Together 2021: Please help us reach vulnerable women and girls with COVID-19 relief by donating to Awamu’s emergency appeal. 

Uganda has entered another lock down as infections of COVID-19 rise.

The poorest and most vulnerable women and girls are once again left without income, food, education and without the support systems that protect them from violence and exploitation. 

We urgently need your help to supply food packages and support children, especially girls, to stay safe.⠀
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We were sad to not be reunited with our Together friends and family for another year because it’s always such a treasured opportunity to have so many lovely people together in one place. 

But as you know, Together is more than a big party – we come together to raise vital funds for children living in the slums of Kampala, Uganda.

Most people in Bwaise are living hand to mouth, so from the very start of the pandemic, lockdown pushed the poorest households further into extreme poverty and hunger.  

Parents who immediately lost their income were unable to feed their families.

Restrictions on movement have limited access to healthcare - causing caregivers to become sick leaving children to fend for themselves. 

This has forced many into dangerous work to support their families, especially girls. 

Florence and team have been dealing with an increase in children being abandoned, child abuse, homelessness and cases of domestic violence increased by more than 150%. 

Flo and her team of Community Volunteers are first responders to crisis. They’re getting reports of girls in danger everyday, but we need your support to ensure the team can protect girls like Olivia.

Our team went to find Olivia when a neighbour told them of a young girl in a dangerous situation. 

Olivia had lost both her parents to HIV when she was 10 years old. With no other relatives around, she was taken in by a neighbour who was a friend of her mothers. The neighbour said she couldn’t afford to send her to school, preferring to have Olivia work around the house.

The neighbour herself fell ill during the first lockdown and couldn’t work. She told Olivia to go and work as a house girl for a man she knew. But he didn’t want a maid, he wanted her to be a sex worker.

When Olivia asked not to, she was violently beaten and repeatedly raped.

Thankfully the team were able to rescue Olivia from that situation.

They offered her refuge and have now found her a safe new home.

They’re providing the counseling, safety and support she needs. We hope we can support her to return to school when they reopen.

The crisis is having a truly devastating impact on the futures of girls and young women like Olivia. Your donation could help them survive this crisis and rebuild their lives.

We realise that life continues to be challenging for everyone - wherever
you live - so we are grateful for everyone involved in making Together
House Party happen again this year and thank you from the bottom of our heart for any donation you can give.

Love and thanks

Florence, Emma, Steve and all the Together and Purple Radio crew  

• £250 could cover the cost of a year of secondary school - ensuring a girl like Olivia can return to school when they reopen and this crisis doesn't destroy her future.
  

• £35 could cover the cost of a food package for a family for one month, making sure children don't hungry.