Educate 200 War & HIV/AIDS-Orphaned Ugandan Girl

Platform for labour action through the Global Giving Donors is providing support for a better future to 48 girls currently leaving in Lira district. The project provides support to war and HIV/AIDS orphaned girls and those girls living with HIV/AIDS positive status with school fees, counseling and scholastic materials such as books, pens, pencils, rulers, rubbers and school uniform, Toilet paper and mathematic set.

Through the home monitoring visit and school monitoring visit, Administrative volunteer Lira field office 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 the whole term, counseling, school and home visits to the beneficiaries, Holidays event organized by the office to carry out activities like storytelling and sharing among friends that day. Below are therefore the activities carried out in-depth in the three months of October, November and December.

REPORT FOR GLOBAL GIVING

48 beneficiaries in different schools in lira District 12 are total orphans and child headed families and 34 are affected by war they are also staying at child headed family. 2 of them are affected with HIV/AIDS. All these beneficiaries are Girls. The schools where they are schooling includes some ;Ireda primary school, V.H primary school, Lango Quran Primary School, primary school, Railways primary school and Ojwina primary school, Otim Tom Primary School, Adyel Primary School, Sir Samuel Joe Primary School, Lira Primary School

ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT UNDER THIS PROJECT

Fees payment

The school fees for the 48 children in primary schools has been paid totaling Two million seven hundred sixty Eight thousand one hundred Uganda shilling only( UGX 2,768,100/=).

Home monitoring visits were made to all 48 beneficiaries, out of 48 beneficiaries, 12 were found being mistreated by their guardians. They are being mistreated through over working them, using Insulting them leading to their reporting late to work  Both children  and their guardians were counseled to improve their conditions at home

Case stories.

Sharon a 12 years old schooling at V.H Public School who was taken by her guardian Omara to Tororo to work as house girl and the guardian were being paid 50,000= monthly. When the PLA staff  went to school for monitoring visit, he found that Sharon was not at school for two weeks. He started making a follow up with the school Administration. When he went where Sharon was staying, there was no clear information where the child was, PLA staff reported the case of lost beneficiary at the Central police station case number 10/20/09/2016 he worked together with the community Liaising officer and he found that the child was taken to Tororo to work as a house girl. An order was made from Lira central police station to Tororo and both the child and the employer was arrested and the child was released to come to Lira with the expense of the employer. And she was taken back to school

When Sharon came back, she said that she was having hard life and she was being over worked. One of the pastor from Presbyterian church sacrifices to offer Sharon accommodation since her former guardiance denied taking care of her claiming that she also adopted Sharon from her late grandmother who was not even her relative. She said that we should look for her relative and we resettle her to them since she is ready to keep Sharon as she also has a lot of responsibility

Sharon’s Story

She said that she is very ok and she is very happy that when she came back they took her back to primary four but she again passed to primary five though she was out of school for some good week doing domestic work. She said that she wants to be a doctor. She thanks the organization for rescuing her again from domestic work

Adur’s story

Adur's a 14 years old pupil from Lira Police Primary School. She completed her primary seven last year, she is very happy  of her being supported by PLA for her education, she said that she is very sure of passing to secondary since she is not expecting to fail any papers. She said that she want to Join Tororo Girls for her senior one.

She said that she want to be a lawyer

she said that in all their village, she is tho most educated lady who stopped in primary five, the second most educated lady is acen grace who is representing women in amononeno parish in abako sub county who stopped in primary six

Her guardian(Amony Susan) she is not related to Adur her baby seater,  said that Elisabeth is so respectful during this her long vacation, she does not like moving any how like othe children. She said that since PLA rescued Adur from her hand when she was her baby seater, she has never woken up one day to tell her to absent herself from school. She said that only that she had no money to pay Elisabeth’s fees that is why PLA found her looking at her child. She said that she has no jealous even with Elisabeth though all her four children are not schooling due to financial problem, God bless people differently might be God had planned that Elizabeth was going to get the way to education through being a baby seater at her home.

Challenges experiencing in this family

Susan is a widow, he husband Okidi died on road accident in 2013 since she was a market traveler. He died and left Susan with four children and Susan was not operating any business. Susan is now working as Municipal cleaner earning Thirty thousand Uganda shilling  (UGX 30,000 per month) she said that this money cannot pay rent, school fees, buy feeds, medical attention and that is why her children are no longer going to school. She also requested PLA through Administrative Volunteer Samuel Odoingo if possible they help her to educate her children

MONITORING VISITS AT SCHOOLS

Monitoring visits to the schools where beneficiaries were placed within Lira Municipality were done to check on their academic performances; All schools were monitored and the children are given consideration to enable them continue with school. The teachers now understand their situations are engaged to support these children in order to create a conducive environment for the children to learn and enjoy their childhood,.        

