Music, Dance and Drama enhances Children's self-esteem.

A Caretaker helping the child to sell vegetables.

Children learn practical skills in farming. Imparting skills in orphans and other vulnerable children is empowering and sustainable solution to their problems.

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Mt. Elgon Self-Help Community Project is a registered non-governmental and community based organization in Uganda that was established in 2004 to respond to the problems faced by children, families and communities in the sub counties of Bumbo and Bumwoni, Manafwa District. Our interventions are mainly in four areas that include; HIV/AIDS, poverty, gender-based violence and environmental degradation. The children in our communities are greatly affected by these ills. Our programs are family and community oriented, a strategy designed to build strong circles of support around children at risk.

Our vision is to have a community where all children have equal access to quality care and support, and to keep their hopes and aspirations unclouded.
 
Our mission is to empower families and communities to provide holistic, consistent, quality care and support to children at risk through training and income generating projects.

The above-mentioned ills have been affecting and continue to affect our children, their families and the communities in many different ways. The social support systems have been eroded; the number of orphans is increasing daily, and many of these children live in poor households without access to adequate food, shelter, clothing, health care and education. Secondary caregivers are struggling to provide for the increasing numbers of orphans in their homes. The children are suffering socially, economically and emotionally. The trauma after the loss of their primary caregivers is far greater than before due to multiple losses encountered along their journeys of life, child abuse, and loss of contacts with other siblings and their property.

There is a high prevalence of HIV in the rural communities, which has been mainly brought about by poverty. The problem is the silence about HIV and the majority of the people have little information on the causes, effects, and prevention of the virus. There is little or no care and support for those infected and affected. The effects of these ills are far reaching and never experienced before in human history!

We do not want to see a future with our society’s children forced to sacrifice their innocence and fend for themselves without a family or cultural value system, failing to remember the safety and nurturing arms of their mothers! Not only will the children’s lives and futures be ruined as they are forced to assume adult roles at such an early stage, but they are also at a greater risk of becoming infected with HIV or turning into hard core criminals. This will rob the society of what would have been responsible and productive individuals.

Mt. Elgon Self-Help Community Project works with the families and communities to support the children. Children belong to the families and communities, and all of our interventions respect this social set up. It is important that their roots, their culture and their ties to their communities are maintained. We create a supportive and therapeutic environment in which children can freely share their experiences of loss, grief and transition and enable the caretakers to understand and acknowledge the difficulties the children face and to help them to effectively cope with challenges in life.

Once the ground is leveled, the project teaches life skills to enable children and caretakers to have a meaningful living. Life skills act as a means of healing from past injuries, and help the children and families to be able to relocate and move on with life in health and more meaningful ways.
 
Our programs include,

• Life Skill Sessions for Children.
• Trauma Counseling.
• Livelihood Promotion.
• HIV/AIDS Programs (Prevention, VCT, Care and Support).
• Formal Education Support.
• Home Visits.
• Child Advocacy.
• Support Women’s Clubs and Community Dialogue of Community Parenting.
• Networking with other community based organizations.
• Capacity Building through Trainings and Livelihood Programs.

Our vision is to have a community where all children at risk have equal access to quality care and support, and to keep their hopes and aspirations unclouded.	Bonny and Emma from Peacecorps visited Mt. Elgon Self-Help Community Project office at Bumbo trading center.	We operate around the slopes of Mt. Elgon. It takes 9 hours to climb up to the top of the mountain.

For donations, partnership or to volunteer write to Linnet Matinyi,
Chairperson, Board of Directors.

info@elgonproject.org

elgoncommunitylink@yahoo.co.uk

P.O BOX 425, Mbale, Uganda

Tel:+256 (0) 782 313239