"Yamba Abaana" Ministry 2012

2012: "Yamba Abaana" Ministry community team

 "Yamba Abaana" Ministry is a new adventure in Rubanda Solidarity Development Association.

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.

2012: "Yamba Abaana" Ministry committee members

"Yamba Abaana" Ministry, therefore is a new tool of opportunities for anybody in and out of the community  to join hands to reach out to many children desperately yearning for a future.

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. .

A New Dream to a New Village 2008-2010

Our new village in 2008

Once a mustard seed is sown and someone available waters it, it grows into a surprising giant tree.

Similarly, while 2004-2007 were years of sowing and planting of the RSDA, the following years were for watering and consolidation. Its amazing to see the tremendous change that took place between2007 and 2010 both to the kids in the project and the community.

With God's abundant blessing  and people's generosity on our side, the impossible became true. The rapid growth of the organization did not only leave us with an inspiration to improve it but of creating it into a children's new village. And as you look on the picture on the right and below, you will get a sense of what I am talking about . They portray our new Rubanda Solidarity village. We are trying to put up strong structures as our strategy for long term saving and little land maximization. This will enhance our great quest for quality education delivery to kids in Rubanda community. Its also our concern to provide employment and market  to the community by building an organization that is community focused, creates employment to the massive unemployed youth and provide market for local products like wood, food, bricks and by-products like charcoal, extra in the community. Knowing quite well that many parents can't afford paying school fees for their children and also that many children are orphans, we are also developing a program of providing parents or guardians with opportunities of paying in kind. This could be in terms of food or labor service to the school to be translated into cash for school fees.

To the youth in particular, we are developing an income generating skills program. This program includes; revolving fund scheme, knitting and sewing, animal and agricultural farming, brick and block making, mushroom growing, extra.  We would like to deploy and viable skill at our disposal for be able to assist the massive unemployed youths and mothers who provide over 75 % of household survival incomes with limited or no financial management skills nor ownership. Please look at these pictures below that take you through our new school dormitory construction, a project initiated in 2008 and completed in 2010 with funding partnership from Brasilita and Cuore Amico organizations.

2008:construction of the new dormitory

A2008: dorm walling



2008 dormitory Basement

    

 

2010

 

 

Parents come to visit their children on a VD 2009



2008: Kids enjoy new skills

The Dream continues 2006-2007

2006: Class & dormitory construction

As the project progressed there was more certainty that this was a right project to the right community at the right time.

Eminent was the Impoverishment, high levels of school dropouts, illiteracy, diseases, increasing land crisis, fragmentation and erosion, growing crime and name it. And guess who was the most victim; children, youths and women.

At that time, any one who took little time to observe what was happening in the community truly observed that things were going from bad to worse, deem light to darkness and something urgent was badly needed to avert the situation.

2007: Newly improved classes

Inspired by the same observation an initiative already launched in 2005 continued to grow steadily between 2006 and 2007. The community was getting more involved and participative, a spirit that is project friendly and continues to nurture and sustain our  program projects.

Rubanda Solidarity today is proud of being able to reach out to many families and children. Through our meager financial resources we have been blessed by the Lord with generous hearts who are jointly working hard through to eliminate the already accumulated darkness that had hoovered over the community. Together we are lighting up an immeasurable candle for the children and the community through various activities like child education support: sponsorship that includes access to food, better sanitation, healthy care, clean clothing, safe drinking water, security, quality education, family support and so on.

2006: Kids tour their new compound

From no school, no student we had 90 in 2004 and 286 in 2012 with 22 candidate students sitting for first Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) this Year. Their success is a big boost to our kids, our school and the community. We appreciate the contribution of all those behind their making and success.

Together we are not only creating a big smile to these little children but raising up a future for generations to come. Our continuous pledge, therefore, is that Rubanda Solidarity Development Association remains true to its vision and mission and continue to offer opportunities to people of good will to reach out to the needy. This will facilitate us in recreating the world a better place for all even the poor. 

2006: Kid arrival at the new classes

Please, follow the string of pictures below to relive our 2006-2007 development activities that confirm our journey together.

2006: Parents and Adm. parallel projects complete

2007: New school dining complete

2007: Kids enjoy their new dining hall

2007: The community tours the project

2007: The community admire school gardening hobby

   

2007: A 1st 7 solar bulb light is installed

2006: Novita, a school dropout trained makes school uniforms

2007: Women seek unity to eradicate poverty

Humble Beginnings of 2005

2005; Welcome to kids

I will never forget the experience of 2005 that followed the announcement of beginning Rubanda Solidarity nursery and primary school. As the voice of Kigezi (VOK) radio roared the beginning of the school we got an influx of people. Some were brought by enthusiastic parents and guardians but others come because their children pestered them for a new school. 

