Welcome to EWOFS Uganda
Elderly Widows Orphans Family Support
Who we are and what we do
We are young adult Ugandans who care about our community and wish to reduce the hardship endured by the young and the often elderly family members entrusted with their care.
A large portion of our youth suffers from health-related issues that contribute to their impoverishment.
Their dearest wish is to attend school in order to find work to help themselves and their families.
Their needs are modest; your donations and sponsorships have the power to transform the character of their lives from one of struggle and despair to one of hope, and achievement.
History of EWOFS
EWOFS is a certified Community Based organization founded in 2017 and registered in 2019 with Kapchorwa District Local Government, Registration Number KAP/CBS/0077.
Our offices are located in Kapkwirwok village, Sipi Town Council, Kapchorwa District. We formed this organization in response to the increasing number of widows and orphans resulting from AIDS-related deaths and the despair of the families of those affected.
We work to curb the further spread of HIV/AIDS and address the lack of sustainable livelihood for AIDS-affected families, and the psychosocial, economic, and social needs of AIDS orphans.
Our mission
To provide social, and economic support to HIV/AIDS-affected households so as to improve their capacity to earn income and enable the orphans to remain AIDS-free and manage their families after the death of their parents.
To realize our mission, EWOFS is involved in the implementation of a wide range of HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and support interventions including;
- Formal education sponsorship for poor and vulnerable children such as orphans
- HIV/AIDS sensitization
- Vocational training for school dropouts and vulnerable youths
- Support to Child/Elderly Headed Families
- Food security for orphans and child-headed families
- Income-generating projects for orphans and out-of-school youth
- Health and medical treatment for orphans and vulnerable children
- Advocacy
EWOFS Target group
- HIV/AIDS-affected families
- AIDS orphans
- Other children from AIDS-affected families
Our work is guided by the principles of;
- Partnership
- Networking
- Non-discrimination
- Practical involvement of beneficiaries.
OUR EWOFS Program
Formal Education sponsorship program
We apply a life cycle approach in our educational program that focuses on the needs of children at all stages of development: early childhood, basic education, adolescence, and youth. Formal education is provided; nursery, primary, secondary, vocational training, and tertiary.
We are committed to seeing them through the beginning of their education until graduation, depending on donations/ the sponsor’s commitment to support the child. Children will benefit from skills, knowledge attainment, increased choices, and opportunities in the future e.g. employment.
Community volunteers and our social workers identify and critically assess these vulnerable families in the community and recommend them for support in our organization. Identification is done in high-poverty and high-risk areas where children are unable to afford education.
HOW DO YOU SPONSOR A CHILD
- Through a monthly donation of 40 Euros per month, you provide primary education to an orphan.
- Through a monthly donation of 44 Euros per month, you provide secondary
Education to an orphan
- Term donation: every 3months
- Single-time donations of any amount are welcome and applied to the same needs.
When you sponsor a child, your gift helps to fund education. The sponsorship package includes school fees, meals, uniforms, and scholastic materials.
HOW DOES SPONSORING A CHILD WORK
You sign up to sponsor a child by informing us of the child’s name you would like to help.
You can choose your child to sponsor by visiting the community, guided by our staff and community volunteers, or you may select from a list of children’s case stories that can be emailed to you.
Alternatively, your donation is allocated to orphans in urgent need as agreed upon by our staff and who will be introduced to the donor.
WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU SPONSOR A CHILD
- The opportunity to send your child letters and gifts
- Yearly child photo
- Frequent updates on your child’s progress
- A chance to meet your child at home or school
- A school performance report card and letter from your child at every end of term
- Accountability for your donation.
HIV/AIDS Sensitization/Education Program
This is carried out in schools through behavioral change workshops and in public gathering places such as trading centers.
HIV testing and counseling are done in collaboration with nearby health centers where referrals are made.
The distribution of condoms as a prevention measure is carried out in public meeting places like bars, markets, and guest lodges.
Vocational training for school dropouts and vulnerable youths
The aim here is to provide older orphans and vulnerable youth who have left school due to various constraints with the possibility of attaining a life skill that can sustain them in the future.
Courses include; tailoring, motor vehicle mechanics, building and construction, hair styling, and event decoration.
Post vocational support, orphans receive tools relevant to the acquired skills plus initial capital to start an income-generating project.
Support to Child/Elderly Headed households
With HIV/AIDS eroding the family structure, the death of parents leaves no choice for orphans but to extend the burden to fall on old grandparents.
Support is provided to Child/Elderly headed households with no productive adult or breadwinner.
Support includes; school fees and education materials for orphans in these families, vocational training for post-primary education youth, and direct material support for basic needs.
Income Generating Projects (IGAs)
Income-generating activities (IGAs) are aimed at strengthening economic security and reducing vulnerability to poverty and the impact of HIV/AIDS and conflict situations.
IGAs can help older Orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and OVC caretakers provide for the basic needs (food, clothing, housing, education, health) of OVC in the household/community.
Child-headed families and youth school dropouts are given first priority. For example, small-scale enterprises like piggery, poultry, and cattle/rabbit keeping are provided.
Food Security and nutrition for orphans and vulnerable children
Activities that support vulnerable children and households to have adequate, balanced meals at all times in order to lead an active and healthy life.
We encourage vulnerable children and households to choose high-yield, improved varieties of crops and animal breeds that require less intensive inputs or less labor.
Food seedlings like beans and maize are given out as a result of donations or from individual sponsors.
Health and medical care
This is based on primary health care which includes adequate sanitation, proper nutrition, and treatment of illness and diseases such as malaria, typhoid, etc.
Care for the disabled children
These are provided for nutrition food, clothing, and wheelchairs as donations are available or from individual donors.
Advocacy
We work closely with local organizations and government agencies to improve the lives of orphans and vulnerable children, youth, widows, and the elderly.
They are all encouraged to take an active part in this process. We focus on programs that promote education, children/women’s rights, and early child development.
We also fight against child exploitation and advocate for HIV/AIDS rights.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
- Financial support
- Provision of material assistance to vulnerable families
- Home visits in the community, guided by volunteers and our staff.
- Spend a day with some of our child headed families and play, read them story books, share fun and give them a smile
- Become a volunteer, improve on EWOFS activities, partner and network, fundraise for the organization
- Sponsor child/children through our education sponsorship programme.
Contact us
Director – EWOFS
P.O.Box 124
Kapchorwa,Uganda
Tel: +256 787439243
Email: ewofscbo@gmail.com
EWOFS Bank Account
Centenary Bank Ltd Uganda, Account: 3100082473