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About Us
Advocacy for Community was established in 2003 as a charitable not-for profit organisation dedicated to unconditional help for underprivileged children in the Busoga region'. This region is at the core of many humanitarian crises women and children are suffering the most. We focus on extremely remote and neglected areas in this region. Our offices in Jinja serve as bases for our humanitarian and community development activities. Our 30 staff members are dedicated to working in the most efficient and effective way to achieve.
Vision
To spread to Sub Saharan African countries and have hope to spread and operate worldwide where humanitarian assistance is needed so as to foster empowerment for sustainable development.
Our Mission
We strive to advocate, reach, and support the vulnerable Communities to enhance development for sustainable livelihood to people in need.
We are committed to improving the lives of the poor, marginalized and to shape their own future. We achieve this by working with communities to improve health care, education for children and provide socioeconomic opportunities for families. We are working towards the second and fourth UN Millennium Development Goal which are universal primary education and reduction of child mortality respectively. Our mandate is building better Community through compassion, love and assistance.
Our Strategy
We focus on education because it is proven to be one of the most important factors for sustained social and economic development. Education also promotes a culture of peace, tolerance and understanding and builds the foundation of diversity, human rights and freedom. Children and youth can only truly benefit from education if it is offered in its entirety, ranging from nursery school all the way to either vocational training or university programmes coupled with internships.
The objective of this complete educational path is to allow the beneficiaries to gradually acquire the knowledge and skills that would enable them to make the right decisions for their lives, to find employment and to set the foundations for a self-determined life. We also encourage them to contribute directly or indirectly back to their origins and help us to sustainably develop their communities.
One of the most important reasons why children and youth in the Busoga region cannot complete their education is feeble health, loss of parents due to AIDS, poverty, …... In certain geographical areas of our mandate we therefore have to start on basic health interventions to reduce childhood mortality and to allow children to participate in education. Child's Dream is addressing these issues via its three focus groups, namely “Health”, “Basic Education” and “Higher Education”. The graph below illustrates our strategy with the three focus groups.
WHAT WE DO
Programs and Projects
Water and sanitation Unsafe water is the primary cause of disease, poverty, and hunger throughout the developing world. If you don’t fix the water problem, you can’t fix the economic, health, and equality problems. Health & Sanitation 25,000 people die every day because they lack access to clean water and sanitation. 90% Children are especially vulnerable: 90% of the deaths due to diarrheal diseases are children under 5 years old. 65% Proper implementation of clean water, sanitation, and hygiene programs reduces deaths from diarrheal diseases by 65%. 99% 99% of the 3.4 million water, sanitation, and hygiene-related deaths occur in the developing world. – (World Health Organization) Water and sanitation-related diseases Cholera Cholera is an acute bacterial infection of the intestinal tract. It causes severe attacks of diarrhea that, without treatment, can quickly lead to acute dehydration and death. Typhoid Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection caused by ingesting contaminated food or water. Symptoms are characterized by headaches, nausea and loss of appetite. Diarrhoea Diarrhoea is caused by a variety of micro-organisms including viruses, bacteria and protozoans. Diarrhoea causes a person to lose both water and electrolytes, which leads to dehydration and, in some cases, to death. Intestinal Worms Intestinal worms infect about 10 per cent of the population in the developing world and, depending upon the severity of the infection, lead to malnutrition, anaemia or retarded growth. About 400 million school-age children are infected by roundworm, whipworm or hookworm. In fact, roundworm and whipworm alone are estimated to affect one-quarter of the world’s population. Trachoma Trachoma is spread through poor hygiene caused by lack of adequate water supplies and unsafe environmental sanitation conditions. About 6 million people are blind today because of trachoma. It affects women 2 to 3 times more than men. Studies have found that providing adequate water supplies reduces infection rates by 25 percent. Schistosoma Schistosomiasis (also known as bilharzia) is a disease caused by parasitic worms. They cause infection and can eventually damage the liver, intestines, lungs and bladder. Studies have found that adequate water supply and sanitation reduces infection rates by 77 percent. 1.4 million children die each year from preventable diarrheal diseases. Throughout the world, water supplies in developing countries are contaminated with a wide variety of microorganisms that cause typhoid, diarrheal diseases, cholera, and other notoriously virulent diseases. Children are the most likely to become ill because their immune system is less developed and they dehydrate faster than adults. The water problem perpetuates the cycle of water-related illness. Communities have no choice but to drink the very water that is making them sick. Children are forced to rehydrate with water that caused the diarrhea that dehydrated them in the first place. Until we solve the water problem, ordinary diarrhea will continue to kill more people than any other water-related diseases. A healthy community cannot exist without clean water. Clean Water Saves Lives I want to take the time to explain exactly how our process