Kampala to Mombasa (and everywhere in between!)

In July, Sam Walker, our Africa Region Coordinator set off on a two-week round trip from his base in Malawi to Uganda and Kenya via plane, coach, car, matatu (mini-bus), boda-boda (motorbike) and on foot! Links has both longstanding partnerships and fresh connections in these nations.

Firstly, in Kampala, Sam spent a few days with Wellspring Uganda, meeting the team and sharing a message with the Sunday gathering that meets at their school. The church has committed young people ready to serve their faith community and their wider community. Sharing vision and encouragement is always a key part of what we do through Links' visits.

Then, in eastern Uganda, the main part of Sam's visit was to follow up on a MED scheme started last year with Uganda Women Concern Ministry. This organisation has been established for decades and focuses on those less-privileged outside the town of Mbale and the surrounding hill country. The staff and volunteers have struggled in recent years to establish more sustainable models to maintain their activities. MED is offering a revolving and expanding route to maintain and grow economic sustainability within their organisation. Sam also spent a day with the core staff on Strategic Planning and Management topics and tools, to assist them as they complete their organisation's 5-year vision plan.

From Mbale, Sam travelled East to Kenya, stopping in Nakuru to meet Joy Counselling. Paul Titus showed how the water project which Links assisted with last year is continuing to be a life source for the community and has started the next phase to expand access to other households and fields that are close to their centre. Their community in Miti Mingi is locked into an agriculture economy and depends on an increasingly unpredictable rain supply. Providing a wider use of irrigation there is great potential to transform this area through improving food security and increasing established agrobusiness.

Finally, through Kenya's capital Nairobi, Sam headed as far east as is possible to travel to Kilifi close to Mombasa. Here there is an embryonic MED committee in a very poor community connected with Love Your Neighbour organisation. The independent and well-trained committee is ready to start administrating loans to about 10-12 borrowers. There is great potential for this to expand quickly over the next few years, as there is much need in the Kilifi area and limited access to capital for business opportunities.

If you would like to support any of these projects, and in particular this new MED scheme, please join these World Changers. £80 can kick start a vulnerable household into economic empowerment and sustainability, as well as passing on this assistance to another poor household, as soon as 12 months later.


In it together.

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