Emma Isaacs, CEO and “Chief Chick” of Business Chicks, a national community for women in business, writes about her unforgettable experience in Uganda for the Business Chicks Immersion and Leadership Program. Emma and her fellow members of Business Chicks plan to continue working with THP-Australia on creating a brighter and more empowering future for the people of Bangladesh and Uganda in the years to come.
I’ve been back from Uganda for a week now but am only really feeling ready to write about it now. Coming home to our exquisite lives in Australia has been difficult and I’ve found myself in tears or on the verge of them quite a few times. A lot of people have asked how exactly it’s changed me, and I’m not sure of that yet, but I know I’ll never be the same again.
During our time in Uganda we were confronted by chronic hunger and poverty which is just a way of life for too many. We met a woman who had twin babies – both of the children had runny noses and watery eyes and were too weak to swat the flies off their little faces. We asked the woman what she ate each day and she said “I won’t eat today – I may eat tomorrow.”
There were however, many moments of tremendous hope and stories of resilience and success – and these were of those women and families who were involved with The Hunger Project. These people had learnt how to grow better quality food and more variety (some families live off a diet of only one food, like bananas), store their food and sell the excess to make an income. They’d been trained in health practises (like washing your hands after going to the ‘bathroom’), and building structures out of sticks to air out their pots and pans after cooking etc.
I am incredibly proud of the Business Chicks women that took part in the trip – each and everyone of them stepped up and played full out, and together with the members who went on the first trip to Bangladesh their efforts contributed a total of over $380,000 to The Hunger Project. Bravo girls! And two of the women on the Uganda trip have pledged $1,000,000 to The Hunger Project Uganda over three years as a result of this experience – how extraordinary is that?
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To read the complete post, visit Emma’s blog!
Interested in going on a trip? Learn more about becoming an active investor in The Hunger Project!
