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We are Let's Walk Uganda (LWU), a not for profit organization operating since 2016. LWU’s mission is to support and empower young MSM (Men Who Have Sex With Men) in Uganda, where being gay is a crime punishable by up to life in prison. We are a 100% volunteer organization and our funding comes solely from donations received from individuals and other human rights organizations. From our small headquarters located in Kampala, Uganda, we also operate a safe house for homeless young MSM who are often disowned by their families and fired from their jobs when their sexuality is discovered. This group shelter offers a place to sleep, food, sexual health education, counseling, and referrals to free or low cost medical and legal assistance.
Description of the situation caused by the COVID-19 crisis that has led to the need for the relief fund
Let’s Walk Uganda is an NGO focused on improving the standards of living of young MSM in Uganda. We currently operate a shelter of 12 members with 6 staff. A series of measures to contain the spread of the virus were put in place and have affected us in the following ways;
1. Suspension of residential households having more than 5 members; this forced us to temporarily re-settle the excess shelter members into the individual homes of the staff members as a security precaution to avoid probable police raids.
2. Suspension of public and private transport; makes it difficult to reach out to the young MSM individuals in need of our services in addition to difficulty with movement of necessities at our offices and shelter.
3. Introduction of specific hygienic practices; such as the use of hand sanitizers, hand gloves and face masks that are currently absent from our offices and shelter.
4. Inflated food prices; that immediately affected our food security of breakfast, lunch and supper at our shelter and offices. The prices are expected to go higher with the increased locust plagues in the country.
5. Need to purchase immunity boosting foods; such as fruits that were originally not a priority on our food menus in order to put up a better fight against COVID-19.
6. Need to adopt stronger security protocols; through hiring two security guards to protect our shelter from highly probable future shelter raids after one of our sister shelters was raided on homophobic grounds.
7. Limited access to health care services; through purchasing of medicines that can treat basic cough and flue related symptoms. In addition to medicines that can treat the non-Covid 19 diseases and disorders that may arise during the lock down situation.
Reasons for the need to respond urgently to the relief fund
1. The residential house limit of 5 members per household has forced us to temporarily re-settle some of the shelter members into the homes of our staff members who were incapacitated to accommodate them with the basic needs such as food, sanitary materials etc.
2. Emergencies arising in different locations that require our physical interventions on the scenes such as distribution of medicine, food and other emergency supplies to the young MSM individuals in need of our services, are difficult to access due to the public and private transport suspension.
3. The use of hand sanitizers, hand gloves and face masks, which are currently lacking at our offices and shelter, is necessary to help us fight COVID-19.
4. The prices of food are expected to go higher with the increased locust plagues in the country. Feeding of our staff and members remains one of our top priorities since food is a basic need.
5. Fruits are necessary to be placed as a priority on our food menus in order to put up a better fight against COVID-19.
6. Access to protection from the local police in the event of raids by local communities, in the current pandemic based lock down, is harder given the increased raids onto LGBT spaces, offices and shelters thus the need to hire security guards.
7. Stocking of vital medicines is important given that access to health centers by young MSM is already a challenge in the pre-existing homophobic environment.
Solutions to address the current needs
1. Reliance on individual homes of staff members; to temporarily accommodate the excess shelter members in order not to exceed the presidential directive on gatherings of more than 5 members in residential homes. We currently support some of their home expenses such as food, sanitary materials etc.
2. Purchase of 1 motorcycle and 2 bicycles; we seek to use the bicycles for shorter distances and the motorcycle for longer distances for various movement of shelter and office items during the lock down so as to maintain smooth conducting of our day to day activities.
3. Purchase of face masks, hand gloves and hand sanitizers; we seek to use the mentioned materials to improve the individual protection mechanisms that will help control the spread of COVID-19 amongst our staff and members we serve.
4. We seek to improve on our food security situation through purchasing of food in bulk that will be enough to support our staff and shelter members during this crisis. This way, the inflated prices will not affect us as much as they would through retail purchases.
5. Purchase of immunity boosting foods; we seek to improve our individual immunity systems through unique purchases of fruits with higher pH such as avocado, mangoes, pineapples and oranges.
6. Hiring of security guards; we seek to improve our security status amidst the increased security risks of shelters through hiring of two security guards that would be available through the day and night shifts.
