Empowering Communities Together

Supporting vulnerable groups through advocacy, empowerment, and community services for a better tomorrow.

Acronym

MCF-UGANDA

MCF-UGANDA “Serving Humanity"

ORGANIZATION PROFILE

Full Name

MILANDIRA CHARITABLE FOUNDATION -Uganda

Law under which the Organization was Registered

Non-Governmental Organizations Act (2016) of the Government of Uganda

Head Office: Kampala-Uganda

Postal Address: P.O. Box 164191, Kampala-Uganda

Position:EMAIL :milandiracharity@gmail.com

Introduction and Background

Milandira Charitable Foundation (MCF)–Uganda is a Development and Relief Non- Governmental Organization, fully registered and licensed by the Government of Uganda with Reg. No.

G240507-4419 , operating across the entire country of Uganda in East Africa.

MCF-Uganda has been involved in activities directly targeting the orphans and vulnerable children, youth, PWDs, Women and other vulnerable people in the community. It has a revolutionary idea of organizing the youth, women and other vulnerable people and offering them a variety of platforms of co-operation for the promotion of human rights, HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns, and encourages activities of self-reliance through problem solving models, capacity building, Health, Education, Human Rights, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Childcare, Women and Youth Empowerment, Psychosocial Support, Construction of community infrastructures like Mosques, Markets, Public toilets, Water and washing points.

MCF-Uganda as a National Children, Youth and Women’s interest organization, has vast experience in promoting access to safe and clean water, quality education and other rights, social and economic empowerment, and gender equality in Uganda. We are committed to gender equity and believe that all children, women and youth should have access to social and economic amenities and care regardless of their circumstances or where they live. We work to empower vulnerable children, youth and women to enable them to improve their own lives, the lives of their families, and the conditions in their communities. Our role is to support, strengthen, and scale up the programs that serve them.

The type of activities undertaken by the organization range from capacity building to service delivery, with focus remaining on the poor, deprived and marginalized segments of the society whereas in terms of operations, what characterizes MCF-Uganda’s functioning are its efforts to

⦁ Enlist involvement of the locals when initiating activities at the grass root level

⦁ Mobilize the population especially women for problem solving engagements, bringing unity, peace, tolerance, and development in society.

MCF-Uganda works with the local governments and other service providers to design and implement community initiatives, projects and programs to improve education, health care, and access to medicines and other important health supplies. We offer training and technical assistance to support programs in a wide a range of interventions in the areas of education, health, human rights, charity, youth & women empowerment, emergency response & preparedness, People with Disabilities empowerment, governance, legal aid among others. We also evaluate ongoing programs to identify and scale the most promising evidence-based practices

Our Mission

‘Serving Humanity for Social Development’, through a value based system, to help build a better world where people are self-fulfilled as individuals and play a constructive role in society.

Our Vision

MCF Uganda envisions empowered communities free of poverty and able to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Organization aims to improve the welfare of youths, women and children using community-based initiatives

Our Ultimate Goals

We strive to become East Africa’s top Development and Relief Non- Governmental Organization with one of the strongest and widest network of local and international partners with a wide range of thematic programs and project reaching out to millions of vulnerable children, youth and women to enable them to improve their lives, the lives of their families, communities and contribute to the economic development of Uganda as a nation.

Strategic Goal and Theory of Change

A variety of local-level strategies are developed through mechanisms which are largely ignored by central government, but which could provide extremely important local pillars for sustainable development. MCF-Uganda plays a vital role in mobilizing of local communities for socio- economic development and environmental conservation.

Our overarching goal for the period of this strategy is to: Secure increased social justice for people living in extreme poverty and exclusion in the areas where we work in Uganda by 2033.

Our theory of change explains how we believe this desired long-term change can be achieved and the necessary preconditions for this to happen: Social justice, including gender equality and poverty eradication, shall be secured over time when:

People are supported to realize that they have inherent rights to enjoy and the ability to claim these rights from those who hold power in all its dimensions - visible, invisible, or hidden.

People living in poverty and exclusion are supported to organize individually and collectively to demand greater accountability and fulfillment of their rights.

Action for positive and sustainable change is championed and led by women, young people, and others directly affected by injustice.

