A guide to all people who may wish to volunteer with Children's Hope Uganda

Important

Please, follow our volunteer guidelines if you love to volunteer with us as follows

 Children’s Hope Uganda Network

Orphan Care Standards

Our goal is to help our network partners set a new, revolutionary standard for orphan care in third world countries.  Applying current, proven best practices in orphan care; working for the best interest of the children and orphanage staff in the context of the Christian gospel; and observing national laws, the cultural background and ethical values of our national partners. The following is an overview of our network standards of care for partner orphanages.

Children’s Hope Uganda Standards of Care are grounded in a Christian worldview, which affirms that:

• Year of the Lord (Isaiah 61)
• Each child is unique and created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27, 5:1)
• There is a tender place in God’s heart for orphans (Deuteronomy 10:18; Jeremiah 49:11; Psalm 146:9)
• God calls the church to care for and protect orphans (James 1:27; Exodus 22:21, Deuteronomy 24:17; Deuteronomy 24 – 26; Isaiah 1:17)
• Orphans are invited by God to enjoy a full and unhindered relationship with Him (Mark 10:13 – 16; Matthew 19:13 – 15; Luke 18: 15 – 17)
• Each child is born with inherent and unique gifts, abilities and callings
• Care and services are best provided in the context of God-honoring relationships with the ultimate goal of helping each child fully realize his or her God-given potential
• Orphanage staff are highly-valued and equal ministry partners, also created in the image of God with unique gifts, talents, abilities and callings

We believe that at its core, comprehensive orphan care:

• Affirms the dignity and worth of the child
• Provides equal, unhindered access to basic social services
• Advocates to protect the child and his or her inherent rights
• Meets a child’s core emotional, physical, cognitive and spiritual needs
• Helps children become hopeful, self-reliant, contributing members of society
• Is best delivered by God-ordained institutions such as churches, families and schools empowered to be the primary means of Biblical care
• Is rooted in the gospel’s mandate to “make disciples”/Christ-followers, or children who learn to fall in love with Christ and commit to following Him for a lifetime

Children’s Hope Uganda Network’s Standard of Orphan Care

Each orphanage should strive to establish and meet minimum, and then increasing, degrees of the following components of orphan care:

Staffing

Every orphanage should establish reasonable guidelines regarding:

• Low child : staff ratio
• Minimum and desired staff qualifications including:

ü  Education

ü  Background check

ü  Signed statement of faith

ü  Evidence of spiritual growth

Security

Children thrive in a safe, secure and loving environment, which for an orphanage means:

• Clearly communicated rules and responsibilities for a child’s role in the orphanage community
• Clearly explained daily schedule
• Clearly communicated and fairly administered methods of discipline
• Ability for a child to appeal to higher or other levels of authority
• Clearly explained staff positions and responsibilities (as would happen in a family)
• Physically secure buildings

Dignity and Self-Worth

To affirm their God-ordained dignity and worth, every orphan should be ensured:

• A birth certificate
• Celebration of personal special occasions (i.e. birthdays, graduations, etc.)
• Access to counseling to help heal from past issues regarding abuse, neglect, and other forms of emotional brokenness
• Appropriate privacy (i.e. that bedrooms and bathrooms would be age and gender-appropriate)
• Clean living areas
• Clean, fitting and appropriate clothing
• Privileged responsibility to take an active role in helping sustain the orphanage community (i.e. chores as in a family)

Childhood Expression and Development

To promote children’s physical, mental, social and emotional health each orphanage should provide:

• Adequate time for free play in a safe environment

• Opportunity for structured and unstructured sports and recreation
• Clean, safe recreational facilities such as playgrounds, gym equipment and play areas
• The means and opportunity for children to express themselves through art
• Ways to explain, affirm and celebrate the children’s cultural heritage
• Music, dance and drama

Education

In order to discover the world God created and how they were designed to operate within, and eventually contribute to the world, every child should receive:

• A high-quality preschool, nursery school, primary school, and  secondary school education taught by educated, trained, certified and fairly-compensated teachers within low ratio student : teacher classroom settings
• Skills and gifts assessments
• Vocational training opportunities
• Timely delivery of special needs education and services for children with disabilities
• Tutoring and peer assistance when needed
• Opportunities for vocational and/or college scholarship programs

Transition Assistance

Upon reaching the age of 18, every orphan who is transitioning out of the orphanage should be assured of:

• Assistance in securing employment
• Assistance in locating housing
• Regular follow-up by orphanage staff for 3-5 years to ensure successful transition
• An open, welcome invitation for orphans to keep in contact with friends and staff at orphanage during transition

Environmental Standards

To ensure a child’s physical well-being each orphanage should have:

• Adequate sanitation
• Clean drinking water
• Healthful food
• Structurally sound housing

Physical Needs and Health Care

To ensure a child’s optimal physical development and adequate access to health care means that an orphanage should provide children with:

