Little Praise was found abandoned in Mulago, a Kampala suburb in February 2015, at one-and-a-half months and placed into emergency care. After our social workers tried in vain to trace her family, she was approved for adoption in August. Luckily for Praise, there was a loving heart waiting to receive her. Her adoptive mother had been undergoing assessment and was approved to adopt by the Government Adoption Panel on the same day! After a successful bonding arrangement with her new family, it was all joy and excitement as the sweet angel finally went home in December 2015! We found a loving family for little Praise and we will for many more, with your help!
Can you provide a loving home for an abandoned child? Contact us today. call +256 (0)776110304 or email us via [email protected]. We believe Ugandan children deserve Ugandan families.
Little George was picked off the streets of Kampala, Uganda after he was found abandoned by his mother. He was homeless, cold and hopeless. After nearly 3 years of unsuccessful tracing of relatives and looking for an adoptive parent thereafter, we were finally able to place George in a loving family hailing from Gulu in Northern Uganda and will continue to monitor his progress as he bonds with his new family. This is George’s journey.
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Give us a call (+256 (0) 776110304) or email us today via [email protected] for more information on adopting a child in Uganda.
WHY WE SHOULD ALL FOSTER UGANDA’S ABANDONED CHILDREN.
Doreen at home with one of the children in her care
At her home in the suburbs of Wakiso, Doreen Kyomugisha cuddles and rocks four months old Anita who is making innocent baby noises without a care in the world. Before long, she is asleep and is taken to bed. 8 months old Peter wakes up almost immediately, “that is their sleeping sequence,” Kyomugisha says while emerging from the bedroom with him. Peter is a very bubbly baby who doesn’t cry for all the time I am there.
The social worker who I go with to Kyomugisha’s home is surprised that Peter no longer cries, “he used to cry a lot, I’m surprised he is calm now,” she quips.
Looking at these two babies, you could think they are Kyomugisha’s children, until you hear their plight, a plight no one would want to have.
Anita’s mother left her at a witch doctor’s home, she came on a boda boda, entered the house and asked for 5,000/= to pay the boda boda cyclist, the witch doctor’s daughter who was home told her she didn’t have money, Anita’s mum then asked to leave Anita with her for a short time so that she could go to her friend who lived in the neighbourhood and get money to pay. She told the same story to the cyclist, Anita’s mother never returned. Peter was left at a verandah in Wakiso at 10:00p.m in the night. Peter is believed to have been five days old because his umbilical cord hadn’t fallen off yet.
Whereas the babies thrived health wise when they were brought, they were not coping up socially, Peter would throw a lot of tantrums while Anita was too withdrawn. Kyomugisha took them on under the short term foster care programme that was being piloted at Ugandans Adopt.
Short term foster care
For years Ugandans have Many abandoned babies end up in institutional care and orphanages which are potentially harmful to the mental and physical development of such children.
According to UNICEF statistics, as many as eight million children are spending their precious and irreplaceable childhood in institutions. In most cases, the children are receive food, clothes, a cot or bed, an education and a roof over their heads but they never get the love, support and sense of identity that only a loving family can give. Family life is critical to a child’s healthy development. Without it, children suffer great harm and are deeply damaged.
According to Immaculate Atwine Byaruhanga, a Transitional Care Manager, short term foster care or emergency foster care is where abandoned children are placed with loving families who provide temporary care in a real home and family. “The organization continues providing for the child’s basic needs like education and health, all one has to do is provide a home and love for the child, so that they don’t have delayed milestones,” she adds.
While a child is being cared for in this way, social workers will try and trace their relatives and reunite the child with their family, if those attempts are unsuccessful, a child can go on to be placed permanently with loving Ugandan adoptive parents. Whatever the outcome, whether resettlement or adoption, in the meantime the child will have been loved, supported and nurtured in a real family. The child will have started to form secure attachments which they can continue to develop when placed with a permanent family.
Where as Long-term foster care is when neither family resettlement nor adoption are a viable option, long-term fostering gives a child the chance to grow up loved in a family until they reach the age of 18. In some cases, children have family but, due to child protection issues, cannot be resettled with them. In this instance, the next best option is finding an alternative family to bring them up as their own
”It also provides an opportunity for foster parents considering adoption to stay with a child and see if they are compatible’ , says Mr. James Kaboggoza Sembatya on Fostering and adoption.
According to James Kaboggoza Ssembatya, the Assistant Commissioner of Children’s Affairs at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development the concept of Short Term Foster Care ensures children are not subjected to institutional care. This enables the child the child to grow up in a family setting. ”It also provides an opportunity for foster parents considering adoption to stay with a child and see if they are compatible”, he adds.
