Namugongo Fund for Special Children

Hope

2007-11-28T16:34:00.001-08:00

The majority of my blogs have been rather pessimistic in nature, certainly not uplifting. One thing I want to make clear, I work in this field because I believe in its hope. I believe whole-heartedly that the work of a few dedicated, passionate minds can in fact change the world.

The NFSC has enjoyed some recent victories in its crusade to expand services and enhance daily life for our community. We have established partnerships with FINCA, one of the world’s three largest and well-respected microfinance institutes in the world, and VEDCO, an NGO that provides support to small-scale agriculture projects.

A partnership with FINCA means that they will start providing access to capital to guardians in our program, on a group lending basis. While providing credit is, in itself, a monumental step forward for the NFSC; FINCA borrowers are immediately entitled to such benefits as life insurance, access to medical care and information, and business capacity building sessions.

VEDCO will work closely with us as we seek to establish poultry and piggery projects for the HIV+ caretakers in our program. This will hopefully lead to economic empowerment, better health, and eventually greater access to education for their dependants.

These connections, along with the recent addition of Megan Hatch, a Peace Corps volunteer and graduate of Boston College, into our network means that the NFSC has begun to realize its potential as a community building center.

Indeed, like so many other things in this world, as a single entity, we are weak and vulnerable. It is through creating meaningful partnerships and relationships with individuals and organizations that we accomplish life-changing acts of immeasurable contribution. Through our partnership with the Joint Clinical Research Centre we are able to provide free ARV’s (meds for HIV/AIDS) to nearly all of our clients infected with the disease. Through FINCA, we will be able to provide the family of any borrower who dies from illness or accident upwards of 1.2 million Ugandan shillings ($1,000). This is truly remarkable, when you think about the fact that the average monthly income for an adult in our community is around $30. As our relationship with FINCA grows, we expect to provide access to credit, within the next five years, to over 2,500 women.

It has been said many times and in words much more eloquent than my own; but the truth is, we are made strong only by the relationships we create. Imagine a network of organizations providing everything from medicine, to education, to access to capital, to insurance to every poor person in the world. This is a possibility in our lifetime. As monoliths in the NGO sector, such as TASO, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, etc. begin to connect with the grassroots level of work, possibilities exponentially increase.

We, as a generation, are allowed unprecedented potential to achieve what every kid dreams of…to change the world. If we stay focused, and realize that it is only through networking and cooperation that anything monumental is accomplished, we can alter the very make up of society; creating a world with universal access to health services and where every man, woman, and child has the resources to stay healthy, alive, and maybe even do their own bit to make the world a better place.

Robert Terenzi Jr.

2007-07-26T03:16:00.000-07:00

I have been distracted, lost in a sea of ‘macro’ thought and theory. My ambitions have been based largely on trying to affect ‘the system’ at large. In fact, I believe in many ways over the past week I have lost touch with the reality of the situation. If the faces and lives of those I have met since arriving begin to blend into an indecipherable mass of pain and suffering, it becomes a daunting task indeed to even contemplate any manner of ameliorating daily life. So then, the question becomes how would you, a million miles away from this small town in sub-Saharan Africa have any idea what the truth of the matter is? How would you possibly understand how to affect change if I, in the middle of it all, am also lost?

Let’s take a step closer. Rather than focus on the politics or economics of the situation, let’s look at the faces of who we are trying to empower. Perhaps like Copernicus, we need to reverse the center of gravity; the focal point of change becomes the people, rather than the politics.

There’s Ibra, the kid who wrote “AIDS You a Bad Man.” His parents both died, presumably from AIDS. He lives in a house with his grandmother and eleven other orphans. A 2003 USAID report found that out of nearly 1600 people surveyed, over 53% had taken in orphans. This puts a serious drain on familial resources and severely limits the potential of all children in the family. Orphans are often treated as second-class citizens, neglected as far as food, education, and health needs go, with biological children receiving preference when it comes to distributing these necessities.

Vincent, our next door neighbor is 9 years old and has never been to school in his life because he can’t afford it.

Winnie is one of the volunteers that keeps this program alive and thriving. She wakes up every morning at four to cook porridge for 180 kids who will stop by on their way to school. She does it five days a week, without pay; because she has decided to proactively combat the lack of nutrition and health services in her community.

These are just three people that allow you a glimpse of the trees rather than the forest. My aunt ends each of her emails with a question that sums up her professional efforts; “What if every woman had the power to change the world?” Try to imagine, for a brief second, what the world could be like if these kids and care-givers had a voice in the world. What would the world look like if these were the people in power, making the decisions about war, poverty, and disease? They are, in fact, the majority. The most recent estimates put 43% of the world population living on less than $2 a day. Perhaps policy change is as simple as concentrating on what the least powerful among us would do if they were in power.

Robert Terenzi, Jr.

COLORING THE NAMUGONGO FUND

2007-07-24T01:19:00.000-07:00

Over the past month, over 25 individuals have quietly helped Namugongo Fund increase its capacity for allowing children to express themselves through visual arts. As of this writing, over $300 has been pledged to provide art supplies to the program. Thus far, the following has been distributed to the program:

5000 colored pencils
210 pens
510 granite pencils
10 “Magic Rub” erasers
10 personal pencil sharpeners
3 classroom quality metal sharpeners
500 index cards
1000 sheets of colored paper
1000 sheets of notebook paper
100 manila file folders for the clinic
120 large sheets of drawing paper
… and there is more to come!

FIVE WEEKS IN TWO PICTURES

2007-07-22T04:31:00.001-07:00

This marks my final week in Uganda. Having interviewed over 350 adults and children over the course of the last five weeks, the data collection aspect of this study has been wonderfully successful. Yet, two pictures have become permanent fixtures in my mind and I find myself inspired, challenged, and disturbed by what they have come to represent. My hope is they do the same for you. – Tim (nfschildren@gmail.com)

PICTURE 1

"JOHN"

These pictures are of John in 2003 (pre treatment) and 2007 (taking ARVs) with his toy lion.

In 2004, a BBC reporter visited Namugongo Fund for Special Children in order to report on the case of a young boy who was soon to be the next victim of AIDS. When NFSC staff recalls John and his rapidly deteriorating medical condition, they describe a sickly boy with “an odd-shaped head” and “bones sticking out strangely…just an awful situation.” A death sentence seemed inevitable … but three years later he is still alive … with a physical figure resembling more “rollie-pollie” than emaciated.

I first saw the left-hand photo in an album on a shelf at the NFSC clinic. Dated 2003, the pictures was taken when John was about four years old, prior to beginning antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for HIV, a disease he was born with.

