change a life uganda MIGYERA, UGANDA
Quick Overview ChangeALife Uganda seeks to improve the lives of orphaned and disadvantaged children and their families in rural Migyera and in semi-urban Nabbingo, Uganda. Their goal is to alleviate poverty through a multi-sectorial approach including education, healthcare and micro-enterprise.
HTTP://CHANGEALIFEUGANDA.ORG
Country: uganda ! The Ugandans were hunter-gatherers until 1,700 to 2,300 years ago. Bantuspeaking populations, who were probably from central Africa, migrated to the southern parts of the country. The Empire of Kitara covered most of the great lakes area, from Lake Albert, Lake Tanganyika, Luo migration started around A.D. 120 and continued until the 16th century, with some Luo settling amid Bantu people in Eastern Uganda. Arab traders moved inland from the Indian Ocean coast of East Africa in the 1830s. They were followed in the 1860s by British explorers searching for the source of the Nile. Protestant missionaries entered the country in 1877, followed by Catholic missionaries in 1879. The United Kingdom placed the area under the charter of the British East Africa Company in 1888, and ruled it as a protectorate from 1894. As several other territories and chiefdoms were integrated, the final protectorate called Uganda took shape in 1914.
GlobeMed
EDUCATION + DEVELOPMENT
Uganda gained independence from Britain in 1962, maintaining its Commonwealth membership. The first postindependence election, held in 1962, was won by an alliance between the Uganda People's Congress(UPC) and Kabaka Yekka (KY). In 1966, the UPC-dominated Parliament changed the constitution. In 1967, a new constitution proclaimed Uganda a republic and abolished the traditional kingdoms. Without first calling elections, Obote was declared the executive President.
Uganda Statistics Ugandan population: 33,400,000 Over 15 Ethnic group s Rural homes: 85% Christian: 84% Life expectancy: 53.45
After a military coup in 1971, Obote was deposed from power and the dictator Idi Amin seized control of the country. Amin
ruled Uganda with the military for the next eight years and carried out mass killings within the country to maintain his rule. Aside from his brutalities, he forcibly removed the entrepreneurial South Asian minority from Uganda, which left the country's economy in ruins. Amin's reign was ended after the Uganda-Tanzania War in 1979 in which Tanzanian forces aided by Ugandan exiles invaded Uganda. This led to the return of Obote, who was deposed once more in 1985 by General Tito Okello. Okello ruled for six months until he was deposed after the so-called "bush war" by the National Resistance Army (NRA) operating under the leadership of the current president, Yoweri Museveni.
Health Statistics HIV rate: 6.4% in 2008 Infant mortality rat e: 61 per 1,000 children 8 physicians per 100 ,000 people in 2002
Museveni has been in power since 1986. In the mid- to late 1990s, he was lauded by the West as part of a new generation of African leaders. His presidency has included involvement in the civil war against the Lord's Resistance Army, which has been guilty of numerous crimes against humanity including child slavery and mass murder. Conflict in northern Uganda has killed thousands and displaced millions.
Organization: Changealife uganda ChangeALife Uganda began with a 2006 visit by Father Lawrence Kimbowa, a native of Uganda in the New Jersey home of Jean Semler and David Thelen. He shared the story of his childhood there – the civil war, the refugee camp and the Chicago couple who sponsored his education and changed his life. He also shared the promise he made to himself – to give the children of Uganda the rare opportunity he was given as a child: the gift of education. Through education empower children and parents to become change agents of themselves, their families, the village and their country. Inspired by Fr. Kimbowa’s story, Jean and her husband, David Thelen, traveled
to Uganda that same year and witnessed great need – half of Uganda’s population is under 15 years old and many children have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS. For most of these children, a quality education was not an option. Dave and Jean recognized the opportunity to make a difference, and Jean knew that the knowledge and business and management skills she learned at Merck – in addition to the network of people she built during this time – would play a large role in this effort. She was part of the team that brought the lifesaving antiretroviral drug CRIXIVAN® to people dying from AIDS. Her experience at Merck and Dave’s experience as an educator has opened many doors, and by going through them, many Ugandan children and families have hope for healthier and more prosperous lives. Beginning with the sponsorship of 10 Ugandan children by friends who wanted to help, Jean and David created ChangeALife Uganda (CALU), which was formally incorporated in March 2007. Modeling itself after the UN Millennium Development Goals to end poverty, followed by a 501 (c)(3) non-profit classification in April 2008. In Uganda the Change A Life Foundation is non-profit, nondenominational community based organization with NGO status applied for. PROGRAMS: Education – Tuition for Tots-to-Teens provides scholarships to Ugandan children allowing them to attend primary school, secondary school and university or technical school. Sponsors pay for
one year’s tuition, a uniform, school supplies, daily nutrition, a mosquito net and health services needed to support learning and improve their futures. Secondary and University sponsorship also includes boarding fees. This tuition program has ensured an education for 325 students since inception, seven of whom have now graduated from University and two from technical school. In 2013, 25 are attending a University and 79 secondary school. Sponsors for Teachers ensures children are provided with the best teachers and facilities possible as the Uganda government contributes limited funds for buildings, equipment, teacher and administrator salaries, and maintenance. Sponsoring a teacher for one year will cost $2,500, but the benefits are exponential. A sponsored teacher receives a higher salary, housing, medical care, professional development and classroom supplies. $12,500 has been raised since the program began. Bucks for Beds is a donation program which gives a child who lives miles from school, or has a challenging family situation, a spot in the dormitory. There, students are provided with a safe place to sleep, three meals daily, clean water and on-going academic support. One term is $100 and a full year is $300. Since the program began, 150 students have benefitted.
