My Nonprofit Reviews

I just finished leading a team from our church in Iowa to the ChildVoice Center in Uganda. I have been there previously, but not for 5 years. Their have been numerous upgrades to the Center, including a solar system that now provides lighting across the campus, and pumps water from a well into a water tower, from which water flows to variety of spigots across the campus. This saves the students several hours a day they used to spend carrying water up from the well. The campus is very well maintained. The farm is well run, and continues to provide vegetables of many kinds for the students and staff to eat, as well as a variety of protein, including chickens, pork from pigs, and fish from the tilapia ponds; maize provides flour for baking. The program is well run, with a steady guiding hand provided by Dorcas, the principle, and her staff of teachers and counselors. All staff are native Ugandans which is a credit to ChildVoice for providing jobs to the community. While we were there construction was underway for a new toilet facility for the students which will utilize a septic system with flushing provided by the water supply — this will significantly improve the health conditions for the students. The construction is also being done by native Ugandans. A new office building at the Center provides a place for the staff to meet and conduct counseling sessions, etc. In addition, a steady wi-fi connection is available in this building which is important for visiting teams, but also for the staff to communicate with the national ChildVoice office in the U.S. The students, all suffering from severe trauma in their young lives, are showing signs of recovery through a variety of methods, including job skill training which provides confidence and hope for the future, dance, counseling, and sporting activities. In addition, each of the students maintains a small garden plot from which they can earn money selling vegetables at the local market which will be paid to them when they graduate. Overall, ChildVoice is an impressive organization providing Hope to war traumatized young women, not only in the immediate 18 month residential program, but also for the 3-5 year after care program which further increases the chance that these students will become self-supportive for themselves, their children, and even for their extended families in some cases.