Ironically, I first ran into John at the NFSC clinic. I did not know it was him at the time, however. Having been on ARV treatment for the past three years*, John looked nothing like the photograph I had been looking at. Standing in front of me was the boy in the photograph on the right: a seven year old boy in Primary 1, possessing an outgoing personality and playful smile. Everyone seems to know who John is; and everyone who knows John, loves John.

I arrived at John’s home one afternoon and was greeted by his kindhearted grandmother Jjajja. “He’s been suffering from a fever and vomiting these last few days,” she sighed. “A little bit of malaria I think. There was no treatment for him at the [NFSC] clinic, so we transferred him to another one.”

Malaria is painfully familiar to the boy. Two years ago, a serious bout with the illness left him slightly paralyzed on the left side of his body, leaving a painless-yet-awkward limp. “I didn’t know if he will ever walk properly again” said his grandmother as she sat on the front steps of the home.

Nine of Jjajja’s grandchildren live with her in her small home, including John. I wondered how they all fit. “Some sleep two-two-two and some one,” she replied. This figure included two small bedrooms and a dining room which functions as a third bedroom in the evening. “They put their beddings in the rooms during the day,” said Jjajja of the dining room sleeping arrangement.

Jjajja reports that the orphaned grandchildren living with her come from several different mothers and that she’s been taking care of these children “for a long time - some as many as 15 years. John has been off and on at school due to sickness associated with his HIV status. He began ARV treatment three years ago, giving him a new chance at life. “In the beginning he was taking liquid medication and then they changed it to tablets. He no longer gets off and on sickness as often as he used to. They also reduced the number of tablets that he needs to take. It used to be four in the morning and evening but now it is two in the a.m. and two in the p.m.”

Jjajja, John, and the rest of the family receive assistance from NFSC. Along with basic medical treatment, the program provides free breakfast porridge at the breakfast center for John, which is critical as he must receive adequate nutrition in order for his ARV medication to work effectively.

* NFSC partnered with the Joint Clinical Research Centre in May 2006 in order to provide free ARVs to children and families. Prior to this time, NFSC worked with Mild May, a pediatric HIV program, to provide ARVs to children (like John) free of charge.

PICTURE 2

"OLIVIA"

Olivia was following several steps behind me as we made our way out the front door of her small home. We were headed down the dirt road to buy a loaf of bread for her family as a small gesture of thanks for allowing me to visit the home. The interview we just completed with her and her auntie was intensive to say the least, and I left the home with doubts as to whether I would be able to convey everything I had learned and observed into words that would accurately portray the family’s circumstances. In a final effort to capture the conditions before me, the small girl stood in front of my camera as I snapped a picture of her auntie in front of the home, resulting in an image that, for this reporter, has come to symbolize the dire health conditions of the orphans and vulnerable children that I have met over the past several weeks.

Olivia is sick. And her telling face does little to mask this fact. She wore a pink shirt with a large white heart in the middle; she also wore the same irritated expression on her face throughout the visit. She had a rash covering most of her exposed body, and as I entered her home the auntie was applying a cream behind her left ear. Her thinning hair, exposing unexplainable sores, looked like that of a person who had experienced unwarranted stressors and trials over the course of a lifetime. At four years old, I did not doubt this to be true about Olivia’s situation as well.

Olivia’s existing medical challenges can largely be traced back to the day she was born. Her mother passed along HIV to her daughter during childbirth and eventually died from the disease. She started receiving services from Namugongo Fund for Special Children when her mother came to the clinic to inquire about treatment in May 2006. When Olivia’s mother passed away, she also passed along her two children to her sister, Gladys, to take care of. The challenges of not only two additional mouths to feed, but two children with complex medical conditions – Olivia with HIV and her older sister with a heart condition - was undoubtedly a challenging time for Gladys. It was around this same time that Gladys’ husband died from the disease as well.

From the time they first came in contact with one another, NFSC has worked to support the family’s challenging circumstances. For a time, Gladys took Olivia to the clinic each morning, and the staff would look after the girl during the day while Gladys continued working to put food on the table for the children. Each evening, Gladys would pick Olivia up from the clinic and take her home. Recently, this arrangement transformed into a paid position for Gladys. She provides janitorial services for the clinic while her neighbors watch Olivia during the day.

Speaking with Gladys, she exudes a resiliency and determination that is difficult to comprehend. “I do not have so many problems,” she told me during the home visit. After learning about her current situation, I am not sure I fully agree. Gladys works as many jobs as she has time for. In addition to her part time work at NFSC, she earns wages through washing her neighbors’ clothing and selling old clothes when she can.

Gladys has two children of her own, a 7 year-old and 13 year-old. The four children and their caretaker stay in a two-room residence. The front room is the common area; the back room is the bedroom for the family. One twin sized bed was in the corner of the room and two pieces of folded foam were folded on the ground.

Gladys reports NFSC being a significant contributor to the well being of her family. “Getting food is the biggest challenge.” The program delivers the ingredients for NFSC’s trademark porridge, and Gladys cooks the porridge for her family at home. “We eat porridge in the morning; sometimes if there is not enough food, we will have porridge in the evening as well.” NFSC provides the family with basic medical support through its main clinic, and through its partnership with JCRC, Olivia receives ARVs free of charge.

Each time I look at Olivia’s picture in front of her home with her Auntie Gladys looking on, I am haunted. Olivia’s knowing eyes pierce my heart, looking deep into my soul. In Western terms, I am holding the hand not of a little girl as much as a health statistic in a developing country. Olivia’s plight is simply the unfortunate outcome of a “know-do gap.” So often we know so much about a problem, but we fail to understand; we fail to get on our knees and look at it through the eyes of a four year old.

So we do nothing.

NFSC IN THE NEWS!!!!!!!

2007-07-22T04:20:00.000-07:00

For our last NFSC focus group/music/lunch event, two reporters of the Uganda newspaper Daily Monitor were present. The third page of their Saturday, July 21, 2007 edition features a full-page article and three photographs of the day’s events! The article provides a very descriptive, mostly-accurate account of NFSC, SPARK, and the children of the program.

Click HERE to read the story online in full.

(If the link fails to work, please request a PDF copy of the article at nfschildren@gmail.com)

New Pictures!

2007-07-22T03:03:00.000-07:00

The Mzungu's at the Nile

Rehearsal!

"Auntie Beth"
We tend to attract attention...

There is always dancing..

Creative Expressions...

2007-07-19T02:55:00.000-07:00

AIDS you’re a bad man…
You killed my mom, you killed my dad,
AIDS you’re a bad man, AIDS you’re a bad man.
You killed my brothers, you killed my sister,
AIDS you’re a bad man, AIDS you’re a bad man.
I had my mom, I had my dad,
AIDS you killed them, AIDS you’re a bad man.
AIDS you leave this world, AIDS you leave this world…
I call upon my friends across the world, to join me in the fight against AIDS.
AIDS you’re a bad man, you’re a bad man.
AIDS you’re a bad man, you’re a bad man.

