Our Saturday Kids Clubs are where our projects first began, hence our name, and they are still at the core of what we do. When Olivia, Sam and Corrie first began working with our communities, they started by offering a safe space for children to come and just enjoy being children, without the pressures of their lives outside of the club.
Every Saturday throughout the year, up to 1,000 children gather together across 10 different slum communities to play, be cared for and just enjoy being children. The weekly club is so important to the children who attend. For many, it’s their only opportunity to take part in an organised activity with other children their age, since many do not have the opportunity to go to school. For others, it may be the only chance they have to express themselves and feel secure and listened to by our volunteers.
Through running these clubs, our volunteers are able to identify children who are at-risk or in need of emergency help due to abandonment, lack of education or food insecurity and be referred to our other projects.
There are so many amazing activities that go on every weekend at our Saturday Kids Clubs so we thought we would break them down into each activity so you know all about what happens on a Saturday …
Praise and worship
Our Saturday activities start by all joining in on some of our favourite songs of praise, such as 'Come Down Spirit' and 'How Excellent is Your Name'. Each week has a theme, one of the most recent of which was 'Love'. This gave us the opportunity to discuss what love means to us, such as trust, kindness and sharing, and encourages the children and teens to discuss healthy relationships and self respect. We like to take this time to embrace our surroundings and come together as one to celebrate.
Group counselling
We split into groups of boys and girls to discuss topics and issues that the children might be facing, such as periods, hygiene, healthy relationships, STD’s and teenage pregnancy. It is so important that all of our team work within the community to break down the stigmas attached to these topics, and allow children and teens to feel safe when discussing them.
Period product distribution
At our Saturday Kids Clubs we distribute period products to all girls and teenagers who need them. The products themselves are accompanied with knowledge on how to use them, what is healthy when on your period and some pain management techniques.
Lunch
The groups rejoin together for a nutritious lunch, served with a drink like juice or water. Our team of volunteers make sure that every child in attendance has a meal.
Play and activities
After lunch the children and volunteers love to play different games and take part in activities. Here the children can just enjoy being children, and socialising with friends in a safe environment.
Embedded in each of the activities are core values which align both with Kids Club Kampala and the people we work with. We hope that our Programmes in Uganda are contributing to raising a well equipped generation, not only with practical skills like reading or carpentry, but also with communication and social skills. We consider these to be things like sharing, empathy, respect, responsibility and other skills to help them become valued members of their community.
Juliet* attends our Saturday Kids Clubs every weekend, and benefits from each of the activities that take place…
“They give us sanitary towels so we no longer have to use old clothes. They also sometimes give us shoes and clothing. Before Kids Club Kampala came, I struggled with my mental health because I would encounter problems and not know who to share them with. But now I know how to handle difficult situations due to guidance and counselling from Kids Club Kampala.” - Juliet
Our Saturday Kids Club in Naguru has recently moved after our Encouraging Education centre here was demolished.
Our Ugandan team who lead and implement our programmes were notified that the land on which our education centre was built in Naguru was being sold. We are currently the only non profit working in Naguru Slum so we knew that this would have a significant impact on the outcomes of our Encouraging Education Programme and Saturday Kids Club.
Thankfully we have found temporary space for our education classes to continue, and a local school has generously offered us the use of their classrooms on the weekend for our Saturday Kids Clubs.
If you are a person that prays, please join us in praying for a long-term solution for our projects in Naguru.
*Name changed