Visiting a Ugandan Orphanage

“I’ve got to check out that orphanage and go shopping!”  Hmm… Not a phrase one tends to hear often, but let me explain where this quote came from. 

We currently have a videographer and photographer visiting with us in Uganda to help capture success stories of business owners who have been helped by the organization.  One such success story is a woman named Hellen who lives in Soroti. Hellen started out mending clothes on a veranda in Katakwi, a village about 2 hours drive from Soroti.  She received a grant in 1998, and then started a tailoring business. Over time, she received two other grants and started a series of enterprises including a tailoring school for at risk women, a restaurant, and a catering company.  She is now a very successful and respected business woman. Because Hellen so greatly benefited from the generosity of others, she feels very strongly about giving back to her community. In addition to helping women through the tailoring school, Hellen recently built a church for her community in Katakwi.  

Hellen also has ties to a local orphanage. She sews bags and laptop cases which are purchased at a fair trade price by people in Canada who then sell the bags at a higher cost and send the proceeds back to the orphanage.  Yesterday we went with Hellen to the Nurture a Child Uganda orphanage in Nyakatunya, just outside of Soroti.  (http://www.nurtureachilduganda.org/)

Outside gate to the orphanage compound

The main house for 25-30 children

View of the inside of the compound with office in the back

While there, we got to meet the couple who started and run the orphanage.  It is quite an impressive story. They began by taking in a family of children whose parents had just died.  They continued helping local children in need in the community, taking in more and more orphans, and eventually starting a formal orphanage.  They usually feed and house around 25-30 children and pay for them all to go to school. 

We received a tour of the facility and met some of the kids. 

One of the girls' bedrooms

One of the boys' bedrooms

The children seemed excited to have visitors, and especially ones that came with such fancy electronics!  The videographer let the children take turns wearing the camera headphones during the interview. 

The peanut gallery

Little girl listening through video camera headphones 

A future videographer 

The orphanage is almost entirely funded by the sale of handicrafts. It receives no support from the government. In addition to the sale of Hellen’s bags, they also sell jewelry.  When school is not in session, the children help to make the jewelry.  While they are in school, the couple hires local women to make it.  The goods are then sold to help support the orphanage and to pay the children’s school fees.  So naturally, we did some shopping to help support the cause!

Jewelry for sale

My purchases

When we were out to dinner later that night, we were all sporting our new jewelry.  One of my friends commented on our lovely necklaces.  When we explained their origins, she exclaimed, “I’ve got to check out that orphanage and go shopping!”