Children Born into Slums


Children - Born into slums:

For a child in a slum, life is simply a dull pain.  There are few joys, and yet the children one meets in a slum often still smile in spite of.  Most of them do not go to school.  Even though school might be free, most children and their parents or guardians cannot afford those other things that go along with going to school such as uniforms, books, transport, even the toilet paper and broom a child must bring to school. 

A child in a slum will start working at a very young age.  Girls will cook, do laundry and there is the danger of being defiled even at a young age.  (Young girls as young as 12 have the highest percentage of AIDS.  Even the BBC has done a program on that troubling topic.)  Boys will fetch the water in a jerry can, assist in cleaning and be in charge of many, some will watch over a brother, others will try to find some kind of work.  Life seems like a dead end street.

In the slum, death is all around, AIDS, Malaria, other sicknesses that simple soap and water could eliminate take their toll, many children in a slum never see their sixth birthday.  All of this and much more, troubled a Ugandan woman  and her husband  who daily drove by those very slums and who saw the children suffer.  She took a few of them and put them into various schools her organization has, but there were so many more and she did not have the resources to take care of them.

What could they do to show some love, to touch many lives in a meaningful way, to bring hope and healing?  How do you identify the needs of children without meeting them?  When would these children be free from some of their chores?  When would parents and guardians allow them to somewhere?

The light came on and something unique was born - "The Bugolobi Church for Children."  From its inception to now, it has grown to now over 500  children.  They meet in rented classrooms in a school, four of them in all by age group.  Volunteer teachers share with them, listen to them, encourage, touch their hearts and fill them with hope and identify who needs immediate help and care.

They come up the paths from their makeshift shacks both toward the couple's apartment where they meet under the big mango tree, or they go directly to the school where the church for children meets.  The street becomes filled with hundreds of children as they move toward the school.  They are dressed in their Sunday finest and that can vary from great to sad.  They come to ply, to sing, to listen, to eat and to be simply children once again.

When they arrive they are send to the washroom where they are told, "before and after" and that simple training in hygiene eliminates all kind of potential illnesses.  There is also follow up into the homes by a social worker who sits down with parents and or guardians to assess the needs of each child. Teach parents and guardians how to create a place called home even in the slums and give inner dignity to their children.

Their time together is mixed with music, children playing the drums, a time of sharing their concerns and the good things happening to them.  There are skits and plays, laughter and play, times of reflection, prayer and encouragement from the workers.

Afterwards, once again off to the washroom and then food is given to the kids and they sit with one another and share, laugh and simply allow that child spirit to be alive in them. 

It is the deep desire of everyone of those who give their time every weekend to the children that each  child that comes is given an opportunity in life to be who they are meant to be through a meaningful education. 

The project has been solely underwritten and paid for by the couple and some donations.  All the workers are volunteers with the exception of the social worker who has been hired to move the project beyond just being a church on Sunday morning, but something that works all week.

I took an interest in this lovely concept when I was in Uganda for several months earlier this year and my heart was deeply moved and it was about at that time when the non-profit agency I had been working on was given tax-exempt status in the USA named Ambassadors of Hope International working with children in the slums of Uganda, East Africa and even India.  

I have told the story of the church for children to many people and many respond and want to do something tangible, something that will touch the life of a child for as long as they live, such as child project.  Others want to give to the church project and help with the expenses at hand. If you like to help?  Feel free to take a look below and find out how....The reason, I called it a project, is because it involves so much more than the Sunday morning, it involves helping to shape their lives for the better so that they can break out of that which they were born into - the slums - thanks ... jon

Here are some of the children - see some Pictures

The Children of Africa Section

Stories of African Children, Pictures of African Children, Life for children in Africa

Africa's Children-Struggling to SurviveAfrica's Children Struggling to Survive:  Life is a daily struggle for the children of Africa.  The things we take for granted in the west are often simply absent.  From nutrition to hygiene, from education to the lack of books for reading, find out what life is like for the children of Africa.

Meet Monie and LeakeyMeet Monie and Leakey:  Two children and their stories.  Two different countries, Monie in Rwanda and Leakey in Kenya, but the struggle to survive is similar.  One a child of an unjust war that resulted in a genocide, the other child a boy of the streets in Nairobi.  Both give you insight into the daily lives of children in Africa.

You will be glad to have read these two stories.

A boy like mePeter - a boy just like me: The story of an African Boy and his triumph against all odds.  Peter came from a slum in Eldoret in Kenya.  His story is tragic, but profound.  Thrown away at the time of his birth, raised by a grandmother, sleeping for days without food, and yet there is a strong will to survive.

