Sponsorship
We are especially looking for people who would be willing to make a donation towards the full cost of studying to become a student nurse or midwife. The course lasts two and a half years and we would like to support a maximum of five nurses in any one year group.
Where?
The programme supports children and young adults living in poverty in the vicinity of Kisiizi Hospital in south-west Uganda.
What?
The programme aims to work within the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In particular, it aims to ensure that:
- the educational needs of the young people are met and that they are qualified to earn a living by the time that they graduate from the programme (Articles 28 &29)
- the physical and mental health needs of the young people are met (Articles 24 & 27)
- the nutritional needs of the young people are met (Article 24)
Who?
Children must be very poor to be accepted onto the programme.
They will usually have lost one or both parents or be severely disabled.
A few will have both parents alive but will be victims of physical or sexual abuse and will have been taken into the programme for their safety and wellbeing.
They must not be related to members of staff of Kisiizi Hospital.
How does sponsorship work?
It costs, on average, £30/month to support a child on the programme.
We accept any amount that a sponsor can give, whether that amount supports several children or part of the cost of a single child. All donations are amalgamated into a single pot and divided out according to the children’s needs.
Sponsors can be given the name(s) of (a) child(ren) on the scheme if they would like a personalised connection or they can choose to give into the general pot without being linked to a child.Those who have a named child will usually be sent updates once or twice a year on that child’s academic progress. However, the child has a right to privacy (Article 16 of the Convention) and can elect for this information not to be sent to sponsors.
Can a sponsor contact a child on the programme?
We discourage sponsors and the sponsored children from contacting each other, apart from a Christmas message each year, because of the risks of cultural misunderstandings.
If you do wish to contact a child at any other time it must be done through both the UK and Ugandan programme coordinators. Failure to do this would be in breach of the Kisiizi Partners’ safeguarding policy and could result in the sponsor and/or the child being removed from the programme.
Visitors to Kisiizi may visit any of their linked children (at their own expense). Great care must be taken by the sponsor to avoid revealing phone numbers, websites, email or postal addresses. Whilst adverse consequences are rare, Kisiizi Partners cannot be held liable for any problems, including harassment, that a sponsor may suffer as a result of sharing contact details, whether this was done deliberately or accidentally.