This song was written by a twelve year old boy that lost both his parents to AIDS. He is one of the eighty children we have been working with at the after school program. We started off the program with a week of introductions, singing, dancing, risk taking, immense laughter, choice making, and as I learned the importance of in my music therapy internship, some serious clinical fun. It wasn’t just the number of children that was initially overwhelming, it was the fact that every single child we met could benefit from this project.

Every child in this program has emotional and psychosocial needs.

Every child has a story to tell.

Every child that sits against a tree with their broken pencil and piece of paper is eager to be a part of something that is hoping to support them in a new way… we have been trying to figure out exactly how to do this in just a few weeks.

So far, the goals that I have had for the music making part of this project have been to provide a safe and comfortable place for the children to make choices, take risks, encourage creative and emotional expression, and to smile and laugh their bums off for the few hours we work with them a day. We certainly laugh. We absolutely smile. Some children are just beginning to take risks. A few are making their own choices. Yet, after our first songwriting workshop this week, I remembered how much work is involved to support and encourage creativity and emotional expression with children who have never had a place to do this before.

We are so very lucky to have amazing after-school teachers and local musicians to work with. I was struggling to generate an experience which is balanced between what we can provide them with, and what their teachers and peers can provide, but things have really fallen into a good place. Alan, the after school teacher at one of the centers has been working with the children daily to help write letters, tell their stories, and compose lyrics to songs. His alacrity and passion towards this project and the children is amazing. We’ve also enlisted the consulting services of Super Charger, a Ugandan musician that sings and educates about HIV/AIDS. He joined us this week to help develop “AIDS is a Bad Man.” It was wonderful for the kids to be able to look up to and work with people they know and trust, and with whom they can continue to work with once we leave. It’s just what we want this project to become as it develops.

This upcoming week, we are continuing to write music, create dances, take pictures, tell stories, and are beginning to plan our big performance/gallery show to showcase the talent and hard work that everyone has put in with this project. Let the creative juices keep flowing!

Update...

2007-07-19T02:52:00.000-07:00

So Lindsey and I have been working with the children in the after school program on a daily basis. We have been singing songs, dancing, playing, talking and having a lot of fun getting to know everyone. Most of the time, I think the kids are laughing with us, and not at us, but even if the laughter is at our expense, it is worth it to see their smiles and hear their giggles.

Lindsey has been making music with the kids and my photography project is well underway. I started by helping the kids brainstorm about their views and lifestyles by asking questions and providing writing prompts. We talked about memory books, and what they might want to include; what they might want other people to know about them. The teachers at the after school centers have been a key component to get the kids to be open and creative.

Today I gave out 20 disposable cameras, and gave a quick photography lesson. The kids could not believe that they each got their own camera, and I was equally excited to send them off to record this setting from their perspective. I can’t wait to see their work next week. When they return the cameras I will develop the film and I hope to display the work for the community in the next couple of weeks.

2007-07-16T23:08:00.001-07:00

Recent events have pushed me to contemplate the concept of truth. How possible is it to arrive at what we refer to as ‘the truth?’ We now have access to thousands of news sources, websites, and can delve into even the most private aspects of our friends’, families’, and even complete strangers’ lives. And yet, are we any closer today than at any other point of actually discovering what makes up ‘the truth’ of our existence?

Voices, stories, even real time reporting often contradict itself, leaving us on the outside with an uneasy sense of confusion about what is actually true. We are inclined towards biases, leaning towards the voices that grab our ear first, the most dramatic, even the most scandalous. Ultimately, it seems that there is only experience; and from the collected experiences of our lives we form a base set of principles and evidence on which to base our decisions between truth and deception when that dichotomy presents itself.

It is said that history is written by the victors. Despite access to a wide variety of voices, that seems truer today than ever. Economic growth is measured by the overall strength of a nation’s economy. That data outrageously ignores the growing distance between the upper and lower classes. Despite a multitudinous cry for reform, the World Bank and other international money lending firms are derailing attention away from the increasingly downtrodden conditions the impoverished are subjected to.

Let us heed the words of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Muhammad Yunus to change the way we measure the health and strength of a national economy. Growth should be measured by the change in health and finances of the lower 50% of the population on the economic scale. The upper half does not need to grow anymore to stay healthy. Because a majority of trade that makes up the economy of the poor is in the informal sector (outside the realm of taxation, and therefore largely immeasurable), health indicators (i.e. infant mortality, rate of HIV infection, life expectancy) become the only reliable means of calculating real change for this portion of society. The fact is that it is a significant portion; nearly 50% of the world’s population lives on less than $2 a day. How is it that when we hear ‘the truth’ about India, China, or America’s economic surge, those who have no power individually are conveniently left out of the rosy picture portrayed by the media?

We are years away from accurately representing the plight of the impecunious. Despite a constant influx of media and information, we are, as a population, left in the dark when it comes to the poor. India’s economy grew at a rate of 9% this year; sounds pretty good, yet infant mortality and other health statistics remained largely unchanged if not worse than previous years. So the economic growth was concentrated at the top, because improved economic welfare equals improved access to health services.

Ultimately, it may seem impossible to come to a consensus on the truth of anything, including world poverty. However, there are ways to understand real growth in a nation and as our understanding of poverty continues to grow; it seems that health indicators are quickly becoming the only way to uncover and address the needs of those in the direst set of circumstances.

For further reading check out; Banker to the Poor by Muhammad Yunus, The End of Poverty by Jeffery Sachs, and Dying for Growth edited by Jim Kim.

Robert

2007-07-16T23:08:00.000-07:00

When I was hungry ...

2007-07-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

you gave me food to eat.

I was thirsty...

...and you gave me drink.

A few pictures, a few thousand words...

2007-07-15T05:39:00.001-07:00

Focus group faciliators leading their group of children in a discussion ...

Mission accomplished: Hundreds of children and their guardians provided their valuable insight. Below are the group of 16 facilitators standing proudly with their hard-earned certificates.
Victor. A budding artist.
p.s. Thanks for contributing colors to these children's lives (you know who you are)

Lindsey, Rob, and Beth leading children in song at Breakfast Center C: Kira

Kids drawing the SPARK logo ...

The Colours of Uganda

2007-07-13T07:20:00.000-07:00

2007-07-13T01:14:00.000-07:00

July 14, 2007

It has been just about a week since we arrived in Kimbejja, our new home for the next weeks. While we are still acclimating, our time so far has already been an adventure. From the evening Beth and I spent eating the most delicious houmus and tabouli I have ever tasted in Dubai, to the four hour long journey through various street side markets in Kyaliwajjala, Banda, Kireka, and Kampala, every day has been memorable.