Life in a Kampala Neighborhood

Life in a Kampala Neighborhood:  I spent some months living in an area of Kampala where you will not many a western person. My home, was in a small courtyard where one of the children I became friends with was Axum.  An account of what life is like for people in Kampala, Uganda and how children live in tough times.

A day in a school in Africa - Kampala UgandaA day in a School in Africa:  A day at Saint Andrew's Nursery and Primary School in Kampala, Uganda.  Get a feel of what school is like in a Kampala neighborhood. Get a feel of what school life is like for a child at Saint Andrew's Nursery and Primary in Kansanga, Kampala, Uganda.

Life Saving Medicine - Soap and Water:  Death comes to thousands of children in Africa, all it takes to prevent it is soap and water.  What people do not realize is that soap and water will eliminate 40% of children's sicknesses and diseases.  The best medicine for African children is simple soap and water.  The problem is access to water, besides water in many cases costs money and has to be carried a distance, so you avoid using it, even for washing of hand in the case of children.

Aids and the children of AfricaAids and the Children of Africa:  Each day more children become orphans because of the ravages of AIDS.  Many children are born being HIV positive and life ahead of them is simply tragic.  The emotional scars, the inner and outer pain is great for the children of Africa. 

Culture – Patriarchal Ways and Education of Girls:  African Parents are deeply concerned for the education of their children.  Boys are pushed to be educated, girls on the other hand, if there is a lack of funds, they just might be the first to stay home.  The poorer the family, the bigger the chance that the girls in the family will stay home and help at home. 67% of girls in slums drop out of school while only 38% of boys do so.

Born in Africa - Born in the USABorn in the USA and Born in Africa -Where you are born, determines how you live:  For most children born in Africa, life is simply tougher than being born in the west.  Life for a child in Africa is simply a struggle.  From the moment of birth life becomes a fight for survival.

 

The children of the LRAThe children of the LRA:  This section deals with the children of Northern Uganda.  Find out about Child soldiers of the LRA, what happens to abducted children, the children who evaded captivity by becoming night commuters, the stories of abducted children.  The person behind the abductions of children, Joseph Kony.

Bugolobi Church for ChildrenThey just keep on coming:  There is Church and then there the unique, one of a kind church for children in the Bugolobi area of Kampala. It is amazing sight as children  stream in rain or shine to come to church.  They come mostly from slum areas nearby, but quite a few walk several miles to come to church on a Sunday morning.

Children - Born into slums-The Solution=Education:  How do you help a child in a slum in Africa?  Education is the solution and even with education alone there is no guarantee since  here in Africa getting a job, any job is simply tough, without an education there is no hope for a meaningful future and a breaking of the cycle of poverty.

Children Born into Slums - Child Sponsorship:  Sponsor a Child in a slum in Kampala.  His or her parents have no money to help and assist their children.  There is not enough money even for food, at times for water, at times to pay to go to a latrine.  Life is simply tough. When it comes to education, children stay at home, work around the house, take care of the other children and miss out on being a child.

Send a book to a child in AfricaSend a book to a Child in Africa:  If you go into a home in Uganda, one thing that will be absent are books.  In Kampala there are only about five book stores to be found.  Children grow up not reading.  The power and of the dream and imagination is simply not released in the life of a child.  Your donation of some books could and would make a difference in the life of a child living in a slum, where books are the last things one thinks about.

Start a Library in Africa for ChildrenStart a Library in Africa for Children:  Libraries, one can spend hours in them.  In Uganda, most schools do not have lending libraries.  If there are some books, they are behind a locked door, behind glass, to be protected.  Children are deprived of books that would allow them to grow and become.  Start a library in Africa is a project with the intention of getting thousands of books into hands of children that will allow them to released in their imagination and heart.

The children of Africa in PicturesAfrican Children Photo Album:  The pictures of Africa's Children tell their story. One can read the stories on this site, but when you see the pictures of the children of Africa, your heart simply melts.  Meet the children of Africa through pictures.  There are lots of pages for you to peruse and enjoy.

Make a difference in the life of a childMake a difference in the Life of a Child:  It is one thing to read about the children of Africa, look at the picture, but coming here and being with the children is most awesome thing one can experience.  Not only will you make a difference in the life of a child, but a difference in your own life.  One to two weeks that will be life changing.

What can I do?What can I do?  This is a question that I am often asked, here are some practical answers as to how you can help and assist the children of Africa.  One of the most inspiring ways is coming here to spend a few weeks and visit.  It is one of the best investments you can ever make.

See  Africa's Children in Pictures on pages 1,2, 3, 4,5,6.

Page1  Page 2  Page3 Page4 Page5 Page6

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Last updated: 27 June 2010

Children Born into Slums Project in Kampala, Uganda

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