For more than 17 years, I Am Someone has partnered with local organisations in the Kasese District of Uganda to provide a safe home, education and long-term support for orphaned and abandoned children. From their humble beginnings, they now have outreach programs across the region serving over 12 different communities. Their ongoing work has witnessed profound change in many of the individuals they have supported.
Many now find themselves in employment - the charity supports kids who have become teachers, construction workers, tailors, electricians, mechanics, chefs, hospitality workers, a lawyer and even a surgeon! With almost 100 children under their scholarship care and over 700 in the school network, many more stories like these lie ahead. I Am Someone's model is conclusively breaking the poverty cycle!
Developing the original Children’s Village with the focus now on outreach work, they have developed a program that will see a new use for the existing Kasese structures. Their vision is to create a multipurpose centre that delivers both education and skills training, a facility that will serve thousands of children in the region for generations to come. The centre will provide skills training through holiday programs covering computers, cooking, sewing and music.
Other activities will include sports, health education, youth support, business guidance, drop-in facilities for at-risk children, environmental awareness, and guest speakers to inspire youth to reach their goals.
During term time, the centre will also offer an affordable and welcoming base for Ugandan schools, community groups and educational organisations visiting the region. The large education centre will also be operated as a space for local agencies to rent. Income generated will help fund the running of the centre and also help cover ongoing costs of education, health care and child-related needs.
A student-run cafe business will be run on site, offering catering and hospitality students the space to learn small business and hone their skills. With the charity's 8-acre farm nearby, the cafe is an ideal space to use produce that they grow.
Old classrooms will be refurbished and become designated Music and Sewing classrooms. Ex-students will help run both facilities, with the sewing school making reusable pads for girls within the communities I Am Someone supports.