Uganda’s teenage pregnancy rate remains alarmingly high, with deep-rooted impacts. Many pregnancies stem from school dropout, where isolated young girls facing limited support often end up conceiving at an early age. Pregnancy complications are a leading cause of death for girls aged 15–19, exposing young mothers to higher risks of obstructed labor, anaemia, sepsis and infant mortality. Beyond health risks, only 50% of teenage mothers globally graduate high school, creating generational poverty traps that limit income opportunities. Stigma often forces young mothers into early marriage or informal work, severing community ties and eroding self-worth. In Otwal and Barr Sub-counties in Oyam and Lira districts, Uganda where CFI focuses, these challenges intersect with disability inclusion and rural marginalization, compounding vulnerabilities.

CFI’s Socio-Economic Empowerment Program employs hands-on vocational training as a catalyst for change. The shoe design project exemplifies this approach. Participants master material selection, pattern design, stitching, and business skills like costing and marketing, with training aligned to Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) for startup capital access. Workshops accommodate young mothers through childcare spaces and flexible hours, while girls with disabilities receive adapted tools reflecting CFI’s cross-program synergy with its Assistive Technology unit. Local artisans co-teach alongside CFI’s social workers like Program Manager Ponsiano Coda, blending technical expertise with psychosocial support. Over 100 adolescent girls (aged 13–19), including teenage mothers, joined the 6-day training and mentorship. Graduates are expected to earn 2–3 times Uganda’s average daily wage from shoe sales, with GRiC funding critical materials, trainers, and childcare.

A Session On Shoe Design

GRiC’s support extends its legacy of investing in marginalized communities. Having secured a grant to expand tribal broadband access, GRiC understands how infrastructure whether digital or skills-based can catalyze opportunity. Their partnership with CFI reflects a shared vision of empowerment through self-reliance.

The LCI Chairpersons in the two areas provided critical backup support by actively facilitating marginalized girls’ participation in Savings Group formation, financial literacy, through participatory inclusion and capacity building. This duty bearer commitment transformed local attitudes, evident when institutionalized sustainable empowerment through skills, access, and dignity turned rights into tangible outcomes.

Local attitudes evolve as mothers contribute to household incomes. “They will call us ‘businesswomen’ now, not ‘burdens,’” laughs Esther.

CFI’s model proves holistic interventions unlock systemic impact. Trainees access CFI’s Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) education, reducing repeat pregnancy risks. Programs aligned to Alternative Basic Education (ABE) help girls re-enter formal schooling. Critically, 30% of participants with disabilities can access CFI’s customized assistive devices alongside shoemaking tools. As Ben Ocan, CFI’s Executive Director, asserts: “Empowerment isn’t charity. It’s equipping the excluded to write their own narratives.”

In Otwal and Barr sub-counties, adolescent girls are no longer defined by motherhood or marginalization. They are artisans, entrepreneurs, and community leaders. With every shoe crafted a pair sold at market, an order shipped to Kampala they walk taller into a future they designed themselves. Thanks to CFI and GRiC, resilience has a new name: made in Otwal and Barr, stitched with hope.

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The dental camp provided a range of services, including routine cleanings to complex procedures. Here’s a breakdown of the services provided:

• Cleanings:
  • Simple: 4
  • Moderate: 10
  • Deep: 40
• Extractions: 1,375 (addressing severe cases of dental decay and infections)
• Fillings:
  • Composite Fillings: 13
  • Glass Ionomer (GI) Fillings: 27
  • Intermediate Restorative Material (IRM) Fillings: 16
• Root Canal Therapy:
  • RCT Started: 5
  • RCT Completed: 2

The high number of extractions highlights the urgent need for preventive dental education and treatment accessibility. However, the camp not only addressed immediate concerns but also provided fillings, root canal treatments, and deep cleanings to save and restore teeth wherever possible.

In addition to dental procedures, the camp emphasized oral health education, teaching proper hygiene practices to prevent future dental complications. Patients were advised on brushing techniques, diet choices, and the importance of regular check-ups.

Community Focus International in partnership with HopeSmiles remains committed to expanding its outreach and continuing to serve vulnerable populations in Uganda. This initiative would not have been possible without the dedicated team of dental professionals, volunteers, and community partners who contributed their time and expertise.

The HopeSmiles Dental Camp has brought hope and relief to the communities in Oyam District. As we continue to serve and support these communities, we remain committed to our mission of providing access to quality dental care and promoting oral health education.

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Cerebral palsy affects movement and muscle coordination, making everyday tasks a challenge. Limited access to assistive devices exacerbates the struggle for independence and inclusion. The donation of these customized wheelchairs marks a significant step towards addressing these challenges.

