AMANI Domestics

06/02/2023

24/07/2020

A HELPER FOR THE ELDERLY
In the past our parents retired in the villages. There they were guaranteed of a community that would take care of them. In the recent past so much has changed. Village life is changing. With most people migrating to the towns or being busy with work which takes them out of home like trading. People who have lived most of their life in the urban areas now prefer not to return to the villages. Those from villages may come to live in town to be closer to healthcare. The face of retirement has changed and alot of people find themselves searching for house help for their elderly parents. Who should you hire? Some of our parents tend to insist that they want a relative of theirs to take care of them. However it's not always possible.
1. Allow the parent participate in choosing her helper
2. Look for a compassionate person. She needs to be able to empathize and be kind to your parent.
3. Look for someone who shares the same values as your parent.
4. Look for a flexible person. The needs of your parent will change as she ages. She may have mood swings or her sickness may progress.
5. She needs to have a little bit of experience looking after the elderly or if she's an excellent children's Nanny. Nanny's are also very good with the elderly.
6. Be flexible in the job description to factor in the need for companionship. A lot of her job will require simply sitting and listening to your parent. It's part of therapy.
7. Discuss the length of contract and details of salary.. Be fair in your renumeration, just like children, it causes anxiety and stress when you change caretakers.
8. Provide supplies, pay on time and give the caretaker reasonable breaks and holidays to rest.

24/07/2020

Reposting this from 2017: Still true in 2020.

Aaaah the drama of Amani domestic maids. Every day I see a shift that is very scary for the city woman to accept.
More and more the Ugandan housemaids are becoming assertive. The employer who wants a quality worker today, it seems has to be able and willing to be humble and accept that all we offer is money and the girls know they are offering life jobs, security, stability and so much more value to us.
We send ladies for interviews with prospective employers and the maid will confidently call us back to say "madam Olivia, I might be desperate but am not taking that woman's job. If she can speak to me like that in an interview what about at her house? Please find her someone else."
Meanwhile the client says to you I really liked that girl I will give her the job. When u tell her the girl declined, you will witness anger....... "who does she think she is, who can give her the money I was offering her? What exactly did she say..... Am calling her right now to give her a piece of my mind"

06/02/2020

Emotional Intelligence

Training activity to show the importance of emotional intelligence

06/02/2020

Training activity to show the importance of emotional intelligence

09/02/2019

LIVING WITH YOUR PARENTS: it's the honorable thing to do here in Africa. Your aging parents may need to live with you because you live where they can easily access medical care, War in your village, no one to care for them and a host of other issues. It doesn't matter whose parent it is, whether Husband of wife. It is a very difficult transition for both the parent and the hosting family. The role of the housemaid in this setup is very important and needs to be put into consideration. Some families decide to hire another maid while others may choose to keep one maid. Several factors will guide that decision. The biggest challenge of all is the attitude of your aging and ailing parent. Be honest. You know your parent, you got raised by them. Many a maid has left a home because of the interference of a parent. They usually think the maid is earning too much for nothing. Some use the maid to ensure the son sees how useless his working wife is since she can't be home to properly look after her family, some will demand for attention of the maid to simply sit and listen to them or to take them for a walk or to give them the neighborhood gossip because they are bored out of their minds. Others will insist on bossing the maid to a point she doesn't know whose instructions to follow. Others will decide they need a maid who understands them better and so keep reporting and running off your good maids. Others will argue with every instruction given to the maid just so she enforces her own preferred food choices, customs and traditions. Consider carefully the maid arrangement in your home as you make a decision to live with your parents...

