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Greetings!
This is election season in the US, and while I'm not 100% sure about this absentee ballot sitting on my desk, at least I know it's confidential and I am in control of my vote. Can you imagine watching someone switching your vote right in front of you and all you can do is return his false smile and wonder if you only hurt your cause by voting?
One of our students excitedly told us about the recent primary elections in Uganda and how her new skills empowered her. This election required the voters to write in the name of their preferred candidate, a new system commonly believed to take advantage of illiteracy and allow powerful politicians to keep their seats. There were polling assistants ready to "help" the illiterate.  | | "Helping" a female voter |
Our student stated the name of her chosen candidate. The polling assistant, who assumed all women are illiterate, wrote a different name, but our literacy student caught him and raised the alarm. He had assumed she was illiterate, and got quite a shock that she could now read what he wrote. Our student is very proud that she was able to take charge and not be cheated in government elections. We wonder if our program has played a small, blind part in the many upsets in this year's elections.... Before our adult literacy program came, many women had no vision or hope of expressing themselves in the public sphere. Literacy is a requirement for elected office. Now empowered with literacy, a number of our graduates are running in town and county elections. We are so glad you help us make this possible. Pray with us as we prepare to start a new class of students on the road to change. Read on below how the power of "we" makes this hope possible. |
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The Power of We | |
 | | Teacher training |
We are gearing up for the new literacy graduation celebrations in November, and there is a real sense of gratitude among the graduates for the gift that you have given them. This week we are doing a literacy teacher training, and preparing the Business Mentors Group. We recruited the Business Mentors Group from established business people in the community to share secrets of local business success with our literacy graduates. This also brings our graduates into an active network of businesses that will be invested in their continued success.
We are also planning with the churches to make sure that new classes are situated in the right communities,
an important part in the process of helping the local churches develop ownership of their ministries. As each church sees the impact of their literacy class on the village, they grasp how much power God has given them to bring His hope and change to the whole community.
Speaking of success, our Weree Literacy class has gone far in registering themselves as a cooperative and borrowing money. They began with $175, moved up to $250, and after repaying are now up to $500. They sell their products as far as Mbale and Pallisa, two very different language areas. This would not have been possible without their new English and entrepreneurial skills gained in the program.
We are reaching new areas both with our own literacy classes and through those funded by another group, by providing our curriculum, training, and guidance to another literacy startup in another district. It's wonderful to see how far your ministry support is reaching. That's the power of 'we'. |
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Better Together | | |
Thank you to both regular givers and special needs givers. Regular givers allow us to make committments to our people and know that we can start and see programs through, like the 2 1/2 year literacy program, and special needs givers remind us that God always provides exactly what is needed. Current special needs include a generator, and donors to our car fund.
 You can click on the link here to make a special donation, send a donation to the address shown below, or send me an email letting me know that you are praying for us. We take great joy that you are all God's tools in the work that continues here.
Thanks for helping us get this far. In the November newsletter, be on the lookout for an update on the graduation ceremonies, and I will share with you some exciting stories about the new graduates and the changes already happening in their lives, and some plans for our other programs.
- Jonathan |
| Connect With Us | |
 
 
Click on these links to find DCI on Facebook, visit our website, and go to our Amazon wish list. Click on Jonathan's photo to find his personal Facebook page, or send him an email at jpbeggs@dciuganda.org.
Kole Kenneth couldn't stay away from the work and squeezed in a trip from Seattle in August. We worked him hard and he returned excited and would love to share with you. You can contact him at kolekenneth@dciuganda.org. | |
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DCI Board of Directors
Development Companions International
P.O. Box 2521. Oak Harbor. WA. 98277
360.929.7511 |  |
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