As a small charity we aim to be completely transparent with our supporters, and keep you up to date on the projects you are supporting by donating, fundraising, sponsoring a child, and interacting with Kids Club Kampala.
In this blog you will find statistics from our programmes from the first quarter of 2024 and more details about what goes on at each project.
Q1 2024 Impact Statistics Highlights
Feeding
78 children attending Early Education received hot meals daily.
861 children attending Saturday Kids Club were given snacks and drinks weekly.
Protecting
56 new children started attending Saturday Kids Club.
64 girls counselling sessions were held.
64 boys continue to attend the football project.
Educating
21 new children were enrolled on the Early Education project. 78 children attended regularly throughout the quarter.
3 children successfully graduated from the School Sponsorship Project. All 3 of them are in employment.
Skilling
40 students graduated from the Tailoring and Knitting course and 52 new students were enrolled.
Feeding
Feeding Project
Food banks remain closed for now as agreed.
78 children attending the Early Education project were provided with a daily hot meal.
The 861 children registered for Saturday Kids Clubs and the 64 children enrolled on the Football Project were given snacks and drinks.Â
As always, children on the School Sponsorship Project are provided with a hot nutritious meal at school.
Protecting
Saturday Kids ClubsÂ
861 children are now registered on the Saturday Kids Club Project, an increase of 56 from last quarter.
In the Wakiso Centre the children watched two films, The Lion King and Queen of Katwe. The leaders discussed with the children some of the lessons they could learn from these films.
The focus of the Bible study this quarter was about the idea that God is loving and protecting in nature. This included a memory verse which was Deuteronomy 33:27.
102 playing materials such as tennis balls and skipping ropes were distributed across the centres.Â
Football Project
64 boys continue to attend the Football Project - 32 in Namuwongo and 32 in Naguru.
48 training sessions were held.
Good progress is being made on getting full grass coverage at the Namuwongo pitch.
The trainers at Namuwongo and Naguru have been discussing how they can get the two teams to play together through football camps. This would allow the trainers to select the best players from the two teams to represent KCK at tournaments.
Girls Support Groups
A total of 64 girls counselling sessions were held across the quarter - 8 sessions at each of the 8 different centres.
The two main topics discussed in these sessions this quarter were decision making and self-awareness, with the aim to help empower the girls to make informed choices, develop healthy relationships, and to enhance their ability to self-reflect and self-regulate.Â
430 sanitary towels were distributed to girls, enabling them to look after their menstrual hygiene and boost their confidence.Â
Child ProtectionÂ
2 child abuse cases were reported, this time at the Naguru centre. The cases were registered, assessed, and resolved with one family being reunited and one family referred to another KCK project to help the situation. Both cases were later followed up on to ensure that lasting progress was being made and to provide the families with material support.
2 community safeguarding officers meetings were held. This gave community officers the chance to discuss challenges and potential solutions to specific issues, make plans for the upcoming months, and share examples of good practice from their communities.  Â
Ewafe Project
7 children were identified and assessed.
3 of these children were admitted to the Ewafe home.
We had 85 children staying at the Ewafe home in Q1. All children were given counselling, education, medical care, food and any other needs and support required was provided.Â
6 families were traced.
6 family follow ups were conducted, to help determine whether they are ready and willing to receive the children back and for support to be given to help them get to that stage.
3 parents visited their children at the home.Â
2 siblings were reintegrated with their mother. She was given counselling and supported in learning some positive parenting methods before being reunited with the children.Â
Educating
Early Education
35 children were identified to replace the 34 children who graduated from the Early Education Project in December.Â
All 35 children’s needs were assessed to see if they were eligible to enrol onto the project. Of the 35 assessed 21 children were enrolled.
All three centres were supplied with key learning materials and study resources.
A meeting was held at the beginning of the quarter. It was attended by all the social workers and teachers who are involved in the project. It was used to plan ahead for the year and discuss new enrolments.
At the Katanga centre there is a small trench which runs along the ground in between the centre and the other buildings and the open land at the edge of the Katanga slum. The timber that was used to cross the trench was in poor condition due to heavy rain and flooding. The trench was also getting blocked with rubbish. Therefore, the crossing over the trench was restored and a mesh put in place to help prevent rubbish entering and blocking the trench, allowing a safer crossing for anyone accessing the centre. Â
78 children attended regularly over the quarter.