05/02/2019

COMPROMISE: What are you willing to sacrifice in order to get what you want? Have you noticed that very clean and organised maids will not have time for your children. They will not want the children to get into their space or allow them to try new skills around the house because they will "slow down my work". Depending on your values and what matters to you most, you need to learn to compromise. The maid that is playful and loves children will not be as conscious of their untidy ways,she will be accommodating, she will prioritize the children's comfort over housework, she might not keep your house as neat as that house on TV. She will allow the children to create a mess because she wants to see their smiles and honestly children love to explore. My question, whose interest does your maid serve? Yourself or your child. Make that decision before you fire the maid and force your child to go through another traumatic separation. Ultimately are you willing to sacrifice your comfort for your child.

31/01/2019

Maid Identity:
Who is your maid? The single most interesting common question from people seeking maids is this "Do you known where she comes from?". They want to know her village and parents. And that is usually as far as the security check goes. As long as one is assured that the maid's village and mother is known. Fair enough,but is that really all you need to know?don't you realise that these girls won't go back to their mothers once they commit a crime? Do you know her mother won't tell you the truth if she knows it about her daughters character? During formal job interviews, do you ever get asked who your parents are or where your village is? Almost never. If you're really that security conscious Here is what you should do. 1. GET THE OFFICIAL ID. Either the a copy of National ID or Passport. 2.Get her passport photographs. 3.Talk to people in her current neighborhood, 4. ask about other relatives she may have in the city. 5.Introduce her to your LC1 Chairperson.....Get information that the police can work with in case issues arise..If she's from an agency ask for her work history. Her mother is not the sum total of her identity... Good luck maid hunting. www.amanidomestics.com

28/01/2019

The housemaid drama continues. We love them we hate them we can't do without them. It is a difficult arrangement to have someone you have not grown up with and who is not your relation, come to live with you. At first it seems obvious that each of you will know their place especially the maid since she's the subordinate. However things are not always that simple. Families find themselves vulnerable and at the complete mercy of their maids. How can you survive this stress. Ask yourself the most important question. Who am I? Am I ready to trade my space for the convenience of a maid being at my beck and call?.What compromises can I make. My advice. If you're single or if it's an adult only household, you need to have a mature maid who does not live in and can manage her schedule and has been a housekeeper for a long time therefore has work ethic.
A girl between 18 and below 30 will most likely try to take advantage of the freedom of not being micromanaged. If you're afraid of theft then be flexible and let her come to work in the evenings when you're home. Or that one day in the week when you're available. The washing machine would be a good piece of equipment to invest in. it will ensure that your maid spends less time at your house.The microwave is your second best friend.it means the maid can cook and refridgerate all your meals.or if you buy take away meals,you don't have to worry about it. Anothet solution is to share a maid. If you know a neighbor or family trusted maid who has a day off,ask her to come in and work for you on her day off. If you must have a live in maid get her through a trusted source or ask friends who can give a good referral. Let's talk about options for people living with elderly invalid parents next time.

18/03/2017

18/03/2017

Chances are very high that you have a traumatized maid. No one desires to end up as a maid. Not everyone going through trauma is angry or looks unhappy. But every person has different triggers. An innocent spoon might have been used to hit this girl as a child so simply seeing a spoon being banged on a table might coz her to have an extreme reaction. Every one needs to identify and deal with their trauma.

11/03/2017

Aaaah the drama of Amani domestic maids. Every day I see a shift that is very scary for the city woman to accept.
More and more the Ugandan housemaids are becoming assertive. The employer who wants a quality worker today, it seems has to be able and willing to be humble and accept that all we offer is money and the girls know they are offering life jobs, security, stability and so much more value to us.
We send ladies for interviews with prospective employers and the maid will confidently call us back to say "madam Olivia, I might be desperate but am not taking that woman's job. If she can speak to me like that in an interview what about at her house? Please find her someone else."
Meanwhile the client says to you I really liked that girl I will give her the job. When u tell her the girl declined, you will witness anger....... "who does she think she is, who can give her the money I was offering her? What exactly did she say..... Am calling her right now to give her a piece of my mind"

22/02/2017

If you're in the Kampala area, this is one seminar you won't want to miss, with Professor Cherilyn Orr!