Change African Child International

CACI King David Learning center helps to change the lives of children through education in the remote community of Kiwugo Mukono where it’s hard for these children to predict what their future will be, and what their next generation will look like and this alone creates fear in our hearts me and you with this in mind, what if from these children a doctor is made who is likely to care for our old age treatment, or a lawyer rescuing our property and other important society people coming out of these children.
However, considering the families where these children come from and surviving on one meal a day due to poverty in the family household these mentioned future expectations will be a dream for these children at the center. And yet any child would deserve a good living life with education, shelter, feeding, and good health.

Therefore, Travelers by choosing to volunteer with us, this alone will strengthen and build the community, and make connections with the children you're helping this will increase the volunteers’ socializing in the community and it will improve volunteers' mental and physical health as well as lowering the risks for depression and anxiety even after you left the center because the children and the people you associate with will be sharing interesting stories, their experience, with a smile, calling you in the local language “Muzungu) meaning a white person, greeting you always in wanting to hear your response in the simple English they know. The loneliness of the recent pandemic of COVID 19 will be put aside you will not be isolated at all, especially in our country Uganda where everyone was forced to take a massive vaccination against this virus that had challenged many people in the past years.

The school will provide travelers with an opportunity to practice their’ self-confidence and hands-on practice in teaching the children English and Math, singing, fundraising ideas, cleaning etc, this will build volunteers’ social skills, and develop awareness and experience because our program benefits everyone while at school and in the community where these children come from and for those looking to learn teaching as a new skill the staff will be helping to go through the lessons, share the practice of how to present it to the children and your ideas and learning views will be valued.

Being among the first volunteers at the learning school in records and our starting volunteer database, you will be remembered for this because you will be given an opportunity to be part of something being built away from your home in assisting to making a positive impact at the learning center by joining the few staff in delivering your service in teaching and the new ideas seen as needed in the school this will create a stronger bond, friends with the staff you will be interacting with and the entire organization as well. Here you’re not only rendering service to this center in Uganda alone, but also to the entire world in meeting the sustainable goals number 1,4,3 and 11.

Work with play made jack a dull boy this is a saying we all found while growing up.

While at the center and after giving your freely incredible time, energy and resource to the children and the community of Kiwugo which we believe will create change in the children's lives and during your planned tour around from Friday to Sunday you will be enjoying the fun of meeting and networking with many new people including foreigners at the beaches, swimming places and café javas as you may wish to joy your stay with us. This time was set aside for you to relax and get involved in your personal time to use it as you want.

Mukono community is centered with “Baganda” speaking people this language is well known for its hospitality in nature here in Uganda covering more than ten districts speaking the same language therefore you will be joining to learn a new language away from your home and this will boost your creativity and develop the ability to multitask, with this you will learn the Buganda culture like how local foods especially bananas (matooke ) are prepared, The traditional clothing of Baganda culture on weddings/cultural introductions for men it’s a “Kanzu” and women “Gomesi”, Greeting elders by the young ones while kneeling down or humbled. This exposure will allow you to learn about cultures different to your own and expand on your worldviews and culture exchange.