Objectives of the MCF- Uganda

Our main objectives are to identify and define vulnerable youth, women and children, their needs and priority programs; to advocate for women and children’s rights; and to enable the local communities to acquire and sustain their capacity to plan, obtain and manage resources which will improve their welfare through;

⦁ Conducting Sensitizations and advocating for peoples’ Fundamental Rights especially for women, youth, People with Disabilities, Prisoners, Vulnerable Children and fight against Marginalization and form(s) of Segregation, legal assistance to people whose rights are abused and denied and availing Education to categories of marginalized and disadvantaged people including Formal Education, Technical skills and Adult Education.

⦁ To educate the deprived and under privilege communities, advocate for their respective basic rights and find basis to incorporate their efforts and mobilization to achieve maximum output to enable their communities thrive in development of local level institutions and assist them in undertaking community based welfare and development interventions. To establish orphanages, new communities schools and upgrading of the existing ones in order to provide Quality education facilities to those most in need. To establish educational centers, schools, colleges, kindergartens for both children and where necessary adults and any other children but not limited to orphans, needy students to eradicate ignorance and poverty and generally improve the social and economic welfare of the community.

⦁ Offering Humanitarian Relief and Development Assistance to all categories of Disadvantaged people as well as promoting increased household income through economic empowerment activities.

⦁ Improving people’s Health through preventive care through conducting sensitizations about a number of community health threats such as HIV/AIDS and offering free Guidance and Counseling, Education to categories of marginalized and disadvantaged people services.

⦁ To work for environmental protection, pollution abatement, water supply and hygienic sanitation and assisting communities in disaster preparedness and mitigation through various relief and rehabilitation programs, Conservation of natural resources, bio-diversity and environmental protection. Raising awareness of environmental issues through advocacy, networking, public interest litigation and education.

Other Subsidiary objectives include;

⦁ Promote Gender Equality, to devise and organize for women and children particularly to their rights to acquire education and improve their health and earnings to ensure full participation at all levels in decision making processes including problem identification & solving, planning, management, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation aimed at sustainability

⦁ To establish resource Centers and other facilities aimed at facilitating our target communities and local level institutions through information, education and communication to fight against social vices such as drug abuse by launching programs aimed at rehabilitation, develop effective linkages with government agencies, nongovernment organizations, and donor agencies working for community development.

⦁ Human resource development and training aimed at skill enhancement and knowledge up gradation in order to ensure better implementation of participatory rural development programs by community partners.

⦁ Implementation of programs aimed at basic health care services (preventive and curative) including maternal health, child health, safe

drinking water, hygienic sanitation, management of waste disposal, population welfare, immunization, etc. leading towards reduced mo7rtality rates.

⦁ Implementation of women welfare and development programs aimed at socio-economic empowerment of women through their participation in all developmental programs. To facilitate easy access to grants and motivate communities for group saving leading towards small enterprise development, improved standard of living and income generating activities aimed at economic empowerment.

Our Approach

⦁ MCF Uganda focuses its interventions on marginalized groups of people living in extreme poverty, especially women, youth, and children.

⦁ MCF Uganda uses social-inclusion, human-rights-based and participatory principles, and analyses.

⦁ MCF Uganda works with local and international partners.

⦁ MCF Uganda engages in campaigns and collective action.

⦁ MCF Uganda Strengthens interactions with State institutions by undertaking joint actions where necessary and creating mutual learning and accountability spaces with State actors.

⦁ MCF Uganda applies a culturally sensitive approach to programming.

Thematic Programs / Areas of Focus

⦁ Help new moms for healthy starts

⦁ Education

⦁ Human Rights Advocacy

⦁ Agriculture

⦁ Skills Development

⦁ Community Empowerment and Development

⦁ Psycho social Support

⦁ Community Development Projects/ Community Physical Infrastructures

⦁ Relief/ Emergency Response and Preparedness

Organizational Values

⦁ TRUE: Ensuring transparency at all levels of our work

⦁ PROFICIENCY: Providing creative expertise and strong commitment

⦁ SOLIDARITY: Within our NGO and with the people we support

⦁ JUSTICE: For everyone

⦁ INTEGRITY: To act according to the values we wish to promote

⦁ FLEXIBILITY: Showing our willingness to change and learn

⦁ CO-EXISTANCE: Value for Co-existence and working hand in hand with other Development Partners including the Government, Donors and the Civil Society.

