You find that most of these children both their parents died and also the immediate relatives and remaining with their grand mothers who are also so old to support and give them the basics of their lively hood.

When you look at them you find that life is meaning less to them and this is what touched us so much that we had to come in with a "ray of hope".

Our ministry has got different departments which need support; we have needy and orphans department, then we have women department here you will find widows who are HIV/AIDS positive and any time they are dying so we are trying to help them live for at least a longer period of time by supporting them in income generating activities, because they still have to support their children but they are unable and weak to engage in long hours of work.

We have the AIDS awareness and campaign department, here we visit churches, institutions, schools, communities youth and women leaders, local leaders, then the evangelism department this works hand in hand with all the departments because we feel we need also to give salvation to the people we are reaching out to and this is the main issue giving hope to people and the children through Jesus Christ.

Our contact is:

AROH-UGANDA, P.O.BOX.5043, JINJA,UGANDA,EASTAFRICA.

E-mail, aroh_Uganda@hotmail.com .

Tel; 256-75- 692681; 077-495072.

May God bless your works, hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely

Mugabi Ronald, Director.
 

1.0     Back Ground AROH - Uganda
“AIM for RESTORATION OF HOPE-UGANDA” is a community based Organization duly registered as per registration certificate number 120268. This organization works through the Civic leaders and Opinion leaders to fight poverty among women and support the education of needy children.

Head Office:    AROH – Uganda
P.O. Box 5043, Jinja
                Tel: 256-075-692681
                                     256-77-495072
WAIRAKA

1.01 History of the Ministry
AIM for RESTORATION OF HOPE-Uganda was formed in 2000 with a Vision to offer Vocational Training for Teenage Orphans and help others go back to formal education for those who have dropped out due to financial constraints, and help where possible widows affected by HIV/AIDS.
 

1.10 Mission Statement
AIM for RESTORATION OF HOPE – Uganda is pro-life Ministry whose mission is to scale up people’s response and mitigate through spiritual, health, socio-economic the needs of communities who are a result of HIV/AIDS.

1.11 Main Goal
The main goal of AROH – Uganda is to ensure the well being of orphaned children, and widows facing welfare problems, especially those affected by HIV/AIDS.

1.12 Main Strategy
Our main strategy of supporting Orphans and Widows is through Formal Education, Vocational Training and Income Generating Activities.

1.13 Main Activities:
§       Sponsoring Education of Orphans by providing school fees and scholastic requirements
§       Supporting Women groups through the women Empowerment Program.
§       Mobile Clinic especially in the rural areas for the rural person is really in need.
§       Creating Awareness in Communities on AIDS/HIV.
§       Evangelism within the Communities, Schools.

1.14 Main Achievements
§       Over 60 children mainly orphans, are directly benefiting through school fees and scholastic requirements in their various schools. Many other children have also benefited from one-time gifts from this organization and through the widows supported by this organization.

§       About 20 women groups mainly widows, have trained with this organization into new skills so that we can now support a lot more orphans indirectly.
 

§         We have put youths in income generating activities has reached very good levels of performance.
 

1.30 Problem Statement
Welfare is the CORE problem to EVERY individual and all hurting families in this country and AROH – Uganda is concerned about the well being of children and women at the individual / house-hold level especially those affected by HIV/AIDS.

The number of children and women seeking assistance form AROH - Uganda is growing rampantly but the organization does not have adequate resources to directly meet the growing demand.

Therefore, the child welfare department has proposed this Family Support Project to assist women that we have trained with revolving funds while indirectly supporting orphans in the long run.

Through our community based representatives and the local leaders, we can assess the most suitable women groups to entrust with some revolving funds as found appropriate. Giving them “a ray of hope” through sowing the seeds of love does it.
 

ORPHANS INFORMATION FOR THE PAGE
Giving them “a ray of hope” through sowing the seeds of love does it.

