Evone Ministries International, Inc.

05/14/2026

In 2021 Evone Ministries International purchased land and in 2024 built the Evone Community Center as a gift for all the villagers of Nyakabugha, Bikone, Ruboni and Mihunga. Six months ago was the first wedding held at the Center. Today was the largest funeral celebrating the life of the oldest woman in Mihunga. She was 105 years old and 4,000 community members came to honor her.

Many villagers had never seen the Community Center. They were surprised and pleased with the beauty of both the building and the well kept grounds (thanks to the volunteers who recently slashed the grasses, planted flowers and cleaned out the compost bins not knowing there would soon be a funeral there).

I received a phone call this afternoon (10:30 pm Ugandan time) sharing the many reports of appreciation to Evone Ministries for such a wonderful gift to the community. as they have nothing else like it. With 4,000 attending, tents were even spread across the soccer field. When we (EMI) visited last May, 2/3 of the property was still all tall grasses and bushes. Myself, I am grateful to the village volunteers who have worked so hard (with no pay) to clear the property so events like this are even possible.

I asked, "how do you know there were 4,000 attending?" Junian's response was that the guests sign a register and their gift of money is recorded as they are entering into the property. Everyone contributes to the cost of tent and chair rentals, sound system and many also bring food towards a meal.

In the future there is hope for the Evone Community Center to own tents and a sound system to be able to rent to make a small income for maintenance of the land and building. Today all the rentals came from Kasese, close to one hour away.

05/10/2026

Every time a baby enters the world---a Mother is born!!

Evone Ministries Mothers' Club celebrating Happy Mother's Day. For the majority of these are young moms of infants up to 4 year old---it is their first time being celebrated for being a mother.

Special government employees from Kyanya-Ibanda Council were invited as guests and presenters: Monica, Supervisor of Community Development (social services), Karen, Minister of Health , and Dorothy, a midwife at a large government hospital in the city of Kasese (50 minutes from the villages). Three of the teen moms, Joy, Patience and Medrine shared their stories of sexual abuse resulting in early teen pregnancy along with the support they have received through EMI's Prenatal and Postpartum Clinics to provide education and healthcare during pregnancy, sterile supplies for birthing and 6 months of postpartum care for infants to have a healthy start in life.

The day was celebrated by the 97 attending moms and 6 pregnant moms-to-be with a cake and a gift of laundry soap.

05/06/2026

First term of the school year has ended. Now that EMI -CBO UG is in charge of the Student Sponsorship Program, a Career Guidance class led by Dr Mark was held with (11 of our 15) students from Rwenzori High School to aid them in understanding what their passion is for their future and better understand the proper choices in selecting school subjects. Educational programs and grading system is very different from here in the USA. Decisions on careers need to be established during S4, sophomore year.

Students below L to R: Apophia-S4, Phesto-S2, Sedress-S1, Janet-S3, Jackline-S4, Joy-S2, Patience-S2, Dan-A6, Melvine-S1, Moureen-S4, Olivia-S2.
Missing: Sendrilla-S6, Jackie-S2, Doreen-S2, Aidar-S1,

02/26/2026

New this year!! MOTHERS CLUB!!! Growing to meet the educational needs of young women ages 13-25 having their first baby in these four villages. In the USA, 27 is the average age for having your first child but in rural villages of the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda, the age is much lower often due to sexual abuse, in**st, early teen marriages forced by the family in exchange for a dowry of farm animals. Having finished the fourth year of the Prenatal and Postpartum Clinics for at risk teens, our pregnancy rate is decreasing for that age group. It is important to now expand our age range in providing education, counseling, mentoring to decrease the fear of the unknown during pregnancy and to develop a sisterhood of support to include the older youth. The MOTHERS CLUB started in January 2026 and meets once a month at the Evone Community Center, led by team members Dr Mark, midwife Lavinya and Senior Nursing Officer Simon.
We are still in our early phase of development with a division of Group A- Pregnancy, Childbirth, Neonate, Group B- Mother and Child through first year and Group C- moms with toddlers. In January there were 30 moms present and in February 50. I have only received three photos so far with promises of more in the future.

02/09/2026

Update on menstrual cups EMI distributed along with educational workshop while we were in the villages in May 2025.. Last Friday teens returned to report on their usage of menstrual cups gifted in both May and November of 2025.

Some of advantages reported by the students were:
1.⁠ ⁠It takes a longer time to change than pads, but you only change it 2x a day (outside of class time) compared to the 4x they change with pads, thus they can concentrate in class and stay at school without worrying that they need to go change their pad.
2.⁠ ⁠It is cheaper for us students. No need to buy pads anymore.
3.⁠ ⁠It can be washed. It does not bring bad smell and itching compared to pads.
4.⁠ ⁠Playing, running and walking is easier with cups, adding that she does not worry about it dropping down during activity time.

