EBOCASI STUDENTS IN TAILORING LESSON TRAINING ON GUIDANCE AND COUSELING

ALL EBOCASI STUDENTS POSE FOR A PHOTO AT THEIR SCHOOL VTI

Quarterly report 2010SUBMITTED TO CHURCH OF LUTJENBURG-

GERMANYPREPARED BYREV. SAMUEL EDIAUPROGRAMME OFFICERP.O. BOX 107

SOROTITEL: +256[0]772884441.E-MAIL:tesocsp@yahoo.com

LIST OF ACRONYMS

AIC AIDS Information Centre.

AIDS Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome.

HCT HIV/AIDS Counselling and Testing

HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

IEC Information Education and Communication.

IGA Income Generating Activity

NGOs Non Governmental Organizations.

PLWAs People Living With AIDS.

OVCs Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children

NAADS National Agricultural Advisory Services

TPO Trans cultural Psycho- social Organisation

LWF Lutheran World Federation

IDP Internally Displaced Persons

PLE Primary Living Examinations

EBOCASI Ebenezer Orphans Care and Support Initiative

LCs Local Councils

LRA Lords Resistance Army

NUSAF Northern Uganda Social Action Fund

CoU Church of Uganda

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARYEbenezer Orphans care and support initiative [EBOCASI] is a one year’s project implemented by the education department of church of Uganda Soroti diocese. The project period runs from July 2009 to June 2010. This report is there fore a quarterly report highlighting the activities that have so far been implemented since the start of the project. It is a progress report describing what was done, the outputs realised and some of the challenges faced during the implementation of the project. The report therefore highlights activities done from July 2009 to January 2010.OVERALL GOAL: • To support and promote the rights of orphans and vulnerable children and

HIV/AIDS affected families to have a dignified life and cope with HIV/AIDS.

Overall objective:• To support and promote the rights of orphans and vulnerable children and

HIV/AIDS affected families to have a dignified life and cope with HIV/AIDS.

Specific objectives:• Increase the number of orphans and vulnerable children accessing

psychosocial and food support.• Increase the number of orphans and vulnerable children attending school. • Increase the number of orphans and vulnerable children receiving material

support.

SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES IMPLEMENTED DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD AND PROGRESS MADE [OCTOBER 2009 TO FEBRUARY 2010]

• 93 people attended the social mobilisation campaign meetings conducted in the 2 sub counties of Magoro and Ngariam

• 60 people [31 males and 29 females] trained on guidance and counselling. • A total of 30 orphans and other vulnerable children were selected for

apprenticeship skills training in various vocational courses.• 30 students received termly support inform of exercise books, pens, sets,

rulers, uniform and all the needed training materials for each of the courses• 30 students on apprenticeship skills training courses received regular

monitoring, guidance and counselling.• 30 students on skills training receive basic starter kits to be owned after

completion of courses• All expenses on secretarial services, transport costs and financial services

were met according to plan.

2.0 ACTIVITIES IMPLEMENTED DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD AND PROGRESS MADE [OCTOBER 2009 TO FEBRUARY 2010]

2.1 Increasing Psychosocial Support for OVCs

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Under the above objective, the following activities were implemented:

2.1.1 Advocacy and social mobilization meetings. Planned Target: Ninety opinion leaders and elders from each of the three target sub-counties will attend advocacy and social mobilization meetings. The purpose of the meetings is to promote the rights and protection of OVCs through community school dialogue.

Actual Progress: 98 people attended the social mobilisation campaign meetings conducted in the 2 sub counties of Magoro and Ngariam. The members who attended were more than those invited because many people wanted to participate in these meetings. The meeting took one day in each sub county and had participants who included; church leaders, local counsellors, parish chiefs, teachers, orphans, parents and guardians.

The purpose of the social mobilisation meetings was to share freely on issues affecting orphans and widows especially due to HIV/Aids. Participants were divided into groups and asked to challenges facing orphans and also widows in their communities and discuss the roles they should in addressing the mentioned challenges. The different groups included, teachers, church leaders, guardians, local government councils, NGOs and orphans themselves. After discussing the challenges faced by widows and orphans and the roles each group is to play in overcoming these challenges, then the participants agreed to make action plans with time frames and committed themselves to implement the action plan.