The alarming number of orphans in Uganda is incomplete. But according to the previous census, Uganda had about 1.5 million orphans. Out of a total population at that time of about 19 million persons, of this numbers it is now estimated that (over 35%) have been orphaned as a result of AIDS. In Uganda, an orphan is defined as a child less than 18 years of age who has lost one or both parents. By the year 2000- WHO estimated that Uganda could have ten times as many AIDS orphans as the U.S. Most infected with HIV/AIDS in Uganda are parents with young children. Uganda has experienced a catastrophic increase in the number of children living in AIDS affected households or struggling to survive after the death of one or both parents. Most of these orphans are living on their own or staying with the extended families. The burden of caring for these orphans often falls upon the shoulders of the aged grand parents at a time when their own health, strength, & economic well being is on the decline. These children are faced with a lot of needs, such as school fees, scholastic materials, and lack of proper housing facilities and medical care.

There is a potential time bomb of crime and civil unrest if we don’t join hands and see how we can support these orphans.

  They are in thousands and thousands.

They are poor; they live in communities, suburbs, villages, and Streets.

They are at home and some in schools.

They are of every color & tribe.
They are your neighbors, friends, and relatives.

They are sisters, and brothers, sons and daughters.

They are as familiar as the faces you see everyday.
“ Sow the seeds of love” sponsor a child.
We are supporting 115 children to attain their formal education, and we have secondary going children who also cannot afford to pay and continue with their secondary education.
 

Orphan

WOMEN/WIDOWS:
In social and economic terms, HIV/AIDS epidemic hits women hardest.

When AIDS cases in women first started getting attention, some studies found that women were not living as long as men were, after being diagnosed. It soon became clear that the epidemic was striking women harder than men, or because women were less responsive to treatment. Rather the reason for shorter survival terms was thought to be socio-economic. Women with AIDS were more likely to be poor, with less access and thus less likely to get prompt medical attention. They were also less likely to get a definitive diagnosis of HIV disease.
The vulnerability of the rural poor women increases; it’s women who shoulder the burden of caring for the sick and the dying.

Caring diverts their energies from economic production that would provide income. Causing food insecurity, decline in nutrition, lack of money to buy medicine thus health decline. Mostly in Uganda women living with HIV/AIDS than men head households. They cannot meet all the basic needs of the families such as Medical care, food, clothing, paying school fees and other welfare.

“So create awareness and take action”, support widows to strengthen their capacity building through implementation.

“Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the 
fatherless, plead for the widows” Isaiah 1:17

HIV/AIDS INFORMATION FOR THE PAGE
MEANING OF AIDS
The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a specific group of diseases or conditions that indicate severe, immune suppression related to infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). AIDS is the late stage of HIV infection, because the immune system has become so weakened by the HIV infection, it allows the development of cancers such as kaposi’s sarcoma and opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis, cryptococcal meningitis, and others which can result in the death of a person with AIDS .In Uganda, chronic wasting, chronic fever, and chronic diarrhea are commonly seen and may lead to death of the person with AIDS. For persons 
with AIDS, mild diseases frequently turn into fatal ones.

In Uganda many of these diseases are commonly in persons with out HIV infection. Thus, it’s very important that patients with possible 
tuberculosis, karposi’s sarcoma, chronic diarrhea and wasting and other infections are referred for HIV testing and counseling.

INCIDENCE AND PREVALENCE OF HIV/AIDS IN UGANDA.
Incidence is the rate of new infections or new cases per year. Prevalence is the level of infection within a community at one point in time.

An estimated 1.5 millions Ugandans are already infected with HIV, out of the total population of 19 million. An additional 500,000 have probably already died of AIDS.

The prevalence of HIV infection varies considerably by region and 
rural/urban location.

HIV prevalence in Uganda is studied primarily through sentinel 
surveillance at selected antenatal clinics and in community cohorts. Thus much more is known about the level of infection in young women than is known about the level of infection in Men. In older women who are not pregnant, and in women who do not go to antenatal clinics little is known.

It now appears that the level of infection in pregnant women attending urban and peril-urban antenatal clinics reached peak in mid 90’s a significant decline in prevalence has been observed and it’s now thought that incidence rates especially in young women have been reduced considerably. Less is known however about the incidence and prevalence of HIV infection in rural women, especially those who do not attend antenatal clinics and about the incidence and prevalence of HIV infection in men.

MEANING OF DECLINES OF HIV INFECTIONS IN UGANDA.
It is important to remember that HIV rates in Uganda remain among the highest in the world and the recent declines do not give any reason to relax HIV prevention efforts. Since infection rates remain high many people in Uganda will continue to develop AIDS in the fore-seeable future. However, these declines do not give encouragement that an intensive AIDS prevention efforts, such as Uganda has developed since early 90’s, can result in behavioral change and hence reduction in the rate of HIV infection.

