MANGO TREE KIDS

MANGO TREE KIDS

PARENTS CONCERN

Kamwenge Orphanage (Mango Tree Kids) Concept Paper

The “mango tree kids” are orphaned children living in a slum village in the outskirt of Kamwenge town along Kabuga road whose parents died of HIV/AIDS and other natural causes and were left helpless and vulnerable without any assistance. Some of these children live with single parents/widows in small rented rooms in poor living conditions without clear sources of income and livelihood. Some of their parents and caretakers earn a living from practicing prostitution. Others deal in selling local brew and fresh foods whereas others have no any source of income. These families can not even afford meeting the children’s school needs such as books, pens, pencils and school uniforms for their education resulting into early school dropouts at the age of 9 years. The ultimate results from early school dropout make the children susceptible to early pregnancies, drug abuse and defilement, child labor and stealing. Kids brought up under these circumstances end up being criminals and wrong doers in the community and end up having miserable life.

Parents Concern took special interest and managed to single out a few whom we have placed in reasonable schools and foster homes and are doing well. Our intention is to get as many as we can out of this dangerous environment and empower them for better future.

The children are attached to foster families who take care of them, feed them and provide accommodation.

Parents Concern mobilizes support from well-wishers and individual supporters who get touched to the plight of orphans and other vulnerable children with special consideration to supporting the child headed families, children living with HIV/AIDS, children with mental and physical disabilities, street children, child laborers, the neglected and the needy. Apparently we have a large number of orphans on the waiting list for sponsorship and in urgent need for school fees, scholastic material, clothes, school uniforms, shoes, blankets and mattresses. They were carefully selected in Kamwenge town council using a criterion tool and verification with local leaders including church leaders, elders, civil and political leaders was done.

The basic needs of life for the orphans today are not optional but a right and are better alleviated when all the socio-economic spheres are addressed adequately. In their absence, there is a likelihood of negative cascading effects on personal and family life of the orphans, as well as the social and economic wellbeing of the country.

At the moment we are only providing exercise books, pens, pencils, playing materials, used clothes, love and comfort. As much as they are important but they are not a cure. We may achieve a significant impact if we targeted their parents and caretakers as well.

The significance of targeting this group is that, when the caretaker families are empowered to be economically independent with sustainable income, then the children will be able to receive better education, medical care, shelter, clothing and feeding. Providing relevant skills and knowledge in various respects like agriculture and business training, income generating activities such as poultry, piggery, running telephone booths, small restaurants and tea rooms, selling second hand clothes and selling food stuff, tailoring and design, tie & dye, cookery and simple accounting will enable them venture in related business opportunities and ultimate improvement of the overall welfare of the entire household.

Parents Concern has an overall goal of constructing an orphanage centre at Kakyinga with an objective of bringing together the orphans, street children, needy and the abandoned children in one big family. This will create opportunity for ensuring proper child growth, better parenting, psychological comfort and love. The children will have access to services like playing materials and equipments, education, medical care, clean water, counseling and career guidance, spiritual and emotional development. This orphanage will be a window of hope for the orphans.