ATTENDANCE LIST BY SEXNO SUB COUNTY MALES FEMALES TOTAL1 MAGORO 24 23 472 NGARIAM 29 22 51

TOTAL 53 45 98

PICTURES ABOVE SHOW WHAT HAPPENED AT THE SOCIAL MOBILISATION MEETINGS

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SOME OFTHE ISSUES CAPTURED DURING THE SOCIAL MOBILISATION CAMPAIGNS ON FLIP CHARTS

2.1.2 Training on guidance and counselling.Planned Target: Sixty people, including priests, teachers and guardians, from the three target sub-counties to attend a three-day training on child guidance and counselling so they use they work as child counsellors who will support OVC at school, in the community, and within their families.

Actual Progress: 67 people [34 males and 33 females] trained on guidance and counselling. The participants were made up of church leaders from Protestants and Catholics, local administrators, teachers and guardians. See table below for categories of people trained. The attendance for the seminar was almost 100% for all the six days. The seminar was participatory, involving group work and presentation, demonstrations and. The seminar was lively, participants encouraged themselves. The participants who did not know how to write were however disadvantaged but participated in presenting their views, particularly views and challenges that they faced in protecting children rights at home school and in their respective communities.

TRAINING BY CATEROGY

NO SUB COUNTY

CATEGORIESCHURCH LEADERS

PARENTS/GUARDIANS

TEACHERS LOCAL LEADERS

OTHERS

1 MAGORO 8 9 10 6 82 NGARIAM 6 6 8 4 6

TOTAL 14 15 18 10 14

2.1.3 Counseling and guidance sessions.

Planned target: Monthly sessions will be held for child guidance and counseling. Volunteer teachers and peer educators to plan for sessions within their school and community.

Actual progress: This activity has not yet been implemented but will be conducted at the beginning of March when the schools are fully operational since carried out mainly in the schools and churches. The counsellors will be facilitated with lunches and writing materials for carrying out the counseling and guidance sessions. We also designed a guidance and counseling tool to guide them in their work.

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However some of the people trained are illiterate and although they may be able to carry out some counseling sessions in their communities, they will not be able to document anything. Others might fail to create time to offer guidance and counseling sessions because of many responsibilities or lack of interest. This means that 40% of those trained may not be actively involved in the guidance and counseling. We have also observed that those who are most active and are helping with this activity are mostly teachers or church leaders. They seem to find it easy to integrate this into their normal day to day activities.

2.2. Increasing School Attendance by OVCs

2.2.1 Providing vocational skills through apprenticeship.

Planned target: Thirty OVCs (15 from each target sub-county) from PLWA households and child-headed households will participate in the vocational skills training. Examples of vocational training courses offered include: tailoring, hair dressing, carpentry and joinery, brick laying and concrete practice, bicycle repairs among others.

Actual progress: The selection of beneficiaries for training was not easy. There were over 100 OVCs who needed help. We had to so the screening by emphasising orphans due to HIV/Aids, child headed households, focus on girls i.e. 60%. Then we also limited the age by saying we wanted those below the age of 25. We also looked at the villages and where these OVCs came from so that we could balance and take them from different villages other than concentrate on one area. We worked together with the local council leadership to help in the identification and vetting of beneficiaries. Where there were many beneficiaries with similar conditions and was difficult for us to decided, we asked the target beneficiaries to decided and tell us who is worse among them whom we should take.

The students were brought to Vocational Training Institute in Soroti town. This was as planned that students be brought to a boarding institute from the rural areas so that they change environment and also benefit from the opportunities of boarding life as they share and interact with other students from different villages and walks of life. They learn team work, hard work, unity and sharing among other life skills that this kind of arrangement brings.

In order to enable the trainees to fit into their local communities and practice their learnt skills, the students were sent home for 1 month holidays for industrial training to be attached to local artisans in their villages and have hands on experience in the local communities. They will write reports of what they did during this attachment period. After completing their courses the students have returned back to their local communities to start work and enhance their productivity by use of their acquired skills for poverty alleviation and self reliance. We shall from time to time follow them up in their local communities to see what they are doing with the acquired skills and starter kits that were given to them.