Iam called Resty Mutaawe, 46 years old, married, with 4children, I grew up in a torturing polygamous family of 15 children and 11 mothers, my mother abandoned me at the age of 2 years and left me with my father and stepmothers. Later on, my father died when I was 13 years old and my elder brothers proposed that I should be married for them to get the bride price and other marriage materials. At first, my thought was to find work as a housemaid in rich peoples’ homes then God heard my prayers and shared this challenge with the school management where I used to go for school, they were concerned and immediately identified a volunteer for me in the community to stay with as the school and the volunteer supported me until I completed my education at the University as a social worker, I later volunteered for seven years in an anon-profit organization working with children and people living with HIV/AIDS as a counsellor. This placement built a lot of my career and the passion to work for the most vulnerable children, youth and women. The things I like are, sports in netball and volleyball, singing and dancing also I love watching swimmers though I missed it during my childhood, I love travelling, making and meeting friends and attending events while my dislikes are, failure to keep my appointments of any kind, seeing my staff and children not happy and gossiping. In 2011 my placement as a counselor with the organization I volunteered with came to an end but the communities’ challenging situations of children and young people not staying in schools to completion, traumatized, Isolated, neglected, commercializing young children in sex for exchange of money by family members and other abuses that makes them difficult to realize their potential of proper child growth were still increasing especially with the children being born with HIV/AID of Mother to Child Transmission (MTC) with all the stigma associated with this vulnerability both to the children at school and the mother in the community this prompted to started a small day care center for these categories of people to share about their lives and how to support others come out of stigma and 2012 this center was registered as Change African Child International (CACI) to take care of the children, the youth dropping out of schools and women who take care of the children to be enrolled in the adult learning so that they can assist the children in the take home school work while the dropouts have been trained in practical skills for 1 to 2 years training and are able to employ themselves and earn a living. In 2018 CACI-King David Learning center was started in the rural areas of Mukono on a donated space by a volunteer to support the children in education. This community is faced with illiteracy, child marriages, child stone quarrying to earn a living and support their families and other child abuses, therefore the center’s effort is to give children a good future direction that will assist these children to live a full potential of life. At the school, we have 3 community volunteer staff, one school coordinator and I the director. This team is not enough to support the children at the center in learning English, math and other activities that’s why your presence will be of help and adding value. The 3 staff are all young girls with medium qualifications and accepted to volunteer with us to support the children in their education. The team is welcoming, cooperative and good to work with, in sharing ideas, and orientation on what will be taught. The staff, work from Monday to Friday led by a coordinator adult Jane Adusa she is very friendly. How can the volunteers expect to be treated? Being our first time hosting volunteers that will be staying with us we shall be going through a learning experience however, hosting any visitor or guest, that is to say, hospitality starts from our own homes with a traditional saying that “there is no road in the home” meaning every visitor should feel worthy his or her stay as long as this person has chosen to visit your home/organization. Prior communication and pickup The first interaction will be before arrival, with an exchange of emails via the Worldpackers platform with our response being very fast to any inquiry at least between 6 hours and one day feedback done. - We will be recording the days and months and time of arrival for volunteers choosing to be with us, this will help us to know the capacity we can accommodate. - The volunteers on arrival at the airport will be picked up by our staff who will be well identified with a poster written on your name and our organization's name. then you will be taken to the main offices in Kampala for a one-day orientation to get a full picture of our organization, we shall get to know what you eat and do not eat or even before you come to our country we shall have known this, you can plan to buy and register a new phone card for those who may wish to stay long with us for easy communication within the country, during your orientation you will stay at the director's home and on the following day we drive you to the volunteer house and learning center in Mukono. Things volunteers should pack while planning to be with us The accommodation is available and very good with electricity and solar energy, pumped water in our 2 water tanks this one is done weekly, 2 private bedrooms with treated mosquito nets and washrooms therefore when electricity shaded off the solar works well for us. The volunteers coming should plan to pack a towel, gum boots, bed sheets, free clothes to put on, jackets, raincoats, toilet papers, and sports clothes for an evening walk around and playing in the compound which is wide enough to stretch over, indoor game playing like chess etc, sandals, canvases and more for what will be good for your personal use. Only if some items are forgotten then we shall provide them. Meals Three African good-tasting meals will be provided in a day. Breakfast will be served at 8:00 am at the volunteer house before joining the learning center at 9:00 am of African tea and black tea and coffee, with bread, chapat and eggs from the poultry farm next to the house, with fruits (banana or watermelon). Lunch This will be served at the school at 1:00 pm of African food which will include Rice, Matooke ( cooked banana), cassava, posho from Maize flour, and sweet potatoes served with Beans, G.unts, beef, chicken and vegetables for vegetarians Dinner Will be served at 7:30 pm at the volunteer house including all the above-mentioned lunch foods but not limited to the volunteer to access the kitchen and make a slight change for her home meal. A drink, Volunteers are expected to provide drinking water for themselves and this should be bottled water as the chances of being purified are high however not all bottled are safe we recommend to you to use Rwenzori mineral water and the government water which is Uzima water while in Uganda but at the house, we shall provide some reservation drinking. Touring around the community and beyond. When volunteers are moving to town or busy trading centers, Travel documents should be left in your private room well locked and moved with photocopies to avoid loss of these documents or misplacing them. Also moving with expensive attractive Items like A watch, necklace etc in these city centers put you at risk of wrong people so just move freely and normal without them. Touring the beauty of Uganda like the source of the river Nile in Jinja, Lake Victoria, the Entebbe Zoo in Entebbe near the airport, Queen Elizabeth National park, Mount Rwenzori in Kasese, Namugongo martyrs shrines in Kampala and many more should be put in the plan before your arrival as it involves a cost to tour them and our office will assist you in your planning. Also, an exaction for the Ndeere cultural troop one shouldn’t miss planning for it as a lot of cultural dances are presented and meeting your foreign countrymen and women for experience sharing. For all these kinds of touring, we recommend you to involve staff in supporting you access them with ease.