My thoughts continue to bounce from one issue to another; experiencing and understanding the culture, witnessing the impact of AIDS on children who have been orphaned, music, poverty, education, art, perseverance, porridge, respect, school fees, shoes, dancing… Currently, my thoughts have been focused on the role of music and creative arts interventions/activities in the AIDS epidemic, here in Uganda.

Right now, the house we are staying at has been converted to the bi-weekly HIV/AIDS clinic for the children and caregivers of the Namugongo community, funded by an initiative of the USAID Joint Clinical Research Center. Before coming to Uganda, most of the reading I did praised this country for its decrease in HIV rates through education campaigns, stigma reducing media and the availability of resources. In the short time we have been here, I am experiencing the effects of such efforts. Coming from the US, where it is often taboo to talk about HIV and AIDS with children, I found myself having to adjust to the environment here, where schools have posters on walls and signs in the ground with such sayings as “There is no cure of AIDS,” “AIDS can kill, take your medication every day,” “Having sex with a virgin won’t cure your AIDS, leave the children alone,” and “Abstain from premarital sex.”

At first, I found myself hesitating before talking about HIV/AIDS and music, wondering what was “appropriate” (something that is always in your mind when working with children in the states). Yet, it is pretty clear how educated and aware the children of the Namugongo Fund of HIV/AIDS, as well as other pertinent issues: education, corruption, and poverty. They speak freely and openly about the realities of life for them in Uganda, uncensored and authentically, often using music and dance to share the messages.

Our first experience with the kids, at Tim’s focus group, we were introduced to Super Charger, a Ugandan pop musician, who lives positively with HIV and educates the children through his lyrics. His songs, which are extremely well known to children and adults, not only bring a room full of moms, grand-moms and aunties to their feet, they educate about making appropriate choices, being faithful to your partner, and the disease itself. To me, this is like magic. Super Charger has taken his life experience, his passion, and talent, and used it address one of the country’s most pressing issues. It’s just amazing. The children sing and dance to quite a range of messages, and left me with one song…

I sing because I’m able

I will sing again tomorrow

I will make myself a better morrow

I have hope and faith for tomorrow

Lindsey

There are brilliant, shining, palpable moments of joy and optimism every day. Whether it is the smile of a stranger, a decidedly witty comment, or just getting up in time for the sunrise, every day is filled with tiny moments that make our time feel a bit lighter than it might otherwise. Above all, the greetings we receive walking to and from work are without parallel.

I have never felt so warmly received in my life. No matter what time of day I leave the house, I am greeted by a thousand smiling faces. Cheers, waves, and unabashed enthusiasm mark seemingly every encounter. Like white gold dropped along the red earthen path, smiles of children and adults alike enrich our leisurely commute in town.

The welcome is assuredly open-armed and full-hearted. I have not seen another white person in the area since my arrival, so our skin color is certainly a novelty as well as a reason for the attention lavished upon us. Children announce our presence with song, thanking us for visiting, and telling us to come back tomorrow when we finish.

A step further, we are obviously not your standard tourists. In fact, I would say the annual tourist population to this part of Uganda is somewhere in the vicinity of zero. So then, what does it mean to be a white person in this part of Africa? I think it inherently signifies a social contribution. We have been here for a while now; interacting with children, community leaders, care-givers, teachers, and nurses on a daily basis. Our efforts, I think, have become known to the town and I believe that much of their excitement is that they acknowledge our work and are grateful for it.

Deeper still, I imagine a bit of wonder that we, a group of young Americans, have somehow stumbled upon this oft-forgot corner of the world. This is a hidden part of sub-Saharan Africa where men, women, and children have been dying from a horrific disease for more than twenty years; where incomes have plateaued to a point just below the amount needed to survive; where starvation, unemployment, and death are the norm; and where foreign aid is still years, and miles away from reaching here. Although it doesn’t have the desolate qualities of an abyss, economically there is little other way to describe it. Perhaps their unequivocal enthusiasm is as simple as pure amazement that someone has realized they exist.

Kiob (Robert)

2007-07-12T01:16:00.000-07:00

Our team has been in Uganda for almost an entire week now. Rob, Lindsey and I (Beth) are getting to know the lay of the land, and have begun our work in music and art with the children served by the Namugongo Fund for Special Children. We have spent our mornings traveling to the various breakfast centers in the morning, meeting and connecting with the kids and making contacts with the volunteers. In the afternoons we return to the centers and work toward our goals of building relationships with the children, learning about their situation and helping them find a safe way to express all that is happening in their lives through music and art. The kids are incredibly enthusiastic and beautiful, and their caregivers welcoming and warm.

I am still formulating my personal feelings and reactions to all that surrounds me, so for now I will let you read the impressions of my fellow travelers.

-Bess (Beth)

Many Voices, One Song: Week One

2007-07-12T01:13:00.000-07:00

How can I begin to describe my first week in Uganda? It has been both surreal and too real. A combination of a “Save the Children” commercial and the most intense applied-learning economics class imaginable. I have held hands with more children this week than I have in the past ten years, and every time, I feel a surge of hope, a slight pressure of expectation, and a reinvigorating sense of responsibility and duty.

Waking up in the morning and stepping out under a lavender sky and the silver sliver of a crescent moon, I try to mentally prepare myself for our visit to one of the five breakfast centers that Namugongo funds. Beth, Lindsey, Nakato and I begin our walk down the red clay paths, into the cool and damp air. The village is still sleeping. An orange sherbet glow gradually grows out of the east corner of the sky beginning its slow westward mélange with the soft purple of fading night; creating the light blue that will govern today.

Is it strange to say that this feels like a sacred mission? As figures appear along the amber road, emerging from the fog, I am overcome by a strange desire to pray. Men on bicycles with large bundles of sticks push their heavy loads up steep, unpaved hills. It is 5:30 in the morning and a heavy air hangs around us. The vegetation is lush, green, and tropical.

As we arrive at the breakfast center, a series of entirely unfamiliar interactions commence. Ugandans have a tradition of kneeling in front of a respected visitor in order to introduce themselves. A parade of sleepy-eyed and yet eager children, ranging from 6-12 begin this practice of reception. It is discomfiting to have a small child kneel to you, and it takes getting used to. Every time, I feel like I should be the one kneeling, for being partially responsible for the vastly unequal divide of wealth and resources that forces the crushing weight of poverty and illness on their shoulders.

The breakfast center caters to close to 200 children every morning. It is one of five in this network and effectively serves every child a cup of hot porridge to start their day. It is an important service since most children would go without any nourishment until the evening on account of lack of familial resources.

