This past June, thanks to 37 generous donors, we raised $7,139 in our online fundraising campaign, in support of purchasing assistive devices (wheelchairs, crutches, calipers, white canes, etc.) for persons with disabilities in Kasese, Uganda. Thank you, donors, for the gift of mobility.
Our last Annual General Meeting was on January 31, 2023. In 2023, the board met via Zoom on 5 occasions including the AGM.
Board of Directors
In 2023, the 9-person Board has been very active. I want to thank all board members for their tireless efforts as volunteers in support of CanUgan.
Amanda Cox
Caroline Marshall
Rick Morello
Shauna Devlin
Tess Fremont Cote
Tim McCarthy
Erina Buliibwa
Sarah Muhwezi
Jack McCarthy
Board member Sarah Muhwezi joined the board in March 2023.
Erina Buliibwa has resigned from the board in March 2024.
KADUPEDI
Our partnership with the Kasese District Union of Persons with Disabilities (KADUPEDI) remains strong thanks in large measure to our close working relationship with Baluku Peter. Peter is also the Deputy Mayor in Kasese. All documentation to support the transfer of funds on a quarterly basis for assistive devices remains thorough and comprehensive. Our next site visit to Kasese will occur in June 2024 and will be undertaken by board member Rick Morello.
Great Canadian Giving Challenge, June 2023
Thanks to 59 generous donors, we raised $10,041 in our online fundraising campaign, in support of purchasing assistive devices (wheelchairs, crutches, calipers, white canes, etc.) for persons with disabilities in Kasese District. This is a small decrease from last year’s campaign when 66 generous donors in 2022 donated $12,960. Special thanks are in order to CanUgan board members who reached out to their networks to support the campaign and the many donors who are now making regular annual contributions to CanUgan.
Holiday Giving Campaign, November and December 2023
2023 ended on a high note for CanUgan. We concluded our online Holiday Giving Campaign, and thanks to 38 donors, we raised $8,140. This is an increase on last year’s campaign in 2022 when 44 donors donated $7,045 for our Holiday Giving Campaign. Our social media campaign and our outreach to past donors via our newsletters have helped with fundraising, thanks to the lead of board members Shauna Devlin and Caroline Marshall.
Overall annual fundraising totals from our two online campaigns:
In 2023, $18,181 was raised. In 2022, $20,005 was raised. In 2021, $18,977 was raised.
Tele-Rehabilitation; Project Echo
Collaboration on Project Echo continues with our key partners Jennifer O’Neil from the University of Ottawa School of Rehabilitation and the Kasese and District Union of Persons with Disabilities (KADUPEDI). With assistance from a grant from the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) secured by the University of Ottawa, the objectives of the research project are to:
CanUgan Treasurer Rick Morello will be travelling to Kasese in June 2024 with Jennifer O’Neil to meet with representatives of KADUPEDI to start the community engagement process, which is a key part of the environmental scan.
SUMMARY OF ASSISTIVE DEVICES DISTRIBUTED
2022-2023
| No. | Particulars | Year | |
| 2022 | 2023 | ||
| 1 | Tricycles | 11 | 15 |
| 2 | Tricycles Gear System | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Wheelchairs | 5 | 4 |
| 4 | Crutches | 30 | 28 |
| 5 | White Canes | 21 | 20 |
| 6 | Raised Shoes | 12 | 12 |
| 7 | Surgical Boots | 12 | 15 |
| 8 | Calipers | 9 | 6 |
| Total | 99 | 100 | |
Strategic Plan
In the fall of 2022, the Board reviewed the strategic plan put in place in 2021. Future Directions include:
Highlighted bullets indicate action taken.
CanUgan Board Chair Jack McCarthy was pleased to meet Kasese Uganda resident Farouq Kibaba who is the Executive Director of the Great Lakes Peace Centre: www.greatlakespeace.org.
Farouq was in Ottawa to attend the United Nations Environmental Assembly whose purpose is to develop a legally binding agreement on plastic pollution.
2023 ended on a high note for CanUgan. We concluded our online Holiday Giving Campaign, and thanks to 38 donors, we raised $8,140. We want to thank all of our donors for their generosity in giving the gift of mobility, by providing funding for assistive devices for persons with disabilities in the Kasese District in Uganda.
|
|
This past June, thanks to 59 generous donors, we raised $10,041 in our online fundraising campaign, in support of purchasing assistive devices (wheelchairs, crutches, calipers, white canes, etc.) for persons with disabilities in Kasese, Uganda. Thank you, donors, for the gift of mobility.
Micheal Ndizkwani is the beneficiary in the following video. He shows that with a bit of help, he can be mobile. This tricycle was initially proto-typed by students in industrial design at Carleton University. This assistive device can enhance mobility on rough terrain.
Kasese District community health worker Bwambale Robert is to be commended for organizing a study tour in March 2023 with 30 farmers focusing on the impact of climate change. He has put together a report on how agricultural and tree planting changes are so necessary to protect the local environment. At CanUgan, we are so aware that people with disabilities are most vulnerable during weather related disasters like mud slides. Building a healthy community is very much about protecting the environment.
