Expand Our Vital Programs for Refugees in Uganda

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!