works. Most people might think that digging a well is simple and easy. However, there are several factors that make installing wells very difficult. One of the biggest issues, is understanding the foreign culture. First, there needs to be a culture shift around the idea of water supply. In 1996 the government created “protection camps”. These camps quickly became IDP camps and by 2006, 1.7 million people lived in more than 200 camps in northern Uganda. During these 10 years, a culture was adopted around water. Emergency aid NGO’s would come into IDP camps in order to address the humanitarian crisis at hand. They distributed food, performed emergency health care, and dug wells in order to address the extremely high mortality rate in these IDP camps. The wells broke often because they were extremely over-used. Most of these wells provided water for far too many people and they would break often. When wells broke, emergency relief works would come and repair the wells. When the conflict ended in 2006, people began to return to what was left of their homes after living in these camps for up to 10 years. Many of these villages still did not have access to clean water and still do not today. If an NGO just comes into a village, digs a well, and leaves. The village will view the well in a similar manner to the way it was addressed in IDP camps. One of the primary reasons they view wells this way, is because of the expense. When compared to the average income of a person in northern Uganda, a well is extremely expensive. Even basic maintenance expenses cost too much for a village to afford. I never truly understood how expensive drilling a well is, until I calculated it. The discrepancy between income and the cost of water is a major contributor to the water problem. It is difficult to find a balance working in communities in which families are living off $1 a day. In fact, a well is so expensive, that if Americans were to pay a proportional amount of money for their clean water, a bottle of water would cost $62 and digging a well would cost $625,000. So if a repair on a well costs $1000, the equivalent would be around $100,000. And this is using extremely simple technology. This is why Project Humanity places so much emphasis on financial training. If we can prepare villages for the financial responsibility (or burden) that comes along with a well, we can ensure the sustainability of that well. There are additional financial advantages maintaining a well. Illness that comes along with an unsafe water source is expensive. Not only do communities lose valuable work time to illness, they also spend a large amount of their income getting treated for that illness. Our community trainers spend a lot of time working with communities when they request a well. First, they survey the community in order to see what people believe are the most pressing needs. We don’t want to bring a community something that they don’t feel they need. Especially when there are so many communities that know this is their greatest need. Our community trainers look for other characteristics that will lend to a successful well, such as: Does this community have proper sanitation facilities? “Does this community have strong leadership?”, do the people in this community work together? Once a community is selected, we plan for two days in which we can train the community. In order for a community to receive training, 75% of the community must attend. Attendance is very important. We can’t train a small number of people and expect the community to have buy-in to the project. During the first day of training, we teach about water-related illness, sanitation, water-source maintenance, hygiene and even cleaning a jerrican. On the second day, we train on household budgeting, bookkeeping, banking, and leadership. The goal is to begin the discussion around saving money and investing in the community. Budgeting and bookkeeping prepares the village for steps they must take in order to maintain the well. These skills can extend into everyday life, as most of the communities we work in are peasant farmers. Budgeting is a valuable tool to running a small business. After two eight-hour days of training, it’s time for our trainers to drop the bomb. They give the community tasks that must be completed in order to dig a well. The community must elect a water committee, write by-laws that govern the water source, choose the location of the well, and raise $100. $100 is a lot of money for these communities. Everyone goes quiet. Some people stand up to walk and think. The first person asks a question, “Can we pay you after the well is installed?” Our community trainer answers, “No, you need to raise the money before. As we explained in the training, the community will need to begin paying user fees. If you are trying to pay the $100, how will you pay the user fees?” People ask questions for the next 20 to 30 minutes until everyone is satisfied and ready to raise the money. Some communities are able to raise the money quickly, some take longer, but eventually they manage to raise the money. The community also elects a water committee to oversee maintenance, user-fee collection, and decisions regarding the well. Due to the recent conflict, there have not been local elections for the past 10 years. This has created a huge leadership gap as young people have not had the opportunity to fill leadership positions. Also, it is unusual for women to have the opportunity to be in leadership positions. The water committee is a great opportunity for people who have not had the opportunity, to fill important leadership positions in their community.
Health Needs
a. Family planning Programs b. Support for heart, kidney, liver, acid victims, surgery patients to go transplant overseas.
c. 24hrs stand by Ambulance for emergency life rescue.
d. Pharmacy
e. Response to health threatening diseases
C.HIV/AIDS PROGRAMS More than two thirds of the people who die from AIDS live in Sub-Saharan Africa. In several countries, at least one in five adults is HIV-positive. Villages are becoming ghost towns and local economies are crumbling.