That afternoon, we return for a session of music therapy led by Lindsey and Beth. This is an uplifting and enriching time; where laughter, singing, dancing and energy overflow the container which we are working in. Still, at the end of the day, I feel an intense pressure to change the system; to figure it out, to come up with some panacea for paucity and indigence that will address everything from health, to education, to individual empowerment. In many ways, I feel useless, even guilty; and that heaviness translates itself into an earnest, if not impractical attempt to radically improve quotidian life for the people I have met since arriving.

The psychosocial needs of these kids are not being met. Their basic nutritional needs are, at best, on shaky ground. The economic condition of their care-givers is, most-often, dire. And worse than that, the entire world is blind to the tragedy. We are blind to the fact that these kids exist; blind to the fact that besides being in constant physical jeopardy, their mental health is under constant attack by the isolation, desperation, and stigmatization caused by HIV/AIDS.

-Kiob (Robert)

Only in Africa

2007-07-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

Center D Breakfast Program: Bulindo

2007-07-05T10:29:00.001-07:00

The wildlife was plentiful on the journey to Breakfast Center D in Bulindo as we found our “boda boda” motorbike racing roadside goats and literally weaving in and out of a herd of cattle, some with impressively large horns.

It is 6am, and other than the cows and goats, the only signs of life our small headlight is able to catch in the darkness is the occasional face of a child making his and her daily trek to school. We head down this road for a time that was difficult to determine. While I was still half asleep, my mind racing as it was quickly calculating the fairly good odds of hitting a large pothole and being thrown into several different directions.

We were dropped off at Mother Care Primary School. While Breakfast Centers B and C had friendly signs, no Center D had no such greeting. As it turned out, perhaps this was the least of their concerns, as we soon discovered that the center exists in the absence of a sheltered container.

Winnie runs Center D. She appears to be in her mid to late 20s, and upon moving to the area several years ago, she had discovered the plight of orphans and vulnerable children in her area who suffering from hunger, disease, and mistreatment. Winnie and her husband began Breakfast Center D in May 2006 by cooking porridge in a small brick room connected to her home.

Initially Winnie reported to the program “about each new child whom I thought should enter the program, but after a while they just gave me a list to complete because there were just so many orphans that needed breakfast …”

From the current resources in place, it appears the center could handle the 60 children Winnie said the program began with. “We have 60 cups and that was fine when we served porridge to 60 children. Now we have 193 children and we still have 60 cups.” Consequently, when the first children arrive at the center for porridge, some as early as 5:45am, they take their porridge, and then quickly rinse out their cup so that another child may use the cup for their porridge, opening up the possibility of spreading sickness.

Six small wooden benches are provided for children to sit on. While the 193 taking porridge are staggered throughout the morning, at any given time there is often not enough seats for children, and several were observed sitting in the dirt in order to drink their porridge. This is to speak nothing of what this unsheltered center does when it rains.

Over the course of the morning, I met a small boy, “J,” whom I had noticed walking to the center with a young woman who could have easily been his sister or mother. I introduced myself to the pair, and she confirmed that she was, in fact, the mother to the five-year old J.
Throughout the visits to the breakfast centers, most of the children were at least slightly intrigued by the attendance a white person visiting the center. Their eyes express a curious interest in who this obvious outsider was. J’s eyes were different. As he sat with his mother in silence, J had a blank, glazed over stare that did not speak “tired” as much as “sick.” When I asked him his name, his whispered reply was so faint I question whether he heard it himself. He appeared undernourished, his protruding knee joints seeming to not fit the rest of his smaller frame. After I had made introductions with J and his mother, I went about meeting some of the other kids … when I heard a coughing and turned around to see the tiny frame of J hunched over, his mother at his side, coughing and puking out all the porridge his small body had just taken in. I turned to Winnie the volunteer. “Malaria,” she sighed.

Treading water in an ocean without the sight of shore

2007-07-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

His father died. His mother remarried. His stepfather does not want to pay for his schooling. So he does not go to school. He owns nothing.

After school program

2007-07-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

It had rained heavily prior to start of the after school program held at Center C. I had spoken with the one of the center’s after school volunteers earlier that day. He invited me to visit the program but cautioned that the rainy conditions would likely deter children from coming. Similar to the center’s breakfast program, children are often left with a difficult choice on rainy days: venture out into the cold downpour (often without shoes) or to stay home where they will be dry … and remain hungry.

The program has a reported starting time of 3pm. Keeping with Ugandan culture norms, I arrived “early” at 4:15 to find three children waiting for the program to begin. While we were waiting for others to arrive, the children and I had a paper airplane throwing contest until the volunteer arrived at around 5pm. He explained that the program takes place each day, Monday through Friday within the container that houses the breakfast program. The volunteer works to assist children with their homework from grades Primary 1 through Primary 7, where he assists in helping children study all subjects from English to algebra to learning numbers and letters. With the wide age range of children, the volunteer explained that he typically begins helping the older grade levels by setting them up with some homework problems relevant to their current studies and then helps them answers questions. He systematically works down to grades Primary 1, and then checks in with the older children again.

While attendance is taken, children voluntarily attend their after school program to receive additional help with their homework. At school, classroom sizes are impersonally large, and the volunteer commented that the NFSC after school program provides a chance for a child to receive some genuine one-on-one help from the volunteer, something rarely afforded in the context of a government sponsored Universal Primary Education (UPE) school. A quick head count revealed that 20 children had arrived by the time the volunteer arrived (most without shoes), despite the drizzly and muddy conditions. I commented on the surprisingly large number of children who showed up to work on homework, and he shrugged, “This was small. I normally work with thirty.”

In terms of the availability of physical materials, the program appeared to have an adequate paper supply today, but they lacked nearly everything else. Children brought their own pencils to the session, most of which were “pinky length” and quite dull. Also, most children did not have worksheets or things of that nature; rather, the volunteer would create a handwritten page of math problems, for example, and in the absence of a photocopy machine, the children performed this function by gathering around to copy the problems onto their own sheet of paper. As the hours passed, the children continued to work diligently on their English, math, and science homework, striving to subsidize what is often an insufficient education. With one small window, the light in Center C gradually faded with the sun. It was time to go home.

Laughter at the Breakfast Center

2007-07-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

Kids loving the camera.

Focus Groups!!!

2007-07-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

(Pictures will be posted soon …) The morning before the community event for Center C, all focus group facilitators (FGFs) gathered in the NFSC clinic office to review the scripts and procedures for the day. It was the first time that all 17 FGFs had the opportunity to meet at the same time. All in all, there were twelve women and five men, all in their mid-twenties and looking to boost up their human services experience. I was most struck by one young FGF I met during a community meeting the first week I was here. "A" has a genuine pleasantness about him, a natural skill that would seemingly make him a given for a service agency, particularly since he has a related degree from one of Uganda's finest universities. However, A said that such paid jobs in Uganda are very difficult to come by, and as a result he has been volunteering for a respected NGO for the past two years. He said he was excited by the opportunity to be part of this short-term research team as a focus group facilitator. I found great admiration in A's commitment to helping vulnerable groups in his home country. This admiration was amplified when this man, who is younger than I am, told me he attended his father's funeral … yesterday.

