Due to the high number of orphans and vulnerable children, households and communities are overburdened and find it too difficult to give them the care and support they need. Most households are already burdened with poverty, diseases, hunger, poor housing and other human problems, so they cannot afford to take full care and this becomes a crisis situation. Uganda is estimated to have over 2million orphans and vulnerable children which is a high number even for the government alone to give full care and support.
ACCOD through the support of local and international partners is dedicated to help households meet the financial, social, psychological, educational, and health needs of the children they support.
ACCOD defines a vulnerable child as a person below the age of 18 living in a situation that exposes him or her to significant physical, emotional or mental harm. Our support is not only limited to orphaned children but also;
- children living with disabilities
- children living in families facing abject poverty.
- Children affected by war, disaster.
Interventions through which we help children.
Access to education.
Education is long term strategy through which we can break the cycle of poverty in the most vulnerable families. Therefore, ACCOD has supported over 670 Vulnerable children to access education in primary, secondary, colleges and vocational institutions through;
- paying of tuition fees (sponsorships),
- provision of scholastic materials and school uniforms,
- sanitary towels for girls.
- Counselling and guidance
Access to healthcare.
Many vulnerable face a challenge to have access to healthcare services especially those with chronic illnesses. Every year many children die prematurely just because their parents or guardians cannot afford to pay for the medical bills. ACCOD has supported over 210 children that had chronic illnesses to get further medical treatment from highly specialised hospitals.
Access to food.
Children that are living under the care of vey old care givers, fellow children and terminally ill parents are more affected with hunger. Most these children survive on one meal a day and at times no meal at all. This is due to lack of enough manpower in the family to cultivate enough food, lack of land where to cultivate and or lack of improved seeds or garden tools. Through the family support systems ACCOD has helped such families by providing improved and high yielding seedlings, garden tools etc… to enable them cultivate enough crops for food and sale to meet other family basic needs.