The most vulnerable group in the community is children who are living with HIV or have cancer. Our aim is to provide these children with the opportunity to have a better life.
Our Orphans & Vulnerable Children (OVC) programs provide the children not only with medical assistance but emotional, spiritual and educational support. We are extremely grateful for the support from our international volunteers and the donations from partners and friends, as many of the children’s programs would not be possible without this support.
Education Support
Many of us are fortunate that we have had the opportunity to get an education and it is probably something we may have taken for granted. Try and imagine where you would be now if you had not had an education?
One of the keys in battling HIV/AIDS is education. A poorly educated child is at high risk of getting the disease and has little chance of getting out of the poverty he or she grew up in.
One of the major effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic is the chronic ill health of the breadwinners. This often means they do not have the funds to support their families let alone pay school fees for their children.
We are grateful to our sponsors who provide the school fees for many of the children on our Home Care Education Support program (HES). As we have limited resources, we select the neediest children with the priority given to children who are HIV positive; or have been abandoned; and children of HIV positive parents/guardians in our community. KHC regularly follows up each child at home and at school to monitor their progress.
As well as paying the school fees we also provide support with school materials such as pens, books, uniforms and pay for one meal a day at the school.
ClaireClaire is 25, and is a beneficiary of our education program. She went on to become a kindergarten teacher. ‘I joined the program in 2010 with the help of my aunt who had heard about the possibility of having my school fees supported by KHC. I had dropped out of school because my father, who was our breadwinner, became very sick and was unable to pay my school fees. I am very grateful that my life changed from having to drop out of school to then having the opportunity to finish my schooling and now I am a kindergarten teacher with hope and dreams. I was employed in 2019 immediately after my studies and I now sponsor my young sister’s education and also take care of my parents. My sponsor gave me the opportunity to fulfil my dream of becoming a teacher.’
New Hope Children’s Hostel
Currently children from all over Uganda can only get access to cancer treatment at the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) in Kampala. Many children receiving out-patient treatment are forced to spend 2-3 months residing on the verandas of the cancer wards as they receive their chemotherapy treatment. This is because they cannot afford accommodation and food during treatment. Often many fail to start or complete their treatment due to the costs.
Our New Hope Children’s hostel can provide accommodation at any one time to 30 children and their caregivers. These families are referred to us by UCI.
The families also receive meals, transport to and from UCI for treatment. Other support provided is palliative care services, counselling, basic nursing care, assisted play and spiritual care. It also has legal support services. To date we have been able to assist over 575 children.
We are very excited to be at the forefront of such an important service and we hope that this program sets a precedent for more nursing homes and hostels for children with cancer. You can go to our website to find out more.