Jesca, an FGF (and this reporter's translator), reviewed the slightly revised parent and child focus group scripts aloud in Luganda, and several important questions were answered and clarifications made. The purpose and implications of informed consent were reviewed, particularly the rights and protections provided to all participants. The training concluded with a brief mock focus group to demonstrate what a group may look like.

At about 10:40am the 17 FGFs and this reporter piled into a 14-seat taxi van towards Kira Primary School for the event, scheduled to start at 11. We arrived ten minutes before the event was scheduled to start and found the school virtually empty: one grandmother and her grandson were present, and the music system had just arrived. No one seemed too concerned, as a casual starting time is quite common in Uganda.

The purpose of the community event was to gather information from children and caregivers of NFSC's "Center C" breakfast site in order to gain further insight into the vulnerable children and families whom NFSC serves. The focus groups used to collect this information were merely one activity in a full day, however. Other activities included

- Rosette providing an introduction and Tim describing SPARK/CAP, its partnership with NFSC, and the purpose of this study (including informed consent)

- An impromptu Q&A time with Tim about the differences between the USA and Uganda

- A local radio personality known to the children as "Supercharger" performed songs and dances related to HIV/AIDS, testing, and the importance of antiretroviral medication. He is a hero to the children; he is also living with the virus

- A lunch of rice, cabbage, beans, grilled beef, and soda served by NFSC volunteers

By 12:15pm, a respectable number of guardians and children had arrived. We had trying to delay our opening so that Supercharger's technical support crew could blast some music in order to attract more children, but apparently there were some difficulties with the sound equipment and the generator (The school where these children attend does not have electricity.) It was decided that the program must begin. Throughout the day's events, key observations included:

Informed consent. Informed consent provides a prospective research participant ( i.e. a focus group member) with vital information about the study including explaining the purpose and background of the study, informing them of potential risks of participation, confidentiality, as well as their rights as a participant. This information was communicated to the guardians and their children in their local language. Guardians were requested to physically move beside their child, and to raise their hand if the consented to their child (as well as themselves) participating in a group. Children for whom their guardian's assent had been granted were moved to a nearby classroom where they were divided into five small groups with respect to age and grade level. Guardians remained in the larger classroom and were split into three groups.

Focus group observations. Several FGFs were assigned to split the groups of children by age. During this process, several were found to be less than eight years of age (the cutoff for this project). These children were led back into the main room to play. A total of 49 children participated in 5 focus groups, while 29 guardians composed 3 focus groups. Each group was assigned two FGFs responsible for facilitating a discussion by asking the scripted questions and recording participant's responses anonymously (on paper and with a tape recorder). While it had rained violently very early that morning, the sun was out and the ground was dry enough that all but one of the guardian and children's focus groups occurred under the shade of large trees scattered on the school grounds. Both participants and FGFs appeared engaged in their respective tasks at hand. Groups lasted between 45 and 75 minutes each, and most FGFs appeared to facilitate an intimate environment for sharing important (and sometimes sensitive) information.

Lunch. When the last focus group was finished, children and guardians headed back to the large classroom for lunch to be served. No one came away from this meal hungry, as there was plenty of food. Interestingly, this reporter chatted with several children who were waiting in line for their meal. While they seemed happy overall, their facial expression communicated a slightly anxious and concerned look … as if there would not be enough food for them when they got to the front of the line … as if this had happened before. Similarly, children and guardians ate their meal to the backdrop of popular music provided by Supercharger. Yet, looking around the classroom, one got the sense that this meal was less a social time and more about fulfilling a physical need, a need that is likely often left unfulfilled. While guardians and children were eating their meals, an impromptu question-answer time occurred about the differences between the USA and Uganda. This reported anticipated questions about movies, quality of roads, and food. Instead the first question asked was, "Do you have the same diseases in the USA that we do here?" The second question followed suit, "Why is the rate of HIV in the USA so low compared to here? What did you guys do to make the rate so little?"

A few pictures from recent days ...

2007-06-28T05:07:00.000-07:00

NFSC Clinic Sign

6am: The porridge is ready for children

Focus group facilitators leading a group of community leaders. (The event was supposed to occur inside nearby building but were asked to leave so that the village could hold a court hearing.)

Community leaders (who also happen to be playful grandmotherly ladies who are teaching Tim the local language of Luganda)

The breakfast program: Crossing the legs at the knee. Wow, these kids are silly.

The Breakfast Project in Kira: Center C

One family ...

2007-06-26T02:16:00.000-07:00

“F” is a nine year old girl who attends Breakfast Center “B.” Her home is literally steps away. Her breakfast center volunteer walked this reporter and his Ugandan translator to her house in order to gain insight into the living situation of beneficiaries of the NFSC breakfast program.

We cut through the schoolyard, which had drawn silent as classes had begun for the day. Approaching the house we were greeted outside by F’s mother. The volunteer kindly explained the purpose of the visit. While they were talking, I could not help but notice the rancid smell in the air. Looking down, flies surrounded my feet and slightly to my left, near the front porch appeared there was indeed what appeared to be where someone had recently urinated, likely from the front porch. Behind me was a dark pool of greenish feces that seemed too big to belong to any animal surrounding the house, which included two goats and a cat.

Three structures appeared on the property. The residential structure looked to be approximately 14’x 10’ and the mother informed us that over ten people lived inside, including three adults and six of her brothers and sisters. (Her husband does not live there.) The house is constructed with what appeared to be a dirt or mud base, which the translator termed a “not for blocks,” semi-permanent structure; though, it did have a tin roof. A second mud brick structure stood adjacent to the house. It was not readily apparent whether the building was in the process of being built or whether it had collapsed, but the mother informed that it was, in fact, being constructed. In addition, a kiosk stood in front of both of the buildings, similar to the kind lining the streets of the nearby village. F’s mother said that at one time, this kiosk was used as an income generating activity to support her family by selling tomatoes. However, the kiosk had collapsed and currently is unusable. F’s mother (and the rest of her family) have no steady source of income. Fortunately, she owns her own house and property, so her main concerns and responsibilities center on looking after her children, feeding them, and providing education. She mentioned that occasionally she is able to do part-time jobs such as laundry (which the translator estimated would bring in about $1.25 for several hours’ work) or occasionally bake.

