Project Uganda team to promote health

Seven students ages 6 to 18 and seven adults, including Sisters teachers Heather Johnson, Gail Greaney, and Casey Pallister, will travel to the Good Samaritan School in Masaka, Uganda, on March 20 to deliver assistance to their "sister school."

Osborn Muyanja, director and founder of the Good Samaritan School in Masaka, Uganda, visited the Sisters High School (SHS) health classroom last February to share the story of his upbringing and how he started a school for 17 orphans under a tree. There are now 1,300 students at the Masaka School.

He also shared the cultural, socioeconomic, and health differences of his students compared to the students in the U.S. His visit had a profound effect on health teacher Heather Johnson and her students.

The high school health students began to come up with creative ideas to provide aid for their "sister" school. Sisters High School students knew that $1 a day could provide education, one meal, and medicine to their "sister" student. Their "Walk to Water" fundraising event brought $7,000 for medical and nutritional relief to the 1,300 Ugandan students.

"This was a soul-shifting experience for many students in the Sisters School District," Johnson said. "Acts of service beyond our dreams, and still their ideas and motivation continues."

Johnson has stayed in touch with Muyanja, and found out that the young women of the Masaka School miss up to two or more months a year from school because of their monthly menstrual cycles.

"We immediately began the pursuit of finding a solution for every girl at the Good Samaritan School in Uganda," said Johnson. "Fortunately my aunt Ellen Reynolds and I stumbled across Days for Girls International."

Days for Girls International is a grassroots nonprofit organization. Their purpose is: "creating a more dignified, humane, and sustainable world for girls through advocacy reproductive health awareness, education, and sustainable feminine hygiene." The kits that are made by volunteers at the various Days for Girls organization cost about $10 to make, and consists of a sewn draw-string bag containing eight absorbent tri-fold cloth pads, two sewn moisture barrier shields, freezer bags, one pair of underwear (girls size 10-16), one washcloth and one travel-sized soap bar.

"This simple solution gives days back to girls, days that can change their lives. This was the perfect solution for our team as well, and with the help of Ellen Reynolds and Susan Mondry, we created our own Days for Girls International team in Bend," Johnson said. "They've perfected these kits to a beautiful art and practical use for girls. The $10 kit will last three years for each girl. We have our team of women from Central Oregon, including Sisters, in Bend sewing these reusable pads that will go into the kit.

"We are inviting local people who want to assist in the creation of these kits. Our goal is to create 400 Days for Girls kits to be delivered to our female students in Masaka, Uganda, this March."

SHS students have decided to help.

SHS student Ross Grant was in the health room after class tracing cutouts on colorful material for the liners that will serve as part of the sanitary pad.

"I enjoy helping people, and was really interested in the Uganda project. I just want to help in any way possible," Ross said.

Recently the SHS Leadership Class asked Johnson how they can help with Project Uganda.

"For the past two weeks the kids have been encouraging other students by starting an Undies for Uganda fundraiser," Johnson said. "The kids from the leadership class have set up a booth in the high school commons, and during their lunch break have been taking $2 donations or new underwear briefs for the kits that will go to Uganda. It's an awareness of what's going on in other countries, and an opportunity for students to help internationally."

As of last week Sisters Project Uganda Team had only 100 kits to bring with them, and since their goal is to provide all of the girls these life-changing bags, they are now in need of sewing volunteers, assemblers of kits, suppliers of Ziploc bags, soap, underwear, and gatherers of bright-colored flannel, cotton, and new polyester thread for the kits.

"By the time we leave we may only be bringing 100 bags with us, and we need 400," Johnson said.

Johnson has been overwhelmed with gratitude from the students and community support around Project Uganda.

"We are bringing over heavy suitcases full of many beneficial things for the students in Uganda. But I found out that the cost would be astronomical for our Ugandan team to add that many extra heavy bags on our flight. So I reached out to my friend Angeline Rhett, the owner of Angeline's Bakery & Café, and asked if she could help. She almost immediately boarded a flight to Uganda on standby and took 150 pounds of baggage for our team, including 25 laptop computers, along with toothbrushes and clothing. Angeline is at the Good Samaritan School in Masaka right now scoping things out for us, and taking lots of photos. It's amazing what our community will do when there is a need!"

For more information, contact Heather Johnson at 541-639-2969 or email [email protected]