Building
a brighter
future
in Uganda
BEFORE: Ayoo Betty and her younger
siblings outside the makeshift shelter
that became their home after they were
forced out of the Internally Displaced
Person camp in Padibe
MONEY donated by the Isle of
Man Government continues to
have a significant impact on the
lives of people around the globe.
The Overseas Aid Committee (OAC) of
the Council of Ministers funds a wide
range of projects aimed at tackling
problems in many of the world's less
developed countries.
It also supports international disaster
appeals such as the rescue and clean-up
efforts in Haiti after the earthquake that
killed thousands of people and left
countless others injured or homeless.
Programmes covered by the OAC's
schemes must seek to address the
Millennium
Development Goals which are to • Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Achieve universal primary education
• Promote gender equality and empower
women
• Reduce child mortality
• Improve maternal health
• Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other
diseases
• Ensure environmental sustainability
• Develop a global partnership for
development
The OAC promotes a Small Grants Scheme,
which primarily supports Manx charities
operating in the developing world, and a
Multi-Year Grants Scheme which provides
funding of up to £100,000 a year over three
years for larger projects.The total budget for
2009-10, including donations to emergency
appeals, was £2.4 million.
A small project that embodied the aims of
the Committee was recently undertaken in
northern Uganda where Isle of Man funding
helped to improve the lives of scores of
destitute children.
The OAC provided grant assistance to the
22
April 2010
Childcare Kitgum Servants (CKS) charity to
build 20 homes for orphaned youngsters on
their family's traditional lands at Padibe.
The project is giving hope and a brighter
future to the child victims of the longrunning Lord's Resistance Army war in the
region.
Although peace was declared in 2008, the
aftermath of the conflict cast a terrible
shadow on those left behind - particularly
orphaned children with responsibility for the
care of younger siblings.
Aid from the World Food Programme was
withdrawn, other agencies pulled out,
Internally Displaced Person camps were
closed and no resettlement grants were
available to help people move back to their
farms and traditional way of life after 20
years of war.
Children left without any living adult for
support were particularly badly hit and some
ended up being traded to Kampala as slaves.
Many orphaned youngsters attending the
CKS Padibe Primary School were living in
dilapidated huts or sleeping on shop
verandas.Their future looked bleak, with a
AFTER: Ayoo Betty and her younger
siblings in front of the new home that
was constructed as a result of financial
support provided by the Isle of Man
Overseas Aid Committee
Owachi Peter inside the home provided by the Isle of Man
Overseas Aid Committee and the Childcare Kitgum Servants
charity
life of petty crime seen as the only way
of acquiring the money to buy basic
necessities such as food, water and
clothes.
In addition to the Isle of Man grant, CKS has gained support from
other organisations and individuals to construct a further 14 homes
- taking the total number of new units to 34.
In response to a request for funding on
behalf of the Childcare Kitgum Servants,
the Isle of Man Overseas Aid Committee
contributed a sum of £10,445.99.This
small grant enabled CKS to build 20
homes for orphan families in the Padibe
district and take 64 children out of their
previously squalid living conditions.
'We are committed to playing our part in the international efforts to
create a healthier and more sustainable future in the world's
developing countries.
The brick houses constructed with Isle
of Man grant assistance comprise two
rooms, each with an external door and a
window, to provide separate accommodation
for boys and girls in each family.
surviving to adulthood and have shelter that protects them from
harsh weather, ill health and violence.They are on their family's
agricultural land so they can grow their own food to avoid
starvation.'
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Chairman of the OAC, George Waft said: 'The Padibe project is a
wonderful example of how assistance provided by the Isle of Man
can make a genuine difference to people's lives.
'The Committee continues to work in conjunction with charitable
organisations to support a variety of projects, ranging from smaller
one-off schemes to larger three-year development programmes.
'Our aim is to ensure that funding goes to the agencies who are
best placed to deliver effective and timely relief to people most in
need.'
To ensure that the aid was targeted in the
most effective manner, the headmaster of the
Padibe school, Mr John Calvin, involved all
the parents and local officials in assessing the
children's circumstances.
Work started on March 25 last year and five
houses were built each week. Each unit took
four days to construct and Mr Calvin
personally supervised the progress of the
development after school hours.
The benefits of having good living conditions
has been highlighted in the improving health
of this particular group of children. Between
January and March 2009, a total of 26
youngsters were admitted to hospital. From
April to August the number of admissions
had falled to just four.
A spokesman for the CKS charity said: 'The
Padibe community is extremely grateful to
the Isle of Man Overseas Aid Committee for
the financial assistance provided for this
project.
'These children now stand a chance of
Opoka Moses with his brothers and sister outside their newly
constructed home
April 2010
23