Support African Child and Woman Initiative Uganda (SACWI-UG)

Introduction

Julius Mutekanga, CEO and founder of

 SACWI-UG

Support African Child and Woman Initiative Uganda (SACWI-UG) was founded in 2003 by Mr. Mutekanga Julius with the help of some community members after realizing the critical needs of children and women in Luuka County. 

Initially registered as a CBO with the Iganga District Administration, SACWI was later recognized as an NGO and is officially registered with the Uganda Board of Non-governmental organizations since 2005 under Registration Certificate Number S.5914/5944.

Location

SACWI - UGANDA Headquarters is in Kisimba, Kirabo, Bukanga, Luuka District. P. O Box 25895 Kampala, Uganda. 
Mobile Telephone: +256 772 491841

Email: sacwi.ug@gmail.com/mutekanga@yahoo.com
Google map

SACWI-UG is founded on the heart of developmental education for rural communities supporting the role of children and women in development. 

It is therefore against this background that SACWI-UG supports community based action to support widows and families fostering orphaned children directly or indirectly affected by HIV / AIDS in developmental' educational initiatives. 

SACWI-UG activities involve other NGOs and Networks making it more community oriented and with a community sustainability.

SACWI-UG has its activities In Luuka District Bukanga Sub-County, a northwestern part of Iganga District with a population of 191,838 people (2002 census), and is also recorded as one of the poorest districts in the country. With an adult literacy of 37% and lowest in the District, the main livelihood of the residents is subsistence farming growing mainly cassava, sweet potatoes, maize, beans, sugarcanes and free range poultry as their staple food and means of income.

Mission and Vision of SACWI UGANDA

Vision

SACWI-UG's Vision is a world without discrimination

SACWI-UG Mission:

Our Mission is to eliminate conditions that promote vulnerability of African Children and Women. 

Objectives of SACWI-UG

• Sensitizing communities about HIV / AIDS and other preventable diseases including the total development of children and women.
• Initiating income generating activities and facilitating income empowerment of the caretakers of children and women affected and infected by HIV / AIDS.
• Ensuring a safe and protected environment including provision of safe water and sanitation.
• Sensitizing the community members on children and women rights in Uganda.
• Networking locally and internationally with development oriented organizations addressing the issues of concern of children and women.
• To provide functional literacy especially to the women.
• To establish vocational training institutions for both skills building and income generation.
• Creating awareness about development Issues and capacity building among the community people.
• Conducting problem-oriented research and designing appropriate way of tackling the problems faced by the children and women in Africa and Uganda in particular. 

School for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs)

We started an informal school with eight orphans and needy children and three teaching staff at least to enable them to attain some basic skills before joining other learning institutions. But now the school has been transformed into a formal school called Support African Child Nursery and Primary school with over three hundred OVCs and teaching staff of fourteen teachers.

The school started in 2007 with eight (8) children with three categories i.e. the orphans, disabled and the needy. Every year we are adding on class by class. 

Sacwi UG members slicing timber to create wooden classrooms for the orphans and the poor children. The school does not charge fees.

Now the school has reached primary seven levels. And this year 2012 we are proud of seating the pioneer candidates of primary seven, this is a milestone. The number of pupils in their categories are as follows:-

Orphans	No. of pupils
Boys	96
Girls	87
Total	183

Needy	No. of pupils
Boys	90
Girls	71
Total	161

Disabled	No. of pupils
Boy	1
Girls	2
Total	3

HIV/AIDS	No. of pupils
Boy	1
Girls	2
Total	3

School Challenges

The Ugandan Education System has gone through turbulent times. Many problems have been encountered in the delivery of education services and attempts have been made to provide solutions. To a certain extent, the solutions have created more challenges as exemplified below:

Pre-Primary and Primary

Universal Primary Education was put ill place to solve the problem of limited access to primary education. Enrolment increased from 2.9 million pupils to 8.8 million pupils. 

While the access problem was solved, the following challenges were more created again.

                               i.            Classrooms shortage

                            ii.            Inadequate instructional materials

                         iii.            Shortage of teaching staff

                         iv.            Declining achievement levels

                           v.            Enrolment of the under aged children in primary one. Since these challenges begin at the lowest level it will be a continuous trend through all levels of our education system in Uganda and Luuka District in particular where we operate from. 