Africa had 12 million AIDS orphans in 2005 and the numberrose to 43 million by 2010. AIDS is the biggest threat to Africa's development, according to the United Nations. The reason is the large numbers of people in key roles are dying, teachers; farmers; health-workers; civil servants and young professionals.
Latest numbers reflect: • 29.4 million people with HIV • 3.5 new HIV cases in 2002 • 2.4 million deaths from AIDS in 2002 • 2.8 million children under 15 with AIDS It was in the early 1980s around the shores of Lake Victoria in the Masaka and Rakai districts of southern Uganda that the AIDS epidemic first began. The landscape has been scarred by AIDS. There are many empty fields - there is no one left to plant them.
In many places the land holds graves instead of crops. And the roadsides in the trading areas are lined with run-down wooden huts bearing the word 'Clinic.' For almost 20 years Uganda has seen death on a massive scale, and many more will die in the years to come. 1.7 million Ugandan children have become orphans as a result of AIDS.
The toll that AIDS can take on children and young people orphaned by the epidemic is dramatic. Not only do they have to go through the stress of seeing their parents fall ill and die, but as family assets erode, the very prospect of their own survival is undermined. In the early 1990s Uganda began an active education program for the prevention of AIDS and infection rates have dropped overall in the country.
However, in the rural areas where electricity still is not available, communications inadequate and lack of educational programs, AIDS is still a major problem. The problem is exacerbated by poverty, illiteracy, weak education, inadequate, and in many villages, total lack of public health systems, and the low social status of women.
Health care workers in some of our villages estimate that nearly 40% of newborn babies are HIV-positive. The percent of students in local secondary schools orphaned from AIDS is 65%. United Children's Fund provides programs in the highest at risk areas in education and prevention of AIDS. Community health care workers using the local culture health beliefs and communication strategies that are culturally familiar to the local residents conduct these programs.
The programs include:
• Education programs for women to promote the prevention of HIV infection.
• Ensure that men are informed of their potential role and responsibility in transmitting HIV.
• Promote access to high quality voluntary testing and counseling for pregnant women.
• Reduce stigma and discrimination towards women who choose not to breastfeed in areas where avoidance of breastfeeding is interpreted as evidence of being HIV-positive.
• Ensure that care and support services for mothers living with HIV and their families are available and accessible over the long term. Many of these programs and seminars are conducted by health care workers in village centers and other gathering places away from the clinics.
Visiting the village clinic can result in a stigma and suspicion that the person is HIV-positive. Testing is strongly encouraged for all men and women. Many of those tested refuse to learn the results from fear.
In those instances they are encouraged to visit a health care facility on a regular basis. Please help us in this life saving mission.
d. Construction of hospitals, health centers, dispensaries and clinics.
e. Distribution of medical equipment from overseas donors to health facilities.
f. Ant genital mutilation campaigns. Disease and Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa.
2nd edition. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2288/
Chapter 16Maternal Mortality Khama O. Rogo, John Oucho, and Philip Mwalali.
At the close of the last century, Sub-Saharan Africa still had high maternal morbidity and mortality rates, with the goals of safe motherhood eluding many governments.
The Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development of 1994 and the Fourth World Conference on Women of 1995 were created in an attempt to tackle these issues and drew unprecedented attention to reproductive health and rights as well as to gender equity and equality.
The scourge of the human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) has ravaged the region's population and has left in its wake untold destruction in the demographic, economic, and social spheres (UN 2003). Demographic events of the last decade are a sharp contrast to those in the 1980s, when decreasing infant, child, and adult mortality rates and maternal mortality ratios (MMRs) were leading to steadily increasing life expectancy and improved health status for women in the region.
Data sets assembled since the 1990s are the basis for the analysis of maternal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa in this chapter. Beginning with an examination of measurement approaches and data sources of maternal mortality, the chapter continues with a description of the levels and trends in maternal mortality in the decade 1990–2000.
The causes and correlates of maternal mortality, as well as priority interventions, are examined. The last section of the chapter points to what Sub-Saharan African countries could do to meet the maternal health component of the Millennium Development Goals. Education
a. ICT for OVCs ORPHAN PROGRAMS
A report to the British Government stated, "more than 12 million children in Sub-Saharan Africa - equivalent to the UK's entire child population - have been orphaned by AIDS. By 2010, this number will be over 43 million children, an overwhelming number."
An entire generation of youngsters is often orphaned two or three times as their parents die to be replaced by grandparents, aunts, uncles and other relatives who also fall victim to the disease. These children grow up in an emotional and spiritual vacuum without a future and without hope.
