Here in Uganda – and in 12 other African countries out of 54 – we are experiencing a second wave of COVID-19 and the situation is not easy.
Only 1% of the 44 million Ugandans have been vaccinated due to the low number of vaccine doses available in the country: this means that the new regulations to prevent the spread of the pandemic are very strict.
As usually happens in such circumstances, those who pay the highest price are the ones who have the least means: children and young people.
CEFARH’s “Sponsor a child” program allows us to help and follow children and young people in their school and professional training through a monthly contribution. Despite the pandemic, our volunteers were able to follow the children in their educational and independence paths with all the tools that technology makes available to us: from WhatsApp to social media. We are interested in raising better citizens, aware of their rights and responsibilities.
We want to take them away from the direct and indirect violence to which they are forced (genital mutilation, child marriages etc.) and also offer them spaces where they can simply play.
Rita Akite is only 5 years old and comes from a poor family in Atek, a town about 30 km from Lira, but she has very clear ideas about her future: she wants to be a nurse.
Ayo Brian was born in 2006 in Awele to a family with reduced economic capacity. He has just finished elementary school and wants to become a lawyer.
Naboth Owany is 21 years old, lives in Aboke, a district just outside Lira City, and wants to become a teacher.
Haron Atim is 6 years old and grew up on the street in Awele but he wants to be an engineer and invent useful things. For now he is laying the foundations of his dream by attending elementary school with success.
Robina Apio is 20 years old, she has no mother or father but through one of CEFARH’s projects she has acquired excellent skills in tailoring (she is one of the girls working at the sewing machine in the photos of the school on our website!). She is from Aboke and has a project to become self-sufficient by designing and selling clothes.
Linda Ajok is also 20 years old and an orphan. She wants to become a designer and has been working with CEFARH’s programs with excellent results for a few years now.
Rita, Ayo, Naboth, Haron, Robina, Linda and 13 other kids have lost their sponsors in the last two months
It’s hard for everyone to live in this period, and we know that it is often necessary to review family expenses to cope with emergency medical situations.
However, we want these kids to continue their journey not because they are “our” kids, but because they are Ugandan citizens who are already doing a lot on their own to get out of a situation of poverty: they just need a little more aid.
Are you willing to be their aid?
Together we can make a difference in their lives.