TABLE OF BENEFICIARIES UNDER TRAINING

NO SUB SEX TOTAL

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COUNTY M F T.C C.J BCP

TOTAL

1 MAGORO 7 8 8 5 2 152 NGARIAM 7 8 8 5 2 15

TOTAL 14 16 16 10 4 30M= MALE, F=FEMALE, T.C= TAILORING, C.J= CARPENTRY AND JOINERY, BCP= BRICK LAYING AND

CONCRETE PRACTICE

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: STUDENTS IN TAILORING CARPENTRY AND CATERING LESSONS

2.2.2 Scholastic materials support.

Planned target: Thirty students (fifteen from each sub-county) will receive scholastic material support, including: sanitary towels, books, pens, school sets, and school uniforms.

Actual Progress: 30 students receive termly support inform of exercise books, pens, sets, rulers, uniform and all the needed training materials for each of the courses. We had to ensure that the students had all they need to stay at school and study since their courses are short and need a lot of concentration and no dodging or mission of lessons especially practical ones which are very hard to understand if not fully explained by the teacher. As seen in the above pictures of different courses, there are a lot of materials needed by each section if the practical lessons are to be successful. If materials are not provided, the teachers can not teach practicals and yet this is what these students need most for the short time of their training. Therefore students were provided with materials which included cloth materials, threads bobbins, needles, tape measures, and scissors for tailoring students.

The students were also provided with personal items like sugar, soap, plates, cups, jerrycans, buckets, books, sets, pens, sanitary pads etc.

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EBOCASI STAFF GIVING SCHOLASTIC AND TRAINING MATERIALS TO EBOCASI STUDENTS AT THEIR SCHOOL

2.2.3 Supervision and monitoring of supported OVCs.

Planned target: Monthly visits will be made by project staff to monitor the integration of OVCs into school and community life. Staff will also monitor the counselling and guidance sessions.

Actual Progress: Since October 2009 when the students were taken to school, they have been regularly monitored, guided and counselled. The institute where the students are being trained is only 1 kilometre away from EBOCASI office, hence making it easy to organise regular visits to the school to meet the students and talk to them sharing their problems and finding out how they are progressing with their studies. The major challenges the students have been facing are lack of basic personal items like sugar, soap and so on and then sickness especially attacks by malaria. We are able to provide them with scholastic materials, sanitary towels and soap and not other things.

Then we also realised that although we did not budget for medical fees, it was inevitable for us to pay for the medical bills of students when they fell sick. We have so far had 06 EBOCASI students admitted and put on drip because of malaria,

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typhoid and brucellosis which are common serious diseases. Malaria is worse and attacks many people. It is common to have individuals’ contract malaria every three months. Those with strong blood take 6 months to one year without falling sick from malaria. This is because all these students are desperate and come from very poor families who can not afford to meet the bills of treatment of the students.

Besides their homes are very far from the institute they are studying and allowing them go home for treatment wastes time and money. So instead of giving them money to go home for treatment, it is better to use that money to treat them and save time and costs. There are times when they home for other issues like loss of relatives and they even fail to come back in time because they have failed to get transport money for coming back. We have also bought mosquito nets for all of them to help protect them from malaria.

2.2.4 Provision of starter kitsPlanned target: 30 students given basic starter kits after completion of training

Actual Progress: 30 students given basic starter kits for the various courses they did. 16 girls who are doing tailoring got 16 sewing machines and the relevant materials for training purposes. 4 boys did brick laying and concrete practice have also received building tools necessary to enable them do construction work. 10 boys doing carpentry have been bought assorted carpentry tools.

VARIOUS STARTER KITS GIVEN TO STUDENTS AFTER COMPLETING THEIR COURSES

EBOCASI STUDENTS RECEIVE CERTIFICATES OF COMPLETION OF THEIR COURSES

2.3. Food and Material Support for OVC FamiliesThe following activities were carried out under this objective:

2.3.1 Nutritional support to OVC households.

Planned target: Thirty families (15 per targeted sub-county) who are living with HIV/AIDS and support orphans will be provided with nutritional support in the form of seeds. These families will be selected through a participatory process during the advocacy and social mobilization meetings. The support will be provided to the entire household. Seeds will include: maize grain, beans, peas, and groundnuts.

Actual progress: Activity not yet done

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2.3.2 Micro-gardening, nutrition, and IGA management training.

Planned target: Sixty people (30 from each sub-country, including the thirty people receiving seed support above) will participate in a 3-day training programme on micro-gardening, nutrition, and IGA management. Participants will include the parents/guardians of OVCs and the heads of child-headed households.

