Help180 orphaned households access income & food

Summary

This is the sixth quarterly report on support to 320 orphans with improved goats in Kibuku, Pallisa and Budaka Districts in Eastern Uganda in partnership our donors under  Global Giving arrangement. The organization acknowledges support of all partners that are giving both financial, material and moral support to the project. Further thanks are extended to global giving team for their wonderful arrangement that has enabled us so far obtain external support of 328 Dollars to support the project. This is report submitted to stakeholders for their consumption indicating project progress. Contributions and questions for clarifications will be highly appreciated to enrich our report.

Whereas the organization is trying to conduct interventions aimed at alleviating poverty among OVCs, their standing is still dreadful due to inadequate income. There is also overwhelming number of OVCs and the organization cannot afford to fully mitigate their vulnerability.

In the six quarter, the organization offered too little support to OVCs and many still continue living in complex situation that  really exposes them to a lot of susceptibility like child labour, early sex and marriages among others. Child headed households are the most vulnerable OVCs living in this complex situation and are abandoning their households.

Current status of Support 320 orphans with improved goats project

The organization economically empowers orphans and their guardians in improved goats rearing as a means of raising incomes to support the orphans.  Orphans were identified and listed according to geographical areas (village, parish and sub county). The organization mobilizes funds, trains beneficiaries, procures improved goats and disseminates them to target orphans and vulnerable children on ground that they pass over the first she goat delivered to the other OVC in the same geographical area

 In the last quarter the following was done:

1. Two OVCs returned she goats and  were passed over to two orphans  
2. Provided one OVC guardian with a local goat  and essential commodities and some foodas an incentive to care for and OVC
3.  Secured cariandra tree seedlings and distributed to the 10 guardians of OVCs to plant as feeds for goats because during because during dry spell grass dries and goats lacks what to feed on.  
4.  Conducted monitoring and evaluation of the project in 10 households

Challenges

1.  Limited financial resource is the Major challenge because the major source of funding for the organization comes from donors and the project lacks adequate donors to finance it
2. Our OVCs in schools study without meals.  
3. Some dropout due to hunger at school and go for child labour

Recommendation

The organization requests its donors to continue giving financial support to the project in order to liberate the orphans because children are like young trees that make up a forest.

Testimony from the beneficiary

Robert was born in 2005 and is now a 7 year boy whose father was (Peter Mugendala) who died when he was only three (3) years old. The responsibility to care for this boy was taken over by his Aunt (Easter Nachamu) a widow of 35years and HIV positive. Her household is food insecure and without sustainable income generation coupled with poor housing condition and her six children. 

 This beneficiary was identified during home based HIV/AIDS counseling and testing by the organization with financial support from Uganda Aids Commission Civil Society Fund in Kibuku District. This beneficiary is located in Nakitende village, Nankokoli parish in Kagumu Sub County.

 Easter Nachamu is keeping Robert but there is no hope for sustainable income to support the living conditions of this child who is also HIV/AIDS positive.

During interaction with the project officer of this project, Easter showed no love for Robert and was planning to abandon him. The project officer gave her counseling and accepted to take full responsibility of the child however; “the burden is too much she said”. Robert is now in primary one under universal primary school. To comfort Easter, the organization secured a local she goat and provided to her to rear in order to be obtaining income to support Robert. The organization on monthly basis provides essential commodities like soap paraffin, and some food to Easter’s household as an incentive to keep Robert.

During the quarter, when the project officer visited Easters home during monitoring and evaluation exercise, Easter found out that Easter had owned Robert and was rearing the goats. Easter expressed her appreciation to the organization for the assistance being rendered and promised to look after Robert as her real son. He pledged to rear the goat until he obtains a cow from which they will be obtaining milk for sale and consumption. Ester said, it was possible to obtain a cow because the size of the goat was good and it is among the type that produces triplicates.

 This is a true story and explains how OVCs are abandoned, becomes street hood   and are exposed to grave vulnhttp://www.globalgiving.org/dy/v2/pe/progress-report/new.htmlerability like child labour among others.

Prepared by

Namwoyo Samson

Project leader

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