Could you provide a loving home?
Ugandans Adopt is piloting a short term foster care programme. Though abandoned, these children deserve to grow up in a family setting, rather than be raised in an institution without a family. Short term foster care makes a significant and lasting difference to a child’s health and happiness, giving them the best possible start in life and a happy yet healthy future.
You can give an abandoned child the love and care they need until a loving family is found for them. If you have room in your heart and home to provide an abandoned baby with a loving family, Ugandans Adopt would love to hear from you.Ugandans Adopt is calling upon all Ugandan families and individuals who are able and willing to care for abandoned Ugandan children for short term foster care to reach them.
Who can foster?
Almost any adult over 21 can apply to be a Foster Carer, but as with any career, some people will be more suited than others. You do not need any formal qualifications to become a Foster Carer. However, you do need skills and experience that will enable you to meet the needs of a child. You can apply to foster regardless of your marital or residential status. Your suitability will be independently assessed and vetted by a Government panel.
Below is a video that sheds light on Short Term Foster Care
Meet the KR Family! As ministers within Uganda, this family had long worked with Loving Hearts Babies Home , helping to volunteer their time and effort to make Loving Hearts a great place for babies. Loving Hearts Babies Home provides babies short term temporary care while we look for permanent, loving homes for them. Permanent homes include:reunification of the baby with its birth family if it is safe,Short and long term foster care within Uganda and adoption.
After more than a year of volunteering almost every day, Mrs. KR fell in love with one of the babies at our home. As newly-weds with a new baby already on the way, the KR Family started praying about adding a second baby to its quickly growing family.Shortly after giving birth, they adopted Baby K, who gained not only a family, but a younger sister as well. To watch this beautiful story, click on the link below:
On Thursday 19th February, Church leaders and faith based Child Care Institutions were hosted to a one day Christian Childcare Conference at Gaba Community with the theme: “Take this child and nurse him for me”.
The Conference, drew a cross section of church leaders, Directors and Staff from different Churches and Child Care institutions across Kampala and Jinja. The conference was organised by the church as a platform for the Government to talk about the developments in childcare especially in terms of the Orphans and Vulnerable Children(OVC) situation, legal framework and Alternative Care Framework and the operational plan to mobilize the Framework. It also a forum for the churches and faith based organisations to give their views on the Alternative Care framework.
Stella Ogwang Principal Probation Officer at Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development in her presentation urged the participants to focus on family based solutions for children based in institutions and orphanages . Other key note speakers included Jack Matsiko former Director of Compassion Uganda, Gad Mfitundinda a Police representative who discussed on Child protection and trafficking and the Host Pastor Peter Kasirivu of Gab Community Chuch. The conference also included a panel session with the members sharing personal experiences of success stories and challenges in adoption, running homes and from a donor perspective.
The Panel Session from Left to Right: Immaculate Atwine (Home Manager, Malaika Babies Home), Josh Caldwell (with microphone, Linelife Ministries USA, Donor representative and International Adopteer), Sarah Kigozi (Head Child Welfare, Watoto), Pastor Mark Kigozi ( Domestic adopter ) and Fred (Moderator, Uganda Christian University )
“We have the heart, we have the people. It is our job, so then what do we need to do? We have the largest network on the earth. “ said Host, Pastor Peter Kasirivu speaking about the Church’s ability to in offer community based solutions as regards to childcare in his closing speech.
The Conference was organized by Gaba Community Church, Africa Renewal Ministries, CARNACC, Child’s i Foundation and Lifeline Ministries. The Conference is planned to become an annual event.
In the video below, Pastor Peter talks about the importance of family from the Church’s perspective:
Recently James a special boy from Ekisa Ministries went home to love and a family, thanks to the hard work of the Ekisa Team and his mother’s unrelenting love. Ekisa Ministries provides those living with disabilities in Jinja, a place of understanding and assists them in their physical, mental, and spiritual growth. In Luganda, the local language of Uganda, Ekisa means “Grace.” Emily Ekisa Ministries’s Founder and Director tells us the story below in her own words:
I remember the day we brought James to Ekisa. He was a shy, quiet little boy clearly in need of care. Over the months, we saw James come out of his shell and transform to the feisty, spunky boy he is today. During this time, Rosemary, one of our care takers at Ekisa, was by his side the whole time. She expressed interest in taking on James as her own son, and of course we were excited.
