Supporting vulnerable children in Uganda's slums

Our food banks were an essential lifeline for thousands of people during the COVID-19 lockdowns and subsequent cost of living crisis. With inflation steadily declining in Uganda we have been able to considerably scale back our food banks. However, we appreciate that life in the slums can often be unpredictable, so whilst many families no longer require support, there are others who still do, or have recently come upon hard times. Between July and September we provided food parcels to 42 families, in total supporting 213 individuals with 4,200 meals!

                                   

Our Educating Programmes have continued to run over the summer months. We have seen 93 children consistently attending our Encouraging Education Project across our three centres in Naguru, Katanga and Namuwongo. There were no drop outs between the second and third term, with all children returning, which is a really encouraging sign!

                                       

Our School Sponsorship Programme has also been progressing well: with 117 children provided with school materials, 3 new children enrolled and 1 child successfully graduating after completing vocational training in hairdressing. She is now working in a local salon, earning an income that enables her to provide for herself - a wonderful example of the transformative impact of our School Sponsorship Programme.

Congratulations to the KCK Naguru U12 team who won the Boys league this season! Our Executive Director, Samuel Wambayo, says that "they outplayed all the big academies and left all the other teams wondering where team KCK came from".
 
During the last three months our Saturday Kids Clubs have also continued, with 544 children participating in games, sports and Bible study. We also distributed free period products to 355 teenage girls and facilitated 108 Girls Support Group Sessions.

Skilling - A New Beginning

 

On the 22nd of September the Hope Centre was opened! In last years Big Give campaign, with the help of our wonderful supporters, we raised funds to build a brand new skilling centre in Naguru slum. There was a big opening party and lots of local leaders and public figures showed up to celebrate and mark the beginning of what will be a new chapter for many in Naguru. The Hope Centre can accommodate up to 72 students each day, enabling us to provide free tailoring training courses for even more women, enabling them to provide a better future for themselves and their families. The Hope Centre also has a production space for commercial use, which will help promote its independence and reduce reliance on external funding. 

     

Hear from Keira* below about how her hope has been renewed by enrolling on the Tailoring and Knitting programme.

“I joined the tailoring project in May 2023 ... the women counsellor of my zone was announcing the opportunities of those who were interested in joining and I was one of them so she directed me to the project. I did not know anything about tailoring, I could not even operate a machine. It’s so amazing how I can now make different fashions and designs on my own in the period of 4 months I have studied. I had lost hope in myself ever since I dropped out of school but through Kids Club, my hope was restored.” *Name Changed 

           

• 36 students graduated from the tailoring and knitting programme in September
• 40 new students have enrolled onto the course at the new Hope Centre in Naguru so far
• 20 students graduated with their DIT Certificates in Carpentry and Joinery in September