REPORT CARDS FOR SECOND TERM 2016

All 37 beneficiaries were able to get their report cards and they brought it at the office

Only 37 brought their report cards because 11 females sat for primary leaving examination board and they are waiting for their results

According to their report cards brought in the office,35 of them managed perform very well and they were promoted to the next class and two of them were not being promoted.

Sarah  was not promoted and attributed the poor performance to  the hardship at home like not getting enough food and would prefer to be taken to a boarding school. She requested the organization to help them with lunch  and dinner though they will not be given supper by their  guardians. They are requesting office to allow them starts boarding from primary six to allow them perform very well likes others since they are missing evening and early morning lessons

HOLIDAYS ACTIVITIES

Beneficiaries were met in the office during holidays and psychological support was also given to them. All the beneficiaries went when they were ok since they were being encouraged ansd supported to enjoy their children and to access education and extra school activities like football and netball.

Beneficiaries promised that they will be have very well at home  during this holidays. They said that in case of any problem, they will report direct to  PLA office office for assistant

Beneficiaries were also able to share what they will be doing at home during Long holidays at their home Among themselves.

Main Holidays Events/activities which combine all the beneficiaries is arranged to be on the 28^th January 2017 in Lira office where all the beneficiaries will attend to.

COUNSELLING SESSIONS

All the girls (48) that were counseled. The girls  appreciated the counseling sessions and they all agreed that they needed the help of the organization in terms of more counseling to move on to the next level.

Most of them said that they have hope of good future since platform is helping them

They said that they are sure of their good future since PLA sponsor their beneficiaries till they finish their studies and also they give work to their beneficiaries. They gave clear example of Odomgo who is now working with PLA yet he was like one of the children affected by war having lost both his parents due to work and yet he studied due to donors from global giving and now works at PLA.

NEW BENEFICARIES

VARIFICATION OF NEW BENEFICIARIES

New beneficiaries which were identified in September has been verified and they will be placed into schools in first term 2017 starting February.

A number of 70 new beneficiaries were verified in the North and they will be placed in the verified school in the north.

SUCCESS STORIES

Apio  14 years old girl who goes to school at Ojwina Primary School who completed her primary seven in 2016, she appreciated PLA for supporting her education, she said that she never expected to reach primary seven. She was a baby sweater who had stopped studying in primary four and PLA rescued her from child labour, rehabilitated and resettled her with her relatives before enrolling her back into school .  She is very proud of her self since she has always been the first in position in all her classes. She is also expecting to be the best when the result comes back since she has been the best in their school.

She is still working hard to become a Lawyer; “ I appreciate the people out there who sacrifice their money and resources and to PLA their time to ensure children like me also attend school” I want to be a lawyer so that I can also help children in situations like I was in. Thank you our sponsors”. Said Opio

CHALLENGES FACED BY CHILDREN

• Most of our beneficiaries are not in the boarding section and yet there are night lessons at school and their class  teachers always refuses to explain to them the night lesson tough in the morning since they do not  attend the  night classes. Primary six (semi candidates) and  seven (candidates) are the most affected beneficiaries who are not getting access to night lesson and notes
• Children are neglect by their guardians and do not offer proper parental guidance they only provide proper attention to their biological children. PLA continues to carry out home monitoring visits to these beneficiaries and providing them with psychological support and talking with the guardian about the welfare of the children.
• Children lose their scholastic materials since some of their guardian tends to confiscate their scholastic materials and give them to their biological children. PLA staff solved this problem by meeting with these guardians and after their meeting, these guardians were able to return back all their scholastic materials. The affected beneficiaries whom their guardians confiscate their scholastic materials and gave them to their biological children are Apio, Atino, and Auma
•  Many of the Children lack self confidence when they are among other pupils at school which affects their performance and self-expression. This is so because eof their person experiences  and doing a lot of household chores once they get back to their homes. PLA can overcome these problem by constant monitoring and giving them self-confidence and also to talk to their guardians against over working them

ACTION TAKEN BY PLA

• Children are taken through counseling to strengthen them psychologically in attaining self confidence.
• Regular visits to the schools are being made by the PLA staff to check on the progress and performance of the children.
• School fees has been paid in time to enable them concentrate in class as they will not be sent home /office to look for fees
• Scholastic materials like books, pens, rulers among others have been given to the children to ensure that their school requirements are covered to improve on their performance at school.
• Home monitoring visit has been made to check on their status at home and also to counsel them in case of problems as this strengthen them psychologically.