Experiences.26.June.2007

2007-06-26T01:51:00.000-07:00

It is baffling to think the project has been on the ground for nine days now. It is true, life in Uganda feels slower in many ways (At this moment it is the speed of the Internet in this cafe). Yet, I realized that other than a lunchtime nap I had been on the go from 5:15am to 11:00pm last night. Seven interviews have been completed since Wednesday; three focus group training sessions have been conducted; I’ve attended an all-day antiretroviral adherence workshop (conducted full in the local language) for the Namugongo Village; a translator and I conducted a home visit (see following blog entry); witnesses the NFSC version of an after school program (the kids show up as early as 8am on a Saturday to learn math and English); observed breakfast center volunteers faithfully serving a hundred children, many of whom would not eat again until dinner (if at all). The level of poverty and sickness can overwhelm at times, and the images and conversations I have had with so many people give voice to that fact that “one dollar a day” is not just a fancy slogan but a reality for so many in this world.

The image below is from the NFSC After School Program that takes place each Saturday.

I walking down the dirty roam toward my home yesterday afternoon, I met a young woman. She looked about 18 years old or so. Noticing that I was not from around here, she greeted me “hello” in my native tongue. I did my best to respond with the very little Luganda I know but she said she didn’t understand this language. She and her family had recently moved from the northern region of Uganda (where they speak a different language) to escape the ongoing war waged by the Lord’s Resistance Army.

Assessment Up and Running!

2007-06-20T04:40:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Namugongo Village, Uganda! The assessment is up and running. As a previous blog entry mentioned, we are focused on gaining a fuller, more in-depth understanding of the NFSC program in order to improve and expands its services to orphans and vulnerable children. We are also collecting qualitative and ethnographic data in order to better understand the needs and perceptions of children and their families. We have made significant progress after 5 days on the ground. A focus group facilitators (FGF) occurred on-site in order for Luganda-speaking group interview leaders to review the protocol including scripts and informed consents. This picture shows some of the FGFs in the training session. In addition, on site observations have occurred at the NFSC clinic, after school facility, and breakfast center "B." Thanks for reading and I will try to keep you updated as best I can. Tim

Job Opportunities in Uganda: Join the NFSC team

2007-06-07T22:23:00.000-07:00

NFSC currently has three job opportunities available for Uganda-based positions.
1. NFSC Program Manager
2. Coordinator for NFSC After School Program
3. NFSC Program Nurse

To apply for any of the positions described below, please send cover letter, three references and salary requirements to:
The Search Committee, NFSC
P.O Box 10634 Kampala, Uganda
- or -
email: info@nfschildren.org
NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE

PROGRAM MANAGER The Program Manager is a key position in the Namugongo Fund for Special Children (NFSC) that requires a thoughtful approach to organizational development, community relationships, and the mobilization of both financial and human resources. The Manager will oversee the programs; hire, supervise and develop the paid and volunteer staff and provide leadership in creation of service models. The position will also represent NFSC at government, community and funding meetings. S/he will work closely with collaborating agencies both in Uganda and outside of the country. The most suitable person for this job is a self starter, creative, an excellent spoken and written communicator able to write grants and contracts, reports and solicitations. This position reports to the NFSC Director and Board members. Duties will include but are not limited to:
1. Overall management of NFSC programs;
2. Promoting NFSC mission inside and outside the community;
3. Establishing and maintaining collaboration between NFSC and other organizations with similar objectives;
4. Proposal writing and presentation to potential funding organizations and individuals;
5. Prepare Monthly, Quarterly & Annual Reports and submit to the NFSC board;
6. Ensuring proper record keeping;
7. Advocating for promotion of children’s human rights;
8. Implementation of programs/projects that promote NFSC mission and vision;
9. Supervision of the Program Staff and Volunteers;
10. Liaison with consultants;
11. Writing reports on individual children for sponsors;
12. Hold community meetings at least three times a year;
13. Other duties as may be assigned by the Board from time to time;
14. Banking cash/checks & reconciliation of NFSC local and foreign bank accounts.

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM COORDINATOR The NFSC – ASP has been designed to engage children in Extracurricular Activities, Educational Support Activities, Psychosocial needs, Life Skills Training and Personal Development. We are looking for a dynamic individual to coordinate activities of this exciting program. This position reports to the program Manager. The duties include but not limited to:
1. Overall coordination of the After School Program (ASP) activities
2. Promoting NFSC-ASP goals and objectives inside and outside the community.
3. Establishing and maintaining collaboration between NFSC and other organizations with similar objectives.
4. Resource Mobilization for the ASP
5. Prepare and submit Monthly reports to the Program Manager.
6. Ensuring proper record keeping.
7. Supervision of the ASP Volunteers.
8. Liaison with consultants and representatives from other organizations
9. Hold community meetings at least once a term for each center.
10. Other duties as may be assigned by the Program Manager and/or Board from time to time.

PROGRAM NURSE NFSC operates a daily clinic at Kyaliwajjala - Namugongo for all the children on the program and their care givers. The clinic staff also operates an outreach clinic twice a month in program villages far away from Kyaliwajjala. In addition to that, NFSC in partnership with the Joint Clinical Research Center (JCRC) operates a weekly HIV/AIDS clinic through JCRC’s TREAT program. This clinic is open to every one who needs to be tested for HIV and HIV management including the provision of Anti Retro Viral (ARV) treatment. The Clinic Nurse is responsible for the day to day running and management of the Clinic. The duties include but are not limited to:

1. Treating the Program population as outlined by the Board.
2. Referring complex cases to specialized and/or bigger medical institutions.
3. Do home visits as the need may arise.
4. Community health education.
5. Supervise volunteers.
6. Work with visiting consultants.
7. Order supplies for the clinic in conjunction with the Program Manager.
8. Maintain updated records of all children on the Program.
9. Keep records on all services provided.
10. Write monthly reports.
11. Supervise breakfast centres in conjunction with the Program Manager.
12. Liaise with the community committees and the Board.
13. Any other duties as requested by the Program Manager and/or the Board from time to time.

NFSC Assessment 2007

2007-05-27T15:27:00.002-07:00

We are committed to improving, enhancing, and expanding our services to children affected by HIV/AIDS in rural Uganda. For these reasons, we are working with The SPARK Center to conduct an assessment of our current services as well as further examine the unique needs of our children, particularly around psychosocial support and after school programming. The assessment will begin mid-June.This feasibility study was borne out of a partnership between The SPARK Center (at BMC) and Namugongo Fund for Special Children (NFSC), a community-based organization in rural Uganda serving children affected by HIV/AIDS. SPARK recently completed an independent program evaluation of its eight-year history of after school programming for school-aged children and adolescents affected by HIV. The present study is a follow-up to SPARK's program evaluation. It explores the extent to which SPARK may be able to translate its model of after school programming to NFSC in Uganda.

This study will explore the feasibility of ‘program translation’ through two main objectives:
(1) Create a rich ethnographic description of the current NFSC program including the daily operations of five ‘breakfast’ projects throughout the Namugongo region (Wakiso District) outside Kampala; and
(2) Explore local perceptions and opinions related to educational and psychosocial needs of children served by NFSC and the perceived feasibility of introducing after school programs to offer educational and psychosocial supports to orphaned and vulnerable children.

