ROOFING OF A 3 CLASSROOM BLOCK AND OFFICE, TREE PLANTING AND WORKING IN SCHOOL GARDEN, HOME OUTREACH OF ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN, HIV/AIDS AWARENESS.
LOCATION:
KIKANDWA VILLAGE, KIKYUSA SUB-COUNTY, BAMUNANIKA COUNTY, LUWERO DISTRICT. ABOUT 50 KM NORTH OF KAMPALA.
BACKGROUND:
Kirabo Children's Centre Day and Boarding school was started by a small group of female teachers who were born in Kikandwa and Kikyusa Villages in conjunction with the local community members in 2006. The idea was hatched by M/S Sarah Muwanguzi Nabatanzi who had realized that children in that area were exposed to ignorance and diseases as a result of poverty and the average illiteracy rate was about 70% in the area. The area has many people affected by HIV/AIDS. A number of orphans over 250, their parents have died of HIV/AIDS and living with foster parents e.g grand parents who are too old to look after them (70 years and above) and others with friends and well wishers or next of kin. Kikandwa and Kikyusa villages are amongst those villages which were destroyed by the war in 1980-1986 causing many people homeless, died and others migrated to big cities e.g Kampala for their safety. The teaching of the pupils was done from the Church which was the only existing building in the area with only 20 pupils. In 2007, many people in and outside the area developed interest in their initiatives and amongst those was the grandmother of Sarah Muwanguzi Nabatanzi who is still surviving and is called MRS MUWANGUZI CHRISTINE who donated 50 acres of land to the project. The community mobilized funds to construct 3 temporary wooden classrooms roofed with corrugated iron sheets. They currently have 270 pupils from Nursery to primary 5 level. UVDA helped them to construct a three permanent classroom blocks and office to wall plate pending roofing, putting doors and windows, making the floor and plastering. Since most children live with old grandparents, they usually come to school without breakfast or anything to eat during break time or lunch yet some of these children are malnourished and quite a good number of them are attacked by malaria and others have jiggers in their feet. They lack mosquito nets and medicine. Therefore, the school started an agricultural project where they grow food stuffs and fruits on large scale for children's consumption at school. They are also planting some trees for environment protection. They also constructed a fish pond but have not yet introduced in fish due to lack of food for fish.
Volunteers are expected to participate in all the mentioned programmes (construction, gardening, tree planting etc).
Fee:
€200 to be paid upon arrival.
NB:
The nearest Government Hospital is at Wabusana 7 kms away and that's where the HIV/AIDS Programme will be conducted.
Optional:
Participants can bring with them some scholastic materials, sports kits, agriculture tools and also raise some funds for construction.
Tree planting, community mobilisation, sensitization, bush clearing and environmental awareness raising.
LOCATION:
BUWULUHIRO VILLAGE, MASABA SUB COUNTY, SAMIA BUGWE COUNTY, BUSIA DISTRICT NEAR THE BORDER OF UGANDA AND KENYA, 250 KMS EAST OF KAMPALA.
BACKGROUND:
Mumbe Conservation project is a partnership between the Mumbe family, the founder members of the project, the Community of Buwuluhiro and Uganda Voluntary Development Association to raise awareness on environmental Conservation and Management by replanting and conserving the environment through the available means especially tree planting. The project started after a member of the community realized that trees where becoming extinct in the district due continuous cutting and no replacement made so the Mumbe family provided a starting point by offering a ten acre plot of land to kick start the project. Today the trees and ready for harvest and the family because of its passion for trees and nature don't want to cut them. So following our regular interaction we agreed to have a model learning centre for both the community and the country at large especially the training institutions which can use the assets for research purpose. The project is part of the Elgon Region. UVDA is kick starting the project by organizing a work camp which will help on mobilization and sensitization of the community.
« I would recommend participating in a workcamp, especially with VAP, who ensured that I found a project to suit me and provided essential training for me in preparation for my trip. Being part of a workcamp really is a life-changing experience, oh, and it looks great on your CV! »
