Empowerment Is Now Our #1 Objective

My perspective on serving Ugandan children and their families entirely changed course in a discussion about soap. Can you imagine – a bar of soap being the turning point?

Well, this is exactly what happened several years ago while chatting with our team in Uganda. We were discussing requirements (items required for students to attend boarding school, including school supplies, bedding, toiletries, etc.) and how guardians of our sponsored kids were not able to contribute even the most basic items like soap.

At the time, I possessed the typical “American mindset” about charity. If someone is in crisis, then by all means give them what they need. My Ugandan teammates sternly disagreed.

They shared personal stories of growing up in poverty and how they were able to achieve progress through their own hard work – not handouts.

In my mind, if Children of Uganda (COU) paid for the students’ requirements, we would be doing an invaluable service for both our children and their struggling families. But two of my younger staff members vehemently said, NO! One said, and I quote:

It was a light bulb moment for me. I understood that we needed to give guardians – mothers, aunties and grandmothers –the opportunity to become providers. That they must financially contribute more for their children or else remain stuck in a never-ending cycle of dependency.

*Sponsored student, Immaculate Namaganda (in the pink dress) with her mother and siblings.*

Sponsored children and teens from critically vulnerable backgrounds were learning and growing everyday towards self-sufficiency in our education program; and yet, a critical link was missing. As our students reached new heights academically and in their overall wellbeing, their families remained trapped in poverty.

The majority of guardians lack formal education, adequate technical skills, business know-how and access to financial capital. Many mothers are also raising children who are not biologically their own – some orphaned by HIV/AIDS, sent away from home due to extreme poverty or even rescued from abusive situations. Siblings who are not sponsored by COU are often out of school and/or underfed due to poor finances. No one should have to decide between eating or sending their child to school.

With so much responsibility and very little means, Ugandan women face unthinkable odds; and yet, when given the chance – they prove time and time again how incredibly hardworking and capable they truly are.

In 2012, our Family Empowerment Program (FEP) was initiated to increase the capacity of women to care for all of their children, as well as create economic security for their family. Guardians of our sponsored students were selected to start-up or expand existing Income Generating Activities (IGAs), establish Village Savings & Loan Associations (VSLAs), as well as participate in business skills training and counseling support.

These remarkable women took small investments and turned fledgling businesses or brand-new IGAs into profitable endeavors. They have blown us away with their ingenuity, skills, hard work, and willingness to go that extra mile to become their household’s primary provider.

COU’s Strategic Plan has four main objectives:

Investing in women has made the most significant and far-reaching impact, which is why we are intentionally shifting away from a “charity mindset” and making empowerment our #1 Strategic Objective. We believe that the chains of dependency can and will be broken by creating partnership opportunities that result in multi-generational progress.

*COU student, Ivan Ssekimpi, and his loving mother.*

Up until now, one child per family has been educated and cared for through our sponsorship program, while a growing number of guardians participated in FEP. In order to reach their full potential, our sponsored students need a strong foundation at home. Now is the time to take a more holistic and family-centered approach – especially in light of the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on our most critically vulnerable beneficiaries.

We could not have anticipated that this year we would be providing emergency relief to 200+ families. Many once-thriving IGAs and small businesses that provided stability are significantly struggling or completely on hold due to the lockdown. It’s easy to think that now would in fact be the time to abandon our empowerment model, but again we said NO!

As COU delivered emergency food bundles (rice, beans and maize), we continued to monitor and support our agriculture-based IGA projects – many of which are still thriving and feeding families in quarantine. As we delivered sanitary napkins to our older girls, we set-up an IGA lockdown training to teach women how to make reusable pads for personal use or to sell. And, as we delivered mosquito repellent soap and hand sanitizer, women were trained in how to make their own liquid soap and bottle it for mass production.

Families were grateful to receive bars of soap, but being able to make their own they say is the ultimate gift. In order to break free from poverty and a lifetime of dependency on charity – it takes that kind of willingness to struggle and earn your own way.

And the truth is, most guardians are ready to put in the work. They want more than anything to give their children a better life. If they could, they would – and they can, when you invest.

Beginning in 2021, our focus will be on the entire family and for a defined period of time. This is the start of an exciting new chapter and we hope you will join us in partnering with deserving families in Uganda. More information will be shared and there will be opportunities for you to stand in the gap as we work towards independence and justice for our beloved students and their guardians.

The ultimate goal is to see families able to provide for themselves long-term and well beyond COU’s support. We envision a day when we can turn off the lights, hand over the keys and confidently walk away – knowing we have succeeded because we are no longer needed.

Thank you for being our partner and for growing with us as our mission has expanded. Together, we stand to empower far more lives over the next 25 years.

Sincerely,