DCM Extends a Hand...
Divine Care Ministries
DCM extends a hand in distributing learning materials to children… (see below for full story).
Divine Care Ministries, through their leaders, were challenged to engage and reach out to children despite the circumstances of lockdown restrictions. Wisely and carefully, DCM staff members made some objectives, which were:
Fulfilling the call and mandate of DCM to reaching the unreached with words of hope, training and sensitizing communities about COVID-19 and the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s).
Incorporating the classroom theoretical approach to practical learning at home through the available natural resources to all children regardless of their background.
Giving hope to children who are living in broken homes, reaching out to the hungry children and families.
Child Abuse Intervention through children and family counseling.
Engaging children in skilling to avoid child labor and boredom.
Muhumuza Benson, Communications Officer
DCM Goes An Extra Mile By Distributing Learning Materials To Children
Following the closure of all education institutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, children all throughout Uganda have now spent close to five months at home without going to school. As a measure to keep the children engaged and focused on education, the government has been administering online classes over the internet, T.V. and radio. However, some families in the remote areas cannot afford a radio or a T.V. set.
Some children are incapable of having online classes as they cannot access smart phones. In view of how such communities are being left out and having been called to serve children, Divine Care Ministries, through their leaders and following the SOP’s of the Ministry of Health, saw it important to reach out to these communities and make a difference. Starting with the surrounding communities, DCM has ensured that each school-going child receives self-help educational materials.
With the help of social workers, community guides and teachers, children have been guided in answering the self-help materials. Children and parents have embraced this initiative by giving their children time and helping them to do the work attributed to them. While doing this, the ministry has been able to support children in collateral issues that are affecting them. In doing this, families have been rebuilt, peace has been restored and the love of God has been restored in people’s lives. This has been greatly appreciated and communities are now filled with hope in Jesus’ name.
DCM Staff Invest in Projects
Following the drive led by the Director, DCM staff have turned into entrepreneurs in the shortest time possible. Shortly after returning to work after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, staff members were encouraged to start up income-earning projects. These were to enable all the staff members to have a side income so they would not have to depend on their salary as the only form of income.
Within less-than two months, what started as a simple drive has now taken on shape; from commercial farming, charcoal making, to trading different commodities. Everyone has ventured into small and big enterprise projects and people have already started earning a daily income.
In a meeting, while evaluating how the projects are progressing, the staff members expressed their gratitude towards the leaders of DCM for initiating the drive. They said it has opened their eyes to how they can boost their financial ability by not depending on only one source of income.
Juliet, a bursar at Divine Hope Primary School, pointed out the drive has helped her to discover his hidden potential as a business woman. From making brickets used as an alternative for charcoal, she is able to save money she would have used to buy coal and at the same time earn a living from the brickets when sold.
The drive is fundamentally transforming and developing the financial lives of Divine Care Ministries.
Family Corner: Know Your Child’s Friends
As much children are advised to make friends and increase social capital, parents should be involved in their children’s lives, more so take the time to know their children’s friends.
As the old saying goes, “Show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are;” a child’s circle of friends does a lot when it comes to influencing a child’s behavior. Knowing a child’s circle of friends helps a parent to not only protect her child, but also to know how to advise a child.
Most children’s future have been destroyed by their fellow peers, so parents should help their children to make beneficial friends that will have a positive impact on their children.
Child Protection: Why it is important!!!
All children have the right to protection, to survive, to be safe, belong, to be heard, to receive adequate care and to grow up in a protective environment. A family is the first line of protection for children. Parents or their caregivers are responsible for building a protective and loving home environment. Schools and communities are responsible for building a safe and child-friendly environment outside the child's home. In the family, school and community, children should be fully protected so they can survive, grow, learn and develop to their fullest potential.
Millions of children are not fully protected. Many of them deal with violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation, exclusion and/or discrimination every day. Such violations limit their chances of surviving, growing, developing and pursuing their dreams. Any child can be vulnerable to violations in many places, including the home. The actual number of children experiencing violations is not easy to determine. This type of data is hard to collect and is not updated frequently. However, with each passing year, reported cases against children increase in number. This shows that with every passing day, the lives of children who are to be the future generation are at risk.
Despite COVID-19
Our Community guides have sensitized people about COVID-19 and how it can be avoided. Now, the communities practice the Standard Operating Procedures like washing hands and wearing masks.
DCM encourages grandparents and parents to transfer skills to their children by using available resources. The hand-made items are used at home and also sold to earn them a living. This has boosted the livelihood of the community during this pandemic season.
We thank you so much, friends and partners, for being with us even in such hard times. Your generosity is touching many and bringing hope to thousands.
God bless you! You will always remain in our prayers.
Even when schools are still closed, through reaching out, children have been able to revise and concentrate on school work. Our community workers have helped the children to revise while at home. This has created so much of a difference in their lives as their hope to return to school is kept alive in spite of the circumstances surrounding them.
While reaching out to the communities, prayer is an important element we remember to teach to the children and their families. We assure them that God is present in the midst of tough times. This has improved the spiritual life of families as prayer restores their faith and hope in God.
Overall, DCM, through the Guidance Program, has been able to reach approximately 1275 children from 240 households. With the exercise still going on, more children and families are expected to be reached.
DCM’s community guides helping children through a science practical lesson about plants. It’s vital to present practical illustrations which will make education easier for children to remember.
One of our teachers helping a child through revision of the learning materials they received. This has enabled children to keep up with school work. It has also prevented them from being redundant and roaming the villages in search of what to do.
Social workers have been involved in helping children to work on their projects at home. Through this, children will have income, generating projects that will enable them to earn money to support their families and learn from this practical experience.
Paul Yiga Partners With Mother To Make A Difference In The Family
Having spent five months away from school, Yiga Paul has partnered with her mother to make bricks which are going to be used to set up a house for their family. Yiga Paul is under the care of DCM as he supported in his education endeavors at St. Michael International School. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Yiga was pursuing his studies and being an S.6 candidate, he was putting in his best efforts and looking forward to the end of year national exams that would finally usher him to another level of his studies but all this came to a standstill as schools were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yiga and his mother setting up the bricks for burning.
Yiga notes that he first relaxed knowing that the situation was going to normalize and get back to normal. Realizing that this was going to take a longer time than expected, Yiga thought about doing something productive.
A month ago, Paul, together with his mother and siblings embarked on a new project of brick making. They expect to get approximately 12,000 bricks from the kiln that they were setting up by press time. While speaking to us, Yiga’s mother explained to us that the bricks were not for commercial purpose but they were going to be used to construct a house for the family. “Making bricks is cheaper than buying. We’ve our own land and the only capital we need is man power of which we have enough of it.”
Yiga noted however that COVID-19 has been tough on them, they have learned to get the best out of it. He has been able to bond with his family and learn more ways in which he can develop his family, together with his siblings.