We Are Committed To Causes That Improve On The Quality of Life For People

Monday theme:

We can tackle, mental health, poverty and eradication of violence against women by being intentional. Play your role. #StopTBPartnership, #StopTB #StopCOVID19

#UNAIDS

Tuesday theme:  

There is TB, COVID-19, Malaria and HIV. And so there is poverty,  dignity for the girl and boy child. Change for the better. #StopTBPartnership.

#UNAIDS

Wednesday theme: 

Get your community to be part of the efforts to eradicate poverty, violence, TB, HIV, Malaria and COVID-19. #StopTBPartnership.

#UNAIDS

Thursday theme: 

You should find out what UHC stands for. Plan for finding out how you can benefit. Consult a healthcare provider. #StopTBPartnership.

#UNAIDS

Friday Theme:

Consider mental health positive action as well as TB/HIV/Malaria eradication by 2030. #StopTBPartnership.

#UNAIDS

Saturday theme: 

Are you part of the effort to eradicate HIV/TB/Malaria and COVID-19 as well as meeting the SDGs. Be part of your community resilience. #StopTBPartnership

#UNAIDS

Sunday theme:  

We insist that TB/HIV/Malaria and COVID-19 should never win. Empower people living with TB to fight COVID-19, HIV and Malaria. #StopTBPartnership

#UNAIDS

The Chicks Have Shipped!

It is that Friday, when our Resource Center is a beehive.

This time instead of the eagles landing, it is the chicks that have shipped.

Now the chicken have come home to roost.

Pardon my mixing of idioms. It is the excitement. Ululululululu!

Finally, we are to launch the Poultry rearing project.

Thank you to all who support our work. We are so grateful. We shall not disappoint you nor disappoint ourselves.

I Am Sulah Mawejje, This Is A Sneak Peek Into My Week 4th/10/2021 to 10th/10/2021

How My Typical Week At The Nature Network Group Resource Center Looks Like: 4th/10/2021 to 10th/10/2021

I sit down on my bed to take toll of how weeks at our combined use house are experienced.

I find myself listening to Sam smith's music and humming some songs by this famous English Artist. I enjoy all the albums but particularly  in the lonely hour and love goes  in Stereo make my emotional groove.

I feel a power of liveliness coursing through my body as I listen to the music. At the same I have this clarity of mind. A question crosses my mind making me reflect about this week.

On Monday, I made a list of activities to do for the day. I journal and ever since I took up the practice, I find I can appreciate my life even better. We have what we call self-care, self-worth and  self-esteem moments. I find  journaling is both the process and validator making me find my wholeness. I find me every time I write and recognize myself. I also find how I contribute to a greater experience of life through social capital contribution.

Caring for self enables me to gain and maintain a mental, emotional, spiritual and physical preparation and to be ready to take on roles that make me a beneficiary as well as a leader at the Nature Network Group Resource Center.

I am an assistant to the Co-Executive Director of the Nature Network Group as well as the accountant. Below is my journal.

Monday: Personal Administration, breakfast, check my contacts book for a builder, order for the Poultry House building materials, travel to town to identify a truck to bring the materials, generate the Tuesday meeting agenda, liaise with the in-coming ED about recurrent operations at the Resource Center, me-time, prepare for classes, dinner and rest.

Tuesday: Personal Administration, breakfast, check on members, arrangements to engage in House chores such as House and yard/compound cleaning, the team trims the hedge, collects all trash and we make a garbage collection point ringed with stones, the Poultry House building is progressing as planned, check in with in-coming ED, in-coming ED arrives and we clean all the washrooms together, we set up for the Nature Network Group meeting, it is the in-coming ED's inaugural and Welcome meeting, end of meeting and participants have lunch, departure for Independence Day celebration preparations, me-time, classes, supper, rest.

Wednesday: Wakey, wakey, checking messages, liaise with Poultry House builder, source chicken mash for growers, get in touch with brooder and make order for 100 chicks, liaise with ED, check in on members, set up for the Nature Network Group Independence Day mood celebration, in-coming ED checks on me about updates, have lunch, check in on members going to perform during the Uganda Independence Day celebration, me-time, classes, supper and rest.

Thursday: wakey, wakey,  Personal Administration, breakfast, check in on members, pay house rent, check food stock, generate reports to be presented to ED, receive chicken mash bags, consultation meeting with ED on house grocery and internet funds, me-time, classes, supper and rest time.

