Exhibition Opening night | Wednesday 2nd August | 5:30 - 7:00pm
Gallery F opening hours | Thurs-Frid 10-4pm | Sat 10am-2pm
Location: mim, museum of innocence mildura | 31-33 Deakin Ave
Artist statement
The POSHU
Project has been evolving since it began in 2009.
My initial
focus was on offering basic education to older women who never had the
opportunity to go to school. Now, 9 years later, we have POSHU women’s groups
in 28 villages in rural and remote areas of Uganda. Poverty and hunger are
never far away for these women. Yet even during the recent drought they looked
forward to their weekly classes.
“We like to
meet together. It is a distraction from our problems, and we learn so much. It
has helped us a lot. …There is a change now in the whole community. We are
doing this for ourselves. It is very
good.”
In 2017,
POSHU provided books, pens, blackboards and chalk to another 2 villages. We pay
a local teacher to work in the village on Saturdays. Women are excited to learn
to read and write. We teach their own languages as well as English and Math.
Volunteers
run the POSHU community garden in each village. Many families benefit from
improved nutrition.
But more than
this, the women and girls are networking, seeing opportunities for the first
time.
They are
saving money as a group through POSHU Savings, and improving their small
businesses as they share ideas and knowledge. “We are poor, not stupid!” they
say. They can manage the project themselves, with just the bare structure I
provide and small financial support to the 45 POSHU village teachers.
And as for
me, this project keeps me on my toes, at the edge of my seat, as I’m constantly
amazed at their ingenuity, honesty and resilience. I’m proud of what they’ve
achieved. It’s exciting to be invited to a remote village recovering from
recent insurgency, knowing that change is coming for them through POSHU Women’s
Education Project. They are ready and willing to learn!
And so am I.
