Kiyumbakimu Children Village

Kiyumbakimu Children’s Village (KCV) is a newly registered Community Based Organisation (CBO) providing full care and a secure upbringing for vulnerable children living in a rural area of Kiyumbakimu, Uganda. Based in Makondo, Masaka District, KCV aims to meet the needs of the community where it lies. It aims to provide hope to orphaned, abandoned and destitute children, creating new families and giving its children the best possible start in life.

Kiyumbakimu's Children

KCV believes in providing as natural and stable environment as possible for all of the children, who call it home. Each child lives within a family unit and is housed together as brothers and sisters in a family home, headed by a 'Mother'. The 'Mother' cares and loves for her children as if they were her own, ensuring their well-being and development along with fostering a real sense of family.

As well as providing a home for the children, KCV ensures that they have a nutritious and balanced diet, receiving three healthy meals everyday along with fruit. All of the children receive health care when needed as well as regular check ups and education on issues such as HIV/AIDS. The project provides clothes, toiletries, games and books, as well as care and love - everything a child should expect from a caring family.

KCV believes that education is of the utmost importance and takes its responsibilities in this key area very seriously. There are two classrooms on-site, which are used to teach local children who’s families can’t afford school fees. All KCV children are given the opportunity to attend a cell established Primary School within the local area and KCV naturally provides all fees, uniform and school resources.

Kiyumbakimu's Location & Community

Makondo has a high number of refugees from nearby Rwanda and The Democratic Republic of Congo. The district has one of the highest HIV rates in Uganda, with the majority of households caring for orphans from neighbors and extended family. Unfortunately the education standard is poor. Those schools that do offer a high standard of education are beyond the financial reach of the vast majority of the community. Many children are therefore without primary education.

As well as providing a home to orphans, Kiyumbakimu is committed to supporting its local community; all building materials are sourced from as close as possible; local builders/carpenters are hired to design and build as much of the buildings and furniture as possible. Additionally all food not grown at KCV is sourced from neighboring gardens and markets.

Kiyumakimu's Timeline

The needs of the local community were recognized by parent NGO Uganda Volunteers for Peace (UVP) who established Kiyumbakimu Children's Village in mid-2005. Fundraising started immediately and as more funds became available buildings works were ongoing from 2006 until December 2007. On 12th December 2007 Kiyumbakimu had the pleasure of welcoming its first ten children to the Village and creating the first KCV family.

The project's structures currently consist of one family home staff and volunteer accommodation, a cook house and dinning room, latrines, a large storage area, small office space and two classrooms.

Funding & The Future

All of KCV's children are sponsored by individuals throughout the world. Parent NGO UVP currently covers the cost of staff wages. Other costs such as food, clothes, health care, building work and expansion is covered by individual donations. One of the biggest tasks currently facing Kiyumbakimu is to secure reliable and sustainable funding to cover these vital expenses. KCV feels there is a need to expand upon its facilities, aiming to create up to four new families, each of ten children, within the next five years. Before KCV can meet this demand it will be necessary to construct more family homes and other buildings as well as hiring further staff to care for the children and manage the Village. The expansion plans are therefore dependant upon raising sufficient funds.

Kiyumbakimu Children’s Village is managed by the registered NGO Uganda Volunteers for Peace, a member of the International Cultural Youth Exchange (ICYE) Federation and affiliates with the European Commission. The Village currently has a staff of four, consisting of a project manager, children's mother, a cook, and a grounds man.

These Ugandan staff are supported by 2-4 international volunteers, supplied through UVP, each present for a period of roughly one year and carrying out teaching, fundraising and administration. The work of the staff is monitored by the Manager of UVP along with its board of trustees at bi-monthly meetings.