Friday: wakey, wakey, Personal Administration, breakfast, check in on members, updates on arrangements for Independence Day celebrations at the Serena Hotel, checking in with ED about Sunday's meeting, arrangements for zoom meeting session for those who may not attend in person, check in with builder, arrangements to store chicken mash in dry place, prepare Poultry House for Chicken move-in, me-time, classes, supper and rest.

Saturday: Wakey, wakey, Personal Administration, breakfast, check in on members, arrangements for Independence Day celebrations, travel to celebration venue, return home, rest.

Sunday: Wakey, wakey, Personal Administration, breakfast, check in on members, meeting, lunch, me-time, supper, rest.

Tom's Typical Week Journal: 4th/10/2021 to 10th/10/2021

My Typical Week: 4th/10/2021 to 10th/10/2021

Normally, 3:00am is when I feel infused with a higher awareness. At University I did an entire Semester of reflection following Hinduism view to life. I borrow a lot nowadays from that experience,as far as being accountable goes. I take toll of how my  weeks are arranged. I am a Volunteer Community Outreach Advocacy Organizer as well as a Volunteer Mentor at a combined-use Home. So, one can only imagine how my time is used.

I find myself listening to Eric Wainaina's music and humming some songs by this famous Kenyan singer. I enjoy all the albums but particularly the Sawa Sawa and Dreams in Stereo make my emotional groove.

I feel an immense power of liveliness coursing through my body as I listen to the music. I don't understand the Swahili language that well but I use the Google dictionary to catch up. The rhythm and piano provide a pattern which gives clarity in my mind. A question crosses my mind making me reflect about this particular week.

On Monday, I made a list of activities to do for the day. I journal two formats of work because I volunteer at two places. Ever since I took up the practice, I find I can appreciate my life even better. I combine the principles of self-care, self-worth and  self-esteem. I find  journaling is both the process and validator making me find purpose, integrity, responsibility and wholeness. I search and find myself every time I write and recognize myself. I also find how I contribute to a greater experience of life through social capital contribution.

Caring for self enables me to gain and maintain a mental, emotional, spiritual and physical preparation and to be ready to take on roles that make me a beneficiary as well as a Community Organizer and a leader at the Nature Network Group Resource Center.

I am the current Co-Executive Director of the Nature Network Group. Below is my journal.

Monday: Personal Administration, breakfast, check my contacts book for social development, health and finance leads in different African countries, make Social-media updates on TB/HIV/Malaria/COVID-19 and other health promotion matters, mainstream SDGs in my work, check-in with the Kenyan, Ugandan, Tanzanian, DRC, Burundi and Botswana Advocacy Champions, check-in with my assistant at  the Nature Network Group Resource Center to generate the Tuesday meeting agenda, liaise with the assistant to get the feel of recurrent operations at the Resource Center, me-time, prepare for classes, dinner and rest.

Tuesday: Personal Administration, breakfast, check on all members, Community Outreach activities, arrangements to engage in House chores such as House and yard/compound cleaning, the team trims the hedge, collects all trash and we make a garbage collection point ringed with stones, the Poultry House building is progressing as planned, we clean all the washrooms at TNNG together, we set up for the Nature Network Group meeting, it is the in-coming ED's inaugural and Welcome meeting, end of meeting and participants have lunch, departure for Independence Day celebration preparations, me-time, check-in with Champions, update social media platforms, online classes, supper, rest.

Wednesday: another day yaaaay!! Wellness Wednesday, checking messages, liaise with Champions, Consultancy work on health promotion, assistant at TNNG sends report on chicken mash for growers shipment/getting in touch with brooder and make order for 100 chicks, check in on members, set up for the Nature Network Group Independence Day mood celebration, checks on the assistant about updates, have lunch, check in on members going to perform during the Uganda Independence Day celebration, me-time, classes, supper and rest.

Thursday: Thursday is UHC Day, Personal Administration, breakfast, check in on members, pay house rent, get updated on food stock and other consumables at TNNG, generate reports to be presented by Freaky Friday, updated on shipment of chicken mash bags, consultation meeting with Champions at the office, the Champions take me out at a distinct Swahili dish restaurant, me-time, classes, supper and rest time.