All of the teens present say they recommend them to other girls. One girl said after using for 3 months, she convinced her sisters to also use the menstrual cups.

02/09/2026

Today is the first day of the new 2026 school year!! On Friday, Feb 6th, there was an organizational meeting of students and parents to prepare for the new school year and to give out school tuition receipts, a gift from their sponsors through Evone Ministries International. There was a one week delay this year due to the past four weeks of elections throughout Uganda starting with the Presidential election which blocked the internet for close to a week.
EMI is now fully in charge of their own student sponsorship program to improve transparency. We have streamlined the schools we support to Dusek Primary School, Rwenzori High School, RAD-CD School for the handicapped, African Ark College, Rwenzori School of Nursing and Midwifery. Our goal is for students to remain in the Kasese District to remain important members of their community and tribe, to allow more frequent visitation to their families and for long term to encourage students to give back to their villages in appreciation for the education their have received.
Jane Britain is the Student Sponsorship Coordinator here in NH, USA working with Dr Mark Kinene, Director of EMI Uganda is assisting the start of the year coordination with the schools.
Prayers for all students to have a successful school year!!

12/30/2025

Please take the time to read the comprehensive Annual Report by Dr Mark Kinene.

ANNUAL REPORT 2025.

INTRODUCTION
Evone Ministries International is a registered community based organization under Kasese Local Government permitted by the District NGO Monitoring Committee to promote health, support education and empower young people only in Kasese areas. It was incorporated on 10th day of June 2024 in Uganda registered office is located in Mihunga village, Rwenzori region in Kasese District western Uganda.
It has continued its commitment to serve and make impactful difference in villages where young people have good health by providing medical care through antenatal and postpartum clinic,
health promotion through education, and awareness. Quality education to reduce school dropouts, teen pregnancy, forced childhood marriage and raise future generational leaders
through school sponsorships.

STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

1. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN CHILD PROTECTION POLICIES AND AWARENESS AGAINST GENDER BASED VIOLENCE.
Using local authorities like local council committee members, law enforcement and judiciary to focus on grassroot mobilization, training parasocial workers and fostering local ownership through
community education and social support groups to prevent abuse and respond to cases where formal systems fall short and justice is delayed or denied. Working to build community-driven
frameworks for safety of children by setting up traditional penalties. Religious institutions to act as communication channels to raising awareness and providing support to victims of domestic violence.
In May 2025, Ambassador Sandy Fisher, Judge Sue, Jane and John Runezerwa, EMI President from USA visited to strengthen community involvement in the fight against child abuse and violence against children and women. The purpose was to create awareness for children’s rights. Parents, guardians and care givers were pleased to have an experienced judge on gender based violence speaking about their roles in protecting children and women against violence. Coercive sexual abuse contributed to teenage pregnancy.

2. EVONE COMMUNITY CENTER.
The center serves to bring educational activities, agricultural opportunities, vocational training and digital skills, health (clinics and camps), community celebrations, social support to foster self reliance through local participation. Since it’s opening it has hosted a variety of educational,health and social programs and providing space for leisure and recreational activities contributing
to community happiness and sense of fulfillment for locally organized events.

ACHIEVEMENTS

1. MEDICAL CARE.
The health of a mother and her baby is the foundation of a healthy community. With a healthy beginning, there is hope for the future. EMI calls for intensified efforts to end preventable adolescent maternal and newborn deaths by providing essential health information on pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal care. EMI starts medical care to teen mothers as she walks through our clinic door for the first time throughout her pregnancy, childbirth to postnatal until the baby is 6 months. At the clinic, we have treated 463 teen mothers and babies. Routine checkups and laboratory testing to ensure that our beneficiaries are well and health.

2. ANTENATAL CARE.

Focusing on health education and providing prenatal vitamins to high risky young mothers aged 13-16 years who are dealing with self-denial, forced early childhood marriage, gender based
violence, school dropout, poverty and other forms of social injustices. Bringing antenatal care, reproductive health information on pregnancy danger signs, family planning and empowering teenage girls to start income generating activities closer to them in the villages. EMI Clinic has provided timely access to quality antenatal care contributing to desired young motherhood, reduced maternal, neonatal and postnatal morbidity. Antenatal visits offers teen mothers the opportunity to detect HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, malaria and anaemia prophylaxis, interactive health education classes and providing routine medication and treatment of complications and infections. Extra care is given to teen mothers at the clinic including labor kits, surgical gloves, antenatal exercise and new-born clothes and reusable diapers.
Two hundred three (203) visits were reported in 2025 on average seventeen (17) adolescent mothers attended clinic visit every month recieving blood pressure, sugars and weight
measurements, fetal growth monitoring, urine testing, Hb testing, Iron-Folic supplementation, Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine preventive treatment, and deworming.

