Welcome to Diary of a Muzungu! This week’s guest post is by Agwang Aidah, who is the Communications Officer at Ugandans Adopt. She writes to us about her work and why she believes it is so important:
“Ugandans Adopt was founded on the belief that all children deserve to grow up with a loving family, instead of in institutional care.
During my interview for this role, I remember being asked what I thought about adoption in Uganda. I told the interview panel that I believed, while it is a relatively new concept in Uganda, all we had to do was put the word out.
My task as Communications Officer is to run our Ugandans Adopt multi media campaign promoting adoption in Uganda, supported by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development. 11 months later we have discovered the huge appetite that Ugandans have for adoption and have shattered the myth that “Ugandans aren’t interested in adoption.”
At our emergency care centre in Kampala, Malaika Babies’ Home, we provide short-term care for babies until we can find them a family. I’m usually based at our small offices at Malaika and every day brings something new. Seeing a little one go home to a loving family and how they blossom thereafter, are some of the special moments that I never tire of.
Love, home and family. The building blocks of a happy life
There have been times after I have accompanied our Social Work Team to collect a child who has been abandoned when I could almost break down but, fortunately, this is always short lived. In our care, the babies are so quick to thrive and, above all, love again.
To date we have 28 Ugandan families and individuals who have adopted children from Malaika and another 35 who are on a waiting list to adopt. Our social workers are currently assessing even more people who are interested in adopting, too. Our Ugandans Adopt Facebook page has 3,403 followers to date and growing every day. The Ugandan media has embraced our campaign and we have been able to appear on major media outlets like The Sunday Vision. I think it’s safe to say Ugandans’ are definitely more than just interested in adoption.
What makes my job so worthwhile is not just seeing a child go home but knowing, after our social workers conduct follow up visits, how truly happy the children are. It always brings a smile to my face. It is why I do what I do.
Sunday Vision Article. Ugandans Adopt
At Ugandans Adopt we strongly believe that every child belongs in a family – and we couldn’t achieve this without our supporters.
Thank you so much from all the team at Ugandans Adopt for helping us “make families instead of orphans.”
To find out more about our Ugandans Adopt Campaign, call Agwang Aidah on +256 776110304 or send an email to adoption@childsifoundation.org
You can also visit the Ugandans Adopt website and become a Fan on Facebook or follow Ugandans Adopt and Child’s i Foundation on Twitter. The site is in Luganda and English.
The Muzungu: thanks Aidah for an insight into the great work you’re doing, creating happy families. Keep up the good work!
“Why orphanage tours are wrong” is a guest post by childcare expert Mark Riley that asks tourists to rethink their motives for visiting or volunteering at orphanages. While we might think we are helping, the effects on these vulnerable children can be negative and long-lasting.