EDUCATION
CONTRIBUTION PROGRAMME 2007
We have been able to contribute
towards the school fees of 60 children, in 34 families. We contribute
30,000/=(Thirty thousands shillings). It is called a contribution
because it doesn’t cover every school need of a child . However
it has made a big difference in the lives of the children, especially
in Universal primary education schools in rural areas, they were
able to get items such as shoes, socks, uniforms. The caretakers
have been relieved, as their burden has been lessened.
Achievements.
· An opportunity to go to school.
 It’s an opportunity
for the children who had dropped out of school due to their parent’s
imprisonment to go back to school and to stabilize in their education.
Before wells of hope intervened, most of the children were always
in and out of school but now they can be sure of an education. They
would be chased from school because of defaulting on school fees.
Some children had never attended school but with Wells of Hope through
this programme intervention, they have been attending school this
year.
· Wells of hope, a mediator and advocate.
Through the education contribution Wells of hope has worked as a
mediator between the school administration and the caretakers, the
local council and the parents. The children’s rights are advocated
for at the end they are protected.
· Self esteem.
Children once rejected in society are now treasured, they feel someone
cares and is not condemning them for their parent’s crime.
They also have hope for a bright future, sense of belonging, trust
and confidence. A case in point is John Wilson an inmate whose children
Wells of hope sponsors said that, these days people on the village
where he hails from, say, “ a prisoner’s child is now
going to school and not going to the market”.
· Family protection and the sensitization of the
community.
There is a sense of protection from community leaders and the community
in general.
With the parent’s imprisonment, the children are left susceptible
to abuse, especially the girl child. So with wells of hope sensitization
on the vulnerability of the children the communities have responded
positively i.e. the headmasters and community local leaders.
· Burden lessened.
 The
burden on the caretakers has been lessened. They are working hard
to meet the other needs of the children.
· Family reunions.
Some children had been displaced and/or abandoned when their parents
were imprisoned. A case in point is one of Nakanwagi Christine whom
the mother abandoned together with her brother Henry Kasibante and
left to stay with their grandmother. This happened because the mother
had remarried, however, when she gave birth in her new marriage,
she collected her from her grandmothers place and starting staying
with her in a one- roomed house, which was not a good environment
for her as a girl child since her mother’s new husband was
an irregular visitor who would come in any time even when her mother
was not around.. Even though near the mother’s home there
was a cheaper school, Christine was irregular at school because
of lack of school fees and sometimes she would stay home to baby-sit
her mothers baby while her mother was away digging and so she would
miss school. With the school fees contribution Christine was able
to relocate to her grandmother’s house and to another nearby
school and rejoin with her brother Henry Kasibante.
· Reconciliation between family members.
 The
education contribution has reconciled families, it has acted as
catalyst and caused a syndicate. The inmates who had been abandoned
by their families were visited by their relatives because the family
members now regarded them as useful.
The relatives now regard the contribution as coming from the inmates
themselves.
Another reason is that now the family members can afford transport
to the prison to communicate and care for the prisoners given that
the children’s education is catered for. In some instances,
prisoners were released as a result of their relatives coming to
their aid by helping them to have either their cases thrown out
of court or given bail.
· Community responses
Some school administrations have sympathized with the Children and
reduced the school dues to 30000 shillings that Wells of hope contributes.
The Local council Authorities in the different communities of operation
have shown concern and promised to offer protection to the families
especially to the girl child.
Challenges.
1. Transport has been a challenge because it was poorly budgeted
for and the clients we work with are in remote and different areas
that are quite far off from each other and it’s quite expensive
getting to all these places.
2. The amount of money contributed is quite little, so some of the
parents have to cost share yet there are also other needs to be
covered such as scholastic materials, uniform.
3. There are Children in the rural areas that are in real need so
there is need to reach such remote communities and prisoners as
well.
Recommendations.
· Increase on mount of school fees contribution
The 30000 shillings is quite inadequate, it covers a small percentage
and favors only lower primary and kindergarten yet there is still
need for the secondary school children. The children need scholastic
materials too.
· Caretaker’s support program
The caretaker’s incomes need to be boosted through their support
programe. They need some capital to boost their incomes in order
to boost their incomes in order to cater for the rest of the family
needs.
· Extension of the programe to the rural areas.
The education programe in the past one year has reached out mostly
to children in and around Kampala urban areas (this is 75% of the
children supported) yet there is need in the rural areas as well
so Wells of hope would want to reach out to these areas as well.
Most of the inmate’s children are taken in the villages after
their parents have been imprisoned so some relatives where possible
brought them back to benefit from the school fees contribution and
according to some of the mothers the children no longer want to
go back to the villages.
· Increase on the number of children.
We need to increase on the number of children benefiting from the
education contribution. The children have siblings that are also
needy and vulnerable. We propose to increase the number of children
to120.
Operational Areas
The schools are scattered in and out of Kampala we have a total
of 31 schools in 33 areas, i.e. Kampala, Jinja, Luweero, Pallisa,
Mukono (Bugerere) and wakiso districts. Some areas like Bugerere
Lussanje Sub County for example is quite far off with no Motor vehicle
reaching the place so we have to use motorcycles such areas have
made the exercise quite costly.
Wells of hope is grateful for having the opportunity
to serve its beneficiaries and to be able to witness lives being
impacted with the little resource available. However we need to
fully cover the need.
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