GLOBAL SITUATION REGARDING HIV/AIDS.
W.H.O estimates that 18.5 million adults and about 1.5 million children have been infected with HIV since the beginning of the pandemic.

By the end of the century, W.H.O estimated that between 30-40 million men, women, children will have been infected with HIV.

Today WHO believes that 7 million individuals infected with HIV have 
developed AIDS, and of these, 5.5 million have died.

By the end of the century, developing countries accounted for 90% of all people with HIV infection.

Sub-Saharan has by far the largest number of people living with HIV 
infection. About 12 million.

HIV is increasingly affecting women, worldwide the cumulative number of infected women reached 15 million by the year 2000.

By the year 2000, as many as 5-10 million lost their mothers or both 
parents to AIDS.

THE IMPACT OF AIDS GLOBALLY.
Solely the number of infected or ill individuals cannot measure the 
importance of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Because AIDS is sexually transmitted infection it mainly strikes adolescents, young adults, and people in early middle age. It is the age group on whom Society relies to raise families, for agriculture production, and other economic activities that contribute to the welfare of families, communities and nations. Thus for every person with AIDS, countless more people are affected by the impact of HIV/AIDS. Hard-won gains in child survival are being erased. In countries that are not yet industrialized or are in the process, AIDS threatens development.

IMPACT OF AIDS IN UGANDA.
AIDS since it was first identified has posed a variety of not only medical, but also social and economic problems.

AGRICULTURAL    PRODUCTION.                                                   
-      Research suggests that the impact of AIDS on the agriculture systems is very much dependant on the stage of the epidemic in that area.
-       Where the epidemic is serious there is a decrease in the area of land cultivated, in the range of crops planted, and in agricultural production. 
-       There is a change from labor-intensive crops to those, which are not as labor intensive.
-       Some areas of the country are in the early impact or pre-impact stages when the effects of the epidemic are not yet readily visible. 

However, these communities are vulnerable should drought or other disaster occur.
 

 DEPEDENCY RATIO. 
With the growing numbers of children who have lost one or both parents, there is now a well documented increasing dependency ratio (the rate of the number of dependant members of society, children and the very sick or elderly, to the number of people they are dependant on)

Many elderly Ugandans normally would be dependant to their adult children are busy caring for their dying adult children or their orphaned grand children.

Those members of society with the most productive capability, those between the ages of 20 and 40, are also the ones with the highest rate s of illness with AIDS.

A high dependency ratio in the population results lowered productivity and the economic, consequences are made worse by a diversion of income from investment and savings to consumption of health care.

In little more than a decade, we’ve learned a tremendous amount about HIV/AIDS. As research and education continue, they can only mean continuing progress in treatment, counseling, sensitization, prevention, progress that can save and prolong the lives and give valid reasons for at least some optimism about the devastating disease.

Identify and create awareness – together we can fight this, support us to reach out to the communities. Please help us as we continue to respond to the ever-changing needs of people affected& infected with the HIV/AIDS in our community a gift is needed and greatly appreciated. “I have showed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of our  lord Jesus, how he said, it is more blessed to give than to receive acts 20: 35.

Community HIV/AIDS outreach.
-       Tackle/handle stigmatization of the victims.
-       Mitigate the health and social -economic impact of HIV/AIDS at individual, household and community level.
-       Effective home visitation for witnessing &counseling.
-       Strengthen the communities to respond to HIV/AIDS epidemic.
-       Set up youth recreational facilities at village community centers.
-       Reduce the further spread of HIV infection.
-       Mobilization for and provision of voluntary counseling and testing services.
-       Open-air sensitization meetings and debates.
-       Produce information on the dangers of S.T.D's and prevention.
-       Support and supervision of activities of communities in collaboration with partner C.B.O's.
-       Training volunteer counselors.
-       Literature distribution.

        10.2     School outreach missions.
-       Plan schools HIV/AIDS programmers.
-       Education and communication activities like music dance and aimed at HIV/AIDS prevention programmes.
-       Training school students to go out as volunteers for HIV/AIDS.
-       Showing films related to HIV/AIDS prevention in order to strengthen awareness in schools.
Health education session (HIV/AIDS awareness, S.T.D's ).
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