Friday: Freaky Friday, Personal Administration, breakfast, check in on members, updates on arrangements for Independence Day celebrations at the Serena Hotel, checking in with the assistant, generate this journal and make it shareable, COVID-19 test, meet the Children attending Soccer For Education training session and have a photo opportunity too, prepare to travel to the USA for an award presentation and Graduate School preparations, check-in with assistant about Sunday's meeting, arrangements for zoom meeting session for those who may not attend in person, updates on how to store chicken mash in dry place, prepare Poultry House for Chicken move-in, me-time, present Freaky Friday report, social media platform updates, classes, supper and rest.

Saturday: Wakey, wakey, Personal Administration, breakfast, check in on members, arrangements for Independence Day celebrations, travel to celebration venue, return home, rest.

Sunday: Wakey, wakey, Personal Administration, breakfast, check in on members, travel to the USA....

We Are Excited, We Are Ready To Do This, We Are The Kenchic of Tomorrow!

We have got the Chicken grower's mash ready, some of us are preparing the Poultry house and the rest are cleaning the feeders and drinkers. It is excitement at our resource center.

Don't forget, happy Independence Day!

Another day yaaaay!!

The excitement is palpable. What with having chicken mash for growers shipment done, we just heard from the brooder about our order for 100 chicks, all members at the Nature Network Group have taken up roles and soon our team will be prepared to take on the charge of Poultry rearing. 

There is a celebration brewing. It is Uganda's Independence and some of our beneficiaries/members are to perform music, dance and drama for the invited guests at the Serena Hotel-Kenya where the Independence Day celebrations are to take place.

It is that Friday, when we all feel accomplished. I hope this jovial mood continues forever.

We Join You To Highlight The World Cerebral Palsy (CP) Day

We Believe in Showcasing Ability, outcomes and consequences of Planned Inclusion: Marking The World Cerebral Palsy (CP) Day

You can make soccer the opportunity for a child or person with cerebral palsy.

We make the connection through nurturing interaction, and we make joy shareable. CP is partly preventable through immunization of the mother and efforts to prevent head injuries in children such as through improved safety.

Planned community events are an opportunity for inclusion and to that end, we ventured into a new norm. We have a Children’s, Adolescent and Young Girls’ or Boys’ Online Education platforms. These platforms allow the beneficiaries to identify how to apply themselves to the best of their ability.

We are aware that soccer is an opportunity for Children with cerebral palsy to engage in some form of planned play. We believe there is an upcoming soccer star in your family. We are here to provide you an opportunity to groom and mentor that star in any child.

What is cerebral palsy?

According to CDC, the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization, cerebral palsy is  a group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood. The signs and symptoms vary among people and over time. Often, symptoms include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors.

There may be problems with sensation, vision, hearing, swallowing, and speaking.

Often, babies with cerebral palsy do not roll over, sit, crawl or walk as early as other children of their age.

Other symptoms include seizures and problems with thinking or reasoning, which each occur in about one-third of people with CP.

While symptoms may get more noticeable over the first few years of life, underlying problems do not worsen over time. CP is partly preventable through immunization of the mother and efforts to prevent head injuries in children such as through improved safety or managed games which include persons with Cerebral Palsy.

Your organization can mainstream or include a CP-compliant mission. We hope to build a nationwide movement for those who are affected by cerebral palsy, stroke or traumatic brain injury. Right now, there is a clear path for able-bodied boys to play soccer throughout their youth and up to the highest levels, culminating in the Olympics. The girls or Transgender persons or other persons who are marginalized are yet to get the same full opportunities, most especially taking their hygiene interests into account. For the persons with disabilities, there is need to take their interests in account too.

The parents of children with cerebral palsy should not be discouraged to encourage their children with cerebral palsy to a soccer event. Cerebral palsy (CP) presents a unique challenge in sports. The complex interaction between primary neurologic impairment, secondary consequences of impairment, specific medical challenges, and participation in elite sport (where the athlete performs at the maximal functional capacity) requires integrated management. The parent should be walked through the standards that apply for a person with CP.

Soccer teaches children skills such as preparations to attend the event, teamwork, perseverance, and decision making. This can be interpreted by making opportunities available for an enthusiast with cerebral palsy who uses a wheelchair for mobility even if they may not be able to run up or down but can still pass and dribble if the appropriate adaptations are made. A wheelchair team is an appropriate and reasonable alternative for this enthusiast who wants to play the sport.

For children or persons with cerebral palsy who are interested in soccer, it provides the opportunity for them to learn skills that they'll be able to apply to all aspects of their life. Cerebral palsy (CP), as said earlier, is a group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time. Often, symptoms include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensation, vision, hearing, swallowing, and speaking.