• Annual physical evaluations
• All required immunizations
• Access to immediate first aid for minor illnesses or injuries
• Appropriate, timely medical treatment for illness or injury with local medical staff for moderate or major health issues
• Balanced, nutritious meals as prescribed by a certified dietitian
• Clean drinking water

Life skills

To become confident, capable adults every orphan should receive age-appropriate teaching, reinforcement and encouragement in:

• Personal hygiene
• Communication skills
• Conflict resolution
• Money management
• Dating
• Goal-setting and decision-making
• Civic responsibilities
• Community involvement

Orphanage Operations

We believe that in order to provide orphans and other vulnerable children with high-quality, scripturally-inspired care orphanages should:

• Be financially transparent and accountable to a local Board comprised of diverse members of the local community
• Be committed to integrating biblical principals in all aspects of orphan care
• Be encouraged, supported by, and accountable to, a local Christian church
• Have well-trained, supported and compensated staff
• Maintain and communicate clear lines of authority as a staff
• Maintain positive working relationships with local community, government and other orphanages to decrease the stigma of actual or social orphaning and to solicit local involvement in orphan care
• Establish and maintain well-documented procedures for orphan care and conflict resolution

Daily schedule

6:00 AM-7:00AM	Children take breakfast/bath
7:00 AM-5:00 PM	School Time
5:00 PM-7:00 PM	General cleanliness/games
7:00 PM-9:00 PM	Homework/revision
9:00 PM-10:00 PM	Suppertime/TV time/hang out
10:00 PM/beyond	Light off and sleep

Some Ideas for Helping Out

• Sponsoring a child/project activities
• Helping in feeding children. 
• Teaching English. This could be through reading books, singing songs, helping with English activity books, or any other creative idea that you might have
• Teaching Math/Art/Songs/Dance/Music (there is a guitar available to teach on)
• Help to clean the rooms
• Help to wash the laundry
• Help to feed the animals
• Help with ongoing construction and maintenance if any.
• Helping out at the farm if any
• Giving haircuts to the boys
• Meal preparation
• Gardening
• Interior/Exterior Painting

Some Gift Ideas for the Orphanage

Please check with Vincent before distributing any gifts for the children.

Please know that you are “NOT” required or expected to bring gifts of any kind.  However if you wish to bring gifts or donations, here is a list of helpful items to donate:

• Vitamins/proteins
• Stationary for school/project
• Clothing (for warm climate)
• Children’s shoes
• Playing materials

In many cases, it is most efficient to purchase items while in Uganda, and then donate them to the ministry.  Items such as fresh milk and eggs are always in need, and any donation of these items would be greatly appreciated.

HOW TO BECOME A VOLUNTEER

If you are interested in volunteering at Children’s Hope Uganda, please, contact Levis Katwesigye at katlevis2000@live.com

Please, give a brief introduction about yourself, and the date(s) that you would like to come. Briefly explain how best you think you could contribute to Children’s Hope Uganda as a volunteer to change lives of many. Are there any special talents, skills or something specific in mind you would like to share with the children? If coming with a group, how many volunteers are expected?

Please, do not forget to include your contact information. The scheduling process may take some time, so, endeavor to contact us at least two months before your tentative visit.

Volunteers at the ministry are requested to sign and abide by the volunteer guideline included below,

If you wish to stay for an extended period of time to volunteer, we ask that you fill out further paperwork that includes additional guidelines and agreements.  Please contact Levis Katwesigye for more information.

VOLUNTEER GUIDELINES AND AGREEMENT

Thank you for your support of Children’s Hope Uganda. We hope that your experience here will be mutually beneficial and rewarding for everyone involved.

Since the focus of Children’s Hope Uganda is the welfare, protection and hope restoration for our children, we ask that you follow the few guidelines during your stay. Be aware that at any time, your volunteering assignment may be terminated if you fail to comply with the volunteer guidelines set herein.

Our goal is to create a safe and loving environment for the children of our ministry that promotes their learning and spirit of togetherness. Be aware that your presence at Children’s Hope Uganda will have an impact on the children, the ministry itself and the community at large.

Volunteers shall not take or allow children or any other person from the ministry into their guestroom, or leave the home or school alone with a child or a group of children or any other worker/member of the ministry under any circumstance. Please, conduct yourself as a positive role model to the impressionable children around you.

Please, note that Children’s Hope Uganda shall not be responsible for your stay as a volunteer or for any illness, injuries incurred or any other medical advice. Children’s Hope Uganda shall not be responsible for the loss or damage of personal property.

We thank you for your time and effort spent in helping to enrich the lives of the children at Children’s Hope Uganda. We hope that it will be a fantastic experience for all involved and the Lord will be changed forever as our motto says “Restoring Hope”.

I have READ and AGREE to the guidelines set forth in the volunteer agreement and am aware that failure to adhere to it is a valid reason to terminate my volunteer assignment.

Print your name (as on the passport):

__________________________________________________________

Sign____________________________date_______________   

Arrival date______________________Departure date_________________


Witness Signature___________________________ date_______________

Witness name (printed)__________________________________________

Witness address________________________________________________