HOPE FOR KIDS UGANDA

Hope for Kids Uganda is the networking arm of Orphans for Christ in Africa (OCA), a child care NGO that provides holistic care and support to HIV/AIDS orphans, vulnerable disadvantaged children, youth and their communities in Uganda. The aim of this blog is to provide information, create awareness and give opportunity to all people all over the world, who love and care about the needs of HIV/AIDS orphans and disadvantaged children to respond to these needs and to also give the orphans and disadvantaged children of Uganda an opportunity to share their stories, challenges and needs with the rest of the world, allowing interested individuals, groups, families, churches and organizations to actively respond to the challenges and needs of HIV/AIDS infected and affected children and communities in Uganda and provide any possible support.

Hope for Kids Uganda would like to meet partners and networking people interested in providing assistance, financial or in-kind, to orphans and disadvantaged children in Uganda. We welcome willing partners from not-for profit organizations, churches, groups, families, and individuals interested in partnering with OCA from all over the world. Individuals, families, groups, churches, organizations, companies and anyone else with a heart for, passion and compassion for helping disadvantaged children and youth to enable then have a better life, HOPE and DIGNITY and reach their full potential, are welcome to partner with us in this worthy cause. All people who care about the welfare and needs of HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable disadvantaged children and have passion and compassion to see poor and disadvantaged children and youth in Africa, get an education, shelter, better life and hope for a better future through holistic childcare and support, education, skills and vocational training, HIV/AIDS care and support and provision of shelter for the homeless are welcome to subscribe to provide support to any of our programs and projects

Orphans for Christ in Africa (OCA) is committed to doing the following:
• Providing Holistic care, protection and support
for the orphans left behind, and
• Preventing more people from being infected with HIV Virus Supporting the Orphans Left Behind:

Foster Care through Extended Family Networks.

One of the ways through which Orphans for Christ in Africa is provides holistic care and support to orphans and vulnerable children are foster care through existing extended family Networks. We believe orphans and homeless children are best cared for in family units through the network of existing extended family members, foster care and through adoption programs that enable siblings to live together. This is more cost effective and enables the children to grow up and be cared for in a family environment of the home as which has positive psychological effect on children.

Our initial approach focuses on resettling orphaned children with existing extended family members namely, Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, grandparents, etc, who serve as guardians to the orphans. We then look for resources and provide basic necessities that the children need namely, school fees, clothing, beddings, school uniforms and supplies, medical care, spiritual nourishment, and other necessities.

In our initial childcare program in the Tororo area of eastern Uganda, we had 12 children who were cared for in foster families. After we place a child in a foster home, we look for resources and sponsors to help provided the basic necessities for the children. These include: school fees, clothing, shoes, school materials, school uniforms, health care, spiritual nature and financial support. We help with small funding to facilitate production of extra food stuff from local gardens to feed the orphans and help with other needs as well. In this way, the guardians provide the comfort, love, care and support that the children desperately need, live above their difficult and traumatizing past and have self-esteem.

Care in Orphanages & Children’s Homes

Meanwhile foster care remains one of best ways of providing holistic care to orphans and vulnerable children, we recognize that the AIDS disaster has had such devastating effects that the breakdown of the normal family support structures in Uganda (and across the continent) has been of alarming proportions. It is therefore not surprising to find that some children have been left without any known living relative. As a result we recognize that the extended family members may not always be found and in many cases the existing family members are either already over-burdened with so many children and find it practically impossible to take in more orphans or they are themselves too sick to care for children.

A typical example is a case in Nakigalala village, Kajjansi in Wakiso district of Uganda (see pictures); where this sickly 60-year old widowed grandmother (’Jjaja) has been left alone with 5 orphaned grandchildren aged 3-12, without any support. In situations like these and where it is not possible to find an extended family member or family that can provide foster care for the orphans, Orphans for Christ in Africa cares for the children in an orphanage or a children’s Centre that provides housing, education and a nurturing environment for homeless orphans. OCA runs Kajjansi Children’s Center, near Kampala and New Hope Children’s Center in Tororo, Eastern Uganda.

It is important at this point to realize that Sub-Saharan Africa alone accounts for a staggering 15.5 million AIDS orphans, 2.5 of which are in Uganda alone, and this number is increasing daily, making it practically impossible for existing family members to adequately care for the increasing number of orphaned children in the country.

Meeting Basic Needs

Unlike other parts of the world where childcare and support tend to focus mainly on children’s emotional and Psychological needs, children in Uganda and the rest of Africa require additional support that meets their basic needs. Orphaned children often suffer from lack of basic needs some of which are:

Food & Shelter - Orphans need a safe and secure housing environment where they can be provided with good nutritious food and a place for recreation that enables them to grow up as whole persons with dignity and self-esteem. We believe we can all join our hands in an effort to give this future generation a better a bright future through care and support.