There is a productive side of soccer for persons with Cerebral Palsy. Soccer also helps enthusiasts to learn to balance letting go, fun and assertion. As these are components of the ups and downs of life, they can anticipate opportunities and how to work with their peers to pose or to solve problems. Soccer prepares the enthusiast culturally, mentally, physically, psychologically, and emotionally.

So, finds way to encourage a parent with a child with Cerebral Palsy, to join us. We can come up with a league. You can enroll your child into an event. Seeing that child, whether a girl or boy or male or female concentrate for the duration of the game and perhaps be the player of the match is as exciting as it is fulfilling. Bring your child to the organizations with such recreational events. Don’t miss them. When it comes to soccer you have the upcoming soccer star in your family. We are here to tell you that you can groom and mentor that star in any child.

 

 

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The Kienyeji: The Nature Network Group Poultry Project Committee Shares Chicken -rearing Knowledge to Inform Skills (Part 4)

The Kienyeji: The Nature Network Group Poultry Project Committee Shares Chicken -rearing Knowledge to Inform Skills (Part 4)

 

This is the last of the series about Poultry Project at the Nature Network Group Resource Center. We have shared about character of Kienyeji; the kind of feeds used; space and shelter quality; maturity; and sale of products.

The name for indigenous chicken that we breed are called Kienyeji. Kienyeji can feed on many types of fodder and feeds. But some farmers feed the chickens on maize, some soya, fish meal and supplement their feed with some layers' mash to boost laying performance or size in meat-producers. Other kinds of feeds are: Chick Starter. The chick starter is a kind of grain feed that has the highest amount of protein, Grower Feed, Layer Feed, Flock Raiser, Broiler Feed, Game Bird Feed, Fermented Feed, Cracked Corn. Feeds are classified into three main types: (1) roughages, (2) concentrates, and (3) mixed feeds. Roughages include pasture forages, hays, silages, and byproduct feeds that contain a high percentage of fiber.

The Kienyeji live to about 5 years and their care should be taken for granted. As the birds grow they demand proper nutrition. A commercially prepared chick starter - or "crumble" - is the best way to provide a complete nutrition during the first six weeks, with feed consumptionat approximately 1 kg for each egg-producing chick and 4 kg for each meat-producing chick. The Four Types of Chicken Feed are:

Whole grain feed is composed of cracked grains and other unprocessed ingredients.

Mash is an unprocessed form of feed composed of ground-up grains and other ingredients.

Pellets are small, rounded, compressed mass of a substance commonly fed to chicken.

Crumbles are pellets that have been broken up and are used as starter meals for younger chicken.

 

 Kienyeji need space to grow better. About 300-500 Kienyeji birds below 18 days require 200 square cm or a quarter of a foot and 1.5 cm of feeder space. When the birds are between 19 days to 42 days, they require 500 square cm or half a foot and 3 cm feeder space.

The Kienyeji are ready for meat at about 4-6 months and are sold at between Kshs. 550.00 to kshs 600.00 for hens and Kshs.1,000.oo to 3,000.oo for cocks.

The Kienyeji does well in a house with the following basic requirements:

Space and ventilation are important. Spacing and ventilation in a poultry house enables the supply of fresh air that is essential to sustain life. Ventilation air removes excess heat, moisture, dust and odours from the building and, at the same time, dilutes airborne disease organisms.

Light enables the birds to see and enjoy the sense of presence. It enables the birds to see where to go or what to feed on.

Protection from weather and predators enables the birds to grow without any stress which can affect size, egg-laying or meat-production.

 

The Kienyeji hens grow faster and are usually ready for market after approximately 3 months. The mature Kienyeji chicken takes 25 to 26 hours to lay an egg. As they grow, the chicks will consume 60 grams per day. Each Kg goes for kshs. 50.oo-70.oo. The more mature ones on average, consume 90 grams per day. When fed well, the Kienyeji cocks attain a live weight of approximately 3kg at 5 months. The hens attain a live weight of about 2.oo kg to 3.oo kg and lay between 220-280 eggs per year.

 

We hope you have enjoyed the Poultry Project Series by the Nature Network Group Resource Center. We hope you were able to pick up information on preparation, planning, character of Kienyeji, the kind of feeds used, space and shelter quality, maturity and sale of products.