They've been labeled "The Orphaned Generation."Many of these children are forced to abandon their home village, go into the large cities and become street children, begging, stealing, eating from garbage dumps, and in general have a miserable existence. Some are imprisoned where they suffer severe trauma and sexual abuse from adult inmates. Through its many assistance programs,
Advocacy for Community insures that:
• All orphans and needy children get access to an education.
• The children receive proper health care, food, shelter and clothing.
• The children don't become victims of neglect and child abuse.
• What is needed for internal growth is provided.
• The restoration of the children's rights to basic needs. With the help of our partners, we can continue to prevent these children from moving to the nearby towns to become street children and criminals.
We can enable children to undergo an integrated growth that produces responsible society members. Child labor can be curbed and illiteracy can be reduced.
Community Capacity building VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT
Income inequalities exacerbate poverty levels in remote villages. An important concern for fighting poverty is to ensure that resources reach the poor and marginal groups living in remote rural areas.
Advocacy for Community provides social and educational programs to assist these families in their daily struggle.
These programs focus on:
• Reaching the poor and vulnerable with programs available to all.
• Adult training programs on better farming and animal care.
• Marketing programs to increase income generated from products.
• Training in various local cottage industries.
• Village seminars on health and nutrition.
• Development of water sources and better sanitation.
• Programs for the empowerment of women.
• Enhancing vocational skill to become self sustainable, job creator rather than job seekers. Experts from various government agencies, both local and international, and major universities are provided to conduct these programs. In addition to the large village seminars, continuing weekly adult education programs are available on many topics.
Attendance at these programs can be from several thousand at a village gathering to 12 or 15 at the small one-on-one education programs. Thousands of people have benefited from these free programs. Advocacy for Community continues to expand these programs to additional areas to serve as many as possible.
Please send your gift today to help support these programs. IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE ALL CHILDREN ARE VALUED AND LOVED
Disaster Humanitarian Relief Response Emergency Flood Relief to Soroti and landslides in Mbale in Eastern Uganda and Kasese in western Uganda which routinely happens. Throughout the year of 2011 Soroti faced widespread flooding. Overall, more than 9 million persons were affected.
The government and International Committee of the red cross mobilised generally effective relief efforts overall, relief targeted at the community which was limited. The Soroti community suffer not only from the effects of the flood itself, but also from food, shelter, medical are of urgent need always.
We need to support and reach our partner organisations, to deliver necessary foodstuffs and all necessary assistance to these flooding victims. Contributions in times of need Advocacy For Community is in daring need to equip and be able to provide aid to relieve human suffering that may be caused by a natural or civil disaster, or an emergency hardship.
These disasters may be caused by landslides at mountainous areas, floods, fires, riots, storms, earthquakes or similar large-scale adversities. Medical Relief/Health Programs School Health Programme Since we began reaching schools, we realised that schools, classrooms and outdoor areas often lacked clean and hygienic conditions, which negatively affected students’ and teachers’ health alike.
As a response, we initiated this programme at schools in Busoga, that aims at promoting better health, improving hygiene behavior among children and creating a network of schools that can influence students, teachers, parents and whole communities. Teachers and students are given a comprehensive teach-in with regard to ‘best practice’ sanitation, environment and safety behavior.
In addition, teachers encourage students to share their health knowledge with family members and friends in order to let their communities benefit as well. Common focus areas include garbage disposal, toilet usage, classroom cleaning, tree planting, etc. Amount Needed USD 550,000
Children's Medical Fund Since the beginning, we have had countless requests to support children, who urgently need treatment to live. In most cases, the child's family cannot afford a required life-saving operation. Hence, we decided to set up this fund to financially to support children with special medical needs to access the necessary treatment. Amount Needed USD 400,000
Proposed Village Health Worker Programme Over 287 Village Health Workers (VHWs), 37 Supervisors and 24 Assistant Supervisors are proposed to conduct regular house visits to educate villagers on the topics of ‘Basic Health’ and ‘Hygiene’ including oral rehydration solutions (ORS) and zinc, hand washing, breast feeding, malaria and acute respiratory infection.
4The VHWs will also offer home treatment to villagers or, in case of serious illnesses, refer them to the nearest clinic. The VHWs regularly organise community health education events as well. The programme will be jointly implemented by Advocacy For Community and District Health care givers. This programme is part of the Basic Health Interventions for Children (BHIC).
Our focus group ‘Health’ will addresses various health and hygiene problems to reduce childhood mortality and allow the children to participate in education. Our health programmes range from malaria control to basic health intervention such as immunisation, deworming and the provision of Vitamin A.
