Canadian Friends of the Pearl Children Care Centre

Canadian Friends of Pearl Children
Challenges

Uganda is known as the Pearl of Africa. Unfortunately, because of war, disease and extreme poverty many children are suffering.

Pearl Children Care Centre in Uganda literally takes children off the streets to give them a home- a bed to sleep in, food and an education.

Funds are needed immediately for:

food;
medical supplies;
vitamin supplements;
shoes;
school supplies

The infant school is still in need of a dormitory for the children to sleep. Also urgent, we need to install indoor plumbing for the girls' dormitory. It is imperative that this be started as soon as possible; it's not safe for girls to go at night.

Space There are many children and there isn't enough space. The "bedrooms" are dark and cramped with ten children to a room- yes ten children! Children sleep on thin, dirty mattresses.
	Ten children sleep in this room
Indoor Plumbing Indoor toilets are greatly needed. Until indoor toilets are installed, girls need to use the latrines outside - and this is dangerous at night. Construction began on indoor plumbing, but by the time the toilet stall, sink and shower rooms were built, the money ran out. There are no actual toilets, sinks and showers. The infant school also uses the pit latrines. We would like to give them indoor plumbing, as well.	An outdoor pit latrine serves as a bathroom. It is dangerous for the girls to use it at night <

Kitchen and Eating Area Kids normally have porridge in the morning, beans and posho for lunch and rice and vegetables (sometimes meat) for supper. They are grateful for a warm meal and a place to sleep. Meals are cooked over an open fire in a brick hut. We are hoping to raise enough money to build a proper kitchen and eating area for the children.
	The kitchen is a brick hut where food is cooked over an open fire
Buildings Most buildings at the Centre have no electricity or indoor plumbing. Bossa, the director of the Centre, walks 5 km to read email at an internet cafe. He also must walk to town to pick up faxes.
	Most of the buildings are dingy huts and have no electricity or running water
Disease Malaria is common in Uganda. At present, sick children must be taken to Jinja Hospital - even for minor problems. We would like to build a healthcare centre on campus to serve the children.
	A child with malaria sits in the dorm
Abandoned Children Due to oppressive poverty, some mothers will abandon their children because of their inability to feed them. Sometimes, babies are even thrown in the garbage and left for dead. The Centre will take in these children and provide them with food, shelter and education.
	The Centre gave this baby a home after she was abandoned by her mother and thrown into the garbage
Education As it is now, the school is basically a dirt hut- built with mud and sticks. Little light comes in from the cut windows and the rooms are very small. There aren't enough school supplies. Still, these children are learning and there is surely hope for a better tomorrow.
	The schoolhouse is a dirt hut built with mud and sticks
Staff Housing The staff live near the centre in rented houses, except for two adults who stay at the centre. We would like all of the staff to be able to live on site at the Centre.
	Another goal is to build on site housing for staff
Self Sufficiency The ultimate goal is for the Centre to be self sufficient without the need of outside help. We want to buy ten acres of land for the infant school, the health clinic and other buildings. We hope that this land will also enable the Centre to farm and grow their own food. The cost per acre is about $4,000. Right now the Centre rents the land they are on.
	Future Pearl architects? Our goal is for the Centre to become self sufficient