Expand Our Vital Programs for Refugees in Uganda

HOCW Turned 5 Years Old! 

On November 13^th we celebrated our 5^th anniversary with a large event open to all community members. This was a great opportunity for us to reflect on how far HOCW was come as an organization and all the volunteers, supporters, and donors who have helped us along the way. As part of our anniversary celebration we recognized the achievements of 75 graduates from HOCW programs including English, Tailoring, Business and Comuputer classes.

As refugees, many of our students have faced huge obstacles to formal education and training. Being able to put on their cap and gown and graduate in front of their families and communities was a great cause for celebration. After graduating from our programs, our clients have reached fluency in English, learned useful skills and trades and are equipped to become part of Uganda’s workforce.

The Children's Holiday Program

Our Children's Program continues to grow with over 160 children from the community attending the program. Staff members Jacqueline and Brendah have been very active in facilitating an exciting and educational program to keep children active and engaged over the holiday period. The Holiday Program runs from November until February 2016 when school resumes in Uganda. 

As we expand into 2016 HOCW plans to open a drop in childcare center. Since many of our students are mothers without access to childcare, it is common that they bring their young children with them to classes. This creates an adorable (but distracting) learning environment. By providing childcare services at our new compound we hope that our students will be able to focus on their studies. 

Classroom Makeover

We are also looking forward to the installation of concrete floors in our newly built classroom. This month we will begin cementing the floor which will give the classrooms a much needed makeover! We hope to bring in some new benches and desks for students since many of our old ones are becoming cracked and crooked. 

As always, we thank you for your continued support for the work we are doing on behalf of the refugees and members of the Ndejje community. We are excited to see what 2016 has in store for us! 

Settling into our new space:

 HOCW has been operating out of its expanded space for 6 months now, and what a difference it has made! We used to borrow space from our neighbors to run our holiday Children’s Program however with our new compound we now have plenty of space for outdoor games as well as indoor rooms for movie nights and educational activities such as English lessons and story time. More space has also meant that we are able to accept more children into the program. The children’s program continues to be a successful part of HOCW, with over 120 children attending the program this fall.

 On August 27^th we hosted a party for the participants of the Children’s Program to celebrate the beginning of a new school term. HOCW hosted over 250 children at the party! Having additional space meant that we were able to separate the children into two different age groups and run age appropriate activities for each group. Those children who excelled in the previous school term, placing 1^st to 5^th in their class were awarded with small gifts. This was a great opportunity for us to celebrate the academic achievements of the students in our community, as well as to motivate others to excel.

The Women’s Collective is also profiting from our expanded space, which has rooms that can be used for meetings of the Collective as well as a private room for making and displaying crafts. In response to the success of the Collective’s Mushroom Growing Project, HOCW is continuing to expand. In September, we began construction of a shelter that will be used to grow mushrooms. Currently, there are 35 women involved in the Mushroom Project, most of whom are growing mushrooms in their home or sharing space with other members. The women then sell their mushrooms within the community. Building a shelter is a necessary part of expanding the project because once it is built the women will have more space to grow mushrooms and they will be able to increase their yields, with the aim to sell in large quantities to restaurants and hotels.The best part constructing this shelter is that we have been able to hire local refugee youth to do much of the construction. 

We are so excited to see the ways in which HOCW grows thanks to its increased space. This could not have been possible without your generous donations. Thank you for your support!