School Sponsorship
2 children were identified and assessed as being in need of sponsorship and added to the waiting list.Â
1 child was enrolled onto the project. He is currently in Primary 3. He really enjoys school and receives 2 meals a day there. His grandmother was particularly grateful. She was unable to continue paying the child’s school fees and was struggling to feed the children under her care. She is very grateful that her grandson now has the opportunity to go to school. She had this to say: ‘How would my grandchild have accessed a good education without your help? He would not be able to go to school, I barely feed them all. My heart is full, and my hope is renewed, you have given us hope.’Â
Schools in Uganda have their main holiday over the Christmas and New Year period, meaning that they go back to school at the start of the year. 163 children received learning materials in time for schools re-opening.
Results for 36 children who sat their Primary Leaving Examinations or O-Levels were received. The children did really well, with one of them performing so exceptionally in their Primary Leaving Exams that they were featured in national newspapers.
6 students graduated from the project.Â
3 graduated successfully with one completing A-Levels and two finishing their courses at Technical College. The students who graduated from Technical College were offered jobs at the organisations they were interning at during their course. We provided them with laptops to help kickstart their careers. The A-level student has managed to find work in a printing shop. All of them are now able to take care of their basic needs.
3 graduated unsuccessfully. One moved to a new region of the country and so had to withdraw, one is receiving sponsorship from another organisation and one decided to withdraw from the project to accept a job offer.
‘Kids Club Kampala has seen me through my education since primary level until graduation with a certificate in Computer science. I have received guidance and attention every step of the way. I hope I can extend the same kindness someday.’Â
Poppy*
Skilling
Tailoring and Knitting
A meeting was held in January with the Tailoring and Knitting trainers to review the performance of the project overall, as well as individual students' performance. Preparations for the year ahead were made.
Some students struggled to source enough fabrics to keep up with the course. This is an ongoing issue.
52 students were enrolled on the project for the 14th cohort, with 43 deciding to do tailoring and 9 who decided to do knitting. The cohort started on the 18th of March.
40 students on the 13th cohort were assessed. This went well for most students, however some of the students struggled a little in making some outfits as they did not have quite enough fabric.
The 13th cohort also received business training from three local successful tailors.
40 students graduated from the course in March. The occasion was celebrated by parents, local leaders and a local official.
24 graduates took part in mentorship sessions which provided guidance to students, to help get them started in finding employment or selling their own products.
‘My business started in September 2023 after graduating in tailoring at Kids Club Kampala. It started small where I was making little products which were mostly bought by my close friends and relatives. It was from the friends and relatives that my customer base increased. As of now, I am known and supported by at least a good number of people. From my business I can make around 200,000ugshs a month. I am glad that from this business I have made friends, I am able to pay my rent and I can take care of my children and their basic needs single handedly.’
Juliet*
‘My husband passed on 3 years ago, He left me pregnant. I was so stressed and depressed because I did not know what to do then. I started hawking bananas, but it did not also work for me. KCCA was always chasing us off the streets and sometimes confiscate our things. So, I left the business because I was just making losses. My neighbour told me about KCK skilling program which I joined early 2023. I acquired sewing skills first and then came back for the knitting skills. Immediately after graduation, a company called that makes reusable sanitary towels called for tailors, I applied, and I was one of them that were recruited. I am paid 300,000ugshs (£66.67) a month. My life has changed very much ever since I got this Job. I was able to send my kids back to school and I can also take care of my Family. On addition, I have gained more experience, confidence, and friends.’
Nina*
Carpentry
6 students are currently enrolled and being trained on the course and they are progressing well.
All of the students were given mentorship. Like the mentorship provided for tailoring and knitting students, this is aimed at helping the students find employment after graduation.
A parents meeting was held in which parents were encouraged to support their children and teach them important values.
Our supporters and community of changemakers are what make these programmes possible, however none of this could be done without our incredible team in Uganda, who work with children and families every single day to help them move from just surviving to truly thriving.
If you would be interested in joining our community you can get involved in a way that suits you best. From fundraising, to sponsoring a child with an education, to setting up a regular gift, to leaving a gift in your will. We are passionate about creating long term, positive change, would you like to join us?
*Names changed