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:
