Category Archives: Women focused programs

Africa, Central America, Community Support, Education, Emergency Response, Environment, Events, General interest, Haiti, Health Education, Healthcare, Income generation, Nepal, People, Rose Charities People, Rose News, South Asia Region, Women focused programs, Youth programs

Rose Charities Canada – Outputs 2022-23 and letter from Chair Maggie Francis

Chair Year End Report

October 31 st ,2022 to November 1 st , 2023

We have come to the end of another year for Rose Charities Canada with many achievements and “good news”. Our projects have carried on amidst global wars and conflicts, earthquakes, fires, floods and the
ever-encroaching impacts of climate change.

The need for humanitarian aid is widespread and as a result it is sometimes hard to know where to help.

As an organization we do step in for emergencies but we prefer to support communities in the long haul. For this reason, many of our projects have been operating over a long period of time with a great
track record and, moreover, they are well established with very positive outcomes for individuals and communities. This often results in a “ripple effect” where the small seed of a project flows out to the
wider community and future generations. For example, indigenous midwives in Guatemala are given skills to promote better outcomes in childbirth; their knowledge is then transferred to future midwives
and thence safer births.


Another example of this is in the planting of tree seedlings in Zambia which over time help to mitigate against erosion and drought bringing agricultural opportunities and food security to local communities.
In my report this year I have chosen to include the results(outputs) that most of our projects have indicated in their annual reports. I have done this because it demonstrates the wonderful scope and variety of activities the projects provide on budgets that are low in comparison to the big aid organizations. The activities can, more or less, be categorized into education, health and community development. However, they seem to offer much more in terms of broader impacts such as hope and
opportunity for the future.


It is also interesting to look at the numbers of lives benefiting from each project. Some of these numbers are large for a relatively small organization. For example, the development of a Maternal Care
Centre in Ethiopia will provide services to a community of 157,00 people. Or the production of a music video raising awareness of sexual violence towards girls in Uganda has likely reached thousands of
people. But numbers do not tell the whole story. We work from the premise that every life matters. Our understanding is that “If you concentrate on small, manageable steps you can cross unimaginable
distances” (Hick)

If you look at the outputs from Nepal you will see that nine girls were helped with their education. One of these women, married at a young age, had been unable to finish her schooling due to responsibilities
at home. The scholarship enabled her to complete her high school with the chance of lifting the family out of poverty. In fact, she obtained her certificate alongside her daughter!


In addition to individual successes, we also support whole schools – Stand Tall (200 students); Volset (250 students) and the indigenous Mayan school (37 students) in Guatemala. And then there are theenrichment programs in Ecuador, Haiti; health education workshops in Uganda with Grassroot Doctors; educational supplies; food security support and the list goes on.


When I look at the year end annual reports, I am truly impressed and inspired by the work of all our projects. And I know the board joins me in thanking everyone – volunteers, donors, supporters – who
have helped to make them a success.


With very best wishes for another productive year ahead!

Maggie Francis
Chair, Board of Directors
Rose Charities Canada
January 23rd, 2024

Africa, Education, General interest, Music, Arts and Crafts, Women focused programs

End-Violence-Against-Women Day 25 November (UN) . ‘Tekawo Enjawulo’ .. a song to help make it every day ..

November 25th is the annual United Nations International Day to end violence against Women. To mark this event, Rose Charities and Uganda’s Talent Africa Group are launching the Brighter Smiles Africa music video ‘Tekawo Enjawulo’ (“We can make it better you and I”).

The goal of ‘Tekawo Enjawulo’ is to raise awareness and promote dialogue to help end the silence and indifference that surrounds sexual violence against girls. The song presents the perspective of Ugandan youth on the issues they face. Sexual and gender-related violence against girls is a global epidemic recognized by WHO and UNICEF to require urgent action through innovative solutions. In much of Africa, more than half the women report being victimized in their lifetime, and in Uganda one in three girls currently experience some form of sexual violence.

The words of ‘Tekawo Enjawulo’ highlight the four issues
seen as most pressing by youth in Uganda.
* Early child marriage and teenage pregnancies
* Sexual advances from older men
(transgenerational sex)
* Abuse of power by teachers in schools
(demands for sexual favors for favorable marks)
* Undue pressure from boys for sex

The song featured in the Brighter Smiles Africa music video was recorded by a group of leading female artists and premiered as the theme song at the Brave Girls Festival in Uganda on Oct 11th (The ‘Day of the girl child’). Some of the girls who contributed words for the song were also showcased at the event which was thrilling for them. The video has been produced to combine great entertainment with elements of health promotion and will be widely available through free downloads. This means the words of the song (and the advice it contains) will be heard across Uganda, especially by young people. A promotional campaign on national TV and radio will also use broadcasts with phone in discussion hosted by leading Ugandan women to promote dialogue and raise awareness of the need for change in Ugandan society.

Central America, Community Support, General interest, Health Education, Healthcare, Women focused programs

Safe Motherhood Guatemala update Jan 2022

The Guatemalan Safe Motherhood Project continues to make progress, in spite of the pandemic. We in Canada have been in bimonthly contact via Zoom with our Guatemalan teammates. Because of travel restrictions, teaching in other communities has been replaced with a new clinic, providing prenatal care to local pregnant women and holding prenatal discussion groups, as well as addressing topics beyond pregnancy and birth, including breastfeeding, alcohol and other substance use disorders, domestic violence, nutrition, and supporting teen mothers.

Here in Canada we’ve been having a meeting every 5-6 weeks with a primary focus on trying to find corporate sponsors as well as granting foundations. Our long-term goal is to expand our training courses with more teams. We hope to be able to travel to Guatemala once again in the fall of 2022. Our team will be able to train a number of further trainers to bring our hands-on course to many more remote areas, so as to make a larger impact in fewer years. The need remains huge and more trained teams are needed in order to impact the lives of so many marginalized, poverty-stricken families (primarily indigenous) in Guatemala. With persistence, further funding will allow this.

More including donation window