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Activities and Programs
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Dental care done to sponsored
children Doctor Barasa Edulating the parents of
the children
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To ensure that all children meet their Rights, we have
PHC programme which has a lot of combination of many
activities. We promote child survival and development
by ensuring that all sponsored children get medical
examination at least twice in a year and all immunized
against deadly illness e.g. Measles and T.B.
This is done through collaboration with Ministry of
health staff, HIV/AIDS awareness/ Reproductive health,
shelter, water/ Sanitation.
STI/ HIV/ AIDS interventions involves preventive,
curative and supportive measures all in one. The curative
component involves training of community health workers.
How to manage STI and Counseling for the HIV/ AIDS infected
and affected families.
In support initiatives, community based HIV/ AIDS
counselors, home-based careers and peer educators provide
basic health and emotional care for the infected and
affected members of the community. They work with village
health committees. TOT's training of trainers and other
community resource persons and social workers, identify
families and orphan children who require special support.
This is mostly done using education information education
and communication approaches
As HIV and Malaria takes of as a killing disease in
the community, we have a lot of ignorance on other diseases
like dental care, or worms which deteriorate the health
of many children. According to the medical examination
carried out during the previous year, we realized that
70% of the sponsored children under 12 years were infected
with worms and dental problems, Dr. Barasa ( Dental
Specialist) from the Ministry, conducted the examination
and treated them. ( See photograph).
To gap the health problems to our children and their
families, we require trained personnel and equipment
in the programme.
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Widowed women displaying
their hand craft that is used to generate income.
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During the previous year, we lost a number of women
in the programme due to HIV/AIDS and other health problems.
The organization has taken initiatives of educating
the families on reproductive health and HIV/AIDS. Most
of the resources we got through networking with international
organizations like Boston's Women Health Book collective,
US Department of Health and Human Resources, strategies
for Hope Series U.K.
In the programme, we have included gender initiate
and Human rights because of the problem women face eg.
Inheritance of the property after the death of their
husbands, sexual rights, violence, cultural affairs
and civic education.
 Over
70% of the enrolled parents or caregivers live in poor
conditions and some do not have houses at all. After
the death of their spouses, the culture say , "
the houses should be demolished and yet the family cannot
afford to build a new house. The organization is trying
to discourage wife inheritance to reduce the spread
of HIV/AIDS. So far, the little funds we received during
the previous year, we constructed three houses for :
Pamela Sikuku C/N 563, Bernard Wanambuko C/N 811 and
Carolyne Mulongo C/N 694. This prompted an emergency
action to save the families from the cold with this
alarming Malaria. However caregivers need a lot of education
on human rights, succession and inheritance of family
property.
Many families walk kilometers in search for water
and firewood. The organization is trying to encourage
community participation in environmental protection
by the increase of planting trees and protecting wells
and springs. Clients are being assisted to learn the
importance of clearing the bush around their houses
to prevent spread of mosquitoes. Sponsored children
plant trees yearly and the families are encouraged to
built dish racks where to place utensils after washing
/ keeping their houses clean. ( See Photo)
BFHP has eleven (11) women groups (CBO's) Community
based organization all over the district. The CBO's
consist of women widows who are the caregivers of orphan
children. To fight poverty by meeting the needs of the
children, the organization has used innovative approaches
where the clients identify their own needs to overcome
poverty. The Project staff train members on business
management, Agriculture, team building, networking,
market research, food storage and saving mobilization
through village banks. Craft work has proved viable
to the project with the main aim of reducing poverty
at house hold level.
Micro-credit is one of the most effective tools we use
to fight against poverty. Its not charity, but investment
and to understand we need to look at poverty in the
world today. HIV/AIDS has left many families with poverty
because of treatment, funeral expenses, food and a lot
of property has been sold to overcome such burdens.
For sustainability purposes, in order to continue treating
the sick and care of the orphans we require funds to
improve the livelihood of this community.
WHAT IS DONE IN MICRO-CREDIT
We have established Village banks where each group consists
of 30 to 50 women who come together to contribute at
least US 1 every month to put on their account. Later
when money has accumulated, they start borrowing as
loans to run small business and repay back with small
interest. In this village banks, other members have
started establishing Pig Banks, sheep, diary cow Banks.
HOW IT FUNCTIONS: Ten members contribute money, they
buy a pig/ sheep/ sheep/ cow and lend them to two/ three
members. After calving, they return the calf to the
group and it is given to another member.
Village Bank activities provided a number of members
destitute mothers with the means to improve their family's
income, their children's health and nutrition and their
own self esteem. This has also encouraged organic farming
and food security is also increasing.
Agriculture being the main activity not only in the
project area but in the country as a whole, the project
is concerned with food security amongst our children.
The food has declined due to high prices of fertilizers
and hybrid seeds. The artificial fertilizers has also
saturated the soil as such there's
Low production. BFHP assist our beneficiaries in training
on using organic manure to increase food production
and also enrich our soils. We have also organized ox-ploughs
as alternative to expansive tractor with the assistance
of funds from the organization, three women groups have
been able to purchase their own oxen and ox-ploughs,
the project is now benefiting over 250 families. We
also
encourage women to establish their own seed banks to
reduce cost of buying the new ones from stores.
With the on-going famine following prolonged drought,
the organization has had to buy food to assist families
of sponsored children to feed their children. This has
made the organization to start food programme to some
schools.
Dairy cows have been bought for some families to improve
nutrition statues of the children and also as means
of improving economically through selling of milk and
improvement of soil texture.
( See Photo)
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children of Makutano primary
school
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The number of total orphans is on the increase daily.
Many children especially girls take up the lead of taking
care of their young siblings, as such they drop out
of school. B.F.H.P is taking the initiative of approaching
extended families in the community and well-wishers
to take up the burden. However, with today's poverty
and large families, its becoming almost impossible.
Some of these children have been referred to institutions
but in the near future, there'll be no space in the
institution. We are faced with a big challenge. The
families are loosing meaning because after the death
of both parents, the children will be scattered in the
relatives to work as house maids or cowboys. The organization
is taking it seriously by providing education on child
advocacy and educating them on Children's Rights, guiding
and counseling. Girls are becoming heads of the households
as such there's high increase in school dropouts.
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sponsored children in
various schools
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Most of our sponsored children are still in pre-primary
and primary schools. A few have joined secondary schools
but school fees is very high; we cannot afford. A few
of the children who have dropped out joined vocational
training centres and farm schools where we train them
on Agricultural activities.
Pre-primary schools have been attached to public primary
school. A few people have started private nursery schools.
Our women groups have tried to establish day care services
to assist their children.
At the close of the year, over 1,700 children were in
various primary schools in the project area.
All the schools have inadequate facilities that vary
from lack of school desks, text books, school uniforms
and other children attend class under the scotching
tropical sun or harsh rainy conditions, therefore, there
is little concentration on their school work.
The organization in collaboration with other communities
has taken the initiative of soliciting for funds to
enable us buy such equipments at school so that our
children are comfortable at school.
For the case of children learning in the open air,
the organization provides assistance in material form
to schools that have their sponsored children. Iron
sheets for instance are given to roof the erected structures.
Desks, story books and cement for construction.
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