Wakiso children's home gives hope to over 700

By Francis Emorut                                                                

Over 700 abandoned children have found a home at Kampala Children's Centre (KCC) in Wakiso district.

Most of the children were rescued after their parents dumped them on garbage skips and others from internally displaced peoples (IDP) camps in northern Uganda during the two decade insurgency there.

"Children who were picked from IDP camps and from the streets of Kampala were traumatized and we have given them good care to normalize," said Ronald Mawanda, the general manager of Kampala Children's Centre.

The ones picked from the IDP camps were from Pader, Agago and Lira districts.

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A cross-section of apartments at Kampala Children's Centre. (Credit: Francis Emorut)

According to Mawanda the children's orphanage receives frequent calls from the Police requesting them to pick children who have been either abandoned on the road sides or dumped in pit-latrines.

Other disadvantaged children were picked from the slums of Kisenyi in Kampala.

According to Uganda African Network for Prevention and Protection Against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN) report on the situation of orphans in Uganda, children comprise more than half (56%) of the entire Ugandan population.

This means 19 million children (UNICEF Uganda Statistics 2009).

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A view of the primary and secondary school section of the children's home. (Credit: Francis Emorut)

According to UNICEF, as of 2009, there were approximately 2.7 million orphans in Uganda in which 1.2 million were orphaned as a result of their parents dying of HIV/AIDS.

It therefore, implies that the situation of orphans in the country requires urgent attention.

Available statistics indicate that there are 45 orphanages in Wakiso district.

And in KCC, the vulnerable children have found a dwelling place that takes care of their education needs right from nursery school, primary, secondary to the university.

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Children being taken care of by KCC pictured here after school time. (Credit: Francis Emorut)

The children at the nursery and primary school level are under Destiny Bridge Academy while those at the secondary level are at Stride Academy. The schools combine both children from the center and from the surrounding community.

The centre has also produced children who perform arts, especially ministering in songs (Destiny Africa Children's Choir). This choir has performed at international level as well.

They recently sang (pictured below) at the opening of the UN General Assembly and at the launch of the standard railway gauge in Kampala by regional (East African Community) heads of state.

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Turning point

Arnold Muwonge, the founder and executive director of Kampala Children's Centre, says the children’s home was established to come to rescue of vulnerable children who have lost their parents through war or disease.

"We provide children with a safe, healthy, caring and nurturing environment where they can grow up, be educated and develop as citizens of their community.”

The centre was started in 2005 after the founder picked a malnourished girl from Masaka and put her in a Pickup car and brought her to Kampala.

Muwonge, who graduated at Makerere University with a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce (BCOM), explains that the people of Masaka discouraged him by telling him that the girl he had picked was going to die because she was bewitched.

"They asked me how I was going to bring a ‘dead body’ back. They told me upfront that I was simply wasting my time trying to help the girl,” he says.

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KCC founder and executive director Arnold Muwonge with some of the children. (Credit: Francis Emorut)

Muwonge who also holds an MBA in Business and Economics, explains that the little girl's life was saved after a nurse administered to her multi-vitamin tablets and embarked on giving her nutrients.

This inspired Muwonge, who is qualified in Bible teachings, to start a children's home and since then the little girl has graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer science at Makerere University in Kampala.

The orphanage prides in having nurtured eight orphans who have, since its inception, graduated from different universities in the country.

However, the founder has an axe to grind with government over the court order fee of sh100, 000 per child, saying it is too high, on top of other statutory requirements for running a children's home.

In order to take custody of any vulnerable child, court levies a sh100, 000 fee on the caretaker.

He also appeals to government to involve all stakeholders in child policy formulation. "Some clever people sit and design children's policies without involving those on the ground.”

‘Agents of transformation’

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Some of the children of the centre in class, and others also pictured below. (Credit: Francis Emorut)

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Yovani Lubaale, a researcher, holds similar sentiments, and is critical of government’s failure to implement some laws.

"Uganda has a track record of putting in place child laws based on international treaties and obligations. However the gap between enactment and implementation is lacking," Lubaale says in a study titled: "Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in Uganda."

Kampala Children's Centre has apartments which house the children under the care of “house mothers”.

Muwonge is keen to steer the centre into the direction of being a model of excellence which he believes will impact significantly on the children's outlook on life.

He says: "I don't believe in the traditional missionary orphanage  approach where children are treated as second-class citizens.  In such children centres you bring in orphans, raise orphans and the end product is simply adults with an orphan mentality.

“We want to raise our children to become agents of transformation and change in their communities"

The centre is located in the hills of Wakiso town council in central region and is due to celebrate its 10th anniversary before the end of the year.

As regards funding, its executive director Muwonge says he gets funding from well-wishers in Uganda and abroad. The centre also keeps over 10 Friesian cows to provide milk for the children.

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A farm worker attends to a newly-born calf. The centre has Friesian cows. (Credit: Francis Emorut)

What they say

Prisca Nakiria, an orphan who lives in the school, says she is happy to find a home where she is loved.

Melisa Nakawagi, also beneficiary of the centre, says she is proud to have found a home where she is taught about the love of God.

Orphan Joshua says the home looks after him well by providing food and education.

Meanwhile, Hilda Nayiga, a social worker, says children who didn't have hope of attaining education have found a home which gives that opportunity.

Zerida Walisa, who hails from Masaka, notes that children have been given Christian teachings which gives them a good foundation.

Harriet Babirye said she was proud of taking care of children who come from different parts of the country.