Like many African nations, Uganda is slowly emerging from the shadow of conflict to build a stronger, freer and more stable society. Charitable organizations – both international and local – are playing a major role. Uganda-based charity AVEC International is amongst them.

AVEC International (or Assistance Vulnerability Elderly and Children International) operates in all the districts of Uganda, caring for the elderly, vulnerable children and orphans, addressing the needs of the youth and women and working to prevent family break up.

Founded in April 2013, AVEC International came to be when a group of social workers decided that making a difference in Ugandan society begins with addressing the well-being of its most vulnerable people. They were motivated by the core principle of their profession – restoring a functioning society by improving the quality of life of individuals, groups and communities in Uganda and the world at large.

Improving Life For The Elderly And Children

As in most societies, Uganda’s vulnerable tend to be the elderly and children. The country still has serious issues with children’s rights, with incidents of child sexual abuse, child labour, child theft and even child sacrifice being recorded each year. According to the US Dept of Labor, 30% of children aged 5 to 14 are working children, while Save The Children states that the average girl stays in school until only 10, and parents earn an average of just $1 a day.

The elderly are commonly viewed as a burden, which results in the older generation being overlooked in their own communities. The youth is often inadequately trained and their talents underdeveloped, while women are often without the skills needed to turn ideas and opportunity into money-generating enterprises.

AVEC International seeks to change all that, and has already worked closely with several foreign charities – like German charity GoAhead! – to complete minor projects, and has a volunteer program that has attracted people from several countries. But its own initiatives provide integrated family care and community-based services. The ultimate goal is to enable those most vulnerable to become self-reliant and productive members of society, economically and socially.

External funding has already helped to construct two community schools for orphans and vulnerable children in Kalangalo sub-county, Mityana District. Water storage tanks were installed in Buleera Sub-county to ensure a fully sustainable clean water supply to the elderly communities there, while communities have also been taught effective urban and backyard gardening to help establish a more sustainable and affordable food source.

Empowering Women And Girls, Building Opportunity

In 2016, AVEC will begin one off its largest projects to date – Empowering Women And Girls In Uganda. Beginning in March and running for a two-year period, until March 2018, the project will address one of the biggest problems in Uganda today – excessively high unemployment.

Uganda, like many developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa, suffers from a vacuum of skill development. This is partly due to the national education system, where the curriculum focuses on theories and academics rather than practical trades and skills. As a result, a large section of society – mainly young and old – is unemployed with few prospects on the horizon.

AVEC International hosts weekly meetings with groups of between 20 and 30 women and girls. Most are housewives and widows, and (in many cases) still children. Encouraged by these meetings, the group at the St. Apollo Kivebulaya Church of Uganda, in the Lubaga Division of Kampala, decided to establish a tailoring programme.

Through the project, AVEC International will teach practical skills to the group by training them to make sanitary pads. The benefits would be three-fold:

• empower women and girls with hands-on skills that will enable them to be more active and to generate income in the future
• train young girls to make their own sanitary pads. These are affordable and reusable, which will help to reduce on the number of school girl drop outs and improve hygiene standards for them.
• change young people’s negative perspective on vocational training, often viewed as failure

The main challenge is a lack of resources, with materials and equipment both difficult to get their hands on. Everything from sewing machines to thread is needed, while the women and girls also need to be trained.

AVEC International’s ambition is to build this project into a national one, so that all of Uganda can benefit.  They are already fundraising to help finance the project, setting up a crowd-funding drive BetterPLace.org.

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To find out more about AVEC International and the work they do, check out their MyCharityMap Profile Page.

If you are interested in Volunteering with AVEC International or in Sponsoring A Child, visit the official AVEC International website

To read how AVEC International is helping community make the most of the opportunities presented by Ugandan ecotourism, read our report on MyTravelsMap.

Image: A girl in Kampala, Uganda, smiles on her way to school. Photo taken from AVEC International. Published through Creative Commons (CC 2.0).