Everything Will Change
For 24 of Uganda’s most vulnerable kids, their lives are about to completely transform through sponsorship.
Edrine does not smile. He doesn’t want to play with other children, and therefore has no friends. And honestly, he has many reasons to feel sad and distant. Edrine’s mother died tragically while giving birth to him and one of his siblings passed away from drowning in a well. His father and brothers also live away from him in a different village. Naturally, he struggles with feelings of abandonment and grief.
Edrine and his sister Olivia now live with their 78-year-old grandmother who also seemed depressed and could barely walk at the time of our staff’s visit. She has a son (Edrine’s uncle) who is mentally ill and it has disoriented her life.
Edrine and his family desperately need support and one-on-one counseling.
Gratefully, Edrine (3rd photo in the above slideshow) is one of 24 new children who have been selected to join our sponsorship program for the new academic year in 2019. Our staff (including COU’s Sponsorship Coordinator, Sponsorship Assistant, Social Worker and Communications Officer) met individually with caregivers of the selected children, as well as relatives, neighbors, community leaders and school administration to verify their vulnerability and eligibility for support.
Of the 24 selected, 10 children are from Rakai/Kyotera and 14 are from Kampala and Mukono districts. They come from critically impoverished families.
Most of the recruits have irregular attendance at one of Uganda’s Universal Primary Education (UPE) schools. Although these offer a tuition-free education, it comes at a cost – overcrowded classrooms, poor quality instruction, improper learning environments and low student achievement. As a result, the vast majority of pupils drop out of UPE schools and never finish their studies.
Moreover, parents still have to buy scholastic and personal requirements (pens, exercise books, uniforms, etc.) for their children to attend UPE schools. They also have to provide or buy lunch for them, which for most families who are living on less than $1 a day is simply out of reach.
In fact, we were not able to get report cards for many of our new recruits due to their lack of attendance, outstanding school debts or missed exams.
Next year, they will have the opportunity to attend a quality boarding school without the threat of being sent away – but they each need a full sponsor or co-sponsors to secure their place in our program!
If you’re interested in sponsoring one of our newest youngsters, check out our ‘Become a Sponsor‘ page. Co-sponsorship is $42 monthly or $504 annually and Full Sponsorship is $82 monthly or $984 a year.
During the recruitment exercise, we also found that many of the families were living with extended relatives including uncles, aunties, cousins and grandparents. This situation was placing a significant strain on the head of household. Many of the guardians whose children were selected are incredibly hardworking and engage in activities such as washing other people’s clothes, fetching water, digging, building and even running a mobile salon in an effort to support their large families. Since COU only takes on one child per family, they need to be empowered economically in order to care for the rest of their children and relatives.
You can empower a guardian by making a contribution of $108 to support an Income Generating Activity (IGA) at: https://give.classy.org/Meaningful-Gift
We look forward to transforming more lives in the New Year with your continued generosity and support! If you have any questions or need assistance making a gift, please contact (800) 531-9612 or e-mail pamela@childrenofuganda.org.
