of P.6 female students was conducted at UMEA primary school. The training was to help them understand how to use an Eco-San toilet and its advantages. From our research and the experience of others using this technology we know that success is dependent on proper usage and maintenance. The trained students will be able to teach other students how to use it. This is a pilot facility and it was designed for a small part of the school population to help us learn as much as we can about this technology and whether it can be operated effectively in a primary school environment.
- Max training P.6 students of UMEA P/S
-
- Max in class training
-
- Max taking students to the Eco-san toilet to show them how it works
-
- Max showing students how the chambers work
My Pad Project: Empowering Girls with Knowledge and Skills
Brick by Brick Uganda has launched a new project to help girls and young women learn about their own bodies, while creating their own re-usable menstrual pads. In Uganda, as is true in many parts of the world, women often lack access to simple yet expensive menstrual hygiene products. Every month, many female students are forced to miss days of school, with direct impact on their academic progress. In 2012 Brick by Brick Uganda funded a needs assessment to research this problem and inquire from the girls themselves, about a practical solution. Thus, the My Pads Project was born. With assistance from Peace Corp volunteer Aditi Desai, and led by Kalsizo's own midwife and Brick by Brick staff member, Nalango Susan Kyambadde, we are implementing this educational and practical course as an after school program in three primary and one secondary school. So far the program is a smashing success, with great attendance and participation at every session.
Our long-term goal is to integrate this program into the work we do at all the schools participating in the Brick by Brick schools program. At each school, teachers are being trained to carry on this program, consistent with our mission of sustainable change. Congratulations Nalango and to all of our partners for making this program a success!
Construction Continues at UMEA Kalisizo Primary School
Brick by Brick Uganda has been partnering with the UMEA Kalisizo Primary School for the past five years. Over that time, we have built a rainwater harvesting system, providing clean drinking water for UMEA's students and staff, constructed a library, built an energy efficient kitchen and renovated multiple classrooms. Now nearing the completion of our work together, we are building a large multi-purpose building that will provide classrooms, a study hall,and a performance/assembly hall. From the beginning, with matching donors, the students, teachers and parents of the Kennedy-King Elementary School in Brooklyn, New York have helped to raise funds for this important work that has literally re-built UMEA. Projected completion date: November 30th! 
My Pad Project Launched
Written by Susan Kyambadde, Staff Midwife at Kalisizo Hospital and Member of Brick by Brick Staff
On July 12th, Brick by Brick Uganda hosted a training for all of the teachers that will be involved in the My Pad Project. This new program is intended to teach students about their reproductive health, while providing young women the opportunity to make their own re-useable menstrual pads. We trained a total of twelve teachers - eight Senior Women teachers and four Senior Male teachers from Kirumba Primary School, Matale Hill Primary School, St. Andrews Secondary School, and UMEA Kalisizo Primary School. Each teacher was taught life skills, the menstrual cycle, and how to make a reusable menstrual pad. By the end of the day all of the teachers managed to make a sample of the reusable menstrual pad, even the male teachers! The male teachers embraced the training components just as much as the female teachers did, suggesting this project has real potential.
Overall, the training was a success. All of the teachers expressed great interest in the project. Additionally, the teachers expressed their appreciation towards Brick by Brick Uganda for implementing a project that would educate all of their students and would provide a sustainable solution to help their female students manage their monthly menstruation.
2nd Annual Blues Night: What a Night!!
Over 100 of Brick by Brick's community of partners danced the night away, celebrating our 10th anniversary. Co-founder Michael Greene was the surprise guest of honor, as Executive Director Marc Sklar spoke of his decade of service for the children of Uganda. R & B singer Booby Hardin shook the Prospect Park Picnic House to its core and had most of our guests showing off their best dancing moves.
While great music, good food and friendship were the main themes of the evening, Brick by Brick's mission of innovative service was also front and center, as our Board Chair Adam Rabinovitch thanked our guests for their commitment, while inviting them to expand their partnership with numerous volunteer opportunities.
By Friday morning we were already beginning work on next year's Blues Night, stay tuned!!
Aspiring Africa: Investing in the Future
Here in the U.S., the the view of Africa we receive from the mainstream media is filled with images of starvation, war and persistent poverty. While progress on many fronts has been painstakingly slow, we at Brick by Brick know first hand that there is another story to tell. Working with our many partnering communities, we are meeting the challenge of building a better future by investing in our greatest asset, the people of Uganda. Check out this article in the March 2nd issue of The Economist to get a more realistic and optimistic take on Africa's future.