Our last Annual General Meeting was on February 1, 2022. Over the past year the board met via zoom on 6 occasions including the AGM. In December available directors of the board came together for an in-person dinner. This was the first in-person gathering of the board since early 2020.
Board of Directors
In 2022, the 9-person board has been very active. I want to thank all board members for their tireless efforts as volunteers in support of CanUgan.
Jacqueline Tumusiime
Amanda Cox
Caroline Marshall
Rick Morello
Shauna Devlin
Tess Fremont Cote
Tim McCarthy
Erina Buliibwa
Jack McCarthy
Board members Erina Buliibwa joined the board in March 2022 and Tim McCarthy joined the board in May 2022.
At this meeting Jacqueline Tumusiime will be resigning after 6 years on the board. I want to thank Jacqueline for her participation. The last visit to Kasese Uganda by a CanUgan board member was made by Jacqueline in December 2021.
KADUPEDI
Our partnership with the Kasese District Union of Persons with Disabilities (KADUPEDI) remains strong thanks in large measure to our close working relationship with Baluku Peter. Peter is also the Deputy Mayor in Kasese. All documentation to support the transfer of funds on a quarterly basis for assistive devices remains thorough and comprehensive. Our next site visit to Kasese will be undertaken by board member Shauna Devlin who is planning her trip to Kasese in September 2023.
Great Canadian Giving Challenge, June 2022
Thanks to 66 generous donors, we raised $12,960 in our online fundraising campaign, surpassing our goal of $10,000. This amount beat the previous year’s campaign raising $10,243 thanks to 63 donors. 2022 is our most successful online fundraising campaign to date. Special thanks are in order to CanUgan board members who reached out to their networks to support the campaign and the many donors who are now making regular annual contributions to CanUgan.
Holiday Giving Campaign, November and December 2022
Thanks to 44 generous donors, CanUgan raised $7,045 for our Holiday Giving campaign in 2022. In 2021, we raised $8,734 thanks to 41 donors. This year we targeted our campaign to coincide with Giving Tuesday. We want to thank all of our donors for their generosity. Our social media campaign which has helped with fundraising is getting stronger thanks to the efforts of board member Caroline Marshall.
Fundraising Totals: In 2022, $20,005 was raised. In 2021, $18,977 was raised.
Tele-Rehabilitation Project
The focus of this project is to connect physiotherapy students from the School of Rehabilitation Services, at the University of Ottawa, to persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Kasese to optimize their use of mobility devices.
CanUgan is collaborating with Jennifer O’Neil, a part-time Professor who helped secure a $800 grant from the University to cover a portion of the costs of a laptop, modem and three months’ cellular fees associated with setting up a smooth internet connect between Canada and Uganda. The CanUgan board approved an additional $500 to support these expenses.
Work is proceeding with developing a virtual platform to capture client data. With the assistance of Dr Brian Budgell from the Global Peace Network, we have been introduced to the “Echo platform,” a free learning management system that will help track client data, access relevant case studies and best practice research.
Bwambale Robert will be the point person in Kasese to engage PWDs and track their progress.
Emergency Relief Donation
In September 2022, the board approved a donation of $1,500 (including a $500 donation from Navin Parekh) to support primarily PWDs who were negatively impacted by the mud slides that occurred in Kasese District. Heavy rains and flooding as well as droughts tend to be occurring on a regular basis with devastating impact on the local population.
SUMMARY OF ASSISTIVE DEVICES DISTRIBUTED
2021-2022
| No. | Particulars | Year 2021 | Year 2022 |
| 1 | Tricycles | 10 | 11 |
| 2 | Tricycles Gear System | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Wheelchairs | 4 | 5 |
| 4 | Crutches | 29 | 30 |
| 5 | White Canes | 19 | 21 |
| 6 | Raised Shoes | 8 | 12 |
| 7 | Surgical Boots | 9 | 12 |
| 8 | Calipers | 9 | 9 |
| Total | 88 | 99 |
Website, social media and newsletters
We are pleased to have secured the help of CanUgan volunteer Paula Campbell who posts all content to the CanUgan website. We endeavour to keep our site as current as possible.
Special thanks are in order to board member Caroline Marshall who coordinates social media for CanUgan.
In 2022, two CanUgan e-newsletters, one in the fall and one in the spring, were sent to CanUgan members and donors. Special thanks to board member Shauna Devlin for her work on putting the newsletters together.
Strategic Plan
In the fall of 2022, board member Caroline Marshall led the board through a review of the strategic plan put in place in 2021. Future Directions include:
In December 2022, members of the CanUgan Board who were available came together in person for the first time since the start of the pandemic. It was so nice to share stories, have a few laughs and get caught up on our ever changing lives. It was also nice to share a dinner with former Board member Moses Olong.