7. Purchase of self-medication treatments in line with COVID-19 symptoms; such as cough syrups and tablets, flue syrups and tablets and other basic first aid medicine that may be more difficult to access in case of alternative diseases and disorders.
How our activities will address the impact of the COVID-19 crisis to the situation described above
1. Reliance on individual homes of staff members; to temporarily accommodate the excess shelter members in order not to exceed the presidential directive on gatherings of more than 5 members in residential houses. We currently support some of their home necessities such as food, medicine, sanitary materials etc.
2. Purchase of 1 motorcycle and 2 bicycles; we seek to use the bicycles for shorter distances and the motorcycle for longer distances for various movement of shelter and office items during the lock down so as to maintain smooth conducting of our day to day activities.
3. Purchase of face masks, hand gloves and hand sanitizers; we seek to use the mentioned materials to improve the individual protection mechanisms that will help control the spread of COVID-19 amongst our staff and members we serve.
4. We seek to improve on our food security situation through purchasing of food in bulk that will be enough to support our staff and shelter members during this crisis. This way, the inflated prices will not affect us as much as they would through retail purchases.
5. Purchase of immunity boosting foods; we seek to improve our individual immunity systems through unique purchases of fruits with higher pH such as avocado, mangoes, pineapples and oranges.
6. Hiring of security guards; we seek to improve our security status amidst the increased security risks of shelters through hiring of two security guards that would be available through the day and night shifts.
7. Purchase of self-medication treatments in line with COVID-19 symptoms; such as cough syrups and tablets, flue syrups and tablets and other basic first aid medicine that may be more difficult to access in case of alternative diseases and disorders.
A short budget narrative or justification for how the relief fund will cover the costs
1. The direct beneficiaries of the budget will be 12 shelter members and 6 staff members.
2. The total cost of the motorcycle will also include the safety gear costs, maintenance costs and tracking installation costs. Preference for the bicycles will be on Mountain Bikes to cater for the varying topography.
3. Long lasting face masks will be given priority. Disposable hand gloves will be purchased in larger quantity given their non-reusability. Selected sanitizer will be certified by Uganda Bureau Of Standards.
4. Food and fruits costs will be budgeted for 12 shelter members and 6 staff members for three months based on the average market prices.
5. An LGBT friendly security firm will be chosen with a day shift and night shift security guard available at the shelter.
6. Medical supplies will treat growing symptoms of COVID-19 and treatment of common diseases and disorders experienced by our members
Past Experiences:
On the evening of October 21, 2019, our office and shelter were attacked by a mob of local citizens in our community. When the police were called for protection, they instead arrested the sixteen LWU members at the shelter, transported them to Nsambya Police Barracks, and charged them with the crime of “carnal knowledge against nature.” Against their will, our members were subjected to forced HIV tests (some of which were manipulated to assure HIV+ results), painful anal exams, and photographing. Only after the intervention of legal representatives from Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (HRAPH) and Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) were the arrested members released on bond.
The charges stand and they must return to police headquarters to find out whether the charges will be dismissed, thus risking rearrest. Progress Made: On November 16, 2019, we were successfully able to move into our new shelter. We were also able to cover the costs of rent, beddings, food, utilities, toiletries and other shelter needs necessary to sustain the operation of the shelter for the three months that followed. With the help of international supporters from around the globe, we continue to receive assistance in developing a realistic and attainable operating long term budget, logistical support, and further access to legal and human rights organizations who assist small grass-roots organizations such as LWU.
In an environment where members of our federal government continues to whip up anti-gay sentiment and threaten a return to the infamous “Kill The Gays” legislation passed by Parliament in 2014, which mandated the death penalty, the support of the international community is essential. Already this recent mass arrests of LGBTQ citizens has been covered in the international press, including by NBC News, The Washington Post, and The Guardian, to name a few. We continue to absorb in more shelter members as a good number were affected by the gay bar raid that occurred on the night of November 10, 2019.
