HIV/AIDS

Sensitisation and Counseling through LUCOF Child clubs and the i am a girl campaign to help children learn what to do in order prevent HIV and to promote the health.

Testing of children at workshops, AIDs day, sports days and in schools.

Supporting OVCs and their families with money, food/nutrition, agriculture, houses, medication and other basics

Treatment of HIV children against malaria and other diseases through our doctors and at health centres.

Prevention of mother-to-child infections, by ensuring proper care during birth, breast feeding, and medication post-birth.

Training in and out of school peer educators in sexual and reproductive health through our LUCOF village health teams LVHTs are working hard to reach every household to intervene to prevent HIV/AIDS.

MALARIA

The LUCOF child clubs LCC and the LUCOF village teams test and treat malaria. We give out mosquito nets and drugs. We spray to stop mosquito breeding, we encourage drinking of clean water, proper hygiene, destroying breeding ponds, and offer sensitisation in schools and community meetings.

WATER, HYGIENE AND SANITATION

We build latrines in schools and homes, offer washing and bathing soap, provide water tanks to homes, schools and health centres, and we sensitise children about basic health care. We treat jiggers/tangiasis. We offer disinfectants, shoes, clothes and sandals.

NUTRITION

We treat malnourished children and provide clean water in homes. We offer agriculture training and facilitations such as seeds, fruit trees, sprayers to ensure the availability of vitamins, protein, carbohydrates, etc. We have supported households and schools in setting up organic gardens, especially of vegetables in the backyards to help supplement nutrients. These have been effective, especially that they need small pieces of land. Our initiatives in livestock/animal husbandry have helped solve nutritional problems. Our initiatives in cattle, goats, piggery, chicken have proved a point in adding to the nutritional supplements of households. We also support and encourage breastfeeding mothers. It is important to breastfeed right from the start, such as a child gains all the nutrients. We provide foods to mothers, and sensitise them during this period.

EDUCATION

LUCOF supports the girl-child education programmes, OVC school support, support of teachers and parents. We acquire bursaries and scholarships for poor children, as well as offering logistical support such as books, pens, uniforms, shoes, sanitary pads and transport means to rural poor children in Wakiso, Luweero and Nakaseke.

Sensitistion about the importance of education. We ensure that school dropouts go back to school, and all girls who have given birth and want to rejoin school get an opportunity.

Support to schools with renovations, water, building personnel, building materials, desks, chalk, paper, pens, build latrines, pits, organise seminars, etc.

Supporting and empowering teachers with bicycles, shoes, clothes, money, family logistics, morals, sensitisation seminars, etc.

FIGHTING CHILD POVERTY

We help to facilitate the development of micro-enterprises (e.g. agriculture, agribusiness) through the provision of start-up finance, materials (e.g. goats, poultry, mills) and businesses. We provide better shelter such as building houses, and renovation for a better life. Providing scholarships, school fees, school logistics, clothing, food, clean water, basic household supply to help children out of poverty. We also support homes headed by widows and grandmothers of orphans and vulnerable children by helping set up small businesses, acquire village loans. We create long term relationships with child headed families, so that we can support them psychologically, physically, and we become permanent friends and partners to them. We also set up gardens in homes headed by OVC children to provide food and better nutrition for them.

CHILDREN’S RIGHTS

LUCOF implements a child protection project that aims to contribute towards the creation of a protective environment where children’s rights and responsibilities are recognized promoted and protected by the relevant authorities (particularly law enforcement officers and local leaders), children, parents, teachers and community members in Kampala, Wakiso, Nakaseke and Luweero Districts. We conduct training workshops for, local leaders, teachers, children and parents on handling child protection issues. We work with police to provide direct support to abused children in terms of, obtaining evidence, providing counseling to children and their parents, alternative shelter, medical care and reporting.

We conduct community dialogues with parents and community members to identify and promote child protection issues and community initiatives to protect children from abuse. We teach children (in and out of school) their rights and responsibilities as well as life skills to make informed decisions and to protect themselves through peer education and support clubs. We support formation of parent support groups/clubs that promote positive parenting, reporting and referral of child abuse cases as well as economic empowerment self-help initiatives to counter poverty; which is an underlying cause of child abuse. LUCOF participates in national forums to influence child protection agenda in Uganda.