|  AFRICA CHILDREN'S LIFE RESTORATION
LIVING A RESTORED LIFE TOGETHER
|
|
|
| | | | | |
|
|
Africa children’s life restoration(aclr-ug) is non-government organization that was started in 2008 as child focus initiative with the aim of enabling orphans and vulnerable children access quality education with the help of external support. Baisuka Leonard started the organization together with 3 other developmental youths.
During his daily work and studies, Baisuka comes across so many orphans and poor children which experience reminds him on his own background. He too grew up as an orphan when he lost his parents because of HIV/AIDS. Baisuka strongly believes that the most viable way to liberate orphans is by investing directly in their education. This (education program) we are doing with the help of external support. We face the challenge of increasing numbers of orphans and vulnerable children caused by increased death rate of the parents, the major cause being to HIV/AIDS leaving behind orphans and vulnerable children. These are left in the hands and care of their grand parents whose productivity is very low to sustain these orphans. At the same time this them vulnerable in a way that any problem can easily affect them at any time and moment since the care taker’s (grand parents) ability/ probability to solve any problem is a quarter.
The overall goal of the organization is to unable orphans and vulnerable children have a sustaining means of survival. This will be achieved by empowering both orphans and the caretakers to become self reliant through education and economic support respectively.
Our objectives include.
To have orphans and vulnerable children enrolled in primary and secondary schools.
To enable orphans and vulnerable children at primary level access scholastic materials and those in secondary schools access school fees.
To enable caretakers of the orphans and vulnerable children get start up capital with which to start income generating activities.
To create awareness, building confidence and self esteem among the community we are working with especially the orphans and vulnerable children
The funds requested for by aclr–Ug will help the orphans and vulnerable children to access quality education at both primary and secondary level. Families of the orphans and vulnerable children will also be economically empowered to put them in apposition of being to provide the essentials of life like proper medical care and clothing. (Families will get an additional source of income).
This organization is as a result of the prevailing situation in Uganda where majority of its populace is very poor and can not afford providing for their families all the basic needs especially food for a day. According to the government (statistics),the conditions of living have improved. This is mere paper work but the grass root it is at an increase. It’s because money is in the hands of the minority rich leaving the majority poor whose survival depends at the mercy of the rich who exploit them instead explaining as to why the already existing income inequality between the rich and poor is big. The majority of the common people are living in absolute poverty characterized by.
In adequate food with once a meal a day or less.
Inadequate clothes with less than 3 sets plus a uniform for the children.
Poor shelter, which in most cases is grass thatched and mud walls
Lack of / irregular education.
This situation- forced government to put in place free universal Education in 1997 at primary level with the aim of enabling all eligible children to attend school. The idea was good but it leaves much to be desired for it to effectively work. For example many of the children who attend UPE schools are especially in the rural/suburbs. These find it hard to go to school because of lack of scholastic materials like books,pens,and pencils. coupled to that, many orphans and vulnerable children find it very hard and indeed Avery small percentage do join the secondary section because of lack of school fess. The unmet need/problem we are trying to address is that of an increasing number of children finding it hard / hardships in attending school which is out of their wish and impoverishment / v viscous cycle of poverty among the caretakers of the orphans and vulnerable children. Such a situation once not dealt with before moving out of hand may lead to.
Increased Dependants even when the child grows up since today in our country, without education. One can not survive since even messenger in an office must have finished form/ senior four.
The number of school dropout at secondary level is most likely to increase arising from the fact that few people can afford secondary education fees because it is very expensive and yet their incomes are minimal. Many people depend on agriculture as the source of income that is seasonal. Funny bit of it is that most people earn less than what they pay for a child in secondary school. This increases the chances of the children in such a situation of failing to finish his/her studies.
Throughout our daily work which at the moment is providing school fees to orphans, scholastic materials. Sensitization to both children and their caretakers about issues such as the importance of education, self-esteem and about HIV/AIDS to care takers and children respectively we have a total of 30 students both in primary and in secondary plus their parents/ caretakers. We also involve women who are living positively with HIV/AIDS. They are in a group called akowa women’s group. Our aim is to have these women economically empowered so that they can have money to look after themselves since they are already indisposed while at the same have the responsibility of providing the other needs of their Dependants who they are looking after.
We did by connect them to micro finance but the interest rate are very high for these women explaining as to why we want to find a way of how we as a organization can help them access some money with which to start income generating actualities. This group makes up to a total of 12 women all living positively with HIV/AIDS.
The community is involved in such a way that we hold meeting with them to get their views and opinions on how best to achieve the intended goal. For example when it comes to economic empowerment, caretakers are sensitized on their various business management and they choose what they think can suit them. The same thing applies to orphans and vulnerable children in sense that say during sensitization programs, we give them the opportunity to give us their opinions/ what they know relating to the topic of discussion of the day.
When it comes to addressing the needs, it will involve the participatory and holistic Approaches. Caretakers/parents and orphans plus the vulnerable children will actively participate in every activity the organization will be doing. For example concerning the issue of education, we expect each caretaker to know if the child attends school regularly and if not why yet school fess is being paid.
On the side of the children, we expect him/her to attend school with out being forced and work hard while at school which will choose for them selves activities they think are manageable and can be run smoothly by them. This will be take place after the organization (aclr-ug) has trained them in Business skill and business management like record keeping.
The organization will also monitor the businesses being carried out.
The program will promote long term change in way that, once the families of these orphans and vulnerable children are empowered economically, their chance of being able to provide the other needs of their dependants will be increase say up to 90 percent. Such needs include proper medical care and food plus clothing. These needs once not provided are most likely to hinder the child from effectively attending school. This means the quality of education and information received will be low and poor because of irregularities in attendance. It arises from the fact that a child can not attend school while sick or grasp and take in all the information the teacher is giving while on an empty stomach even if school fees and scholastic material may be availed. These two go hand in hand (economic empowerment of the families and education of children.) in one way that once one is ignored. It affects the other.
These orphans and vulnerable children will acquire/ attain professional skills assuming that now their families are economically stable and these orphans are taken to higher institutions of learning. These professional skill acquired will enable them to complete in the job market and can get some thing ( work using the acquired skills) to do at any time , any where to sustain them selves and their siblings if any including the care takers in the future. This skill will remain part of them for life
|
|
|
| |
|
