WHISPERS OF LOVE CHILDREN’S HOME – UGANDA
ORPHAN CRISIS IN UGANDA
Life is extremely difficult for children who have been orphaned in Uganda. Part of Sub Saharan Africa, Uganda shares the issues that all of the other countries in that region face. In addition to extreme poverty and high incidences of malaria and AIDS, there is the ever-looming history of conflict in this part of Africa. The country has experienced hardship in the past as thousands of children left their families to avoid abduction and recruitment into the Lord’s Resistance Army, acquiring for themselves the title of “Night Commuters.” Despite Uganda’s history and extreme improvements over the years, Uganda still faces an orphan crisis. There is still an estimated 3.5 million children in Uganda who were orphaned due to either AIDS or violence. These children, at no fault of their own, face discrimination and are often marginalized because of the culture’s stigma that blames AIDS orphans of committing witchcraft or sorcery. Many live in extreme poverty, and as a result, many children are abandoned or are forced to work. Orphaned and abandoned children are extremely vulnerable to dangers such as trafficking, child labor, and abuse. These children rely on homes such as Whispers of Love for immediate relief from the harsh realities they would otherwise face.
WHISPERS OF LOVE
Whispers of Love is a Ugandan founded organization that addresses the issues associated with the orphan crisis in their community through a children’s home and the provision of school fees, and family services.
Children are referred to this home for many reasons, including the death of both parents, abandonment, and being rescued from abuse, trafficking, and forced child labor. With loving staff, Whispers of Love is a refuge for the most vulnerable children in Uganda.
Currently, Whispers of Love offers three layers of orphan care support for the community in Iganga. These programs include caring for orphaned and vulnerable children through their established children’s home, orphan prevention through a job program for at-risk families, and family support for reunified families.
Serving Orphans Worldwide travels to every orphanage we partner with to ensure needs are legitimate and 100% of funds distributed goes to the livelihood of the children.
PROMINENT ISSUES
HIV/ AIDS
UNAIDS estimates that 1.4 million people in Uganda are living with HIV/AIDs, with 190,000 of them being children. They also reported that nearly 1.1 million children have been orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Uganda.
WAR
UNICEF estimates that nearly 20,000 children have been abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda in the past two decades. These children face unimaginable atrocities, forced to fight and work as slaves.
Destitution
For orphaned and abandoned children in Uganda, poverty makes them even more vulnerable to exploitation and disease.
WE BELIEVE
HOME
Whispers of Love operates out of a campus comprised of dorm rooms where the children sleep, a kitchen, bathrooms, and a pre-school on site. Children have plenty of room to live and play. Currently, they are building a new home for the children as the program has largely outgrown its current place. The home also has a farming project which is helping to sustain the home, employ at-risk families, and teach life skills to the children in care.
HEALTH
The children are provided with proper medical care, and are taken to a nearby hospital if an emergency arises. . The children are given three nutritious meals a day, complete with protein, grains, vegetables and fruit.
FAITH
At Whispers of Love, they are serious about faith! Founded on Christian principles, staff make it a priority to teach the children about the love of Christ through regular devotions and bible studies.
EDUCATION
At Whispers of Love, all the pre-school-aged children are enrolled in school on the premises. Older children are enrolled in a private school offsite. They have the opportunity to learn a variety of subjects and participate in many different school-based activities.
