Kitovu Mobile AIDS Home Care and Orphans Project (MAHCOP)
On-going educational and psycho-social support for Orphans and Vulnerable Children
Masaka District, Uganda
Background
The focus of the Kitovu Mobile AIDS Home Care Counseling and Orphans Program (MAHCOP) is to enable orphans and vulnerable children who have completed their primary education to continue with secondary and tertiary education. Every step a child moves ahead in their education gives them a better chance to survive.
Kitovu MAHCOP was initiated by Sr. Ursula Sharpe (Medical Missionaries of Mercy) in 1987, caring for people living with HIV/AIDS in their homes. Counseling and HIV-related prevention programs were added. The first volunteer community worker joined Kitovu MAHCOP in 1987; now there are more than 700 volunteers.
Educational support for orphans became increasingly important as MAHCOP developed. Thousands of orphans have received support with school fees, uniforms, and scholastic materials. MAHCOP also supported the community’s construction and rehabilitation of school buildings, teacher trainings, and income-generating activities.
MAHCOP is supporting 140 Orphans and Vulnerable children (OVC) in secondary schools and Tertiary Institutions for the whole of this year. MAHCOP is enabling OVCs to acquire the education necessary to sustain them in life through the provision of school fees, exam fees, and other scholastic materials. To minimize both the short and long term psychological problems, they are providing individual, group and family counselling. They are also encouraging community participation and involvement in orphan care and support through regular community meetings with the beneficiaries.
The Project
With help from the Stephen Lewis Foundation, MAHCOP will:
- Continue supporting 140 orphans in school with school dues, uniforms and other scholastic materials;
- Provide examination fees for 50 of the 140 orphans;
- Follow up with orphans in schools to ascertain their attendance and performance;
- Conduct family visits and follow up orphans that need psychosocial support (PSS);
- Provide medical care services to sick orphans whose guardians cannot afford it;
- Hold community/guardians meetings to discuss issues pertaining to orphans care and support;
- Hold annual orphans conferences in which the orphans are provided with life sustaining skills, coping strategies, career guidance, HIV and sexual-health awareness.
- Provide a salary and transportation for the Supervisor of the orphan school project.
SLF Ref# 05