Saving Young Lives and Giving Hope in Uganda

The words of Uganda Hands for Hope social worker Julius literally took my breath away. I was visiting families in the Namuwongo slum in Kampala, home to 20,000 people, and Julius and Felister, social workers for an amazing and life changing school, were walking me through the slum so I could experience it firsthand.

The level of poverty was palpable. It had never occurred to me, that you could be evicted from a hut in a slum for nonpayment of rent, and yet I met a woman, with her three children, to whom this had happened. The reasons children are at risk of not living until ten years old are myriad: a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis is compounded by poor sanitation which leads to frequent outbreaks of typhoid and cholera. Poverty mean that children are often hungry, with many families struggling to provide one meal a day.

The Hands for Hope school seems like a world away from life in Namuwongo. Yet it’s only 10 minutes’ walk, a walk that the children do each morning and evening, a walk that, as the name of the school suggests, gives hope — hope of both a better present, and a better future. This school doesn’t just educate, it feeds more than 300 children —breakfast and lunch — six days a week, and provides them with basic healthcare. It also gives the children self-confidence and empowers them to work towards a better future.

On the Saturday morning I was there, the children I met were full of energy and joy. Told I was from Ireland, they insisted on showing off their considerable Irish dancing skills, and their marching band (with instruments provided by the not-for-profit Brass for Africa)  showed off their talent also.

I was delighted to meet some of the students participating in the Girl Up Uganda initative which “empowers adolescent girls in patriarchal environments”. Felister, the social worker who showed me around and who knows firsthand what it’s like to grow up in Namuwongo, told me with pride how she was a mentor to the girls on this program — and I can’t think of a better mentor for them.

The deeply impressive Founder and CEO of Hands for Hope, Joseph Cummiskey , talked with passion of the school, of the difference it makes to these children’s lives. After 13 years in existence, the first students are now graduating. Joe has a class for children with special needs who are very vulnerable and for whom there are very few resources. He also has a small boarding unit for children who have no home, or whose home lives are impossible.

Hands for Hope is funded entirely by donations and children are admitted to the school as sponsorship for each child comes in. I am delighted to support them and to sponsor a child. If you are in a position to join me and help change a child’s life, you will find details here.