Education and Life Skills - orphaned children are often denied access to education, since people believe (wrongly though) that since their parents died of HIV infection, they are also infected and therefore pose a risk to other children. Even the few orphans who try going to school end up dropping out due to lack of financial support. The girl children are most at risk. Our study in Tororo district of Uganda shows that education still remains a reserve for the boy-child and in most communities, orphaned girls are forced to marry at an early age (12-15 years) in order to get dowry (bride wealth) and pay school fees for the boys”, (not necessarily their orphaned brothers but in most cases to pay school fees for children of living relatives – sad!).

Computer & ICT Skills Training

Orphans for Christ in Africa (OCA) is planning to set-up a Computer and ICT Skills Training Center aimed at providing Computer and ICT skills training to HIV/AIDS orphans and disadvantaged youth who have no financial support to attain post secondary education. The program is a cost-effective educational program for young women and men to attain vocational training that will enable them to succeed in the job market. Many young women often find it difficult to adjust back into the normal educational environment of standard schools after dropping out due to lack of financial support or other causes. The Computer Skills Training Center will be the positive environment that will give them that equal opportunity in an environment and culture where education still remains a reserve for the boy child.

Computer and ICT Skills Training

In December 2006, Orphans for Christ in Africa received a donation of 20′ feet container load of 185 used computers and other ICT equipment from Mr. James Kilpatrick and the Suburban Baptist Church, of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, for setting up this Computer and ICT Skills Training Centre for Orphaned children and disadvantaged youth in Uganda. Orphans for Christ in Africa currently have the 185 computers ready to be set up into the Computer & ICT Skills Training Center in Kampala Uganda. We intend to open the center right outside of Kampala on Entebbe Road.

The Center will be an ongoing program that also plans to be self-sustainable by creating an internet café along with the computer training center. The large demand in Uganda for internet cafes will help generate an income that will go back into operational expenses for the center and the classes. The goal of the project is to set up the OCA Computer and ICT Skills Training Center that will provide Computer and ICT Skills and Job Skill Training to minimum 180 orphans and disadvantaged youth annually, with special emphasis and priority given to the girl-children and young women. However, this project still requires funding for initial setting up and for purchasing initial project furniture, supplies and internet installation and connection.

Our greatest need at the moment is financial resources to set-up and run the project. Financial donations can be made by mail or wire transfer (Bank wire Transfer) or Western Union Money Transfer. Checks should be made payable to “Orphans for Christ in Africa Ltd” and mailed to our mailing address. To donate by bank wire transfer, or Western Union please email:anthony@orphansforchrist.com for details.

Since education is every child’s right, as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, we seek to provide this opportunity to all school going orphans and disadvantaged children. In Uganda, even where government schools exist, books and learning materials are lacking. Classrooms are not adequate and the few that exist are over-crowded. A few years ago the Uganda government introduced Universal Primary Education whereby primary education are supposed to be free, however, supplemental fees and other costs, such as those for school books and other materials, uniforms, lunch, building fund, etc, are higher than many families can afford. For millions of orphans, the choice remains to quit school, find work and eat or continue with school and starve. We believe this sad state of affairs can be turned around by providing opportunity for these children to go to school and acquire good education is a worthwhile investment.

Healthcare

Orphaned children often have many urgent physical needs but healthcare and nutrition are critical. We seek to provide good healthcare and nutrition to enable the children grow up in a healthy environment. Malaria also remains one of the killer diseases claiming lives of precious children in Africa today. Yet with simply basic preventive kits such as mosquito nets, this could be easily avoided. Orphans for Christ in Africa seeks to provide these kits, among other services to save children from death caused by malaria.

Spiritual Nourishment

Orphaned children need a home to live in, food, clothing, education, healthcare and protection as a safety net for their future, but most importantly they need spiritual care for the health of their souls. In addition to meeting physical and emotional needs of Children, OCA seeks to meet children’s spiritual needs. Thus we seek to obey the command of our Lord when He said, “let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matt. 19:14, Mk.10:14, Lk. 16:16). For we believe “life is more than food just physical needs” (LK.12:22-29) for true life in all its fullness can be found only in having a personal relationship with God through faith and trust in Jesus Christ (John 3:16, 10:10). Thus we seek not only to provide for and meet physical needs, but more importantly spiritual needs of children so that they have hope for the present life and the life to come, eternal. Our holistic childcare programs aim at addressing and meeting some of these needs.