Tim Williams will work on-site to conduct this assessment. He has worked in both clinical and administrative roles within human services with both children and adults and has expertise in the implementation of program evaluations and needs assessments with community based organizations. During his graduate studies in social work, he focused his studies on human services within the context of developing countries, with particular emphasis on research and evaluation. Upon receiving his MSW from Boston College, Mr. Williams has worked at The Home for Little Wanderers and as a mental health specialist for McLean Hospital. Currently he works closely with a child mental health researcher at the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and HIV/AIDS at Harvard School of Public Health’s François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights. Most recently, he conducted a psychosocial program evaluation for the NFSC’s USA partner, The SPARK Center. Over the past year he has worked closely with NFSC founder Rosette Serwanga and SPARK director Martha Vibbert to develop the present assessment. This will be his second trip to NFSC.

Many Voices, One Song

2007-05-27T15:27:00.001-07:00

This July, NFSC will welcome music therapists and art educators to Uganda for a cross-cultural project, Many Voices, One Song. This program seeks to establish a global neighborhood between the children of the NFSC with children at Chenery Extension Program (Belmont, MA) by composing original music together, creating artwork, sharing experiences, and exchanging culture.Click here or below to read about the program in its entirety.

Vision: The Global Youth Neighborhood attempts to promote the development of positive relationships across the globe. This project aims to develop acceptance, understanding, and tolerance among children from different cultures, using music and art interventions. Regardless of origin, children can relate to themselves and each other through the listening, composing, creating, and experiencing of creative arts programs. As of now, the children themselves cannot travel to from country to country, but their music and art will.

Many Voices, One Song is a global arts exchange between the children of the Chenery Extended After-School Program, in Belmont, Massachusetts, and the Namugongo Fund for Special Children in Namugongo, Uganda. This project is the initial step in connecting children from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds through the creation of powerful music and art projects.

Program Goals:
* To create and maintain meaningful, accepting, and peaceful global relationships among diverse populations of children
* To foster self-confidence, self-awareness, and emotional expression through therapeutic, creative arts interventions
* To encourage global citizenship.
* To raise funds that will benefit various projects of the NFSC, as well as further development, implementation, assessment, and evaluation of Many Voices, One Song.

Program Participant History: Chenery Extended (Chen-Ex) is a Non-Profit Organization, serving the children of Belmont through academic support, engaging workshops, and unique educational experiences. Over one hundred children attend the program, which meets daily after school hours.

Program Staff: Elizabeth Bosworth is a formally trained artist and art educator. She is a graduate of Alfred University with and undergraduate degree in Fine Arts, and will soon be receiving her Masters from Lesley University. She has been a part of the Chen-Ex staff for the past five years, as an art teacher, curriculum coordinator and assistant director. In addition, Beth has focused on bringing community service and outreach programs to the students at Chen-Ex.

Lindsey Hollister is a trained music therapist. She finished her studies at the Berklee College of Music, in Boston, and interned at local hospitals and therapeutic centers. Last summer, Lindsey spent three months in Ghana, West Africa, creating a music therapy pilot program at a cultural arts center for orphans and vulnerable children, infected and affected by chronic illness. This experience was the first step in creating the idea behind Many Voices, One Song.

Project Outline:
Many Voices, One Song is the initial exploratory stage in the creation of the Global Youth Neighborhood. An eight-month, cross-cultural creative arts curriculum and assessment will take place from April 2007 until December 2007.

Phase I The first phase will take place at Chen Ex, and will serve as an assessment of the international development education needs of the students. Children will keep weekly journals, respond to questions regarding global health issues, and being to learn about the culture, traditions and life-style of the children at the NFSC. The therapeutic music and art interventions will integrate these assessments into their objectives.

Once a week, children will meet with a trained music therapist, to explore Ugandan culture, and begin the communication process by composing original songs with a variety of messages and thoughts to send to the children of the NFSC. Their music and messages will be recorded, to provide the first initial tracks of a CD. These songs, along with different musical dimensions, (i.e. bass lines, drum grooves, melodies, etc.) will travel to the NFSC in July, where the rest of the music recording will take place.

Students of Belmont will participate in a photography project, where in they will keep a photographic and written journal as a method of self-exploration and expression to share with their Namugano peers The Chen-Ex students will create a visual diary and written log as the visual component to Many Voices, One Song. This will document and reflect important aspects of their daily lives through his or her eyes. They will record cultural events, personal interests and societal concerns. The photographic journey will be displayed at the NFSC in Uganda and act as an introduction to the Belmont students

Phase II The next phase of Many Voices, One Song will take place in Namugongo, at each of its five centers. During this time, the team will assess the social and emotional needs of the children, the potential for the development of a creative arts program, and the feasibility of establishing and maintaining music, art, and technology oriented relationships with children in the United States.

The production of the CD will continue at the NFSC, where children will listen and react to the music the children wrote, performed, and recorded at Chen Ex. They will have songwriting workshops with the music therapist as well as local musicians, and will compose their own music which will be recorded and prepared to mix with the music from Chen Ex. Children will gain tools for self-expression, begin to learn about culture and traditions in the United States, and gain perspective on opportunities for personal growth and success through this experience.

Students of Namugongo will also participate in the photography project, where in they will keep a photographic and written journal as a method of self-exploration and expression to share with their Belmont peers. The Namugongo students will create a visual diary and written log as the visual component to Many Voices, One Song. This will document and reflect on important aspects of their daily lives through his or her eyes. They will record cultural events, personal interests and societal concerns. The photographic journey will be displayed at Chen-Ex in the fall.

Phase III Upon returning from Uganda in August, Many Voices, One Song will take the raw art and music materials obtained from Chen Ex and the NFSC, and mix it into a final CD production and published book. These will serve as both a fundraising tool for the NFSC, and an advocacy tool for community youth partnerships. The assessment data collected will be evaluated, and a plan for further development will be made. The final release date for the CD and book is tentatively set for World AIDS Day, December 1, 2007. On this day, there will be a formal opening/fundraising event that will include performances by the Chen-Ex students and a display of the photographic journals

Welcome to the offical blog for NFSC!

2007-05-27T15:02:00.001-07:00

Congratulations! You have reached the official blog for Namugongo Fund for Special Children, designed as a complement our official website by enabling our program to provide updates on-site for several special projects slated to occur over Summer 2007. Indeed, we expect the coming months to be filled with inspiration, hope, tears, laughter, and challenge. We sincerely hope you can frequent this site to receive key updates. Please see our official website to directly contact us or to inquire about contributing to the program. Sincerely, NFSC.