Speaking at the event, CFI’s Program Manager, Ponsiano Coda, expressed gratitude to World Vision for their unwavering support. “This partnership and donation are not just about mobility; it’s about restoring dignity, independence, and hope for many families. These wheelchairs will enable beneficiaries to move freely, attend school, and participate in daily activities without excessive strain on caregivers.”

World Vision’s representative, Caroline Nabasirye, emphasized the organization’s commitment to supporting people with disabilities. “At World Vision, we believe in a world where no one is left behind. We are proud to partner with Community Focus International in ensuring that children with cerebral palsy receive the necessary support to thrive. Access to mobility is a fundamental right, and we will continue working towards inclusive communities.”

Beneficiaries and their families shared their joy and appreciation during the event. Prossy Akullu, a mother of one of the recipients, described how the wheelchair would transform her child’s life. “Before this, carrying my daughter everywhere was exhausting, and she often missed school because of it. Now, she can move more easily, and I can focus on my tailoring project. We are truly grateful.”

Local leaders and government representatives praised the collaboration between CFI and World Vision, highlighting the importance of public-private partnerships in addressing social challenges. Nicholas Opio, LC 3 chairperson of Iceme Sub-county, commended the efforts and encouraged more organizations to follow this example.

The distribution of these wheelchair is part of CFI’s broader commitment to advocating for persons with disabilities, ensuring they have access to essential services and opportunities. Moving forward, the organization aims to expand such programs, advocating for better healthcare, education, and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

As the event concluded, the smiles on the faces of the recipients and their families were a powerful reminder of the impact of collective action. With continued support from partners like World Vision, CFI remains dedicated to making a tangible difference in the lives of the most vulnerable members of society.

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This is the CFI team working out of the Lira Uganda office.  They are young, smart, and dedicated to the mission. Every day they see that the need is huge. The organization’s future is in good hands.

Assisted Devices: Wheelchairs continue to be our focus. We fabricate the chairs in our Lira office compound, both adult three-wheel hand-powered units and children’s chairs in two sizes. In October we made and distributed 30 children’s chairs, and in February, while Jane and I were in-country, we fabricated and distributed 25 adult three-wheeled hand-powered chairs, at no charge, in a ceremony at our office compound. It was a great day for the beneficiaries and their families. (photo below) We now have fabricated approximately 125 chairs. As mentioned in my last newsletter, the maintenance of the chairs in the field continues to be a challenge. We have to figure out how to deal with the distances and limited road access. But we will get there… 

We continue to distribute new eyeglasses. It is rewarding to watch a person walk away with a smile that results from improved vision. There is a need for modern crutches and canes. We are working on how we can make those effectively available. 

Beneficiaries and their families have come to the Lira office compound to pick up their new chairs. A few speeches, some refreshments, and a lot of enthusiasm.

Village Savings and Loans: There are now three self-managed rural groups, that all met at our Otwal field office to present their growth, and success stories and discuss the next year. (photo below) And what success stories!! We heard the examples of making 4 or 5 times the return on the amount borrowed by selling produce, raising pigs and chickens, expanding farmland, and even re-selling books. And all loans within the groups were paid back. The creation of these groups is one of the best things CFI has done. Other than the seed loans CFI has made to help provide capital, (seed loans that have all been paid back!!) the participants self-manage the process. I really like this program. I personally promised that for these 3 groups there will continue to be a flow of CFI seed money as long as they continue to pay it back. It is all about elevating the community economy. The issue CFI faces is the spreading desire by other villages to start up a VSLA, asking us to help them get started and seed them with capital. Not sure how much we can handle…. kind of a nice problem.

Dental Service: For the first time CFI hosted a team of dentists and technicians to provide dentistry to the area we serve. Hope Smiles, a Ugandan non-profit that travels to under-served areas of Uganda, providing professional service to people who would otherwise not get treatment, spent five days in Otwal and Agali. Free to some, or the equivalent of $1 to those that could pay, and teeth were cleaned, pulled, or teeth filled. Those with disabilities were given preferential treatment. Approximately 400 were served over the five days. CFI covered transportation, food and lodging, Hope Smiles covered the rest of the costs. This was a big success. We will likely do it again in six months. Hope Smiles impressed Jane and me with their professionalism and were great to work with.

The dental work was performed in a local school. The dental team was housed in local homes, and CFI cooked and provided their daily meals. Every day there were lines of community members waiting their turn, some realizing their first experience with a dentist. 