⦁ ACCOUNTABILITY: To all the actions performed by an individual and Organization.

Approach

MCF-Uganda adopts an inclusive, participatory, self-help, self-sustainable approach through community involvement and formation of volunteer groups in both slums and remote rural areas of Uganda.

Philosophy

Sustainable development is a dynamic process posing various needs at different phases of time. These can be dealt with continuous interventions based on designed frameworks that incorporate the requirements projected by the communities and with the help of the communities by strategizing for public-private partnership.

Scope of Work

MCF-Uganda is a Nation-wide NGO, building strong linkages with international funding agencies, other NGOs, and local agencies working within and outside Uganda. MCF-Uganda enjoys a rich experience of working in the diverse socio-cultural environment of Uganda and an extensive networking with Districts & Central Government, civil society institutions and the media.

Guiding Principles:

MCF-Uganda has the following guiding principles in implementation of its projects/programs:

⦁ Use of applicable knowledge

⦁ Making efforts to achieve highest quality standards

⦁ Promoting a culture of innovation and creativity

⦁ Meeting deadlines

⦁ Enhancing networking and coordination

⦁ Facing challenges

Professional Strength

⦁ Partners.

⦁ Highly qualified, experienced and devoted professionals, board members and staff.

⦁ Adaptability to cope up and meet the requirements of diverse socio cultural environment in Uganda.

⦁ Overwhelming support of local people.

⦁ Acceptance as a representative of common people of the area

⦁ Extensive network to undertake initiatives at grassroots;

⦁ Availability of state-of-the-art modern equipment and tools

⦁ Strong partnerships for undertaking innovative initiatives

Memberships:

⦁ National Bureau for Non-Governmental Organizations

⦁ Uganda Registration Services Bureau

⦁ Uganda National NGO Forum

⦁ Uganda Muslim Supreme Council

⦁ Uganda Human Rights Commission

Management

MCF-Uganda’s Management can be illustrated by the Organization Structure on the next page.

Some of our Current Appeals

Appeal 1: MCF Uganda Orphans’ Support Fund

This is a department at MCF Uganda, that is responsible for designing and implementing programs and projects geared towards supporting the orphans MCF-Uganda aims to provide hope for the future of economically disadvantaged and orphaned Ugandan children who are interested and able to attend school. We strongly believe and strive to see that every orphaned child is sponsored for the duration of their education. MCF Uganda will not stop sponsoring the child after one month or one year just because someone has stopped sponsoring an Orphan; this is what makes our Orphan Support Program unique. Sponsorship continues until they have completed school, which is around 21 or 24 years of age. This sponsorship cycle helps ensure the child has a successful chance to complete their full education and enables them to get a job once they have completed their studies.

As MCF Uganda, it is our responsibility to look after these vulnerable children and provide them with a better quality of life. Orphans live in

our Family homes in a number of Districts across the Nation. Many of these children are living with their siblings and our volunteers, but have lost their fathers, mothers or both. We strive to keep families together to ensure children grow up with love, familiarity and stability. Children with no family at all live in the Orphan Centre with everything they need and are supported by our expert, trained and qualified staff.

We also provide support to orphan families in the form of monetary assistance and school support materials. We ensure families receive the support they need to send their children to school, and to provide good food, clothing and shelter for them.

⦁ Construction of Orphanage Centers

We intend and propose to construct our Orphan Center and home, where we shall care for refugee orphans and orphans from other marginalized communities. Child safeguarding and protection shall be of paramount importance, and we strive to ensure all staff shall be thoroughly trained and equipped to handle our children like treasures. We are comforted by the reduction in risk by establishment of children family units throughout the center. Children shall have a guardian, as well as members of staff they shall reach out for support.

An artistic plan of the MCF-Uganda’s orphanage center

Registration of orphans at MCF-Uganda.

⦁ Monetary home assistance model

Our orphan care monetary home assistance model is that of providing monetary assistance and support to widowed families in their communities and homes. Our staffs and Volunteers who visit the families are trained in child safeguarding and protection, and will have been through a thorough recruitment process. We do regular assessments and visits to ensure that children are being cared for well and that the funds are being used appropriately. A reporting procedure allows for any suspicions or allegations to be raised directly with MCF Orphans’ Support Teams.