Learning outcomes

The ultimate test of UPE is whether all children are achieving acceptable minimum learning outcomes.

There is a growing body of evidence which suggests that, the quality of teaching and learning in the schools of many rural communities is of a very low standard. Participation in primary education is not an end in itself. It is a process which should develop self-esteem and confidence and an ability to apply knowledge and skills in diverse circumstances and for a spectrum of social, economic and political purposes.

Having given an overall overview of the education system in Uganda over, support African child Nursery and Primary school has its own challenges.

These include:

1.                Lack of permanent structures

2.                Inadequate instructional materials

3.                Shortage of teaching qualified staff

4.                Shortage of hygiene facilities (Toilet & Garbage collection)

5.                Shortage of water (Need for water tank)

6.                Shortage of seats

7.                Lack of a Secondary School

8.                Lack of equipment for vocational training.

9.                Lack of Teacher's salaries and allowances.

10.           Lack of Teacher's accommodation

Since the school is operating under an organization which is not yet funded, it cannot attract skilled and dedicated personnel to execute its duties.

However, despite all these challenges SACWI-UG, has gone some way to meet its challenges thus it enjoys good will of people in its area of operation.

SACWI-UG members and volunteers are committed and endeavor to contribute in whatever mode whenever they are called upon to render a helping hand and lastly but not least SACWI-UG Advisory Board is composed of distinguished citizens with high levels of integrity and professionalism. A number of them are respected lawyers, doctors, politicians, clergies and public figures.

This has assisted the organization with abundant human resources to make necessary contacts in the government, local community and international community. The core staff which is spearheading the implementation of SACWI-Uganda activities is very much committed and dedicated despite the inadequacy of basic resources under which they operate at the moment.

Circumstances affecting children who are not enrolled in school

The population of school-age children who are not enrolled in school is characterized by a range of interrelated factors.

1.      Poverty

Children who do not attend primary school or drop out at an early stage are overwhelmingly from poor households and communities especially in the rural areas. Girls being more affected basing on the tradition and culture of particular tribes and religion notwithstanding especially the Muslims. According to the statistics carried out by SACWI-UG in Bukanga Sub-county in Luuka District, it was found that an average home has eight (8) children and out of this only three (3) reach primary education level. Of these girls about 68% have no chance to continue with their education compared to boys with over 87%.

Therefore there is a big difference in the enrollment rate of children from' the richest and poorest households. And as a result, some have resorted to prostitution, child labour and end up being infected by HIV / AIDS pandemic. A study of Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) in 38 countries shows that school enrolment and attendance is much lower in rural than urban areas. The imbalance is much greater for girls. Also distance of home from school is a key factor.

2.      Disability and Special Needs

Most children with disabilities are out of school where there is no inclusion of those with physical, emotional or learning impairments within the education system. Discrimination is a key factor.

3.      Living with Conflict

In North and Eastern part of Uganda conflicts and home violence have found that 98% of the children are affected by those factors. Many children have resorted to abandoning their homes and schools to become re gees m order to make their ends meet. That's why almost every street in and around Kampala are full of street kids.

These children are among the poorest in the world. One estimate suggests that 50% of children who do not attend school live in communities where there is crisis, violence or emerging from conflict. Data on the education of displaced children are weak but in 1997/8, UN High Commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) programmes provided education to an approximately 650,000 children

Needing to work

Worldwide 250 million children between the ages of five and 14 are estimated to be engaged in some form of work-part time or full time. In Luuka and Iganga Districts 48% of child labour is most prevalent because of poor economic growth rates, labour productivity; agri-climatic uncertainty, especially in remote communities, and where poverty combines with other forms of disadvantages such as prostitution, child' sacrifice, culture briefs and witch crafts.

Children who do not complete five years of primary education

As was noted at the beginning, school enrolment is vitally important but it is only part of the UPE equation. Many communities have relatively high initial enrolment figures but poor primary school completion rates. Completion rates are lower for girls, children from poor households and those living in rural areas. For example, Luuka district has a gross enrolment ratio of 98%, but only 38% of each first year group is reaching grade 5. Completion rates provide a much stronger test of UPE than enrolment alone.