Who are Childcare Kitgum Servants?

Childcare Kitgum Servants (CKS) care for child victims of the vicious and bloody, 20-year, Lord’s Resistance Army rebel war in northern Uganda.

Founded by Irene Gleeson in 1991, Childcare Kitgum Servants are now supporting over 8,000 children in 3 Primary and 2 Vocational schools with free education, two free meals a day, medical care, fresh water and sanitation.
Working through our 400 indigenous staff: teachers, cooks, nurses, builders, mechanics, CKS are creating an educated, sustainable community for the long term social and economic regeneration of northern Uganda.

Based in Kitgum (40 kilometres from the Sudan border) Childcare Kitgum Servants (CKS) provide primary school pupils, many of them ex-child soldiers, seven years of education leading to their Ugandan Primary Leaving Examination. The more practically orientated students go on to attend Childcare Kitgum Servants (CKS) vocational schools to learns skills in tailoring, computer, construction, and carpentry which enables them to earn a living and become self-sufficient.

The LRA war has led to increased poverty in the north, living standards being at least 30% below the rest of Uganda. Uganda itself is ranked 156th poorest out of the 177 countries in the world in terms of life expectancy, literacy, education and income.

The local people, the Acholi tribe, were moved from their own traditional farm lands for fear of abductions, rape and death to the safety of Internally Displaced Person camps, which led to further poverty, malnutrition and high levels of endemic diseases such as Malaria and now AIDS/HIV. This has resulted in many orphan families where the children have no living adult relative. Whilst peace has come, aid agencies have left and the children of northern Uganda have now been left without any resettlement support to restart life in a post-war world. Childcare Kitgum Servants (CKS) support, food and schooling is vital to their survival.

Aims and Goals
To assist as many children as possible in northern Uganda reach their full potential through good nutrition, clean water, schooling and basic medical care.

In Practical Terms
Childcare Kitgum Servants (CKS) is impacting the war-traumatised children and youth of Kitgum through daily activities on the three school sites under the supervision of Director Irene Gleeson and John Paul Kiffasi, Childcare Kitgum Servants (CKS) Uganda Chief Administrator. All sites have water bores provided to ensure freshwater is available. In addition, Childcare Community Churches are providing counselling and practical social services and the CKS 'Mighty Fire' FM Radio Station is giving war traumatised children a voice. Gloryland Junction AIDS Hospice is a sixty bed hospital providing free care and medicine for child and adult AIDS victims. As well as attention and regular meals, infants are provided daily milk formula whilst adults are given anti-retroviral and other required medication.
 

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New Projects
A new Primary School at Orom will provide all children in the area with a Childcare Kitgum Servants (CKS) education, medical assistance, clothing and meals. To help people regain their traditional culture, a Cultural and Arts Studio on the main school site is currently being built.

How can I help?
If you would like to be part in this great rescue operation, every single contribution makes a measurable difference. By making a donation, you will be:

● Supporting CKS to give these desperate children hope and a future.

● A specific donation through Child sponsorship which can enable an individual child to benefit from the free    Childcare Kitgum Servants (CKS) food and education programs.

● Specific projects such as the Water Harvesting Tanks which are collecting the wet season's rainwater to protect the schools’ water supplies.

● Paying for homes and self-sufficiency livestock, seed kits for the child headed orphan families.

'Apwoya' (thank you).