Network For Africa

Programs: Network for africa, uk (n4a, uk): n4a, uk administers several projects in uganda and rwanda, all with the goal of rebuilding communities after war and genocide, with a special focus on women and children. These projects include the following:aspire: aspire is a yearlong training program for poor and socially vulnerable women in kigali, rwanda. It provides classes on literacy, business, job skills, nutrition, health care, hiv/aids prevention and sensitization, and legal rights. Family planning seminars are available to both women and their partners. Every aspire woman participates in a business cooperatvie with other women, so that all aspire graduates are economically independent or moving towards independence. The program also includes a childcare centre for the women's young children, where the children are fed two nutritious meals a day and participate in play and enriched learning opportunities. Thus far, 350 women have participated in the aspire program. They and their families report meaningful changes in their lives. About 1,400 have thus been positively affected by aspire. Rwanda multi-learning centre (rmlc): the rmlc provides literacy and computer classes for genocide survivors. It opened one of rwanda's first libraries. There is also a music school within the rmlc, where students may take voice and instrument lessons. About 360 students have graduated from rmlc classes. Wanda bakery: the bakery is a cooperative started by a small group of women who had graduated from rmlc classes. With a small grant that allows them to purchase an oven and other kitchen supplies, the bakery serves both the local and ex-pat community and provides food for other n4a projects. The bakery is on its way to becoming self-sustaining. 10 women and their families benefit from this small coop. Patongo counseling community outreach (pcco): pcco is a comprehensive program in the village of patongo in northern uganda, an area particularly devastated by over two decades of war. Many people in patongo were kidnapped as children or teenagers by the lord's resistance army and forced to serve as soldiers and sex slaves. Local community leaders are trained as trauma counselors. Equipped with bicycles, they serve as social workers for their villages. In addition to this trauma counseling program, pcco includes a poultry farm, training for the prevetion and treatment of sexual and gender based violence, community gardens, hiv/aids counseling, and assistance with creating village savings and loans assoications. Pcco also assists with several community cooperatives, including ribbe aye tekko, which is made up exclusively of women. Pcco has worked with the local government council and youth leaders to identify six students to benefit from the lioness fund, which provides scholarships for former child soldiers to attend university.

fair children/youth foundation (fcyf): fcyf is a program of community-based initiatives, especially focusing on empowering deaf children and child-headed households. N4a's grant provided for general operating costs.