Uganda hands for hope – Article by Turaiya Lemard (DEV – Student) – All Images by: Joseph Cummiskey
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Welcome To The Eye Magazine Directory
Uganda hands for hope – Article by Turaiya Lemard (DEV – Student) – All Images by: Joseph Cummiskey
is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to supporting the most vulnerable children and families within the Namuwongo slum of Kampala. Our mission is to reduce poverty and create enduring change in the lives of those most in need by promoting education, healthcare equity, and empowerment programs.
Namuwongo is one of the largest slums in Kampala, with research showing an estimated population of between 20,000 – 30,000 people, and approx. 50% of the population primarily consisting of children. Unfortunately, families endure extreme poverty, often struggling to earn $1 a day. As a result, families face homelessness or live in homes with severely inadequate infrastructure that are especially vulnerable to flooding. It is also common for families to go days without proper food/meals. The pressure to earn a living often forces parents to leave their children unsupervised, as they cannot afford the prohibitively high schooling fees whilst working within the informal sector. This leaves many children to roam the slum, exposing them to increased risks of neglect, danger, and exploitation.
In 2008, Joseph Cummiskey embarked on a mission to make a difference. He focused on children in Namuwongo who were at risk of potentially not surviving to reach the age of five due to disease, malnutrition, neglect, and danger. What began as a small protection shelter providing food, basic medical support, and a haven for vulnerable children has grown significantly.
Today, we continue to offer food, shelter, and safety through a comprehensive educational programme that also includes a variety of other community support programmes and increased medical support to address basic health needs for families. Our educational establishments not only cover core subjects but also provide extracurricular activities such as a brass band/music training, creative dance and Irish dancing, beatboxing, and venture scouts, in addition to traditional sporting activities such as athletics, football, hockey, netball, and volleyball as well as Gaelic football and hurling to mention a few. These activities all ensure children remain engaged and safe, away from the dangers of roaming the slums.
We have a combined total of 356 students within our nursery, primary, and secondary schools, 21 of whom are part of our special needs class. Additionally, we support 81 more students who are either attending vocational trainings or boarding type facilities due to their exceptional circumstances at home. Among these are the school for the deaf, where our students are taught essential skills like Sign Language, ensuring they are given the same opportunities to excel academically and socially as their peers.
Furthermore, some of the “other institutions” we work with include specialised mother-baby units designed for survivors of sexual abuse. These units provide a safe and supportive environment for young mothers who were compelled to continue with their pregnancies under challenging circumstances. In these facilities, the girls receive not only education but also counselling, healthcare, and parenting support, helping them to rebuild their lives
and secure a brighter future for themselves and their children. These programmes are crucial in empowering these young mothers, offering them a chance to continue their education while receiving the care and resources they need to heal and thrive.
Every day we provide 874 nutritious meals, serving breakfast and lunch to all children who attend our schools, as well as those who attend our partner organisations, totalling over 4,300 meals every week. By nourishing their bodies as well as their minds, we help to create stable environments where children can thrive both academically and personally. However, to ensure our support is as impactful as possible and reaches the poorest of the poor/most vulnerable, we use a thorough six-step process to identify families most in need given our limited resources.
The assessment process:
Identification: Our social workers actively patrol the community identifying children who are alone/roaming the slum, or houses that look so bad it’s shocking to see someone lives in them.
Initial visit: A social worker visits the family home to interview potential beneficiaries, assessing their living conditions, income, family situation, etc.
Verification: If the social worker determines a family meets the criteria, then a second social worker conducts a follow-up assessment to verify details.
Final Assessment: After two social workers have completed assessments, a final review is conducted by the Project Head or Founder, who considers all previous evaluations.
Decision Meeting: Social workers and the Project Head/Founder make the final decision on which families fully meet the criteria prior to adding them to the waiting list.
Enrolment: Once a child is approved, we begin the search for a sponsor to facilitate immediate school enrolment. However, we also apply a 5% rule, allowing an extra 5% of all children who attend our schools to do so whilst we look for sponsors to continue supporting them, thus spreading our support as far as possible.
Uganda Hands for Hope provides interest-free loans for beneficiaries, starting from as little as $5, enabling families to either expand their existing small businesses or launch new ones. These ventures commonly include selling clothes, vegetable stalls, and selling charcoal. By offering these loans without interest, we reduce the financial burden on families, enabling them to invest confidently in their ventures without the fear of falling into debt. It has made a significant impact in helping families to increase their income, improve their livelihoods, and contribute to the overall well-being of the community.
However, our empowerment programmes extend beyond microfinancing. We encourage parents to develop their talents and learn new skills, which is why we offer skilling programs such as tailoring and craft-type broom making. The handmade crafts created by participants are sold, and each purchase directly supports the craftsperson.
Uganda Hands for Hope has grown over the years thanks to numerous volunteers and supporters who have actively joined us in different ways to transform children’s lives. We continue to encourage passionate individuals to volunteer, whether you’re a professional or a student/intern, to come and engage in our mission.
These initiatives demonstrate our dedication to creating lasting change in the communities we serve.