We received over two hundred kids in a single day and yet we had no premise of our own than a little rented shelter. Our decision was to take a few and return the rest of the kids home. It was the most saddening time I ever saw. Telling a kid who is happy to go to school to go back home. It was disappointing.

200: Negotiating the house rent

As time has proved, it's incredible how we often under estimate the size of a mustard see.  Rubanda Solidarity school began like a mustard seed that now is attracting many birds from near and far. The school that began with 90 students for a study year under a tree is now hosting 286 and only limited funds and space.

It began on foreign grounds, grew to hired field and slowly by slowly extended its roots into its own humus soils. This has taken us a journey of eight year with roots digging deeper.



2005: Orphans arrive at the school

 See the string of snaps captured as far back as eight years ago in 2005.



2005: Welcome to kids at a new school





2005: A new toy to attract kids to school





2005: School administration




2005: Children receive school uniform





2005: School staff





2005: out door kitchen

                                                                                     
                     



2005: Our new kitchen



2005:Children enjoy new facilities



2005: PTA Committee



The Dream & History of Rubanda Solidarity 2004-2012

 2004: Study Year

Volunteer teachers with new kids admired by public school students in the background 2004

This article is published by Fr. Dominic Tumusiime who is an indigenous son of Rubanda community, with an experience of vast traveling and Gospel mission work in Africa and USA as an ordained catholic priest. 

The article unveils the origins and history of Rubanda Solidary Development Association (RSDA) in Rubanda community. It also highlights how its existence inspired and given birth to  Rubanda Solidarity Nursery Primary School (RSN/PS), the first private primary school in Rubanda community. The mission of this school remains to have improved conditions of living through the provision of quality education to both boy and girl child. This would in a long run provide quality knowledge, build equality, enhance good employment and salary earnings, savings that enable other outcomes like; better resources to food, healthy services, housing, education, mobility and communication, leisure and others. 

A brief history of formal education in Uganda is that it has evolved  along the years. Before  Independence in 1962, schools were run by colonial powers and missionaries  of each church entity. But after independence things changes. Most of the colonial run school were taken over by the new government while missionary founded schools remained run by churches until later when most of the them were nationalized. 
Those nationalized schools started to receive sponsorship from the state and those which were not including seminaries remained private and self sponsored.  However, the greatest challenge of formal primary education both during and shortly after colonial rule in Uganda was to convince majority Ugandans that the white man's formal education system being imposed on them was of any value. Because many were highly suspicious of it being the white man's trap to steal away their children, property and corrupt their moral and social life. And when the issue came to girls' formal education, the resistance was double as it was believed that the girl would be easily morally corrupted, stolen or even educated to the advantage of the future husband's family.

 As time went on, state and church run schools performed side by side, people came to understand the difference and started to make choices according to their financial possibilities. And this historical factor has remained a measuring stick between private/church and government run schools. 

Another important factor between church and government run schools is that church schools are considered private and mainly sponsored by the community which has power to decide on its affairs of development with no unnecessary bureaucracies. The running depends on their funds those solicited from donors to top up. This makes a big difference in the governance and responsibility of the community between the two schools. For example, while government schools are supposed to be state run, there is never enough funds to fully equip the school with all that is needed including school meals and teachers, the biggest setbacks to children's morale. 

During my early inspirations into why children were dropping out of school, I was very much thinking of the lack of  meals at school but I had no facts nor a research to base myself on. As and opportune time seemed to have arrived, in 2004 assisted by Sr. Stellamaris Kyasiimire of the Good Counsel of Mbarara set up a study class of ninety students. Since our main concern was to find out whether our hypothesis of lack of meals at school was the main cause of drop out, we encouraged the community to contribute financially and make up a fund for a mug of corn breakfast for each kids every morning before entering the class.   The study class with to community volunteer teachers allocated in a public school premises under a big tree since we was no free room. 

After a year under the tree, we conducted an evaluation with an amazing results that confirmed our kids in the program were waking up very early and running to school. When asked by their parents why they go so are under the dark they would reply, "we do not want to find breakfast finished", many parents narrated. In the whole year program, we did not find any absenteeism due to food other than sickness or parents carelessness.

In 2005 together with two other students Valentina and Morgan from Roma Tre University in Rome, we carried out another research for our maters in Human development and Food security. In this research we found out that chronic poverty was another major cause for children's drop out. Because children provide labour for food production in almost all households. And school program would interfere so much with this provision that has no alternative source. This is a silent major conflict to food security. 

Back to RSDA. Rubanda  Solidarity Development Association started in 2002 through supporting a family that had adopted three orphans in their big sizeable family of eleven persons. The orphans had lost both parents to HIV/AIDS virus in the same month in 2002 leaving both of them at Rubanda health center where parents were being assisted. 