We have requested our friend and donor Scott Stebbins, of the USA, to serve as beneficiary of the campaign. As a trusted advisor to Let's Walk Uganda, and someone who has already underwritten one of our programs, he will assure that 100% of donated funds go directly to LWU; not one cent (or, in Uganda, not one shilling) will be used to pay any member or anyone else a fee or salary. All funds are strictly to be used for the wellbeing of our community members. We are truly uplifted and inspired by the outpouring of support from people everywhere who are standing up for justice and equality. Thanks to your support, we will be able to continue to “walk the walk.” We thank you for reminding us that we do not stand alone. With deepest gratitude, Let’s Walk Uganda Team
Description of the situation caused by the COVID-19 crisis that has led to the need for the relief fund
Let’s Walk Uganda is an NGO focused on improving the standards of living of young MSM in Uganda. We currently operate a shelter of 12 members with 6 staff. A series of measures to contain the spread of the virus were put in place and have affected us in the following ways;
1. Suspension of residential households having more than 5 members; this forced us to temporarily re-settle the excess shelter members into the individual homes of the staff members as a security precaution to avoid probable police raids.
2. Suspension of public and private transport; makes it difficult to reach out to the young MSM individuals in need of our services in addition to difficulty with movement of necessities at our offices and shelter.
3. Introduction of specific hygienic practices; such as the use of hand sanitizers, hand gloves and face masks that are currently absent from our offices and shelter.
4. Inflated food prices; that immediately affected our food security of breakfast, lunch and supper at our shelter and offices. The prices are expected to go higher with the increased locust plagues in the country.
5. Need to purchase immunity boosting foods; such as fruits that were originally not a priority on our food menus in order to put up a better fight against COVID-19.
6. Need to adopt stronger security protocols; through hiring two security guards to protect our shelter from highly probable future shelter raids after one of our sister shelters was raided on homophobic grounds.
7. Limited access to health care services; through purchasing of medicines that can treat basic cough and flue related symptoms. In addition to medicines that can treat the non-Covid 19 diseases and disorders that may arise during the lock down situation.
Reasons for the need to respond urgently to the relief fund
1. The residential house limit of 5 members per household has forced us to temporarily re-settle some of the shelter members into the homes of our staff members who were incapacitated to accommodate them with the basic needs such as food, sanitary materials etc.
2. Emergencies arising in different locations that require our physical interventions on the scenes such as distribution of medicine, food and other emergency supplies to the young MSM individuals in need of our services, are difficult to access due to the public and private transport suspension.
3. The use of hand sanitizers, hand gloves and face masks, which are currently lacking at our offices and shelter, is necessary to help us fight COVID-19.
4. The prices of food are expected to go higher with the increased locust plagues in the country. Feeding of our staff and members remains one of our top priorities since food is a basic need.
5. Fruits are necessary to be placed as a priority on our food menus in order to put up a better fight against COVID-19.
6. Access to protection from the local police in the event of raids by local communities, in the current pandemic based lock down, is harder given the increased raids onto LGBT spaces, offices and shelters thus the need to hire security guards.
7. Stocking of vital medicines is important given that access to health centers by young MSM is already a challenge in the pre-existing homophobic environment.
Solutions to address the current needs
1. Reliance on individual homes of staff members; to temporarily accommodate the excess shelter members in order not to exceed the presidential directive on gatherings of more than 5 members in residential homes. We currently support some of their home expenses such as food, sanitary materials etc.
2. Purchase of 1 motorcycle and 2 bicycles; we seek to use the bicycles for shorter distances and the motorcycle for longer distances for various movement of shelter and office items during the lock down so as to maintain smooth conducting of our day to day activities.
3. Purchase of face masks, hand gloves and hand sanitizers; we seek to use the mentioned materials to improve the individual protection mechanisms that will help control the spread of COVID-19 amongst our staff and members we serve.
4. We seek to improve on our food security situation through purchasing of food in bulk that will be enough to support our staff and shelter members during this crisis. This way, the inflated prices will not affect us as much as they would through retail purchases.
5. Purchase of immunity boosting foods; we seek to improve our individual immunity systems through unique purchases of fruits with higher pH such as avocado, mangoes, pineapples and oranges.
6. Hiring of security guards; we seek to improve our security status amidst the increased security risks of shelters through hiring of two security guards that would be available through the day and night shifts.
7. Purchase of self-medication treatments in line with COVID-19 symptoms; such as cough syrups and tablets, flue syrups and tablets and other basic first aid medicine that may be more difficult to access in case of alternative diseases and disorders.
How our activities will address the impact of the COVID-19 crisis to the situation described above
1. Reliance on individual homes of staff members; to temporarily accommodate the excess shelter members in order not to exceed the presidential directive on gatherings of more than 5 members in residential houses. We currently support some of their home necessities such as food, medicine, sanitary materials etc.
