First and foremost, the African Touch Education Fund Society would like to thank you once againfor your contributions and ongoing support of the Uganda Massage Project. Without you, this projectwould not be possible. Some fantastic people have given their time, skills, words of promotion,finances and encouragement. We have all worked hard and have contributed a lot.In summary, we would have to say that since arriving in Uganda almost 3 months ago, everything hasworked out just as it should. We have had a few setbacks no doubt; relating to personal illness, workvisa's, school set-up, printing course materials, as well as student recruitment and selection. Nothingis ever quite as simple as it seems, however, we would like to let you know that the African TouchUganda Massage Project is now up and running!
We had our first day of class on July 4, have completed our first three weeks of classes and have afantastic group of students. We would like to take a moment to introduce you to the African TouchMassage class of 2011. We have twelve incredible students who are very intelligent, hard working andhave a heart for people. Each student has written a few paragraphs about themselves, so please take amoment to get to know the class by clicking on their pictures and reading their stories.We have been told by local authorities that Uganda has an unemployment rate of almost 50%, and amajority of those unemployed are young adults, many with university degrees. We were shocked tosee evidence of this in the application forms we received. Nine of the students we selected have at leastsome post secondary education, of which 8 of them had completed their degrees, and only one of themis currently employed. Two of the students completed high school (termed Ordinary and Advancedlevel here) and the remaining student did not finish high school as her family could not afford school fees after the death of her mother.
One student has been self employed doing massage part time after being trained by friend, but all theothers were unfamiliar with the profession. That being said, even though they have just begun theirtraining, our students already have more formal training than many "massage therapists" in Uganda,as the majority of massage practitioners just learn on the job. The only formal massage training in Uganda that we have been able to discover is 5 days of training as part of a beauty school course.We have met some massage practitioners that have taken more extensive massage courses availablein Kenya, but they training is expensive and out of reach of many. Once employed the wage of themassage practitioners we have spoken to averages around 30,000 Ugandan shillings a day ($11.11).This is a very decent salary and much higher than the wages of many. This short and intense programwill change lives forever. This program will give people the ability to provide for themselves and theirfamilies presently, and will give their children a better chance for a successful future, helping to end thecycle of poverty.
We have already started to look for jobs for students and have had four hotels, one hospital and a gymall express interest in hiring a student once they are trained. In another few weeks, the outreach portionof the program will begin. Initially, the local community and those at the Wentz medical clinic willhave access to free massage at the school. Individuals in the community will have the opportunityto experience massage, perhaps for the first time. Practical sessions will also help students practicetheir skills, and make connections to start to build a future client load. We are also working towardsarranging to bring sports teams to the school for free massage and we will be traveling to some of thelarger hotels to provide free treatment for the staff. This will spread the word about the quality of the massage training, as well as, provide opportunities for students to build a relationship with possibleemployers, creating good job opportunities.
The African Touch thanks you, the students thank you and the community of Ggaba thanks you foryour help in making this program the success it is becoming. It is going to be a great hot season here,and we hope all of you have a great summer!Curt and Sandy Chambers
President and Secretary of the African Touch
