Over the next few months we will be sharing with you activities from all the five different countries AOET is operating in.
Here is AOET Uganda’s Child centered Programs in the last 1 year:
AOET Uganda centers on the child – the whole child. And in an environment of poverty, disease, and vulnerability, education is one of the most important predictor of a child’s growth and future economic certainty.
At AOET, education is an integral part of every program and activity.
Child Welfare
Through Child Sponsorship funds, over 500 students in the Jinja and the surrounding districts are able to attend school regularly. Although Uganda recently adopted the policy of Universal Primary Education (UPE), government schools are often overcrowded, under-staffed, and charge additional fees (teacher fees, lunch, uniform, etc). As a result, many children are still unable able to afford school. Through AOET’s sponsorship program, sponsored children have their school fees and supplies paid, which allows them to attend consistently throughout the year. Children who are sponsored are orphaned by one or both parents or are labeled as “vulnerable” due to various circumstances. This year, the number of AOET’s sponsored children has expanded to reach out to over 800 OVC, 300 of whom are in northern Uganda.
After primary school, moving on to secondary school is difficult in Uganda. School Fees are higher, schools are fewer, and many students are not able to continue due to poor performance on primary exams especially last year. Yet, secondary school is so important when it comes to a successful education. Graduates of secondary school can move on to University and obtain higher paid jobs in the future. This year, AOET has sought to increase the number of secondary students sponsored. This comes as a challenge because sponsors are more likely to select younger children when looking at profiles. Additionally, AOET must put a larger percent of sponsorship fees toward school fees and less toward the overall wellness of the child.
Only 3% of Uganda’s population attend Tertiary Institutions; many will go on to be leaders in their communities and Uganda. AOET has several university students being sponsored currently and more have completed their Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) and are waiting to join university in August, 2009. One of our university students, Mukazungu Justine is going for her final semester at university and will graduate this year.
For those students unable to attend secondary school, vocational training is a viable option for acquiring skills and ensuring a means of future income. This has especially been the case in places like Lira in northern Uganda. After many years of being held as child soldiers or being unable to attend school because of fighting, formerly displaced families are returning to their homes and schools are opening. But many of these children are too old to return to school or even start school. Learning a trade, such as tailoring, farming, or welding, provides them income-generating potential for the future. This year AOET has 40 students in vocational training in Lira.
In November 2008, several sponsored children sat for their final examinations at various levels: Primary Leaving Examinations(PLE), Uganda Certificate of Education(UCE) and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE).
The staff at AOET is excited to announce that all the 33 PLE candidates passed and qualified to join high school; yet the general overall performance countrywide was poor, with over 80,000 children failing countrywide. Three sponsored children excelled at district and country level: Mulungi Timothy (Shilo Nile Star Primary School), Ssebale Jamil (Rehaboth Integrated School ) and Ganate Edison (Rehaboth Integrated School) scored fantastic first grades. From the recently released UCE results, Ingabire Jane (Gayaza High School), one of AOET’s sponsored children, was among the top students at national level scoring aggregate 12 in the best eight subjects! We want to say BRAVO to all our sponsors,donors and partners for making this happen.
Child Welfare is much more than sponsorship and school fees, however! This year AOET staff took a new look at how the WHOLE child is doing. Through home visits using a new form and database, Child Welfare staff and volunteers have been collecting information on the children in AOET’s sponsorship program: where do they live, how is their health, who do they live with, what is the family’s source of income? This information will help AOET know more about how each child is benefiting from AOET’s program and assist as AOET continually improves its services. We also plan to do trainings for OVC care for all guardians of our sponsored children this month.
Empowerment
Vocational training and income generating potential is what the Empowerment Program at AOET is all about. It supports children in 2 ways: Provides earning potential for guardians of orphans and vulnerable children and for older children unable to complete secondary school
Tailoring classes are operating primarily in 2 locations currently: Lira (northern Uganda) and Bugembe (Jinja District). The courses continue for a period of one year. Every Tuesday is dedicated to supplemental business development classes, covering planning, budgeting, costing, marketing, saving, etc. AOET staff is looking at how they can assist these women to acquire relevant skills and select businesses that have a strong market where they live and operate.
Rehaboth Integrated Schools
Rehaboth Integrated Schools have been growing by leaps and bounds!
This was the first year that Rehaboth Integrated Primary School was fully registered with the Department of Education AND the first year that students were qualified to take the Primary Leaving Exams. 29 students took the exams in early November. The week before the exams, the school community and AOET staff celebrated the students and sent them off confident and ready to perform well! In January we received the results and were THRILLED to hear that all 29 students passed, 2 in Division 1 and 23 in Division 2! and 4 in division three Even more thrilling was the fact that the 2 with the highest marks were sponsored children (see above)!
Another first was the graduation of the first Preschool Class at RIS. The school staff combined the graduation with the speech/performance day for the rest of the school. It was a fantastic day of celebration and talent!
On the ninth of February, Rehaboth Integrated high School will have its first day of school! The principal and staff have been working tirelessly to make sure everything is ready for its opening - from building completion to digging latrines; from hiring staff to painting offices and more! The school is located in Njeru, adjacent the the Children’s Fostering Village.
It will not only serve the community around Njeru, it will provide schooling for children in the village.
Njeru Children’s Village
Families living in AOET’s Children’s Village are bringing orphaned children into their homes and making them part of their family forever. While living in these homes, both fostered and natural children have their school fees paid by AOET. In order to do this, AOET has placed children from the village on a priority sponsorship list, and several more have been sponsored this year. In December, the village celebrated the gift of these children with their annual Children’s Day: speaker, games, dancing & food! It was a day to remember!
One child who stands out is MULUNGI TIMOTHY.
Timothy comes from a humble family of 4 children. Their mother is a housewife, and their father is a farmer. The family is now fostering 2 more children and are residing in Njeru Children’s Village. He is the last born in the family and is12 years old. He is a brilliant boy and his headmaster at Shilo Nile Star Primary had this to say, “Timothy is very serious with his books and once supported through school, he is a future engineer or doctor.” Well ,we now realise how serious he is. he emerged among the top students at his school scoring 9 aggregates-fisrt grade. We wish him the best !
