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| 2012: "Yamba Abaana" Ministry community team |
Its goal is to reach out more to the community through the parents and guardians of children on sponsorship program by getting them more involved in sponsorship activities. Its also to draw more attention to the need of local community involvement, support, and long term sustainability of the ministry.
The name "Yamba Abaana" was chosen during a general meeting between the organization's administration team, parents and guardians of the child sponsored that sat on 18th February 2012. It comes from the Kiga native language of western Uganda and literally means "Help children". While "Yamba" means "help", "Abaana" means "children". And its considered a ministry because its founded on the principles of love and Christ .
The reasons why wording was preferred in a native language other than English was to make more sense to the community. The experience suggested that many organizations end up with foreign names that make less impact to the intelligibility of local communities. For instance, there is a general misconception in Rubanda that child sponsorship is a job done by rich foreigners. And yet we have many local people sponsoring, adopting and taking care of thousands of orphans, children with disabilities and less fortunate and are hardly spoken of as sponsors. The picture above is one example of those generous community members who are selflessly sustaining the life of children in the community and holding up a candle in defense of children.They do a noble job.
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| 2012: "Yamba Abaana" Ministry committee members |
All of us need to get on board and reach out to children in the community and a round the world as a common responsibility.
Our "Yamba Abaana" Ministry that was initially launched in 2004 by a family adopting and sponsoring three children is now booming with 286 children on the program with over 50 of them having been able to obtain sponsorship from both local and foreign generous hearts.
Acknowledging the miracles happening with the "Yamba Abaana" Ministry, we anticipate more volunteers and generous members on board a reality that prompts us to a good leadership system, good accountability and service delivery to children and the society.
As part of our foresight,we have expanded our management team to include community members. The second picture is of the members of the community to the "Yamba Abaana" Ministry management team. Part of their responsibility is to plan, implement and evaluate what the group deliberates. They also participate in identifying the neediest children since their number is more than available sponsors.They also take the task of educating the group and the children on: sponsorships, guidelines, funds, community contributions, parents/guardians and sponsored children responsibilities and expectations from both local and foreign sponsors.
The limited committee that traces its origin as back as 2004 to serve three children and three sponsorships has since 2008 expanded to serve a group of over sixty sponsorships in 2012.
Why Need Child Sponsorships?
Children are the future of any family, community and society and yet the most vulnerable and neglected in Rubanda community. And if at all their future is to make a difference, they need more attention and care, improved means of living and education. They desperately need quality education. But how will all this happen in a jungle of poverty, illiteracy and ignorance. It's only possible with combined effort of those who are able, educated and have an intuition of the future beyond today and tomorrow.
Rubanda Solidarity, therefore, raises its flag high for quality education as the main Key to a better future and quality living in modern society. It's when people are educated that they should be able to distinguish right from wrong without ambiguities (not taken for granted).
Since its inception, Rubanda Solidarity has never lost its vision that changing the rural poverty conditions lies in providing quality education to young generations. This would bring about shifting of the trend of rural communities living for survival to investing for kids and the future. For this reason we concentrate on sensitizing individuals and the communities to make them more aware of education as a necessary means for change to a better life. And we are very excited of the progress done since 2004 and the new trends coming up.
Another issue that Rubanda Solidarity observed as a lost value is the diminishing sense of cultural unity in the community. Unity was and is power. But, unfortunately this has drastically changed due to modern social-economic pleasures that trigger lots of movements and separation of many families ans members search for jobs or better opportunities of life. However, in rural communities there still a big drive for unity as interdependence is an inevitable source of survival and poverty eradication. And funeral associations are some of these examples in Rubanda community.
One of the major challenges that Rubanda rural population faces today in their daily struggle for production for survival is limited, primitive and poor means of production. Rubanda depends on subsistence farming with a hoe as their main tool of production. And this makes it difficult for farmers to compete with changing seasons. Unity is the only remedy.
The same problem could be applied in educating children. There are many orphans and less fortunate children in Rubanda heavily depending on their extended poor families.There is no way one can think of quality education for these kids without paying recourse to the principles of unity for each other's support
Because of the great values community solidarity does to its members, Rubanda Solidarity is concerned over deteriorating sense of unity in the community. The modern economic pressure has thrown many into abandoning best community practices. Our motto "United for success" is our means to all our development efforts. Revitalizing "unity is power" will certainly enhance relationships, promote labour force, multiply production, improve efficiency and reduce conflicts and stress in between families and the community.
As an association , we are engaged in deploying and promoting all available opportunities that strengthen unity. We target parents and guardians, leaders and children. And child sponsorship through "Yamba Abaana" Ministry is one of our best vehicle of opportunities we have designed.
With this motto , the organization has grown from strength to strength with lots of projects for mothers, children and youths since 2004. Currently we are able to offer quality education for children, skills to income generating to mothers and youths. We are constantly building a sponsorship chain so that parents/guardians of would be financially supported, their financial stresses minimized and best results attained. But we are still a long way to go as badly need more generous hearts to join us. .
