education

When Things Are “Mostly” Free

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Have you ever been up in the middle of the night, finding yourself watching infomercials (am I showing my age here?!), ready to dial in for some FREE STUFF?

If you did, you likely discovered that the FREE STUFF cost you money to ship, or required a subscription, or some other back-door way of getting your money.

Uganda’s school “system” is like this.

First, there is no system. Not locally, regionally, or nationally. There are a very few “government schools” but not in the sense we in America and the West understand them. They aren’t open to everyone, and they aren’t free.

Second, “school” is a bit generous! They use a very antiquated semi-British colonial system requiring rote learning and endless repetitions of facts. Most are hugely underfunded, teacher pay is terrible, and the pandemic lockdowns where schools were closed for almost 2 years shifted many good teachers into other jobs.

Third, even at a government school, it’s not “free.” Students are required to bring many of the things we would consider the school’s responsibility, like toilet paper and brooms. They are required to wear uniforms including shoes, which many Ugandans don’t have. They have to bring paper and pencils and pay for testing. Even in a free school! If it’s a fee-based school, even if it’s very inexpensive, they have to pay at the beginning of each term.

This is why only about 60% of Ugandan children go to primary school on any regular basis, and less than half of those go on to Secondary. This is doubly true for girls, who many families refuse to spend money on.

This is why a program like Touch the Slum is so vital to the vulnerable teen girls in the slum. We actually ARE free. 100%, never-any-cost FREE.

We provide Literacy, Skills, food, medical care, daycare, sanitary pads, diapers, clothes and shoes, mosquito nets, water bottles, and, to those especially vulnerable, assistance to the family. AT NO COST.

I don’t know about you, but to me…. that’s what FREE means!

How do we do it?

YOU! You and others donate so our girls can create a self-sustaining life. It’s pretty amazing — and we can’t thank you enough for the impact you are making every single day.

Mwebele nnyo!

Jennings

PS We’re halfway there on our reviews at GreatNonprofits – can you take a couple of minutes to leave one today??

LEAVE A REVIEW!

PSS We’ve got a bunch of projects up right now on DonorSee, like this one for disposable diapers for our 20 teen moms. But check them all out, watch some videos, and see what we’re up to every day!

DONORSEE PROJECTS

To visit our website, click here! And for great tees and sweatshirts supporting 1018, check out our Bonfire page here!

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Where the Boys Are

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Did you know that in Uganda, girls and women still don’t inherit land? While *technically* a father, brother, or uncle can leave a female his land, if there is any male relative living, no matter how distant a relation, he can contest the will and win.

Did you know that in Uganda, polygamy is legal?

Did you know that in Uganda there are still child brides, a “bride price”, and dowries?

That’s why this photo is so important. We are engaging and enlisting young men to stand with us against teenage pregnancy. We are educating them about the value of girls, the dangers of casual sex (Uganda has the highest per capita rate of HIV/AIDS in the world, among other STDs), and the pitfalls of teenage parenthood.

And they’re listening!

I’m not going to tell you that we have changed all 30,000 people in the Namuwongo slum, 80% of whom are 18 and under. But I can tell you that every month we have more young men stepping into our compound and learning. More young men engaging in our community sensitization campaigns. And more young men volunteering at Touch the Slum.

Culture change is hard and slow and frustrating. But it can happen! Thanks to you and your support, it’s happening every day in our little corner of Namuwongo – you can be proud of your impact!

Mwebele nnyo!

Jennings

PS We are facing challenging times as the economic woes continue in the countries from which we get most of our donations. Becoming a monthly donor, even $10/month, helps us more than you can imagine. Or you can increase your current monthly donation. Just click below! Sign up is easy and fast, and you’ll be touching lives in the slum every day.

BECOME A MONTHLY DONOR

Where the Boys Are Read More »

HOW WE CHANGE LIVES IN UGANDA

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We’ve been working in Uganda almost 13 years now, and while our programs and focus have evolved, one thing remains the same: we want to create meaningful opportunity and skills so our participants can be self-sufficient.

SKILLS FOR LIFE –

Mildred is 12, the youngest girl in our Skills for Life Vocational School. She is learning tailoring, so that she will have a skill on which to build a life outside of desperate poverty. She has never been to school before.

We have 20 teen girls like Mildred enrolled in Skills for Life, and a waiting list for the next term. Twenty girls completed Term 1 last year, just before the lockdown happened (which cancelled Term 2). When girls like Mildred learn a skill like tailoring, they can get an actual job, or they can have their own business. SKILL + HOPE = OPPORTUNITY.

RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS –

During the 2020 lockdown, we realized quickly how many girls were using sex work to survive. That resulted in skyrocketing teenage pregnancies all over the country.

To respond to the need, we opened the Ross House for teenage moms like Gloria, who are in crisis. This halfway house provides medical care, food, clothing, shelter, vocational training, sexual trauma counseling, psycho-social counseling, and childcare education.

As the first moms were finishing the Ross House program, we realized that now we needed a transition house, to prepare them to live in the community and be self-sufficient. We opened the Suubi House to provide oversight through a live-in social worker, financial and business training, and continuing medical care, food, clothing, and shelter as they learn and grow.

When Term 2 of Skills for Life opened after the 2021 lockdown, Cecilia became homeless. We opened a dormitory to house any students in the current term who are faced with the same situation, and provide medical care, food, and shelter for them during their training.

FOOD FOR CHILDREN –

We began providing food for children at Hopeland and Wells of Hope Primary Schools and the Arise Africa Babies Home in May, 2019. The 2020 and 2021 lockdowns have created a lot of disruption, but we continue to provide monthly food to about 75 children even while schools are (still) shut down.

Mama Mary has had 5 foster children for 19 months now! (It was supposed to be 4…) Forty orphaned children from Hopeland School are currently living with 9 foster families. Schools are supposed to begin a phased re-opening in January 2022.

We have two ways you can join us in our work — we’d love to have you in the Ten Eighteen family!

BECOME A MONTHLY DONOR OR MAKE A ONE TIME DONATION – we use Donorbox for our monthly subscribers and to allow you to make one-time donations for our General Fund. 100% of your donations go to the work!

FUND SPECIFIC PROJECTS ON DONORSEE – we have 8-10 specific projects on Donorsee at all times. Donorsee allows us to post videos of the projects, updates, and follow-ups, so you can see exactly what your money has done for the project’s recipient. It’s a great way to really feel involved in Ten Eighteen’s work and in our Ugandan community!

HOW WE CHANGE LIVES IN UGANDA Read More »

WHY SPONSOR A CHILD?

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Jonah at the Arise Africa Babies Home is Mr. Personality

Child sponsorship has been around for decades, and there’s a good reason for that — IT WORKS! Children in developing countries often have limited access to education because their families can’t afford the fees. But education is the only possible route out of the dire poverty in which they live… Hence the problem!

IN UGANDA, MANY SCHOOLS SAY THEY HAVE “FREE TUITION” BUT THEN PILE ON FEES FOR MANY OTHER THINGS: UNIFORMS, EXAMS, ACTIVITIES, AND BOARDING FEES IF THE CHILD BOARDS AT THE SCHOOL. MOST EVEN REQUIRE THAT CHILDREN BRING ESSENTIALS TO BE GIVEN TO THE SCHOOL, SUCH AS BROOMS AND TOILET PAPER. THIS PUTS EDUCATION OUT OF REACH OF ABOUT HALF OF THE CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN THE COUNTRY.
HOW DOES SPONSORSHIP HELP?
First and foremost, your sponsorship fee lets the child know that he or she can continue in school, for each term, and for each year. Many children do go to school, but sporadically: one or two of the three terms a year, or skipping years altogether. Fees are due at the start of each term, so if the family doesn’t have the money, the child can’t go. There are many young people in their twenties who are still trying to finish their basic education.

In addition, your sponsorship helps:

  • Ensure that basic medical needs are met. Malaria medication can save a child’s life, but only if the child’s family or guardian can afford it.
  • Assists in the school’s expenses, such as teachers’ salaries, infrastructure, and boarding facilities.
  • Helps provide the child food.

WHAT DOES THE SPONSOR GET?
When you sponsor a child, you get the gift of making all the difference in the world to an impoverished child. Knowing someone cares enough to send money for them is huge to a child who has felt unloved, unwanted, and unseen.

We also facilitate communication between the child and his or her sponsor, and thanks to the internet, that’s done in near real-time. We can exchange letters and photos at the touch of a phone screen, so you’ll know if you’re child is ill, cheer them on when they’re in need of encouragement, and celebrate with them when they do well.

To change a child’s life today, go to our Sponsorship page, or click here to make an immediate donation and we’ll match you with a child.

Wells of Hope School, Rwakobo village, Lake Mburo National Park

WHY SPONSOR A CHILD? Read More »

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