Our Children’s Medical Fund provides life saving operations to hundreds of sick children who are unable to afford treatment. We also partner with organizations that provide medical relief to Community where disasters occur in order to simply the hard work by joining hands together. We also support specific local health programs and organizations in similar field like us.
Preference is given to those organizations where our volunteers participate. These programmes require having on account a fund over US$ 600,000 to curb the unexpected emergencies. Contact us by emailing us advocacyforCommunity@gmail.com to contribute to the programe on a monthly basis.
We promise your contribution will save a lot of needy lives in Busoga district where the need is enormous.
Education Basic education
Our focus group ‘Basic Education’ (BE) represents the core competence of our organisation. This group builds educational facilities such as schools and boarding houses to offer basic education to all children. We also improve our basic education projects with drinking water systems, playgrounds and organise extracurricular activities. In addition, we run a high school scholarship programme for underprivileged youth. Amount Needed USD 450,000
Higher education
Our focus group ‘Higher Education’ (HE) creates opportunities for employment and income generation, knowledge and skills transfer as well as community capacity building. This group runs a university scholarship programme for young adults and employment centres, provides vocational training and we are planning to extend a number of higher education programmes in refugee camps in Uganda. Amount Needed USD 700,000.
Agriculture
Sustainable Agriculture In Uganda, over 80% of the population is employed in Agriculture. The majority of the people in rural areas own land. However, it is heartbreaking to find some families, especially the widows and child-headed families who cannot efficiently farm their land because they lack the seeds to plant. As a result, such families suffer from shortage of food and agricultural products for sale.
These families encounter difficulties finding enough food especially during the dry seasons. Famine and poverty are very devastating and continue to take lives in thousands in Africa. Seed Loans/Food Security AFC purchases seeds from local farmers who have produces in abundance. In doing so, we support the local farmers to earn income from their produce at a fair market price.
We in turn donates the seeds to poor families, widows and orphans’ homes so they can grow enough produce for food and sale off the surplus to earn some income. At the end of the season considering how the harvest turns out, the families who received see donations are expected to give back a portion of their harvest to AFC. We then re-distribute these seeds to other needy families.
Through encouraging the spirit of giving back, the program becomes self-sustaining and create a long-sustained impact in the lives of many families in rural areas. What Seeds commonly distributed? Most people in the region where we serve, grow:
• Corn/Maize
• Beans
• Soya beans
• Peas
• Groundnuts (planters)
Our Solutions:
-Seed loan support -Farmers’ workshops on improved farming practices
-Provision of goats, pigs, and chickens to poor farmers.
-Market research
FUTURE PLANS FARM TRACTOR
– We would like to acquire a farm tractor to help local farmers in cultivating their land more efficiently. Farmers use hand hoes to plough acres and acres of land. This is time and energy consuming and limits the amount of produce the family can harvest.
With use of a tractor families will be able to cultivate more land, produce more, and subsequently double their income. With enough food for home consumption and the surplus for market, it means that the families’ standard of living with improve drastically. Please help us realize this dream and change the living conditions of poor farmers in rural Uganda.
Solar Project
We eradicate energy poverty by empowering women with economic opportunity. We combine the breakthrough potential of solar technology with a deliberately woman-centered direct sales network to bring light, hope and opportunity to even the most remote communities in rural Africa.
Investing in women is not only the right thing to do; it is the smart thing to do. We create sustainable businesses, powered by smart investment in women entrepreneurs. When you invest in a woman, you invest in the future. Join us by making an investment in a Solar Project Entrepreneur today.
Micro Enterprises in Uganda The human disaster of HIV/AIDS is having a disproportionate effect on women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa. Violations of women’s rights play a major role in heightening their vulnerability to AIDS.
Violence or fear of violence prevents women from negotiating condom use and resisting unprotected sex with an HIV positive partner who usually has multiple partners on the side. Women’s economic dependence compounds their vulnerability, many agreeing to become second wives, and leaves them unable to escape from deadly marriages. This situation has left many HIV positive widows having to take care of their children with little to no support.
Helping women gain additional income improves the condition of the entire household. Putting extra income in their hands is often the most efficient way to impact an entire family. Children have a better chance of getting an education and thereby escaping the poverty trap of their parents.
Engaging individuals in micro-enterprise generates a multiplier effect benefiting multiple generations. We developed micro enterprise programs geared towards the talents and interests of individual women. With amounts ranging from $200 - $2,000, we help the women develop small businesses to impact not only their economic situation but their self-esteem as well.
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