At the beginning everything is always atrial.  My first move then was to support a family that had adopted three of the five kids into their largely sized family of eleven persons plus three more kids with a project of five chicken layers meanwhile I continue to study the situation and find out a better solution. Soon the family project grew from one to twelve families and to thirty six in a difference of one year. 
What made this incredible growth was the system used in motivating the mothers who badly need other means of income as the main providers to most households. We created a small project of providing a start up capital for three chickens, construction of a chicken house and provide feed them for one month until they begin to lay eggs and make income to sustain the project. 
And the means of group expansion was a condition we put that each member who received chickens would commit herself to rear them crossbreed and return one chicken to the group. The returned chichen would then be given out to new members. This was tremendously successful. However, its main challenge was the endless bottomless hole of poverty they had to feed with very limited source of income.  " Its very difficult to think of saving when there is no dinner for the children nor keep an egg for another chicken when there is no dinner for children" one woman boldly exclaimed at one of the women's regular meeting. 
There were so many lessons drawn from the chicken project that encouraged us to think of more ways to support women and youth and prompted us to seek registration of our young organization. We started the process and in 2005 we were registered as a CBO (Community Development Organization)m targeting vulnerable Children, Youths and Mothers. 

The Rubanda Solidarity Development Organization is located in South western Uganda, Kabale district, Rubanda county, Ikumba Subcounty.   





 The origins of RSDA go  back to the invasion of the HIV/AIDS pandemic virus in the 1980s in Uganda and Rubanda in particular. The second reason was the increasing levels of poverty, growing number of orphans and widows  coupled by horrifying  primary school drop outs and chronic poverty in the community.

 For many years Fr. Dominic Tumusiime  who is a wondering why there was so much increase primary school drop out among kids in the only public government sponsored schools in the community not only in his family own family but in the entire community of Rubanda. Motivated also by increasing HIV/AIDS infection and serious social and healthy impact especially to increasing vulnerable children, youths and mothers Fr. Dominic pondered on what would be a timely solution.

sought for ways to offer some solution. vylnerable children trecking to find out the real causes of increasing poverty primary schools drop outs. Childing droping out of schools was incresingly getting getting out of hand. They had lots of resentments and many of them could hadly tell you their reasons but commonly express lack of money or lack of someone at home to assit them. Its was indeed a big problem within the only existing government public schools in Rubanda community.

Inspired by some kids who explicitly mentioned of hanger in the school, in the year 2004, I got curious to find out or confirm the hanger that kids had mentioned. With collaboration of Sr. Stellamaris Kyasiimire, a religious sister of the order of Good Counsel sister in Rubanda, I initiated a study year that involved 90 children. We opened up our pre-primary class program using St Andrew's goverment assisted primary school compound. However, our classes were under a tree due to lack of structures. For one year, two community volunteer teachers conducted classes from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm. And every morning a cup of corn porridge was served to every kid.For every parent was asked to contribute 15,000 local currency equivalent to 6 dollar per year for each kid for breakfast evryday before the kids began their classes.

Sr. Stellamris Kyasiimire, teacher Angela  and kids 2004

Together with the community (children's) parents and guardians we agreed we raised 15,000 Ugandan Shillings equivalent to 6 US dollars for each child.
We found two generous community members to guide the kids as teachers.

A year later and evaluation conducted by Fr. Dominic Tumusiime, Sr. Stellamaris Kyasiimire, Mr. Rogers Orishaba and all the parents found enormous enormous Food was confirmed the major cause for children to resent going to school as most kids do not eat enough dinner, no food for packing while going to school, no school meals served  and no money to buy snacks during break. And most kids are worried of finding the little food available at home eaten by their little siblings staying at home.It was clear that food plays a great role in children's education by many parents commenting that conflicts had drastically dropped in their families between the involved kids and their parents than the kids outside the program. " Since this program started my kids always wake me up every morning to go to school and when I ask them why so early they say never stop saying, 'we do not want to arrive and find breakfast over' ", one of the parents joyfully  narrated. Coupled by other genuine reason like better standards of education and discipline observed among our study class kids, we decided to begin a private community school. However, we strongly believe that any community development must invest a lot on community involvement and participation for best results and long term sustainability. Consequently in the flowing pictures we give you a crew of what this journey was been like in 2004 and continues to be.

2005: launching and progress of the new community private school

Fr. Dominic-C, Morgan-R and Valentina sharing their research techniquies with the newly founded school PTA committee 2004

Breaking the ground for a new school 2005

Rubanda Solidarity School begins to stand 2005

Community Day & Boarding school 2005

The new school site gaining shape 2005