General Comments: Our initial trial with supporting families with the raising of pigs is still being reviewed. There has been some success, but more failures than expected. Swine flu has taken a significant toll, leaving us with the challenge of deciding how to deal with it. With our rapid growth fueled by societal need and contract work with some major non-profit organizations, while visiting the operation, I spent time working with the team to create a more effective and efficient organization. This will be an ongoing effort as we grow with it. Jane and I had another rewarding and tiring time in Uganda, participating in the activities mentioned above. Once again, we left the country with the recognition that the need is profound, the people are so very easy to like, and they are so very respectful and appreciative of what CFI is doing. 

What you have contributed is providing real material improvement in the lives of people who would not get it any other way, and almost as significantly an elevated awareness among the population of the dimension of the disability that exists within their communities. People of influence and the media are now approaching CFI to better understand the issues. We have become well known for the good work we are doing.

I hope you will continue to support Community Focus International with your contributions. You are doing a good thing!!

Bob Gilbert

Board Chairman, Community Focus International

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In 2018, a community mobiliser for CFI approached and informed her about CFI interventions

supporting persons with disability with assistive mobility devices. Through this occasion, Sharon eventually got registered, assessed and was provided with a tricycle at no cost.

She narrates how she did not expect to complete her primary studies since it was difficult for her to attend school. Her brother would carry her to school but on days that he was not available, she would have to miss school, and on other days, she would not be able to go to the market to sell bread she would make.

Upon receiving the wheelchairs, she was then able to continue and complete her primary level education and go further to the secondary level (O-Level). She explains how the wheelchair made it possible to move to different schools – some far from home to help her complete her secondary school.

Today, Sharon is a councillor representing persons with disability in the Otwal sub-county and she attributes this success to the ability to move and canvass votes in her locality. She also owns and runs a hairdressing business.

Talking about her dreams for the future, Sharon lays out her plans to progress in her political career and business and be an inspiration for other persons with disability who may not have the courage, will or ambition to achieve their dreams due to the stigma and odds against them.

Sharon is one of the hundreds of individuals in northern Uganda who have been beneficiaries of assistive technology devices that include wheelchairs, tricycles, crutches, walkers and Eyeglasses among others since the inception of Community Focus International in 2017.

On 19th August 2023, the CFI team that comprised of mobility technicians, project and field officers visited Otwal to distribute repaired wheelchairs and tricycles to 14 beneficiaries in Oyam district to ensure that the existing beneficiaries are supported to maintain their wheelchairs as many are not able to afford to repair their devices in case of any breakdown.

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Unfortunately, the government did not have any post-COVID economic and social recovery programs or incentives designed to directly benefit this vulnerable class, and almost a year after the full reopening of the economy, PWD and the elderly are drowning in hunger and are not only victims of poor social services but PWD and elderly unfriendly services like accessibility to public buildings.

However, Community Focus International (CFI) last week launched a massive charity act of distribution of old clothes and basic needs to PWD and the elderly starting in Otwal and Aleka sub-counties of Oyam district, items they have been collecting through a charity campaign dubbed “The Mercy Coalition Project” a project in partnership with Radio, Q FM, a lira based local radio station.

This project is intended to provide this class of people with basic needs and clothes to prepare them for more programs that will be directed at fighting poverty and mitigating the effects of the pandemic among the PWD and the elderly.

The well-attended event also involved other CFI activities like the identification of beneficiaries for the wheelchair project, where PWDs are provided with free wheelchairs, beneficiaries for the eyeglasses project, and scholastic materials.

The post A great coalition against the increasingly poorer from the low social class of PWDs and the senior citizens appeared first on Community Focus International.

Many thanks to Oyam district officials for giving us a platform to support our people.

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These parents, who are mostly peasants, spent most of the day last Wednesday cutting wood and digging holes for the building of swings, seesaws, slides, and roundabouts on the school’s invitation.

These schools which have populations of about 800 and 1000 pupils for Orem and Abunga, respectively, are government-funded schools under the Universal Secondary Education (UPE) that have constrained budgets to run and put up play facilities.

However, studies indicate that pupils who often play have higher chances of scoring good grades because children’s brains grow and increase faster when engaged in play. Playing helps to increase the “neurotrophic factor,” a molecule manufactured in our brain cells that helps neurons grow, survive and form synapses.

The twenty-three (23) parents, thirteen (13) of Orem and ten (10) of Abunga primary schools had turned up to participate in two synchronized activities “Strengthening recreation play centers being funded by Global Fund for Children (GFC); and engaging parents and youth in the production of play learning materials being funded by Grassroots Nest for Innovation and Change (GRIC), and Foundation for Inclusive Community Health (FICH).” both projects implemented by Community Focus International(CFI) in four schools of Oyam and Lira districts.

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