In May 2023 we had an awesome privilege of hosting Caroline Coulthard , Katie Bailey and Tendekai Mukoyi-Nkwane at Kisoro OVC (Orphan and Vulnerable Children) Intervention Project in East Africa, Southwest Uganda. The following is a heartfelt testimonial from their Team Leander.

Ms. Caroline Coulthard writes:

𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲!) 💛 In May 2023, I travelled to Kisoro, Uganda to work with Hope Community Action Africa (HCAA) on the Kisoro Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Intervention Project. I had the privilege of making the journey with Katie Bailey and Tendekai Mukoyi-Nkwane, and we were generously hosted by my now dear friend and project lead, Emmanuel Manishimwe.

Kisoro is breathtaking (evidence above), on the border of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Surrounded by rolling green hills, volcanoes, mountain gorillas and lakes, it’s a place of astonishing natural beauty. But beneath that beauty lies the daily reality for many families who are living in deep poverty.

HCAA is working directly with children who are HIV positive, many of which have lost a parent or two to the disease themselves. Through their 3-year intervention model, they send children to school, and they support the whole family, working with caregivers to build a future.

Each child receives school fees, uniforms, materials, a daily meal, and emotional support through a peer counsellor. Meanwhile, their caregiver is supported by a business advisor to build an income-generating activity so that, by year three, they can sustain their family independently.

One memory that’s stayed with me vividly is watching the children receive their school shoes and supplies. I can still see their little faces, beaming with pride as they showed us their new shoes. Even the little 5 year olds proudly shuffled up in shoes a size too big (giving them room to grow over the year) to show us what they had been given. Their joy and gratitude was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

It’s easy to feel helpless in the face of inequality, but it was amazing to witness this work in person, to see the impact that it was having, and to understand the commitment that HCA have to bettering the lives of these precious children.

Every $600 per year raised, brings one more child and their family into this program. Just one donation can contribute towards education, nourishment, stability, and the chance to rewrite the future for an entire family. The two little one’s on the picture above were some of the children to receive their new school shoes that day, and the image of that moment is just as bright and beautiful in my mind as it was nearly 18 months ago. Donating to HCA and to the Kisoro OVC project honestly does deeply impact the lives of children and families who would otherwise have very little support to be able to eat a meal, or have shelter to protect them.

If this speaks to you, please consider supporting the project. You can donate here 👉 https://lnkd.in/ebgEmEc2

and read more about the OVC project here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eMbuDf5u

Thank you so much, Caroline!

Reposted by Emmanuel Manishimwe,

Team Leader Hope Community Action Africa.