Comforting Broken Homes

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The project shall seek to alleviate human suffering resulting from HIV/AIDS with a major focus on the prevailing orphan crisis in the country. It shall operate by looking out the most vulnerable of the orphans and providing them with the basic needs ranging from a home, food, education, Health Care, spiritual up bringing and where possible, vocational training for older orphans. The project therefore proposes a Children’s’ home in an orphanage, school fees for children to go to nearby public schools, food, a health center, a Chapel and a Vocational raining institute. The facilities shall also benefit the surrounding communities both in provision of employment and access to the services for instance the health facility, the vocational institute and the chapel will be accessible to all the people in the community needing the services.

Problem Background

The history of HIV/AIDS in Uganda dates way back to 1986 when the virus was first detected among cross-border traders in Mutukula in Masaka district on the shores of Lake Victoria. It has since spread to all the parts of the country with people dying in their thousands. It is estimated that over 2 million Uganda have died and 2.3 are living with the virus. While Uganda has registered a success in “hitting back” at the AIDS scourge since the country at one time reduced the prevalence from a staggering 32% to a 6.3%. This not withstanding the country is currently experiencing one of the worst orphan burdens in Africa due to HIV/AIDS.

There are limited empirical data on the prevalence and incidence of orphanhood due to parental HIV infection. The objective was to assess the prevalence and incidence of orphanhood, and the population attributable fraction (PAF) of incident orphanhood associated with parental HIV infection, in a rural population with a 14.8% adult HIV prevalence. The data are derived from a community cohort in Rakai District, Uganda. Census data were collected on all resident members in 10 657 households, including survival of parents of resident children in 1996/1997. Consenting adults were interviewed, provided blood for HIV testing, and were followed up 10 months later to determine parental death and incident orphanhood. The incidence rate ratio (IRR) of orphanhood associated with parental HIV-infection was estimated by Poisson multivariate regression. A total of 22 712 children aged 0–14 years were enumerated in 1996/1997. The overall prevalence of orphanhood was higher among children of HIV-infected parents (22.7%) compared with children of uninfected parents, 7.9%. The annual incidence of orphanhood was 8.2% if at least one parent was HIV positive, and 0.5% if both parents were HIV negative (adjusted IRR = 18.93). Older age of children, and older maternal age were significantly associated with an increased risk of orphanhood. The PAF of incident orphanhood due to parental HIV infection was 37.3%, and was highest among younger children (adjusted PAF = 50.6% for 0–4 year olds), and children with younger mothers aged < 25 years (adjusted PAF = 75.7%). Parental HIV infection markedly increased the incidence of orphanhood, especially among younger children and the children of younger mothers.

This does not come along it comes along with evils like child headed households, child labor, children not going to school and all such that comes to children without parents.

The government of Uganda and some non governmental organizations in the country have attempted to tackle the orphan crisis but with limited results thought we call them best practices. They have both cared for orphans and brought some into orphanages.

The Proposed Solution

The proposed project seeks to restore “the robbed childhood” to some of the HIV/AIDS orphans by looking out the most vulnerable of them and providing them with what was lost to HIV/AIDS on top of their parents. These include the basis like a home, education, food and health care, spiritual up bringing and vocational training for older orphans. The proposed project is quite similar in approach to the ones that have had tangible success. It is believed that it shall argument their work since the context remains.

It is expected that the project shall substantial impact the orphan hood crisis by way of taking care of over 500 orphans in terms of food, shelter and education. Their spiritual needs and earning capacity of older orphans shall be enhanced and the sounding community shall benefit from the employment created by the presence of the center.

By the end of the proposed financing, 500 orphans shall have got a home, food and education in the five years. We also plan to give livelihood skills to 200 older orphans. The 500 orphans and about 3000 community members shall gain access to subsidized health care and cured of the dangerous tropical disease like malaria.

The proposed components of the complex i.e. the health center, the orphanage, the vocational institute and the chapel create jobs for the population in Kyenjojo on top of the numerous persons that supply food, building materials and other services to the same.

Human development in raising a population that is educated as the center shall give is such a huge contribution to the economy of the country. There shall be older kids that shall now be in position to earn a living and contribute to economic growth, the presence of a health center to offer affordable health care as a social amenity is very outstanding together with a society of persons employed with the center.

Operational Concept

The project concept is based on rebuilding an environment of a whole community with a provision of the basic needs that would otherwise have been provided had there not been HIV/AIDS to kill the breadwinners and other fending in the community.

It shall build a furnished children’s home (orphanage), a health centre, a vocational institute and a church in one complex centre in a community affected by HIV scourge.

The project shall entail a selection process that shall pick 500 most vulnerable orphans from among the orphan population in the area. These shall them get moved into an orphanage for shelter, food, school fees, medical attention and vocational skills.

A vocational school shall take in not only older orphans but other persons needing skills for livelihood thus contributing to alleviation of poverty aggravated by the scourge. The health centre shall also serve the rest of the population on top of the orphans’ center. The chapel for the spiritual upbringing of not only theorphans but the community around the complex

The establishment of the complex shall avail not only the intended services to an estimated population of about 300 persons in its locality, but shall create a host of jobs for a number of them. Construction work and supply of building material alone is estimated to engage close to 300 youths for a period not less than six months. Going by the national standards, the Health Center alone shall employ a Clinical Medical Officer, 3 Nurses, 2 Midwifes, A Laboratory Assistant, A Cleaner, and a Watchman.

The Children’s Home shall employ an Administrator, a Matron, a Cateress, 5 Care takers, 4 cooks, 6 cleaners, a Truck driver, a watchman, 4 cleaners and others as shall be required including the agriculture sector practitioners who shall for along time sale their food to the center especially the orphanage.

The Vocational training institute shall employ 4 skilled instructors, a Principal, A Secretary, an Administrator and a Van Driver.

Action plan

  1. Procurement of works
  2. Construction works
  3. Procurement of furnishings and equipment
  4. Hiring of personnel for the components of the project
  5. Selection of orphans and movement of children into orphanage
  6. Selection of applicants for the vocation training institute and placement of primary school- going children into neighboring primary schools

Physical elements

  1. CHILDREN’S HOME
  2. HEALTH CENTER
  3. SCHOOL OF MISSIONS COMPLEX/ Vocational Training Institute
  4. HOUSE OF PRAYER

Sustainability

For purposes of ensuring that the complex continues to operate providing the same serves upon withdrawal of donor support, a number of inbuilt strategies shall be get adopted by the center.

  • There shall be effort along way to get the orphanage start producing its own food by way acquiring land and doing agriculture.
  • There shall also be effort to link up with the government universal education that pays school fees for children so that the government can take on the burden of paying the fees and if possible the cost of paying personnel
  • The vocational training institute shall gradually take on the practice of students contributing to their acquisition of skills either by paying up front for those who can pay the fees or allowing them to work after training and pay in installments. This shall help to keep the vocational training institute running on its own by the time donor funds get exhausted.
  • The Health Center shall gradually increase concentration on fee-for-service for non orphan clients to help rise funds that shall run the center.

This way it is hoped that the center shall carry on smoothly by the time the five years are finished.

We believe together we can comfort these broken homes. will be grateful if this application is positively put under considerations.

Pastor Paul Busobozi president