We started to prepare to bring the case to the Adoption Panel , while Rosemary fell more and more in love with James everyday. Rosemary has a minor physical disability, and has spent much of her free time working on the community level to empower people living with special needs in Uganda. It was a natural step for her to decide to adopt James.
Rosemary went to Panel in April 2014, and was approved to proceed in her adoption of James. In August 2014, James officially went to live with Rosemary! We are so thankful for Rosemary’s heart and her willingness to open her heart and home to James. We pray she may inspire more families to come forward and adopt children with special needs!
We bring the very first behind-the-scenes video of the Ugandans Adopt campaign through the eyes of our Communications Officer. For the first time since the campaign began in 2011, we are giving our supporters an exclusive to see first hand the effort that goes into making this incredible campaign.
In this video, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development Hon. Pius Bigirimana explains the importance of keeping Ugandan children in Ugandan families . If you would like to find out more about how to become an adoptive parent just like the families featured in the film,
For more information on how you can adopt please call Aidah on 0776110304 or send an email to [email protected].
In this video, NTV’s Rukh-Shana Namuyimba an adoptive mother, TV star and Ugandans Adopt ambassador talks about her adoption experience and why more Ugandans should consider opening their hearts and homes to Ugandan children .
Recently Pastor Mark Kigozi a renowned motivational speaker and TV presenter with NBS TV visited us to express his interest in adopting from us. Below we bring you the real life story of Pastor Mark who together with his wife Maureen have three children, two of whom are adopted.
Pastor Mark and wife Maureen
In 1998, I fell in love with the most wonderful lady, Maureen. I had just made up my mind to follow my dream to become a Youth Pastor at Kampala Pentecostal Church, now Watoto Church. Maureen was the Youth Choir Leader and I was Youth Head, so working together gave us the time to build a solid relationship. It was a great courtship and we were married on 1st May 1999.
Little did we know it would be a long time until we could have a child. After four years of waiting, Maureen suggested we adopt a child. After all, there was no reason why we could not give a child the opportunity of having a place to call home and parents of its own. We were already opening our home to many teenagers who found comfort with us. Our lives were an open book. They spent nights tagging along on mission trips and ministry. We also did our best to be there for them when they needed a listening ear or helping hand.
Yet these teenagers only came to us for what they missed out at home and eventually had to go back. Yet there were many children out there who were rejected, and we knew we could give them a loving home. Our adoption journey saw us visit a number of orphanages until we zeroed in on Sanyu Babies Home.
The choice of picking the first child fell upon me. I had always longed to have a little girl and so Maureen preferred that I make the final decision. Something drew me to a little baby girl, just three months of age, asleep in the hands of one of the caretakers. Before long she was in our care and we gave her the name Melissa, Kirabo Miracle Kigozi – Kirabo meaning” gift”. It was a delight to see her grow up and call us Daddy and Mummy. She is now 10 years of age.
When Melissa turned two, she decided that she needed a sibling and this time we wanted a boy. Since chemistry works better with opposites, it was Maureen’s turn to make the final decision. She said she had dreamt about this boy and seen his face.
The Kigozi’s : Maureen, Melissa, Pastor Mark, Melody, Eddie ( a friend of the family) and Maxwell
We went back to Sanyu Babies Home and met the little boys there. After interacting with the little ones, Maureen asked the person in charge if there was any other boy in their care. And there was one little boy playing by himself in the play room. Maureen asked to meet him and it was love at first sight!He was six months old and handsome. We went home with him after a few days and we named him Maxwell. Maxwell is now eight years old and is in P3. Our two children are a source of joy and fulfillment to us; above all, they are such good friends.
About a year and eight months ago, God blessed us with a daughter, Melody. She was an unexpected gift that we received with gratitude. Her siblings, Maxwell and Melissa, had been praying for her and the love her to bits. She is our third born, so we are now a complete family of three!
Our children are all gifts from God and we treat them in order of advent. Many couples fear to adopt due to stigma from society. But we see adoption as a miracle from God and a ministry to children and God. Sometimes we wonder what would have become of our lovely children if we did not have them in our family!
What if each family opened up their hearts and adopted a child? Wouldn’t that solve the problem of parentless and street children in our country? Wouldn’t that be pleasing to God and to the nation? Wouldn’t that be the answer for a rejected, parentless child crying on their own and asking why others have families and they don’t?
If you are considering adopting like Pastor Mark or fostering a child, we are very happy to answer any further questions that you may have. Please call Aidah on +25676110304 or email [email protected]. For more information and updates, like our Facebook page and follow us on twitter.
To watch Pastor Mark and Maureen’s adoption story, click on the video below:
