| Orphanage Home Construction,
Food & Clothing:
Back when I was growing up
in Agu Village, parents did their best to protect and sustain their
families. Aided by strong traditional values and relative peace,
most were able to provide a subsistence level of living for themselves
and their children. However today, given the onslaught of warfare
and the devastation occasioned by diseases likes HIV/AIDS and malaria,
many mothers and fathers have succumbed in great numbers, leaving
hordes of children uncared for and unprotected. In order to address
this urgent need, Atai Orphanage Fund’s program is to build
an orphanage home in each of the eight counties of Teso District.
By developing a broad network of well-equipped children’s
homes, capable of providing nutritious meals, clean water, and adequate
clothing, our aim is to set the standard for orphanages throughout
northern Uganda.
Mosquito Nets, Blankets, and Beds Project:
The village where I grew up
is blessed with a little river that runs through it; here we washed
our clothes, took daily baths and swam. It is called the Agu River.
But that very same river was also a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Mosquitoes cause malaria. Malaria kills thousands of children before
the age of five. Mosquitoes fed on me for years!! I was indeed one
of the lucky ones to have made it to age five. Children should not
have to risk their lives in order to perform the basic functions
of everyday life. Atai has pledged itself to provide orphans who
are currently at risk with a good night’s sleep free of mosquitoes.
Most of the children sleep on the ground on mattresses made of grass.
The grass is a breading ground for fleas, bedbugs, insects and head
lice. These children sleep without any protective covering—no
bed sheets or blankets; their only covering comes from the scraps
of clothing they have on their little bodies if any. Unfortunately,
they must sleep without mosquito nets to protect them from killer
insects. Malaria is the number one killer of children before the
age of five. Your generous donation today can help us to safeguard
the lives of our children!
Clean Water Project:
There are two small towns located in Teso District;
they are called Soroti and Kumi. These are the only towns equipped
with electricity and a man-made water distribution network. But
most of the time these systems don’t work. Most Teso residents
live in rural villages where there is no electricity or running
water. Most villagers drink water collected from shallow holes in
the ground; their cattle and other animals drink from the same holes.
I myself bathed and drank from these harbingers of disease and death
as a child. Is there any wonder that scores of children die every
day due to the lack of clean water? Atai has committed itself to
provide each orphanage with a modern well capable of producing a
clean and healthy water supply for our children.
A Place to Worship:
As a child growing up in Agu Village, I did not attend a church
built of bricks and cement; neither did we have pews to sit on.
Most villagers worshipped in huts built of mud, sticks, and grass.
To this day, there are still some villagers who worship under trees!
I myself remember worshipping God from the inside of a mud hut and
under trees. There are approximately one-million souls living in
Teso District today, and more than 95 percent of them are devout
Christians. People who live in the urban centers have churches to
worship in. But most Teso inhabitants live in rural villages where
there are no permanent or modern churches. Atai’s aim is to
provide well-built, permanent churches that are easily accessible
to village families as well as to the many orphans who will benefit
from being taught the love of God within the walls of a beautiful
sanctuary.
Secondary Education Project:
I was able to continue with my secondary school education because
my parents were able to sell their cows, goats, sheep, and chicken
in order to pay my school fees. Currently the government of Uganda
provides free education for students in Primary One up to Primary
Seven; this is equivalent to first grade through seventh grade in
the U.S. After primary school, most children, especially orphans,
disappear into a harsh life in the village to take on the grueling
tasks of adult life, These include the drudgery of foraging for
food; walking for miles in search of water, fire wood, etc., with
little hope for a good life. Atai’s pledge is to put these
children through six years of Senior Secondary School. The first
four years of Senior Secondary is equivalent to 8th through 12th
grades in the U.S. The last two years of schooling, which is called
Advance Secondary, is equivalent to two years of community collage.
Advance secondary prepares students for a university education.
Students who score high on Advance Secondary exams qualify to attend
Makerere University in Kampala, and those who do not qualify for
the university will be taken in by other government institutions,
where they may receive training for other government jobs. For the
first four years of secondary school, students are assessed fees
of $150-$250 per semester. These fees take care of tuition, room
and board, and school supplies. The final two years, if the student
manages to qualify, costs $200-300 per term. Your donations will
help an orphan to build a solid foundation for tomorrow. Please
give today!
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