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*vim_kcc.txt* *uganda* *copying*
Vim is Charityware. There are no restrictions on using or copying Vim, but I
encourage you to make a donation to charity, see below. If you include Vim on
a CD-ROM you should send me a copy.
If you are happy with Vim, please express that by reading the rest of this
file.
Summer 1993 I spent my holidays in Uganda, working for Kibaale Children's
Centre (KCC) with a Dutch team. I was very impressed with what I experienced
there. Of course I knew Africa from books and television, but actually being
there and talking and working with the people is very different. January 1994
I spent another month there, which made me realize that I could be of help to
these people. Summer 1994 to summer 1995 I spent a whole year at the centre,
working as a volunteer. I have helped to expand the centre and worked in the
area of water and sanitation.
KCC is located in Kibaale, a small town in the south of Uganda, near Tanzania.
The area is known as Rakai District. The population is mostly farmers.
Although people are poor, there is enough food. But this district is
suffering from AIDS more than any other part of the world. Some say that it
started there. Estimations are that 10 to 30% of the Ugandans are infected
with HIV. Because parents die, there are many orphans. In this district
about 60.000 children have lost one or both parents, out of a population of
350.000. And this is still continuing.
The children need a lot of help. The Kibaale Children Centre is working hard
to provide the needy with food, medical care and education. Food and medical
care to keep them healthy now, and education so that they can take care of
themselves in the future. KCC works on a Christian base, but help is given to
children of any religion.
The key to solving the problems in this area is education. This has been
neglected in the past years with president Idi Amin and the following civil
wars. Now that the government is stable again the children and parents have
to learn how to take care of themselves and how to avoid infections. There is
also help for people who are ill and hungry, but the primary goal is to
prevent people from getting ill and to learn how to grow healthy food.
Most of the orphans are living in an extended family. An uncle or older
sister is taking care of them. Because these families are big and the income
(if any) is low, a child is lucky if it gets healthy food. Clothes, medical
care and schooling is beyond its reach. To help these needy children a
sponsorship program was put into place. A child can be financially adopted.
For a few dollars a month KCC sees to it that the child gets indispensable
items, is healthy, goes to school and KCC takes care of anything else that
needs to be done for the child and the family that supports him.
Besides helping the child directly, the environment where the child grows up
needs to be improved. KCC helps schools to improve their teaching methods.
There is a demonstration school at the centre and teacher trainings are given.
Health workers are being trained, hygiene education is carried out and
households are stimulated to build a proper latrine. I helped setting up a
production site for cement slabs. These are used to built a good latrine.
They are sold at a very low price.
A few times a week a health team goes out into small villages to do
immunization, treatment and education. KCC is the only organization in the
area that can provide the transport for this. Patients would otherwise have
to travel hours by bicycle, if they have one. There is no ambulance in the
area and they don't have money to hire a taxi (if there is one). For most
people KCC is the only help they can get.
Now that I'm back in Holland, I would like to continue supporting KCC. To do
this I'm raising funds and organizing the sponsorship program. Please
consider one of these options:
1. Sponsor a child: $15 a month. (Holland: fl 25)
2. Sponsor a child and the improvement of its environment: $25 a month
(Holland: fl 40)
3. Sponsor the health team: Any amount a month or per quarter
4. A one-time donation
Compared with other organizations that do child sponsorship the amounts are
very low. This is because the money goes directly to the centre. Less than
5% is used for administration. This is possible because this is a small
organization that works with volunteers. If you would like to sponsor a
child, you should have the intention to do this for at least a year.
How do you know that the money will be spent right? First of all you have my
personal guarantee as the author of Vim. Further the centre is co-sponsored
and inspected by World Vision, Save the Children Fund and International Child
Care Fund. I have worked with the centre as a volunteer from September 1994
to August 1995. I trust the people that are working there.
If you have any further questions, send me e-mail: mool@oce.nl.
The director of the centre is:
Sekaran Vellasamy
p.o. box 1658
Masaka, Uganda, East Africa
Sending money:
USA and Canada: Contact ICCF in Vancouver. You can send them a one time
donation directly. Ask for information about sponsorship.
International Child Care Fund
3456 Fraser street
Vancouver, B.C. V5V 4C4
Canada
Fax: 604-8761448
Holland: Use one of my accounts:
Rabobank Venlo, nr. 3765.05.117
Postbank, nr. 1644503
Europe: To avoid banking costs the best thing is to send me a
Eurocheque, written out to "Bram Moolenaar" in Dutch Guilders
(fl). But any other method should work. Ask for information
about sponsorship.
stichting ICCF Holland
Bram Moolenaar
Clematisstraat 30
5925 BE Venlo
The Netherlands.
Others: Transfer the money to one of my accounts if possible.
Otherwise, send a cheque in US dollars to the above address.
Minimal amount: $70 (my bank does not accept smaller amounts
for foreign cheques)
Bram Moolenaar
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