WHY SUPPORT CHILD PROGRAM?

GCM aims to give underprivileged and less-fortunate children an equal chance at education so that they can integrate with kids from well-to-do families while at school and later with the society. The Ministry wants these Children to hold high-end jobs at multinational companies and not work at the lower end of the spectrum.

“I don’t think anybody anywhere can talk about the future of their people or of an organization without talking about education. Whoever controls the education of our children controls our future” Wilma.

The increasing income inequality in most Developing Countries, particularly in Africa has made accessibility to quality education for the fittest. Uganda’s poverty profile reveals that at least 45% of the country’s population is below the poverty line. Therefore, the poverty level also affects the school enrollment because of both the direct and indirect costs of education.

Although the introduction of UPE reduced the parental burden of paying school fees, there are still flaws such as irregular disbursement and inadequacy of the money from government which forces the schools to charge other direct and indirect costs such as: exercise books/pencils, food, and uniforms. Studies also indicate that most officials who advocate for UPE schools don’t take their children in those schools. Even teachers who teach in UPE schools most of their children are in private schools.

Just because a child’s parents are poor or uneducated is no reason to deprive the child of basic human rights to health care and proper education as well as nutrition.

“No nation can be better than the quality of its education; no education can be better than the quality of its teachers; no family can be better than the quality of education of its members” DEO Hoima.

This statement can summarize why GIFT OF CARING MINISRTY is concerned with the future of the less-fortunate children in Uganda. No child chooses to be born poor or an orphan. But as a society, we have a choice to transform them when they are still young to groom them into responsible citizens and future parents.

Vulnerability is just a birthplace of Innovation, Creativity and Change but without proper education, our children can never really meet the challenges they will face. So It’s very important to give children education and explain that they should play a role for development of their families, communities and country.

A minimum and sustainable number of children are to be selected from all the four regions that form Uganda. This is also done to give equal opportunity to every needy child in the country. GCM will visit home to home to identity them.

Children who will not score points required for direct university entry will be taken to vocation training for skills development like; mechanics, carpentry, tailoring, catering, etc.

OUR LONGTERM PLAN ON CHILD CARE PROGRAM

Gift of Caring Ministry (GCM) was founded to give support to vulnerable children through empowering their mothers with income generating activities, skills and sensitization about the welfare of their children. We believe by empowering the caretakers of the children can reduce the over dependence burden.

For the period of one year we have been operating, we have discovered that the education services given to the poor children who cannot afford private schools are inadequate. In this case, the children of the poor parents have continued to be poor because their level of education cannot enable them compete for the few jobs on the world labor market.

Also, the ever increasing income inequality as well as the liberalized education system has made the secondary education to be too expensive and cannot be afforded by most of the children from UPE schools, even when they have performed well. This has caused some children to drop out of school and get married off while they are still underage hence the vicious circle of poverty.

As GCM, we are committed to work with partners to fight for the rights of the underprivileged and unfortunate children by offering them a chance to quality education and nutrition. This is going to be achieved through a designed GCM child care program that will ensure that the children from the extremely poor families and orphans are selected for enrollment in best schools where they can be able to compete with the ‘children of the rich’ on both local and international labor market.

Children selected under this program will be supported under their families but taken to boarding schools. The responsibilities of taking, visiting and bringing back of the children to their homes will be left to the child’s parents. This is done to remind the child not to forget his or her family and community.

PROGRAM SUSTAINABILITY

Child care being a long term program which requires a child from junior class to university to be in school, GCM believes and advocates for self-sustainability of an individual or organization.

Uganda is an agricultural country believed to be with the best soils in East Africa. Given any small support, we want to start some commercial farming whether by hiring or buying our own land. This will help us to grow crops and keep animals which can be sold to get money to support activities of the ministry.

More on farming, our gardens will act as model farms to our women groups. From our research, most rural communities have vacant land that often is underutilized or not properly utilized.

For example, a mango tree will at least bear fifty fruits twice a year. The current market price of a mango in rural areas is about one thousand shillings. An acre of land can grow 100 trees. With the Ugandan soils a family engaging in such commercial farming will have sustainable income that can be used for education, support of the family and nutrition.

GCM will consider varieties of foods and fruits that can grow best given the different climatic conditions in different rural areas.

We also plan to have workshops where some school dropouts can learn to make handmade crafts (Hair dressing, brick laying, pavers, mechanics, and culverts e.tc) as well as metal fabrication and furniture. These can be sold and bring in some income for the ministry.

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. PROVERBS 3:27