HISTORY OF CHILD INITIATIVE AGENCY UGANDA:
Child Initiative Agency (CIA) is an indigenous, non-profit, Community Based Organization that has been operating in Kamwenge district – Western Uganda since September 2009 and is legally and dully registered by Kamwenge District – Community Based Services; Registration Number 0788/09. CIA was founded by the community of Rwentuha in Ntara Subcounty Kamwenge district, led by seven service oriented and child passionate Board Members selected from and by the community members themselves, and with the help of a selfless and dynamic Ugandan Herman Gildo Natuhwera.
Established with the sole objective of generating and sharing right information through research, raising well mentored and psychologically sound children, and aware of the fact that children are the corner stone on which the future of the world lies, CIA has since its inception provided services to Orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC), their households and communities. Our mode of operation has two main prongs: First, we believe in the benefits of providing services directly to children and second, we believe it is imperative to simultaneously work with the households and communities where these children live. Without both aspects of this model, children who benefit from our services will often lack family and community support they need to successfully retain the gains gotten from our services.
LOCATION AND ADDRESS:
The Organization’s Head Office is located on Kabambiro Road, 300 metres off Mbarara Road in Kamwenge Town Council (opposite communication masts)
Its postal address is:
P.O. Box 1471
Kamwenge, Uganda
Telephone: +256(0)777 128 362
Email: childinitiativeuganda@gmail.com
VISION:
A healthy and harmonious community where children enjoy their rights and live their full potential
MISSION:
To empower communities and enhance children’s holistic growth and development in order to live a fulfilled life
MOTTO:
“Fulfilled Living”
OBJECTIVES:
- Raise psychologically sound and economically Empowered children and communities for self sustained livelihoods
- To amplify children’s voices in the fight for their rights
- Promote health and sanitation in the communities for a healthy child
- To help Children access quality Formal Education and equip them with vocational skills for self reliance.
Core Values:
- Transparency
- Time keeping
- Team work
- Selflessness
- Equality
MANAGEMENT/ ADMINISTRATION:
CIA has three levels of management:
Board of Directors: The seven-member CIA Board of Directors (BoD) meets quarterly and is responsible for all major decisions that affect all the operations of CIA. The BoD oversees the secretariat and ensures the smooth running of CIA projects and its financial safety.
Secretariat: The five – member CIA secretariat reports to the BoD and is responsible for the day to day running of the organization. Headed by the Executive Director, the secretariat implements directly the CIA projects and oversees the operation of the community based Volunteers.
Volunteers (Community Ambassadors): The 125 – member team of community-based volunteers reports to the secretariat and leads our efforts to engage and initiate dialogue with the parents, caregivers and communities of our service recipients/ beneficiaries.
PARTNERSHIPS:
CIA has established partnerships with a number of other CSOs. We have reached out to these partners in an ongoing effort to create dialogue from which we can all learn, with the sole objective of raising an all round and whole child and achieving our child well being targets. These partners in development have helped CIA achieve its objectives as well as child well being targets. They include:
- Humane Africa (HA)
- Kabarole Research and Resource Center (KRC)
- Kamwenge District Local Government (KDLG)
- Programme for Accessible Health Communication and Education (PACE)
PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES:
Since its inception, CIA has implemented a number of projects, with a sole objective of raising all round children and empowering them in all spheres of life. Some of these projects were successfully accomplished and phased out; CIA only monitors the progress of the project benefits together with the community, while others are still on-going.
Projects successfully accomplished:
Psycho social Support and Care (PSSP):
This project run with support from SLIDES Family in United Kingdom. The project supported a total of 930 OVC and operated in Kabambiro subcounnty (3 primary schools) and Kamwenge Town Council (7 primary schools). Activities herein were: Guiding OVC care givers, counseling, Career guidance, community mobilization and sensitization on child care and positive parenting, setting up OVC impact groups and training community based child counselors.
Household Progress (HoP):
This project was supported by Kabarole Research and Resource Center (KRC) and Dr.Hutton Theron from USA. The activities in this project were: Demo gardening (Farming God’s way), animal rearing (piggery) and a community microfinance enterprise. It supported a total of 200 peasant farmers and operated in Ntara subcounty.
On-going projects:
Merck for Ugandan Mothers (MUM) Project:
This project is under the maternal and child health programme. The project is being implemented in partnership with Programme for Accessible Health Communication and Education (PACE). It covers two subcounties of Bihanga and Ntara. Under this project, CIA works hand in hand with ProFams established by PACE to ensure good health for mothers and babies. Activities in this project are: identification and training of Maama and Taata Ambassadors, formation of Maama and Taata Clubs in communities, sensitizing mothers on ANC 4+, Health facility delivery and PNC 6@6, sensitizing husbands and family members on support and care for pregnant and nursing mothers, and distribution of Maama Kits to pregnant mothers. The methodology used in this project is Education Through Listening (ETL).
Social Norm Change Project:
This project is under the CPA of Child Protection. In this project, CIA aims at stopping the demand for children’s body parts by way of mutilating and sacrificing them. It is being implemented with financial support from Humane Africa, a UK based charity organization. The project covers the sub counties of Ntara, Kabambiro, Kamwenge, Kanara, Buhanda, Mahyoro and Kamwenge town council. In this project, CIA forms village teams who then meet on a regular basis. Guided by CIA staff, the village team members forward to CIA a community response that they feel can be implemented to best do away with child mutilation and sacrifice. Activities under this project are: conducting community meetings, carrying out community sensitization events, Radio talk shows and allowing the community to commit against child sacrifice by signing pledge cards.
PROSPECTS:
Much as CIA has so far implemented the above mentioned projects, we look ahead towards implementing other child and community well being projects as the future may pose. Guided by right information generated from research, we use an approach that is grassroot and this makes the community own these projects and ensure their sustainability. Working in partnership with other development agencies is our utmost desire as we complement each other.
Great desire is for working with children with disabilities. This project has already been surveyed and there is dire need to implement it. Thanks again to Humane Africa for partnering with us in doing the survey for this project.
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