3. POSTPARTUM CARE.
Improve readily accessible quality postpartum care services at village level to reduce occurrence of postnatal-related maternal and neonatal deaths among young risky teen mothers. Caring for
both teen mothers and their babies is important in identifying and treating any complications that may arise from pregnancy and childbirth as well as health education on caring for herself and her newborn baby. Postnatal care is still low in rural population standing at 54%. EMI is providing a new understanding of caring for those who need the basic medical care to save lives by
conducting postpartum checkups and treating babies up to the age of 6 months and mothers since 2022.
Three hundred eight (308) treatment cases have been registered and given treatment from both babies and their mothers in year 2025. Most treated cases are malaria, pneumonia, parasitic
worm and contagious fungal infections among others.

4. COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION CERTIFICATION.
On the 31st day of March 2025, Kasese District Local Government certified Evone Ministries International as a duly registered Community Based Organization under Registration number CBO/2071 with physical location in Mihunga village where EMI operates charitable activities for a long standing experience in health promotion, educational support and empowerment of young people. With this great recognition by the government of Uganda comes expectations to rural development through health and education. EMI now operates individually in Uganda having
physical address, bank account led by Dr.Kinene Mark the country director.

5. EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT FOR TEENAGE MOTHERS.
Supporting teen mothers return to school ensuring that they can continue with their studies and thrive after the The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated teenage pregnancy as schools closed and
movement restricted and the routine health priorities were redirected to COVID-19 specific needs. This caused girls dropping out of school due to early pregnancy affecting their long term educational, economic and health outcomes. In rural area, teen mothers are less likely to finish high school or university, to be employed thus face food insecurity, poverty, forced childhood marriage and domestic violence. Lack of money to pay school fees is the second leading cause of school dropout after unintended pregnancy.
Evone Ministries International recognises that every teen mother has a right to basic education and it is a fundamental right and freedom. Over the last three years, EMI has sponsored and
facilitated school return for teenage parents from primary, secondary and colleges schools.EMI has also provided more than twelve (12) sporsorships to teen mothers through partners and sponsors. Three have graduated from college earning their first cerficate level of education.

6. SRHR INFORMATION AND SERVICES.
The organization has provided integrated comprehensive sexual reproductive health and rights information and services including community health education and family planning clinics, HIV
prevention, testing and counseling, sexually transmitted infections management. EMI is proud to have pioneered family planning serviceably in the four villages of Bikone, Ruboni, Nyakabugho and Mihunga.
Evone Ministries International has provided more than six (6) hundred life-saving, affordable, accessible and quality SRHR information and services in the most vulnerable and underserved
communities and those in hard to reach areas totalling to six hundred thirty seven (637) to young people. Our mission is to provide and enable free access to family planning services to vulnerable and underserved communities especially young people to reduce early teenage pregnancies and high female school dropout due to pregnancies. EMI has expanded access to family planning and reproductive health services to three villages.

CHALLENGES.
1. LACK OF FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES FOR POSTNATAL MOTHERS.
2. LACK OF BREAST AND CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING SERVICE.
3. NO BUDGET FOR SPECIALIZED TREATMENT.
4. LACK OF MANPOWER DURING CLINIC DAYS.

REMARKS.
Special thank you to all the EMI partners, donors, sponsors, and well-wishers for your financial support towards this ministry. Your financial donations makes it possible to reach out to more teen
mothers and babies. EMI Uganda reassures commitment to serve and make a difference in a community where young people achieve health and well being, education and empowerment.

Compiled by Kinene Mark- Evone Ministries International Country Director.

12/30/2025

Delayed posting. CATARACT SURGERY. Earlier this month, three elderly women from the villages received the gift of sight in thanks to donations from the Hopkinton, NH Lions Club. Loss of vision due to cataracts ranged from 4-6 years for two ladies, resulting in forced retirement as a sister in the Anglican Church for Ruth (age 72), retirement as a community health/social worker for Matisko (age 67) and 8 years for Fortunate (age 78) who led church choirs prior to suffering from bilateral cataracts. Dr Mark Kinene, our CBO Uganda Director in country arranged for the surgeries with Dr Solomon at the Eye Hospital in Fort Portal, Uganda (2 hour drive). Last week the ladies returned for follow up exams. They are all doing well and very excited and thankful to have their vision restored. Many THANKS to HOPKINTON LIONS CLUB!!

12/26/2025