MISSION REPORT JUNE 2010

After completing school the next step was to take a Trip to Masaka to work with the community and children. Included in these activities were giving shoes to children, teaching hygiene and sanitation, starting up 'Centre Days' for the children, parents meetings, learning about the 'Pigs Project', school visits, and preparation for our friends who will be visiting the village.

This month we gave 39 children school shoes; you can imagine the excitement in the village for each child who went home with a pair of shoes. We expect that the kids no longer think that shoes are a luxury but now they know the importance of wearing shoes and making them to be part of their lives. A lot of thanks goes to our dear sponsors and anyone who has supported us in any way.

We are preparing our 'Pigs Project' which is due to start in August.
6 families were chosen to receive pigs. Rules were set up for all the people who will be involved in this project. Education was started on how to keep and take care of the pig. The selected families are being taught about taking care of pigs before they can get them. This includes feeding, housing etc. The rules and regulations are to make sure that this project sustains the family of the child in many different ways.


We held a parents and Board meeting to discuss the academic performance of the children, the roles of the parents in each child's education.





We made school visit and paid tuition for some of the sponsored children.
We are hoping to start an HIV/AIDS program in community schools. This program will help us to reach out in various community primary schools, creating awareness about HIV/AIDS. We will also include lessons on hygiene, sanitation, basic health and nutrition. We have already talked to the some the principles of the community schools to give us permission to go in their schools and reach out to children. We hope this program will start in the next study term.

We have changed the days we shall be meeting with the children as part of our project. Instead of meeting them every day in evening we shall be meeting them once a week during the study term and then two days in their holidays we have done this to avoid children having to walk home late in evening. We shall be doing all the activities we were supposed to do in the week just one day in the week and two days during school holidays.

Jeff and Mama Rachael preparing Porridge for the kids during 'Centre Day'.

We have also been working on the HACM office. Painting, getting chairs, tables etc so it looks like a real office.

Keneth clearing around the office.

Let me finish by thanking you once again for your continued support towards the work we are doing in Masaka. Without you we couldn’t do it.

MISSION REPORT FEBRUARY 2010

In February we visited the kids at school to make sure everyone in our 'care' is studying and performing well. We talked to the teachers to get updates on how they were doing.

Geoffrey and Keneth traveled to Masaka to see the kids and meet with the teachers. We made school visit to 5 schools where our kids attend. We have paid tuition fees for 19 children. We are so glad that we are making progress and are hoping to pay tuition for 37 children by the end of this year.

On duty: Geoffrey at St Gemma Primary School, Keneth at Kabuwoko primary school kids sighing after getting their school fees paid.

Hope: Enock and Rachael now have hope of continuing with their studies after their school tuition were paid, above is Geoffrey at St Jude primary school. Keneth at Aunt Tusu Nursery and primary school during school visit.

Mulamu David aged 5, now has a sponsor. David wants to be a Pastor in his village. David has a kind and giving heart and always performs well in school with A’s.

David is writing a first letter to his sponsor.

Esseza and Benah are 2 of the children in our program still in need. HACM is working hrd to try and make sure that kids like this will be able get shoes and school uniforms.

Laurent has no school bag to keep his books safe so he uses a black plastic bag. He has no uniform or shoes either.

HACM is working on both of those projects. This year we hope to make sure all our kids in the project get school uniforms, shoes & tuition fees paid.



Another plan this year is to train some of the young teenagers in the village to work with HACM. We would like to encourage them to help us in monitoring, helping, teaching and supporting their community through Hope For African Children Ministries.

These young adults will be picked from the community high school kids who have been involved in the work and activities that HACM is doing in their villages. We hope that this will help us to train and empower some young people to help us in the work we are doing.

We are pleased that we have a new office, as requested by the Community Development Officer. We look forward to continuing with the work we are doing.

HACM office which acts as the headquarters for our operations for now.

MISSION REPORT DECEMBER 2009

During the month of December Keneth, Geoffrey and Patrick were accompanied by their friend from the USA. Elysia came from the United States to work with another orphanage in Uganda and she joined us on a trip to Masaka.

A lot of activities were done, including a soccer tournament, teaching sanitation, hygiene, HIV and AIDS, home visits, children’s Christmas Party, craft class, letter writing and community work.

We are so glad that all these were accomplished successfully.

During the tournament were able to reach out to more than 15 community villages and almost 500 children and youth. They learnt a lot from all these classes and assured us they would put what we taught them into practice.

Classes for the kids

The soccer tournament begins

Soccer spectators

The prize giving


We also got involved in home visits as part of our activities. We visited their homes, talked to their guardians/parents. We try to talk to our kids too and see how they are doing and address the problems they face in their homes.

Visit to Gerrald & Margaret's home (all their cousins)

Making clothes to help earn money to feed the family

We recently donated a matress and blanket to this family


We have started a craft class for the community children. Here we teach them how to make different hand crafts from the traditional raw materials. Our main objective is to teach children how to make things that they can then sell or help to raise money for the ministry.

Elysia trying to make her own doll from banana fibres

Geoffrey and Patrick teaching the kids how to make necklaces from beads

All the kids getting involved


In our sponsorship program, every sponsored child writes a letter to his or her sponsor. It was during this time that we helped our kids to write these letters to their sponsors, to thank them and also tell them about their general life.

We send our sincere thanks for the sponsors of our kids and we encourage everyone to get involved in this program.

Cissy writing a letter to her sponsor

Enoch writing his letter

Geoffrey & Sylvia writing together

It is vital that everyone knows the importance of community work in the places they live in. The group gathered a number of older children to get involved in cleaning a community well in Segero, Kyamukudde village.

There is a problem with lack of clean water in the villages of Masaka and most of the wells are not protected or very well built. We were able to get everyone involved in cleaning these wells. Hopefully at some point in the future we will be able to raise money to build more wells for the communities.

Keneth, Elysia, Geoffrey and Patrick lead the community children to clean the well

Our visitor Elysia also helped in treating various wounds.

I would like to extend our grateful thanks to the people who have sent us medical supplies, thank you so much and may you keep up that wonderful heart.

Each year HFACM organizes an end of year Christmas party. It gives us a chance to spend time together and enjoy ourselves. These children spend most of the year enduring such hardships and this is a great opportunity to have some fun.

Preparing food for the party

Kids enjoying the meal

We handed out prizes for the best performers of the year.

The children thanking Elysia for the gifts she bought

The community is very generous with what little they have and all vistors are given gifts when they leave. Here Elysia exchanges gifts with the families she has spent time with.

It is a sign of love, appreciation and acceptance.

Let me thank all the people that have really supported us in our work throughout this year.

Thank you so much and I encourage you to continue doing the same in 2010.

Without you we couldn’t do this work for the communities and families in Masaka, Rakai.

Please keep up that wonderful kind heart and know that any amount however small, will make a big impact in the lives of these people.

Thank you.
Yours faithfully
Keneth kiyija