Healthcare - Quarters for Water addresses the very serious challenge of access to clean water that is extremely limited in this semi arid climate of Migyera. Women and children spend hours walking to streams and ponds to collect small amounts of water, much of which is contaminated, making it the source of life-threatening illnesses such as typhoid and malaria. Shallow wells have dried up and lack of water is critical. Through donations from US school children and individuals, ChangeALife is raising the money needed to provide clean, on-site drinking water for students of St. Lawrence School, the health center and their rural village of Migyera. Since the program began: - A new roof water collection system has been installed on the school consisting of four tanks along with one at the health center. - The new well site is just 1.5 miles from the school on land purchased with funding from this program. - In November 2011, a 510’ well was dug. - In 2012, a pump house and 50,000 L water tank was constructed. Money For Medicine funds general pediatric and adult healthcare and helps to staff, equip and upgrade medical facilities. This is critical in an area where the children come from families who have been devastated by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. They also face other health concerns including tuberculosis, malaria, diarrhea, and typhoid. Migyera is a “hot spot” for HIV because truckers stop on their way north to Gulu and the Sudan. In July 2012 , the St. Francis Health Center was opened in Migyera to provide
health services to a population of 6,000. Nabbingo has a cramped, resource limited health center which serves a community of 10,000.
In a region so impacted by poverty, a cow, chickens, goats, and pigs are valuable commodities and are key to a family's financial well-being.
Self-Sufficiency - In an area where poverty is sadly the norm instead of the exception, self-sufficiency is a goal everyone dreams of, but the economic circumstance seems to stand in the way of achieving that goal. CALU has developed three programs to assist these families in achieving this dream.
Financing for Families is a Microfinance and Market enterprise program, giving participants an opportunity to utilize a specialized loan program that offers training, support and follow-up after meeting the program's specific criteria. Specifically designed for those with an entrepreneurial spirit, this allows families to borrow modest amounts to pursue micro-business ideas, and as their business begins to see a profit, they pay the money back for another family to borrow. Approximately 85 families participate in this program. CALU has started a unique children’s microfinance initiative. 100 children now have savings accounts to save for their future education.
Cash for Crafts teaches women how to create crafts which will aid them in becoming self-sufficient. These beautiful baskets, handbags, necklaces and bracelets made from recycled paper are handmade by Migyera and Nabbingo parents and sold in the U.S. All the money made through these craft sales go directly back to the parents and school. Students are also given the opportunity to learn how to make these crafts, thus enabling them to expand their skills and provide options to support their own economic future. This program not only provides an income source for these women, it allows them to identify their strengths in other areas such as marketing, accounting and communication. They become a unified network of entrepreneurs who benefit the local, regional and national economies.
What makes kcbhc unique?
Funds for Farming help parents and children purchase livestock, such as pigs or chickens, which the families raise for income and food.
TOP 5
country resources CIA World Factbook https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworld-factbook/geos/ug.html International Human Development Indicators http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/ UGA.html Human Rights Watch http://www.hrw.org/africa/uganda World Health Organization (WHO) http://www.who.int/countries/uga/en/ Politicizing the Fight Against Corruption, Article http://allafrica.com/stories/201205070669.html