Actual Progress: The activity is yet to be done.

2.3.3 Establishing micro-garden demonstration sites.

Planned target: Two micro-demonstration gardens (one in each sub-county) will be established. The demonstration sites will be used for learning and as sites for conducting the counselling and guidance sessions. The project will support the construction of the demonstration site structures, as well as goats, cocks and pigs.

Actual Progress: Not yet done

2.4. Administrative Support

Planned target: The project will support a portion of staff allowances, secretarial services, transport costs, and financial services.

Actual Progress: All expenses on staff allowances, secretarial services, transport costs and financial services were met according to plan. The details are as below:

Office stationery PurchasedAll the necessary assorted stationery for the effective implementation of EBOCASI programme activities was purchased and efficiently utilized.

Payment of Utilities regularly madeAll office utilities comprising of: telephones, E-mails, Water, Electricity, were regularly paid for.

Payment of Financial services madeBank charges were fully paid for, and Audit costs for programme activities is not yet paid because the financial audit is not yet carried out. This is planned for in the coming weeks.

LESSONS LEARNT• EBOCASI has learnt to value and appreciate the importance of networking

with local governments and other stakeholders. This has helped to avoid duplication of work and wastage of resources

• The approach of working through existing established structures and the local community leadership rather than making direct interventions is unique in a way that the communities are empowered

• The importance of using a holistic and integrated approach in programmes yields more results.

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CHALLENGES • Overwhelming numbers of impoverished people needing support.• There is a limited resource base for EBOCASI which does not only make it

difficult to meet the demands of the target areas of interventions but also the overwhelming requests from the general community.

• EBOCASI is confined to support mainly HIV/AIDs affected families thus leaving very many other impoverished children like orphans due to others factors, bastards, child mothers, children with disabilities and those who have dropped out of school helpless.

• Rise in costs of items and commodities due to fuel crisis and the global financial crisis.

WAY FORWARD• There is need to continue empowering communities through sensitizations and

training especially in HIV/AIDs, guidance and counselling, human rights, modern agriculture and IGA management.

• Enhance the capacity of the local community leadership and other existing structures so as to strengthen their participation in the implementation, ownership and sustainability of programmes.

• Besides, there is need to vigorously diversify the income sources for EBOCASI so as to increase the area of coverage and also include other aspects like formal education for bright in school HIV/AIDS affected children, human rights programmes geared towards protecting widows and orphans due to HIV/AIDs, among other programmes.

• Need to design a broader programme based on lessons learnt as a means of scaling up interventions so as to increase coverage and increase the number of beneficiaries

CONCLUSIONIn a nutshell, EBOCASI has been a very unique programme in the eyes of many stakeholders and beneficiaries. The uniqueness is seen in the way the project activities are diverse and integrated hence giving holistic support to the beneficiaries. The programme has been implemented based on the project plan with a few modifications and has managed to register positive results though not devoid of challenges as stated above. The challenges however, form a basis for EBOCASI to plan for scale up and for diversification of the funding sources so as to fill the gaps.

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APPENDICESAPPENDIX 1

LIST OF STUDENTS ON TRAININGNO NAME

1 ALEMU SUSAN2 AKOL BETTY3 ASELE HELLEN4 IMALINGAT HELLEN5 ACEN SARAH6 ALUPO SUSAN7 AKIROR JENIFFER8 ILEMUKORIT HELLEN9 IMUDONG SARAH

10 ASIO BETTY11 ANGURIA FLORENCE12 AKWI MONICA13 ATINGIRO ABISAKI14 ADEKE ANGELLA15 AANYU SCOVIA16 AKIROR JANET

17OKELLO JOHN MICHAEL

18 OPIO ISAAC19 ODEKE JANES20 OTIARA HERBERT21 OJUR PETER22 ANGURIA CHARLES

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23 AGWAIMO BOSCO24 AKIIKI DAVID25 EMORUT ZADOKI26 OPOLOT SAMUEL27 OKELLO EMMANUEL28 CUMA JOHN MICHAEL29 OLEMU CHARLES30 ALOKO SAMUEL

APPENDIX 2

PICTURES OF SUPPORTED STUDENTS [2 ARE MISSING IN THE GROUP]

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