Village Care Development Foundation

VCDF is a duly registered not-for-profit Community Based Organization (CBO) established in 2012 as an answer to a local communities’ pertinent but silent call to fill evident gaps in research, documentation and community mobilization for realistic social economic transformation. Although VCDF by and large is actively operational in Kagadi District, by law its catchment area covers Greater Kibaale which has an estimated total population of 1.5 million people.

Ideally, at establishment, community was focusing on triggering positive change in community livelihoods using the abundant human and natural resource potential plus networking. This would only be achieved under the Community driven initiative because the communities’ consensus was that aggregated approaches and networking would spur holistic transformation of the basic units of holistic development: the families.

This praxis was premised on the conviction of the possibility of leveraging on and exploiting the existing opportunities hinged on generational human resource advancement and in the Tropics’ polity.    This change would also be geared by aggregating the pursuing networking local community with identified communities of superior value systems.

VCDF Thematic Areas:

Accordingly, to lay a sound generational foundation, the priority areas of intervention were identified as:

·        Care and protection of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC)

·        Early and Adolescent Childhood Education

·        Community Primary Health

·        Social Economic security

·        Human rights

·        Agriculture modernization

·        Environmental protection

Rationale for VCDF’s Thematic Areas and subsequent interventions:

Just like at national level, 78% of the population in the catchment area is a population below 30 years. More than half of this segment of society is under 14 years (Children estimated at 46% at national level) which means a childhood unproductive (dependent) population. Additionally 84% the population is a typically rural population engaged Peasant agriculture.

Unfortunately, the literacy level let alone formal education levels in the Catchment area which ordinarily determines the quality of the human resource and thus the family output, consequently, feeding into the GDP of Uganda is below average; standing at 72% out of a population of 46.5 m in 2020 (UBOS)

Quality of life-wise, the average life expectancy is in rural underserved areas is 57 years. By implication, the health care system has significant inadequacies.

Obviously therefore, the social-economic level is below par and poverty level is high.

In the baseline survey, it was established that the cycle of poverty inevitably; dictating a hand-to-mouth life for about 30% of the families is further exacerbated by epidemics and pandemics (Malaria, Polio, HIV/AIDs, Ebola) plus social challenges which inevitably lead to big numbers of orphaned children or children with critical vulnerability often termed OVC.

For this reason, as a major intervention, for the last six years, VCDF under its vehicle: Uganda Christian Based Nursery and Primary School based in rural Kenga Sub County, Kagadi District has provided care for about 202 OVC annually in the priority area of Education with commendable support from Home Church Network Uganda.

 The foregoing was premised on the understanding that if care and protection is offered to OVC, these and other children enlightened, a foundation would be laid in critical areas subsequently, human resource development, primary health care and steady incomes generation.

 The Future

Vision:

Holistically transformed communities in Kagadi District in respect of qualitative social-economic advancement anchored on cherishing Christian values of sharing, faith in God and prayer.

Mission:

Exploiting the natural resource and human potential to transform destitute Rural Households/Family Units from enclaves of a peasant economy that is synonymous with living below the extreme poverty line to: rural, vibrant and model enterprises.

Goals:

1.     To Care for human life and dignity with principal focus on OVC

2.     To empower families to earn a decent living (Skilling and establishment of Income generating activities at family level)

3.     To cause counseling and conflict resolution subsequently fostering torn families unification

4.     Offer tuition and other related support to orphans and vulnerable children

5.     Initiate appropriate natural resource protection mechanisms

6.     Network for faith/spiritual values and promotion