Day 5 – Uganda Planning Trip

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW85dpUHjdw

When, last September, Lucy first told me about her ideas and asked me to be her Social Work Adviser I was, to be honest, rather sceptical. In my  long career  in Child Welfare, including work in Africa, I had learned to be very cautious about people with bright ideas and extremely doubtful about orphanages of any description. I remember writing some stern words of warning about her plans and rather hoped she would go away.

In the event, and being Lucy, she persisted and persuaded me to listen to what she had learned in Uganda over the last four years. Since then we have innumerable conversations and some arguments, about what might work best in Kampala and, most importantly for me, be consistent with modern social work principles and practice.

It has proved to be an intriguing but productive journey – the child care expert meeting the pioneering visionary, so to speak. And now here in Uganda we have had a chance to actually test out our ideas in practice by looking at a whole range of services, good and not so good, here on the ground and, above all, to talk with Ugandan families and professionals about what they want to happen to give families and children “at risk” a better chance.

I now believe that there is definitely a place for a relatively small – perhaps a 20 place – specialist transitional home or centre for babies and toddlers who have been abandoned in Kampala. The emphasis needs to be on top-quality care coupled with a total commitment to find families for these children as soon as possible.

But in addition to this I have always felt that more is needed and we now both see this in terms of some preventative services designed to offer help and support to mothers at the end of their tethers. I think that Home-Start Uganda could provide this for us at Mulago hospital. Later perhaps we might see a place for a day centre to support families in dire need.

Lucy and  are  very close now to an agreement about what Child’s i Foundation can  best do and I am feeling positively enthused about the difference the charity will  make  to the lives of  some extremely needy children  in Uganda.

What a journey – but what a worthwhile destination!

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Uganda Planning Trip – Day 1.

We have not slept for 36 hours.

I am feeling slightly overwhelmed but very happy to be back in Uganda.

We have had meetings all day, filmed and edited a video and uploaded it onto 21 different video platforms – woohoo, the internet connection worked.  It is nearly 9pm and I am seeing double and having trouble writing so apologies for my brevity.

I am shocked at how bad the situation is and the global economic recession is really affecting the most vulmerable and the homes are all over capacity and turning babies away.

I feel incredibly lucky to have such an amazing team around me and relieved you can watch our video of Day 1:

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ycxGi8aXz8

Lara has organised all our logistics and is doing a brilliant job pre-empting all our needs, Saff did a great job today shooting and cutting our Day 1 video and hopefully from now on (with sleep) it will get easier.

Brian and I have spent all day meeting Barbara from Sanyu and Charles from Home Start International and it was amazing catching up with our team – Norah, Catherine and Dennis this evening but now it is time for sleep as we have another full on day tomorrow.

I’ll try to get tweeting more tomorrow.

Show us your support and become a fan on Facebook – http://www.childsifoundation.org/go/facebook/planning

Why we are not an orphanage

One question Dragon’s Den’s Deborah Meaden asked when she reviewed our business plan was: ‘What are you doing that’s different from any other organisation in Uganda?’ Well, the answer to her very valid questions is our Model of Social Care.

From the beginning, we have maintained that we are not building an orphanage.  It might be a good way to get money, as the word itself is far more emotive than ‘short-term transitional home’ – but that is what we want to be. We will provide specialist care to safeguard the lives of infants whose might otherwise be at terrible risk.

Ultimately, our aim is for early rehabilitation, either back into the child’s natural family or to foster and adoptive families, rather than keeping children institutionalised until the age of 18.

And while too many babies are unarguably abandoned every week, it shouldn’t be assumed that the parents want to permanently give them up. Often, they do it to provide their baby with things they desperately need – such as life-saving drugs – or to get them out of harm’s way. As a parent, what choice would you make – keep your baby and risk their life because you can’t afford medication and care, or give your baby away where they will be looked after?

A grandmother wanted to keep her twin grandchildren but cannot afford to care for them

We are incredibly lucky to have Brian Waller, BSc, Dip Ed, MSW advising us on our Social Work model. Formerly a Social Services Director, Brian has run national and international children’s charities – plus, he has recent experience of working in Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.

Our model will constantly evolve as we have more conversations, establish strategic partnerships, and work with the Government of Uganda and the local community. One thing we’re determined to do is to involve the community from the outset. Our home will, in every way, feel “African” and not something transplanted from the outside.