Although stopping may not always be seen as a mark of success, there are some cases where The Hunger Project knows that we have reached success when we do stop.
As our Epicentre communities in Africa reach Self-Reliance, we can begin to exit the community. The Hunger Project continues to monitor and evaluate Self-Reliant communities to ensure they remain on track with their goals.
One of the things we love about the communities we work with in Africa is how they celebrate their successes. Today, we’re stopping to celebrate the success of the most recent Epicentre community to celebrate their Self-Reliance.
Mbale Epicentre Community, Uganda.
A group of investors and their families, including lead investor Colin Tate, travelled to the Mbale Epicentre community, Uganda, in November to join the community’s celebration for reaching the critical milestone of Self-Reliance.
Cutting the celebratory cake shaped like the Mbale Epicentre.
Mbale now joins two other Epicentres in Uganda as Self-Reliant Epicentres. In the Mbale community, 93.6% of households now live free from severe hunger, and 100% of pregnant women visit health facilities during their pregnancy.
The celebrations to commemorate the community’s 12-year journey to Self-Reliance were attended by over 5,000 community partners, local government authorities, as well as Australian investors and their families and The Hunger Project representatives from Australia and Uganda. The guests of honour at the celebrations were the Honourable Minister for Gender, Labour and Social Development, Hajjat Janat Mukwaya, and the lead investor Colin Tate.
Key highlights of the celebration included traditional performances by the Bamasaba Cultural Troupe, Epicentre preschool children as well as students from the Mbale School for the Deaf. Exhibition stores were also set up by the Women Empowerment Committee, showcasing items such as handicrafts and clothes.
A huge thank you to the generous individuals, families and businesses that invested in the Mbale Epicentre community, including lead investor Colin Tate and the Mbale Investor Consortium, for enabling this community to reach Self-Reliance.
Find out more about our Epicentre Strategy in Africa here. If you’re interested in partnering with communities to Self-Reliance, our Head of Philanthropy (stephanie.tucker@thp.org) would love to hear from you.