Better Globe Forestry

Background

Child Africa's school project in UgandaChild Africa  is an NGO registration number S.5914/3841 registered and operating pursuant to the laws of Uganda. It has been operating in Uganda since 1991 (before it was registered as an NGO in 2002, it was private and called “Solbergs Children Help Org”). With the main office in Kampala, the Capital City of Uganda, Child Africa activities span the other districts of Kabale, Masaka, Kasese, Hoima & Pakwach where our message is clear, our methods uncomplicated and our voice unwaveringly loud as daily we strive to make a difference in the lives of orphans and vulnerable children with education and other necessary basic amenities needed for life such as clothing, food, stationery, among others.

 Our Vision is “To see Child Africa as one of the leading African Organizations in providing quality care, education and development for under privileged children and building the most schools in Africa in the process.”

Since 2004, Child Africa has sunk in excesses of $ 2 M (Two Million Dollars) in the Uganda project with a projected expenditure of between $ 10 – 12 M (Ten to twelve Million dollars) over the next 5 years which will be used on constructing and running schools all over the country to help Orphans and vulnerable children.

So far, Child Africa is running two Schools; one in Kabale District (Western Uganda) and the other right at the Equator, Masaka District (Central Uganda). Our Kabale School which is situated in Nyabikoni Ward, Central Division, Kabale Municipality is run from premises rented from private individuals. In this school, over  350 children, both deaf and hearing, boarders and day scholars obtain an outstanding decent education. This school which started in 2008 has since then registered tremedous growth with our first lot of P.7 Candidates performing beyond expectations.

The school at the Equator is run from premises that we constructed on our piece of land and has over 150 Children. Next year we indend to build a boarding section. In these schools, we espouse a number of values among our learners on top of the normal Ugandan Curriculum and these include:

• Integrity and Positive thinking
• Goal setting
• Self-confidence building
• Human relations
• Success principles
• Tolerance

Today, we have a number of Children who have passed through us right up to the university with a very big number still in the Universities, with even many more in Secondary, Technical and other tertiary institutions. In the areas where we operate, we receive tremendous support from the Education, Security and other official in the District who applaud the uniqueness and value that we add to the Children we educate.

Our current beneficiaries(both at our schools and those that are sponsored but study in schools in their localities) stand at around 800 Children with a growing number each day.

School Building Projects

As of today, we  have acquired 18 acres of land in Kabale In which we intend to establish a huge complex that will have: Nursery, Primary, Secondary & Vocational sections with a total population of over 2500 Students.

Integration of the Deaf

Our Schools are very unique because we take 80 % hearing children and incorporate them with 20 % deaf children who ordinarily, would have been denied access to a good education.
We then teach both the impaired and non impaired children sign language to obtain 100% communication between them. Our pilot project in Kabale currently integrates 11 deaf children and 250 non-deaf children.

We work closely with Uganda National Association for the Deaf (UNAD) to help us build model schools that facilitate the incorporation of these children with impairments.  
We are at the point of rolling out this model of an inclusive education to all our schools. Our experience of taking on homeless children living in extreme isolation and poverty in the mountains and surrounding areas of Kabale has shown a marked increase in the number of deaf children seeking a primary school that caters for their specific needs.

It is against this background that Dr. Sacha DeVelle, Founder of Cambridge To Africa an organization founded in UK to help African children in need and lecturer at Cambridge University who after personally seeing the work done in Kabale with the deaf children, introduced the use of phones to improve communication amongst the children with hearing/speaking impairments.  
According to this new mode of communication, normal GSM phones, connected to Ugandan networks and preloaded with airtime are given to the children who then in turn send themselves sms’ during predetermined times e.g break time, lunch time, weekends, and so on. This project has tremendously broken the communication barriers that once existed at the School. This project does not replace sign language but has provided an alternative to it.

Sports at the Schools

It has been said before that “Work without play makes Jack a dull boy”!

Indeed, at Child Africa, we believe the children of Kabale & Equator – our children, should rise up to take up what rightfully belongs to them – the future! However, for them to take up this fundamental role, they must be fully equipped with a holistic education that takes care of all their wholesome needs; physical fitness, inclusive. It is against this background that a football league that involved eight (8) municipality schools was organized by Child Africa International School Sports department and fully funded by Child Africa in Kabale District where we emerged 2nd. This football league dubbed “The Child Africa Cup” is an annual event that had its first occurrence this year.

Child Africa F.C the name of our foot ball team in Kabale currently, among its many objectives, is to participate in the “NORWAY CUP” of under 14 players in the year 2012 in Norway
We also participate in games and sports that are organized separately by both district and corporate bodies, usually performing very well; in most occasions, only one school coming before us and we took 2st place. In all our schools, sports and games are highly esteemed; sports equipment and facilities are always provided or catered for.
Strand Videregående Skole, one of our sponsor’s in Norway has tremendously contributed to our sports efforts, Play Park items like swings, sea-saws, slides among others were donated to Child Africa to promote our cause.

On the Local Scene, SOS Uganda also contributed two sets of Football Shirts which have since been put to use by our Kabale football players. In conclusion therefore, our efforts, skills, attributes, finances, time, mental and other resources are all geared so that we can “Make a Difference” in the lives of those for whom we’ve pledged service.