Some practical ways you can help:

• Sponsor a Child – you can sponsor a child or sponsor a number of children for monthly, quarterly or yearly.
• Sponsor the construction of a children’s home or school for orphans. Become an individual, family or corporate sponsor of a children’s home or Orphans School in Uganda.

• Adopt an orphanage, children’s home, a school or skills & vocational centre.
• Donate services such as shipping, mailing, printing, designing, etc.
• Become an orphan ambassador in your church, school/college, community or work place.
• Memorize your loved-one with a gift to Orphans for Christ in Africa.
• Sponsor of a Widows Project.
• Put together a team of short-term volunteers to help with work at children’s homes, orphanage or Orphan Schools in Uganda.
• Create a TRUST that benefits Orphans for Christ in Africa.

Support

You can support OCA’s efforts towards improving the lives of orphans and disadvantaged children in Uganda with a financial contribution. Please consider giving regularly however small (e.g. $5-10 or more, monthly) as this helps us plan better.
• Sizeable Grants – we are open, flexible and sensitive to God’s leading on the part of persons sizable grants of $300 or more. You can designate your gift and we will apply it towards a specific project, event, activity, program, resource or service that you favor. You can make donations by personal checks, company checks or by safely wiring funds directly into our ministry account.
• Church/ Organization/Company Sponsorship – your church, organization, group or company can become OCA’s corporate sponsor, get involve in a long term community project, training program, annual event, or just provide funding to be used where needed. The options and opportunities are endless!

Financial & In-kind Donations

We appreciate in-kind donations of clothing, shoes, beddings, school materials, toys, computer equipment, musical instruments - guitars, keyboards, etc., USED or NEW. (Used items should be in good working condition to make shipping cost-effective).

Financial Donations can be made by CHECKS, made payable to “ORPHANS FOR CHRIST IN AFRICA LTD”, or by Wire Transfer or Western Union Money Transfer. For details please email: anthony@orphansforchrist.com.

Orphans for Christ in Africa.
P.O. Box 28454,
Kampala Uganda.
Tel: +256 782 691 159.
E-mails: anthony@orphansforchrist.com,

US & Canadian Taxpayers can make Tax Deductible Donations to OCA through our Partner Organization, “ORPHANAGES FOR AFRICA (OFA)” in the USA and in Canada, and they will issue the tax receipts to you on our behalf. Please mark your GIFT “ORPHANS FOR CHRIST IN AFRICA.”

In USA, please contact:
Catherine L Evans, Founder/President
Orphanages for Africa (OFA)
P.O. Box 44294 Washingon D.C 20026-4294
E-mail: catherineevans@orphanagesforafrica.com
http://www.orphanagesforafrica.com

In Canada, please contact:
Heather Penner, Uganda country Director
Orphanages for Africa (OFA)
1310 4th Street
Brandon Manitoba R7A 3j9
Email: heatherpenner@orphanagesforafrica.com

We also receive in-kind donations of the following category of goods and equipment:

• Children’s clothing (used or new) for children aged 1-17 years, both boys and girls
• Women’s clothing (for widows and grandmother caregivers)
• Shoes (for children age 1-17, and youth aged 18-24, and widows)
• Blankets and bed sheets, towels, pillow cases,
• Toys, balloons, etc. for children
• Games and sports equipment (e.g. soccer balls, volley balls, basket balls, tennis balls, indoor games and other outdoor sports equipment, etc.)
• School Supplies (Text books, exercise books, school bags, pencils, rulers, erasers, pencils, sharpeners, pens, highlighters, notebooks, markers, etc.
• Bibles (for children & adults) story books, Christian magazines, tracts, etc.
• Used Computer equipment - for training at the Skills & Vocational Centers
• Cars (Used or New) - preferably 4Wheel Drive trucks, vans, etc.
• Musical Instruments (Guitars, Piano keyboards, drums, amplifiers, soundboards, speakers, microphones, etc.- for teaching and developing children’s musical and artistic talents and gifts, and for community mobilization and outreaches).
• Donations of Services & Volunteer work - you can donate an appropriate service (e.g. collecting, packing and shipping or mailing donated goods, putting together a team of short-term volunteers to help with projects in Uganda, provide equipment to establish effective service to children, help in promoting the work of OCA in your church, community and among family members and friends.

We welcome your response. Please write or send us an e-mail at our mailing address below:

Orphans for Christ in Africa
P.O. Box 28454
Kampala Uganda
Tel: +256 782 691 159
E-mails: anthony@orphansforchrist.co
Websites:
www.orphansforchrist.com
www.myspace.com/hopeforkidsuganda
www.orphansforchrist.com/blog

This entry was posted on August 13, 2007 at 6:07 pm and is filed under African Orphanages, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.