OVERVIEW
This is a three-year project to fund the running of 21 (growing to 26) childrens’ clubs in Mbale, currently catering to 3000 children and expecting to grow to 4000 children over the 3 years. The funding provides a small subsidy and in-kind stipends to the teachers of the club, allows the teams to host meetings with parents and provide special guidance and counselling days on topics of relevance to the children. It will also allow our implementers to offer further training and development to the teachers and to reach out to the older children who have ‘graduated’ from the childrens’ clubs but who have nothing to take its place and few positive adult role models who can assist in the difficult youth years. Finally each club runs a ‘store’ where children can ‘purchase’ educational and hygiene items using vouchers collected over the course of the year – this project will allow the stores to continue and to stock additional useful items which the children cannot access otherwise.
WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT IT
This project comes out of a deep understanding of the needs in the local community. It is aiming to provide children with positive role models, assistance where possible and safe places to play and be a child. It also seeks to teach them valuable life lessons, which will assist in efforts to break intergenerational poverty. Not only that, but the whole family is involved, and through the children our partners also seek to empower their parents.
BUDGET
Year one of this project comes to $19,200, which is approximately $6 a child for a year! This covers training, teacher stipends, stores and outreach to parents.
THE NEED
Mbale and Mt Elgon are extremely poor areas of Uganda. Nearly half of Uganda’s population is under 15, meaning adult role models are few and far between. Families are large and parents are largely absent due to the need to work long hours to survive. In one of the slums where our partners run these clubs alcoholism and drug abuse among adults is a large problem. Children are growing up with little adult input and are left to navigate life’s choices without strong foundations.
LIFE CHANGE
