Education Uganda Project #40163

Support and Educate Vulnerable children in Uganda

by Uganda Hands for Hope

Project Report | Sep 1, 2020
Hands for Hope hit hard by COVID lockdown

By Tai Kuncio | Project Leader

Small workshop regarding communication

Dear Supporters,

We hope this message finds you and your family safe and well during these hard times.

The Ugandan government has been extremely strict and has successfully kept COVID cases relatively low but the measures have made things very difficult for Hands for Hope and the families that we serve. Most of our children rely on the school to provide them with 2 meals a day and with schools closed indefinitely, they are really struggling. Many parents are also unable to work due to the restrictions so their already meagher incomes have been completely depleted. Hands for Hope has continued its food distribution program and the social workers and teachers have also completed home visits to see if there are any other ways the organization can assist the families but the situation is still very dire.

We have recently shifted our attention to working on activities which can allow for interaction with the children in the community even though schools remain closed. We've been distributing home learning packs weekly for children to complete at home and we've also held several small workshops while still following social distancing protocols. With our partners, we've offered programs on girls' health, communication, rights and responsibilities and the importance of this, particularly during these challenging times when our children remain at home.

We were also recently pleased to welcome a representative from Action For Development to conduct a training on gender for our staff. In a country such as Uganda, and especially so in places like the Namuwongo slum, gender roles are still often defined by tradition. It is therefore important for all our staff to understand where gender gaps exist in the community and the impact of this for the children and families that we support.

We will continue to keep you updated as the situation in Uganda evolves. We are hopeful that as the threat from the pandemic lessens, we will be able to re-open our school in the coming months.

As always, thank you for your support!

Handing in home learning packs!

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Jun 16, 2020
Supporting HfH children during the COVID pandemic

By Tai Kuncio | Project Leader

Parent receiving food donation

Dear Supporters,

We hope that you and your families are safe and healthy during these crazy times. While Ugandan schools are still closed, we wanted to give you an update on how we are supporting the children of Hands for Hope during this crisis.

The Ugandan government has lifted restrictions a little so private transport is being allowed again, although masks are compulsory everywhere outside of the house and a curfew is still in place from 7pm to 6:30am. Our staff has started visiting the community and it is very clear that the families of our children are really suffering. Many parents have not been able to work during the lockdown period and therefore have struggled to make ends meet, even more so than usual. In the last few weeks, we have witnessed some of our kids on the street, either begging or trying to sell whatever food scraps they can find to make what little money they can.

In an effort to help our children and their families during this trying time we have started a food distribution program that will cover all the UHfH families - around 400 in total. The food given out will be a mixture of beans, posho (maize flour porridge), rice, cooking oil, salt and soap - enough for at least 3-4 weeks per family. In order to ensure safety and security, we are only distributing to small numbers from our facility each time, rather than in the community itself. All parents and children who enter the premises wash their hands with soap upon entry and the children sit socially distant from each other whilst waiting for the distribution. All UHfH staff wear masks whilst at the office and when visiting the community as well as washing hands/sanitizing regularly.

All the families and children we've seen so far are very happy to know we are slowly opening up again. Those that have received packages are very grateful, probably more so than they would normally be because of the current circumstances.

In addition to the food distribution, as schools remain closed, we have been able to distribute weekly home learning packs to our current P7 class. These will continue weekly whilst we wait for clarity from the President/Ministry of Education as to the plan for schools reopening.

We will continue to keep you updated as things progress and the situation changes in Uganda.

We value your support and generosity now more than ever - thank you for taking the time to care about those struggling on the other side of the world!

Socially-distant distribution line.

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Mar 19, 2020
COVID-19 update from Hands for Hope

By Tai Kuncio | Project Leader

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