Train a Foster Parent Program

The Problem

For every three Ugandans who were lifted out of poverty, two fell back into poverty, illustrating the agility of the gains realized by the poorest households. Safety nets are an essential integral part of any sustainable development plan.

 

Source: Worldbank Uganda Poverty Assessment: 2016

Business Mission and Vision

To create business safety nets for foster parents, youths and at-risk low-income families.

 

Every active participant will gain skills, tools and financial literacy to raise their foster child without sole dependence on donations for basic needs.

Kyanja Community Center hosts weekly skills training meetings for foster parents and at risk low income parents. Mainly women are utilizing this program although it is open to both genders. Local women meet and exchange ideas about life while they learn new income generating skills in making leather sandals, arts and crafts and how to bake bread. During this social time women share bible scriptures, testimonies, jokes and connect with each other and may access referrals for health care or other services from our partner non profits. Women also take part in budgeting and money management classes which help them provide supplemental income, reduce financial stress and improve harmony in their marriages and families. Foster Parents are given working capital to build their business ideas as they train other women to increase their speed and quality of production.

What We Promote

SUSTAINABLE ORPHAN CARE

  • Culturally appropriate foster care family solutions
  • Registering all informal local child and youth adoptions
  • Monitoring child and youth financial needs within their foster family
  • Transforming orphanage spaces into community resource centers

SELF SUFFICIENCY

  • Financial literacy through tools and information targeted at foster mothers and youth in foster care.
  • Money management tips, budgeting, debt payment, and building an emergency fund.
  • A hand up to foster mothers and youth to break the cycle of poverty.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

  • Business and leadership development for foster parents and youth to thrive in orphan care
  • Identifying business subject matter leaders and training them to become trainers.
  • Business documentation for monitoring and evaluation of transfer results.

ACCOUNTABILITY

  • Peer to peer division of labor, allocation of responsibility.
  • Group decisions in cost of production and selling price.
  • Group effort in speed of production and marketing strategies.
  • Transparent profit sharing and credit limits.

BASED ON LOCAL CREDIBILITY – All participants are local village members

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY – Each working group (about 10 members) sets its own weekly monetary goal, short and long term objectives.

WORKING BUDGET – Each working group commits to a budget, sets cash flow on procurement and recruits the best members, and distributes its work.

COMMUNITY NETWORK – For Foster Parents, we provide – Business mentors, an operational and contingency budget to address unforeseen expenditures that could disrupt progress.

Empowerment Timeline

EXTREME POVERTY

POVERTY LINE ENTRY

STAGE ONE

Consumption Support
Business Skill Collection

BREAKING EVEN

3 YEARS

STAGE TWO

Skills Training, Division of Labor
Good Customer Relations
Budgeting, Saving Services

SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS

5 YEARS

STAGE THREE

Quality Work, Efficiency
Assets & Skill Transfer
Self Sufficiency

Impact

BEAD BAGS

4 Working Groups

LEATHER SHOES

3 Working Groups

MATS AND CRAFTS

5 Working Groups