Healing Focus Orphanage Centre Busiiro
Village, Luuka District, Uganda

I have been supporting a small Ugandan charity for orphaned children called Healing Focus Orphanage Centre (HFOC). This charity was founded and funded by Tom and Esther Bagoole, themselves orphans, to help children where Tom grew up in Iganga district, one of Uganda’s poorest areas. In Africa and many other African countries, the term ”orphan” includes children who have lost one parent. Most parents have died from HIV/AIDS and related causes. In Uganda there are two types of orphan; single or double, both are present at the Healing Focus Orphanage Centre.

Tom and Esther Bagoole are dedicated to helping to make a better life for the orphaned children in Uganda. As orphans themselves, Tom and Esther survived very difficult childhoods and know exactly how hard life can be for a vulnerable, scared and possibly traumatised child.

Tom built bricks by hand and dug plots to pay for his education and through sheer determination was eventually able to study at university. Esther was homeless from a young age and undertook serving positions to pay for her education, before receiving a scholarship to attend university from which she was awarded a Masters Degree.

When Tom and Esther joined together, they felt moved to do something to address the conditions of the orphans in Uganda. The Healing Focus Orphanage Centre is the result of their dedication to making a positive change. Founded by Tom and Esther, this is a registered Ugandan charity set up with supportive friends and funded from Tom and Esther’s own salaries. Started with 60 children being sheltered in three locations, Tom and Esther eventually decided to establish a school for 250 children.

In 2008 I decided to develop a more proactive relationship with HFOC and work began on establishing a partner charity in the UK. In the summer of 2010, UK Friends of Healing Focus Orphanage Centre (UKHF) became a UK registered charity.

Our work

We are a hands on charity, rolling up our sleeves and getting stuck in at every opportunity. We do fundraising for important improvements as well as providing practical support.

We make regular trips to the Healing Focus Orphanage Centre in Uganda to provide extra support on the ground. During this precious time, we dedicate ourselves to helping in anyway possible. For example, delivering donated equipment and vital medical supplies, assessing the needs of the children, the staff and the local community, enjoying activities like reading singing and sports with the children, painting the classrooms, running workshops for the teachers, scouring the markets for resources plus researching and developing links with NGO's and other orphanages.

Our long term aim is to make the free school, which UKHF have helped Healing Focus Orphanage Centre build and run, into a residential, self-sustaining enterprise, owning it’s own land and buildings while integrated within the local community.

How your help makes a difference

Kind support and donations have helped to make so many positive changes for the orphaned children of Healing Focus, including;

  • Providing regular financial assistance to the HFOC.
  • Funding the building of enough shelter to accommodate four new classrooms as well as the building of seven new latrines.
  • Funding maintenance of the borehole so the school has a good supply of water.
  • Funding local labour and materials to have wooden benches made for the children so that they no longer have to sit on the floor.
  • Establishing a library at the school from donated reading books.
  • Providing textbooks, stationery, equipment and toys.
  • HFOC has been able to establish a solid staff base which includes twelve dedicated teachers and a part time matron.

Our Projects:

UKHF work in collaboration with the Healing Focus Orphanage Centre to ensure the projects that are implemented directly reflect the needs of the Healing Focus children, the staff and the local community. With enough funding and support we can implement the following projects, which are important steps on the journey towards making self-sustenance a reality for the Healing Focus Orphanage Centre.

Land Ownership

At present the Healing Focus Orphanage Centre is located on rented land and there are clear benefits in the centre owning it's own land. The price for land in Uganda is very reasonable compared with western prices.

Piggery

This is a very viable way of generating income for the Healing Focus Orphanage Centre. The produce from pigs is in high demand consistently throughout the year. Pigs grow very quickly so they can be sold at a younger age plus they are not as prone to disease. The materials needed to set up the pens for the pigs are relatively cheap to buy and can last for a long time.

Chicken Farming

The children will benefit greatly from chicken farming as it will provide a steady source of protein in their diet and the free range eggs and poultry will also generate an income for the Healing Focus Orphanage Centre. Establishing a chicken farm is a viable option as it does not require much land space, chickens rarely require a specific type of feed, and are not troubled by rising temperatures caused by climate change.

Agriculture

Most of Uganda is extraordinarily fertile. Uganda's favorable soil conditions and climate have contributed to the country's agricultural success. The main food crops have been plantains, cassava, sweet potatoes, millet, sorghum, corn, beans, and groundnuts. Growing vegetables and other food types will provide a self-sufficient supply of food for the children of Healing Focus as well as a good supply for sale within the local community and beyond.

Sponsorship Programme

We are developing a sponsorship programme which will give UKHF supporters the opportunity to sponsor an orphaned child. This will provide vital funding for the younger children and for the older children who, without sponsorship, would have no chance of progressing onto secondary school education.

How you can help

This is an amazing journey that would not be possible without your kind support and donations. Making even the smallest donation can go a long way in Uganda. 
You can also fundraise for our cause.

Visit us at www.virginmoneygiving.com/charities/ukhf or click our donation button for more options.

Would you like to sponsor a child? Although HFOC is a free school, some pupils are ready to progress to secondary education where they will have to pay 200,000Ush or $100, per term. We have 10 very keen students waiting for funding. Perhaps you could contribute a monthly donation? Just £10 per month would cover essentials supplies for an orphaned child and set them on the road to a brighter future.