Current Projects.
Primary School Education Programme
The Ugandan government introduced UPE (Universal Primary Education) in 1997. This provides free primary school education nationwide to all children. However, the implementation of this policy has been slow and ineffective, resulting in most primary schools having to continue to charge school fees. Families are also required to pay for uniforms, scholastic materials as well as school maintenance fees, which makes primary school education prohibitively expensive. As a result it is far too common for children to drop in and out of school as family circumstances change and far too many never attend school. There is no legal requirement for children to attend school.
Since 2006 Mikwano’s sponsorship programme has put over 1,000 children through primary school education. The sponsorship programme covers school fees, scholastic materials, lunch and sundries, depending on the needs of the children and the schools. Nearly all the children on this programme are orphans and none of the children would be able to attend school if it were not for Mikwano’s assistance. The children are putting a lot of effort into their studies as they appreciate the opportunity they have been given by our donors.
It costs Mikwano approximately £100 to fund a child per academic year.
Providence Home Nkokonjeru
Providence Home is run by the Little Sisters of St Francis of Assisi. About 5 of these wonderful nuns care for about 100 disabled, destitute or orphaned children and a few destitute and disabled elderly, providing shelter, food, medicines and vocational training.
Mikwano has supported Providence Home since 2008, helping to provide these essentials.
All children who are able to, go to local schools. Some donors support individual children by paying their school fees, others by contributing to food and medicine costs. Much of the food is grown on their own farm and the children all look after each other.
Mikwano also pays for an occupational therapist who runs a programme for many disabled children in the community, with their families, to help them become self-sustaining.
In 2016 the Watson Family Charitable Trust made a very generous donation, followed by others in the next two years. This has made an incredible difference to the lives of the children, elderly and their carers – they now have solar power, clean water from a borehole and the children no longer wash outside with a jerrycan of water but have flush toilets and showers.
Children with Special Needs
Mikwano sponsors Patricia a beautiful young girl who when she was just four was diagnosed with cancer of the abdomen. Patricia spent over a year in hospital receiving chemo and radiotherapy, and though the cancer is in remission she suffered a stroke which left her right side paralysed. Mikwano now sponsors her physiotherapy, counselling and education.
Mikwano sponsors Richard, a deaf orphan, to attend Ntinda School for the Deaf. Richard is a full time boarder receiving an academic education as well as vocational training. It costs Mikwano approximately £500 per year to meet all Richard’s requirements.
Mukisa Foundation
The Mukisa Foundation was established 2006 to assist families with children with special needs. One in every ten children in Uganda is born with some form of disability and The Mukisa Foundation operates a comprehensive therapy centre for these families.
The centre provides a multifaceted family help system, focusing on physiotherapy, occupational therapy, counselling and education. For further information please click on the following link: https://www.mukisa-foundation.org/en/
Mikwano provides annual grants to Mukisa to fund their special needs school, help run their therapy centre and to provide vital medicines for the children.
St. Philomena's Orphanage, lganga
St Philomena’s is a lovely, well run orphanage at Iganga. Mikwano helps to provide formula milk for the babies and toddlers. Unfortunately, in Uganda, the international suppliers of formula milk are not allowed by law to donate or sell formula milk cheaply. As formula milk is very expensive to buy, the only alternative for babies who cannot be breast fed is watered down cow’s milk.