Help for Children in Uganda – known as HUG – is a non-political, non-religious, independent UK Registered Charity that is also registered in Uganda with the NGO Board.
Run entirely by volunteers, they care for and provide access to education for children of the Ssese Islands in the northwestern corner of Lake Victoria, Uganda, a remote and hard-to-reach group of 84 islands in the second-largest freshwater lake in the world.
Landing sites are Lake Victoria’s fishing villages and from a distance, they look picturesque but near to them are lakeside slums with wooden shacks. The populations are itinerant, young men coming for the fishing and then moving on. They are mostly young men, poorly educated, getting cash in hand from their fish catches and spending the money on women, drink and drugs. The only recreations are football, video halls and bars. This is where our children come from. There is little encouragement to get an education and for our youth to reach A Levels and further education is a huge achievement.
Helping children to succeed
We found Mike in the village, unable to walk and his mother having exhausted all available – affordable – assistance. He had been cursed, the community told us. We took him to hospital where he was diagnosed with osteomyelitis. He was hospitalised for 6 months and after several operations, was finally well enough to resume a normal life.
With help from HUG Mike was able to join other children at Hope Primary school, his greatest wish. In the past 3 years he has had several flare-ups requiring treatment and further admissions to hospital which HUG have been able to provide. He never complains and our main problem is getting him to tell us when he gets an infection!
Through sheer determination, Mike has caught up with his class and is getting excellent grades. Despite being on crutches, he is part of the school dance group and wants to join us on the marathon in June. We are so proud of him.
Working in these remote islands, HUG gives hope to extremely needy children through a child sponsorship and guardianship programme helping to provide access to education until they reach financial independence. Sponsorship helps with:
- Provision of daily lunch, exercise books, pens and pencils to day pupils
- Boarding fees for those who need to board away from home
- Provision of school uniforms, shoes, bedding, basins, cups, plates to the most needy
- Payment of fees and requirements post primary to secondary school or vocational training
- Provision of holiday care for children with no relatives to care for them
- Provision of mosquito nets to all children
- Annual health checks and access to basic health education
- Provision of land to grow crops for the children
- In cases of extreme poverty we provide a total package of requirements.
Could you help?
Sponsoring a child in the HUG programme helps provide all the educational and health needs for the children. You will receive a letter at Christmas from your sponsored child and regular updates on their progress at school.
To find out more about HUG and sponsoring a child please click here.
