Project Background: Bwaise Slum Children's Initiative is a non-profit organization that seeks after the welfare and wellbeing of orphaned and destitute children in Bwaise Slum. It has been providing education and shelter for children in Kampala`s Bwaise Slum since 2010. It currently cares for 27 boys and girls, aged between 5 and 15. It used to finance its activities by offering slum tours for tourists in Bwaise, Kampala. Since the Covid pandemic started, these revenues have dropped dramatically, bringing the initiative in a very difficult situation financially
In August 2021, the children's home that Bwaise Slum Children's Initiative had rented since 2012 was lost when a property developer bought the land and started constructing a commercial complex. Since then, the orphans have been living with local families which is not ideal because the families live in poor conditions and the initiative cannot guarantee the children`s safety. The initiative therefore plans to buy a property outside Kampala and build a new orphanage there. This would have many advantages:
- avoiding the risk of being removed from a rented property again
- reducing the exposition of the children to the risks of living in Bwaise (prostitution, infectious diseases, HIV)
- allowing the children to engage in farming and other activities on the property
Timeline: This project needs to move fast to move the children to a safer and better home as soon as possible. Once the money is transferred to the local organization (expected in February), the land purchase and construction contract will be immediately closed. The construction is expected to last three weeks, so that the children would be able to move to their new home in March.
Involved: The overall operational management is in the hands of Salim Semambo of the Bwaise Slum Childen's Initiative. He has been a member of the city council (Kawempe Division) for five years and runs a community kindergarten in Bwaise (Kampala) to provide primary education for the children, which would otherwise not be guaranteed. Jonas Schröder and Tristan Lemke supported the project on a voluntary basis in terms of organization, advice and fundraising. The Initiative Frieden e.V. made its association structure available free of charge.