While are child-centric programmes are in designated centers and homes, we respond to emergencies all around the country and are always stri1v5ing to support more vulnerable people in need. Our existing systems and procedures enable us to support children with safety, respect and integrity anywhere in Uganda at any time.

⦁ Milandira orphans’ school construction project

The Milandira Orphans’ School is a model educational project developed by The MCF Orphans’ Support Fund; MCF Uganda strives to improve access to, and the quality of primary, secondary, vocational & tertiary education in Uganda, with the objective of affecting an increase intendance, retention and performance of orphaned and vulnerable children, especially for orphans.

After close to five years of promoting orphans’ education within and using other school communities, the number of orphans continuing into further education in Uganda remains low. It is widely recognized that an educated girl or boy will marry later, she or he will have less children and his/her children are likely to obtain a better start in life. While this is true, helping a child stay in education and reach their highest academic potential is a big challenge and even greater in the case of orphaned and vulnerable children. After improving the numbers of orphaned children completing pre-primary then primary school and transiting into secondary school through our Alternative Family Based care model, we still had the problem of higher incidences of pregnancies and drop outs among those who then joined day schools. The absence of parental care, the long distances to school, the lack of basic needs, the challenges of adolescence and the lure of malicious men who take advantage of the situation of the orphans’ vulnerability becomes too tough for these children. This caused us to prioritize boarding school for our orphans thus leading us to greater success. It is from this experience that we wish to build the orphans’ boarding school in order to take orphans’ education a notch higher.

An Artistic impression of Milandira Orphan’s School

Appeal 2: Water and Sanitation Hygiene Project

Uganda is experiencing a water crisis in most parts of the country. In total, that is over 21 million people living without basic access to safe drinking

water. Over 8 million people are drinking from unsafe sources like streams, ponds; unprotected hand dug wells, and more.

MCF-Uganda is aware that water is one of the most profound elements needed in life as it is considered the source of all life. However, what is so essential to our survival and well-being seems to be unattainable to a staggering 2.2 billion people on the globe.

When you donate a well or a bore hole, you give the community a future. Since the Ummah relies on water not only for drinking, but also for washing, cooking, hydrating their animals and watering their crops, your gift ensures a sustainable future for everyone in the community and for the community as a whole.

However, giving impoverished communities access to water is the best kind of giving also because it enables the poor to have access to this basic necessity in life. Remember donating water is considered one of the best charities. We appeal to you to enable us extend water to people and animals

in the rural parts of Uganda.

Appeal 3: Skilling the Youths, young people and PWDs in the slums.

MCF-Uganda intends to carry out the Skilling the Youths, young people and PWDs project in the slums of Uganda at a cost of (£) 5,000 for each skilling/training center in each slum in and around the country’s capital city each year in a period of 4 years. With the project targeting 4,000 youths not in education, employment or training includes survivors of teenage pregnancies (NEETS) and Youth living with Disabilities (PWDs). With each center will reach out to over 1000 participants within that project duration, each center is estimated to offer its services to over 500 participants annually. This is a small number citing just a center per slum and the overwhelming numbers of NEETS. Each center shall have the capacity to provide over 10 technical and/or vocational skills to participants which shall be called modules. We shall start with Bwaise slum, Uganda’s biggest urban slam with over 250,000 youths. This will serve as a model center for the other three (3) skilling centers over the following 3 years.

Target Area & Beneficiaries

⦁ Youth NEETS (not in education, employment or training including survivors of teenage pregnancies), Youth living with Disabilities (PWDs) in the West Nile region of Uganda

Goal

⦁ Contribute to the change of the current population age structure into one that is predominantly of working age group by creating a critical mass of healthy and productive human capital, out of Uganda’s young population age structure.

Outcomes

⦁ Over 1,000 individuals (including youth, women of reproductive age, PWDs and survivors of teenage pregnancies) economically empowered.

⦁ Over 1,000 out of school (adolescents, youth/young adults, including PWDs), directly reached with SRHR/SGBV information, education and social norms transformation.

⦁ start a skills training center within the slum

⦁ Directly impact over 10,000 livelihood s in the area.

⦁ Initiate over 500 internship and employment placement opportunities as well as initiate 10 business start-ups within the slum and indirectly create over 500 employment opportunities for the youths.