2. Purchase of 1 motorcycle and 2 bicycles; we seek to use the bicycles for shorter distances and the motorcycle for longer distances for various movement of shelter and office items during the lock down so as to maintain smooth conducting of our day to day activities.
3. Purchase of face masks, hand gloves and hand sanitizers; we seek to use the mentioned materials to improve the individual protection mechanisms that will help control the spread of COVID-19 amongst our staff and members we serve.
4. We seek to improve on our food security situation through purchasing of food in bulk that will be enough to support our staff and shelter members during this crisis. This way, the inflated prices will not affect us as much as they would through retail purchases.
5. Purchase of immunity boosting foods; we seek to improve our individual immunity systems through unique purchases of fruits with higher pH such as avocado, mangoes, pineapples and oranges.
6. Hiring of security guards; we seek to improve our security status amidst the increased security risks of shelters through hiring of two security guards that would be available through the day and night shifts.
7. Purchase of self-medication treatments in line with COVID-19 symptoms; such as cough syrups and tablets, flue syrups and tablets and other basic first aid medicine that may be more difficult to access in case of alternative diseases and disorders.
A short budget narrative or justification for how the relief fund will cover the costs
1. The direct beneficiaries of the budget will be 12 shelter members and 6 staff members.
2. The total cost of the motorcycle will also include the safety gear costs, maintenance costs and tracking installation costs. Preference for the bicycles will be on Mountain Bikes to cater for the varying topography.
3. Long lasting face masks will be given priority. Disposable hand gloves will be purchased in larger quantity given their non-reusability. Selected sanitizer will be certified by Uganda Bureau Of Standards.
4. Food and fruits costs will be budgeted for 12 shelter members and 6 staff members for three months based on the average market prices.
5. An LGBT friendly security firm will be chosen with a day shift and night shift security guard available at the shelter.
6. Medical supplies will treat growing symptoms of COVID-19 and treatment of common diseases and disorders experienced by our members
Past Experiences:
On the evening of October 21, 2019, our office and shelter were attacked by a mob of local citizens in our community. When the police were called for protection, they instead arrested the sixteen LWU members at the shelter, transported them to Nsambya Police Barracks, and charged them with the crime of “carnal knowledge against nature.” Against their will, our members were subjected to forced HIV tests (some of which were manipulated to assure HIV+ results), painful anal exams, and photographing. Only after the intervention of legal representatives from Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (HRAPH) and Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) were the arrested members released on bond.
The charges stand and they must return to police headquarters to find out whether the charges will be dismissed, thus risking rearrest. Progress Made: On November 16, 2019, we were successfully able to move into our new shelter. We were also able to cover the costs of rent, beddings, food, utilities, toiletries and other shelter needs necessary to sustain the operation of the shelter for the three months that followed. With the help of international supporters from around the globe, we continue to receive assistance in developing a realistic and attainable operating long term budget, logistical support, and further access to legal and human rights organizations who assist small grass-roots organizations such as LWU.
In an environment where members of our federal government continues to whip up anti-gay sentiment and threaten a return to the infamous “Kill The Gays” legislation passed by Parliament in 2014, which mandated the death penalty, the support of the international community is essential. Already this recent mass arrests of LGBTQ citizens has been covered in the international press, including by NBC News, The Washington Post, and The Guardian, to name a few. We continue to absorb in more shelter members as a good number were affected by the gay bar raid that occurred on the night of November 10, 2019.
We have requested our friend and donor Scott Stebbins, of the USA, to serve as beneficiary of the campaign. As a trusted advisor to Let's Walk Uganda, and someone who has already underwritten one of our programs, he will assure that 100% of donated funds go directly to LWU; not one cent (or, in Uganda, not one shilling) will be used to pay any member or anyone else a fee or salary. All funds are strictly to be used for the wellbeing of our community members. We are truly uplifted and inspired by the outpouring of support from people everywhere who are standing up for justice and equality. Thanks to your support, we will be able to continue to “walk the walk.” We thank you for reminding us that we do not stand alone. With deepest gratitude, Let’s Walk Uganda Team
Organizer and beneficiary
Let's Walk Uganda
Organizer
Uganda
Scott Stebbins
Beneficiary