Helping Hands Support (Outreach Uganda)
"Many Hands Make Light Work"
(Please Lend A Hand)
Helping Hands Support
(Outreach Uganda)
Helping Hands Support (HHS) has funded the construction of, and currently supports, an overseas non-governmental organization (NGO) compound which is located on a plot of land in the Zirobwe (Janda) area of Uganda. The name of this overseas NGO is Ahava Amare Children Center (AACC). This NGO, in its entirety, consists of the AACC Headquarters building, a Christian School and a Christian Church. The Headquarters building serves as the NGO's central hub, and it also houses the NGO's founder and her family along with elements of the NGO staff. The school currently provides educational opportunities almost exclusively to orphans that live in the Zirobwe (Janda) area. The collocated church is also having a great impact on both young and old alike in the Zirobwe (Janda) area. Through the financial support of HHS this Children's Center provides a loving environment where underprivileged youth have the opportunity to become self-sufficient and productive members of the Christian church and of society and where lives both young and old are impacted. This overseas NGO has evolved into Helping Hands Support's representative & model "pilot-program".
Children's Center
(Educational Opportunities)
In this case, when you read the label "Children's Center" don't misinterpret that label to mean either an orphanage, a foster home or some other type of equivalent entity. When you read that label think "all-things children" and beyond. The NGO founder (who is the director of our Uganda outreach) believes
strongly that the best way to break the cycle of poverty in a region starts with education.
That educational process is most effective when it starts with the very young and when the process is able to continue
uninterrupted until the age of 18, or preferably beyond. In this manner a new generation can grow up being educated, launch out into their world, impact society and enhance not only their own lives but the lives of others in their sphere of influence, if they so desire.
Children's Center
(Developmental Programs)
The Children's Center enables a holistic developmental opportunity targeting and starting with the very young. Relational, interpersonal and social skill development is nurtured via the Center's supervised
school recess playtime and their after-school playtime. Annual children's camp offerings and back to school programs are available to any child in and around the area that is able to attend. Students who
attend the Center's School receive two meals a day which is accompanied by clean drinking water.
The Center's holistic developmental opportunities target the very young, but not to the exclusion of other age groups and socioeconomic categories. One example of their diverse offerings is the young-adult training programs which provide that age group with the opportunity to learn a trade skill.
Children's Center
(Community Outreach)
Spiritual development and growth is facilitated via the co-located Christian church and is available to anyone who would like to participate. Attendees of a given Sunday church service may stay afterwards for fellowship which is typically accompanied by a free meal. Emotional type healing and growth can be addressed by the Center's Christian counseling which is offered to both young and old. Illnesses and physical problems can be addressed by the first-aid, pharmaceuticals and supplements that are offered to
the community by the Center's clinic. Also, both medical and dental camps are made available to the local community at no charge.
Barren widows, those who have no children to protect them at the time of their spouse's death, are ostracized and driven out of their respective villages. Their possessions are typically taken from them at the same time and they end up in barren widow communities. The Children's Center has an annual outreach to the barren widow communities in the area during Christmas time. At these events very basic essentials that are needed to help support their existence are distributed to them.
These are all examples of needs in the physical, spiritual, emotional, relational and educational realms that are being addressed by the Center starting with the very young and extending to the very elderly. These examples display how the Children's Center supports the greater community and is much more than just an orphanage or a foster home (but the path to impacting a society starts with the youth).
