Educate 200 War & HIV/AIDS-Orphaned Ugandan Girl

APIO’S STORY

Apio is a 14 years old school girl; she is a total orphan  and a pupil of Railway primary school.

She was the only daughter to the late Amongi and Ogwal.Apio`s mother died in 2010 and the father married again a lady named Auma unfortunately her father also latter died leaving Apio with her step mother Auma who is currently 40 years old.In 2012 the step mother found another man who took them both in but the step father started mistreating Apio. The PLA staff advised the stepfather on caring for the girl but he was not stopping the beating and the mistreatment until the police intervened

He was later released and he even apologized to Apio in front of the officer=Child and Family Protection Unit at Lira Central Police station, he promised not to use foul language in front of the child and he said that he will start treating her like he would his own daughter.

Her Story

During school monitoring visits, Apio said that her step father had changed positively. She said that she has access of playing with her friends, talking with her step dad and now days her step dad buy for her clothes when he is buying for her children. She said that now days even if she comes back from school late since candidates do have extra lesson he step dad does not quarrel like before.

She appreciated PLA and the donor for helping her from a very bad situation and taking her back to school.She feels like a a child who is loved now she exclaimed!

She said that before she used to go to school very late and she has to come back very early from school in the afternoon even if people are still in class for after noon lesson.

She was very happy towards the positive change of her step dad. She ended by Appreciating PLA for helping her through Education and stabilizing her home because even the step father stopped beating her and shouting at her step mother unnecessarily. She promised to study very hard since she has stability at both home and school.

• Apio with the Administrative Associate at school (DOCX)

Platform for Labour Action with support from GlobalGiving is implementation a project entitled “Educate 100 War and HIV/AIDS Orphaned Ugandan Girls”. This project was started as a response to the 21-year-old LRA war that left so many children orphaned and destitute. There is a pressing need for rehabilitation and empowerment of female children through education. Lira district is no longer affected by war and the communities are in rehabilitation where there is need to better the future of female children through providing girl child education.

Platform for labour Action through support from the GlobalGiving Donors is providing support for a better future to a total of 118 beneficiaries i.e. 0ne hundred eight girls  of which 15  are in secondary Schools and 103 are in primary schools.

The project provides support to war affected and HIV/AIDS affected or infected orphaned girls with school fees, counseling and scholastic materials such as books, pens, pencils, rulers, rubbers and school uniform, Toilet paper and mathematic sets and sanitary pads.

Through the home monitoring visit and school monitoring visit, PLA monitors the homes where all these beneficiaries are staying. This is done through checking their conditions with their guardians during holidays, their living condition during holidays and providing psychological support during holidays.

In this quarter a number of activities were carried out that included payment of fees for term one and two, counseling, school and home visits to the beneficiaries. Below are therefore the activities carried out in-depth in the three months of April, May and June.

SCHOOL VISITS

Seventeen 17 school monitoring visits were held during the reporting period; the visits were made to Omito Primary School, Otim Tom primary school, Erute primary schoolV.H Public school, Lango Quran primary school, Sir Samuel Joe primary school, Lira Modern primary school, King James secondary school, Ireda Primary school, Lira primary school, Ojwina primary school, Adyel primary school, Railways primary school and Eliaoulet Primary School, King James primary school and Lango Quran Primary School.

The school monitoring visits are meant to check on the beneficiaries’ performance in both class and their general welfare.

The school monitoring visits gives the organization the chance to meet the beneficiaries’ teachers since in most cases they are the ones that see the girls while they at school and now their general health and  situation and  their performances.

 The school teachers also play big roles in shaping the beneficiaries future especially when they get to understand vulnerability and the effects it can have on the children

During the school visits the beneficiaries were further  monitored to see if they were attending school regularly and where they were found not to be attending their homes were visited to encourage the guardians and counsel  and reprimand the parents on not engage the child in child labour and helping them to access education,. This helps the organization to follow up on these beneficiaries and ensure that they get back to school by reaching their home and share with their guardians. It also informs PLA of the challenges the beneficiaries faceboth  at  the schools and in their homes. These help organization to provide psychological support to beneficiaries when the challenges are  identified. School monitoring visit also help organization to know beneficiaries are properly using their scholastic materials as this is given to them once in aterm.

In the past the guardians had been reported to have taken the scholastic materials away from the beneficiaries and instead they give them to their biological children. They parents have had to be counseled and encouraged to understand the situation of the children under their care and are given advice on how to improve their livelihood and support the orphans children without mistreatment.

The head teachers of the schools have appreciated the global giving support and all the donors and requested the organization to support all these children until after primary seven (P.7) and even up to the secondary  or vocational studies level to either secondary or vocational schools for a good future. She said that it’s not good to only educate these children and stop in primary level.

HOLIDAYS EVENTS

GlobalGiving school going beneficiaries’ holidays’ events held at Lira office, Lira District. A total of 73 beneficiaries participated in this event and they were all female. Three were 3 pupils in primary three, 8 Pupils in primary four, 17 pupils in primary five, 26 pupils in primary six 16 pupils in primary seven and 3 in secondary school

Holidays event help in the following ways;

To rejuvenate the minds of beneficiaries through games and sports activities

To offer psychosocial support to the beneficiaries through holding general and one on one counselling sessions

To provide the beneficiaries with scholastic and living materials

They were able to receive scholastics materials, sanitary pads, participated in football, and sharing school and home experience amongst themselves.

DURING HOLIDAYS EVENT

They were able to play foootball. They were divided into two groups but group one managed to win against the other with a two goals to nil score. They appreciated PLA for organizing this kind of events. They requested the office to start taking them for competition as PLA team

They also participated in cricket and group one also won with 34 points to 10 points. Group one were very happy for winning this game since they were competing with primary six and seven and they were in primary  three, four and five. They promised that they will even perform well, in class than these semi candidates and candidates they promised to do their best even while at school.

The PLa team further  adviced and counseled the beneficiaries.

PLA team advised the children to respect their guardians, teachers, elder peoples and their friends for them to be successful in life. She also advised them to report immediately to the office, senior woman teacher in case anyone tries to do the un confortable touches to them. They were enlightened about the good and bad touches and were given techniques on how to avoid the bad touches. The teamappreciated ttthe chidren for being at school and she told them to always consult  their teachers in class when they dont not understood any topic taught.

PLA team further plagued to ensure the children are support in school until they have graduated according to their wishes.

All the beneficiaries were able to received scholastic materials like pens, books, pencils, sanitary pad, rulers, pencils, math’s set, exercise books and toilet papersfor the second team.

They appreciated PLA  and the donors for supporting them with all the necessary scholastic materials.

Akello  one of the beneficiaries appreciated so much and she said that if she has not mistaken, in their entire home village, she is the first person to start using counter book. All her friends are still using exercise books and others are using 48 pages and 32 pages. She said that is God who made her to be like that and she gives Glory to God. She said that she is ready to make very great change to their home area through education since PLA is providing all the necessities for her studies

• The above photos showing beneficiaries with PLA (DOCX)