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AFRICAN CHILDREN'S CHOIR and MUSIC FOR LIFE African Projects |
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"helping Africa's most vunerable children today, so they can help Africa tomorrow"
Currently Music For Life cares for over 6000 orphaned and/or disadvantaged children in crisis areas of Africa in a variety of programs designed to meet the needs of vunerable children in each country.
UGANDA
In the beginning: Previous work in Uganda included teams coming to encourage Christian believers during a time of persecution and civil war during the infamous regime of Idi Amin.
In 1984 the first choir was chosen from needy children. Since then many orphans have been raised in MFL homes and choir children have developed through this leadership training program. Some of these young adults have come full circle helping other needy children and working to rebuild their nation.
Makindye: a guesthouse and choir training academy operates in Kampala for new choirs or teams.
Makerere Offices: house the ministry and sponsorship offices for "Ambassadors of Hope", the Ugandan organization of Music For Life.
Music For Life Primary School: opened in February 2002 for former choir children, starting with 38 children the present enrolment is 64. It is a boarding school, fully equipped with music, literary and computer labs in the Makerere district of Kampala.
Eden Literacy School: in Kantanga slum of Kampala has about 180 students who have not previously been able to attend school. Often these children are orphans and would easily become street children if it were not for this program. The day includes a hot meal, Christian encouragement, school uniforms and a special catch-up literacy curriculum. It is hosted at Eden Revival Church.
Bugalobi Literacy School: similar to the Eden Literacy School in Kampala. It has about 102 students who have not been able to attend school and need extra assistance. It is hosted at Bugalobi Church.
Fields of Life Literacy School: is for about 35 needy teenagers who have not been able to go to school in the Kasangati area outside Kampala. The program also includes practical skills training.
Fields of Life Primary School: sponsorship of 100+ children.
Fields of Life Livestock and Agricultural Farm including dairy cattle, chickens, pigs, gowing maize, beans, coffee, fruits and other vegetables on 100+ acres.
Educational Sponsorships: of primary school children in outside projects are presently at 730 children. Also the sponsorship of another 436 Literacy School Graduates onto outside primary or secondary schools continues their progress, with many hundreds of graduates of the literacy school program over the last 15 years.
Bweyogerere Primary School: sponsorship of 128 children.
African Outreach Academy, Luwero: is a boarding and day primary school in a rural village 40 miles north of Kampala and cares for 395 needy children.
Luwero Agricultural Farm of 35 acres.
Luwero Clinic: cares for the needs of the African Outreach Academy and hundreds of other sponsored children and some family needs in the local community. The clinic provides basic health education for the community. Oversight is by a full time nurse and Dr Robert, who is one of the former choir children. Another young doctor, Dr Fred, was raised and educated through the MFL's program and cares for their children in the greater Kampala area.
Secondary School: education and care of choir and other full care children runs at approx 140 per year.
Trade Schools: education and care of choir and other full care children runs at approx 50 per year.
University: education and care of choir and other full care children runs currently at 12.
Employment of young Africans: who have graduated from MFL's care and educational programs runs at around 20 in such jobs as: choir chaperones, doctors, civil engineers, social workers, teachers, musicians, clerical, tradesmen etc.
Relief Shipments: of
medical, educational equipment and supplies, recently to Uganda and Sudan.
SUDAN
Presently 9 Primary Schools have started in Kajo Keji County in South Sudan with approximately 3450 children and 91 teachers. The first three schools started in 1997. The present schools include Logo (S07), Rugetta (S08), Bori (S09), Kiri (S10), Longira (S11), Kinyiba (S12) and Keriwa (S13). Another 7 Primary Schools are partly assisted, they are Mangalatore (S14), Sokar (S15), Ajio (S16), Kala (S17), Lubule (S18), Ajira (S19) and Litoba (S20). Building projects for some are complete and others are in progress.
Bright Star Academy is a secondary school in Kajo Keji County which operates with about 200 students from those who pass their primary leaving exams in the first primary schools. It is a major facility with the first block built and two others presently under construction.
Liwolo Secondary School receives partial support.
Medical personel visiting these schools conduct a mobile clinic. A clinic building was restored for this project. A motorcycle facilitates staff visits.
There is a Christian Teacher's Training College, the first such school for 20 years in South Sudan. The college consists of about 200 students is based on the Uganda National Curriculum and Teachers Standards. The first graduating class graduated in 2002. Presently students are coming from many areas of South Sudan and volunteers in the HASS (Humanitarian Assistance for South Sudan) are coming to upgrade standards and prepare for expanded education in the south.
A Skills Training Centre for local youth and war widows includes courses in the trades of carpentry, brick laying and tailoring featuring hands on projects.. Graduates are being employed in MFL's own building projects and hired as local trades people.
Leadership Training Seminars and Capacity Building for local community leaders is regulary conducted by visiting international teams: Pastors' Conferences, Conflict Resolution Courses, Education Seminars, Medical Teams, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinics.
Relief Shipments of medical, education, food, agricultural and carpentry equipment is a regular part of the work.
Past relief and development
projects include: work
in Natinga, Kongor and the Nuba Mountains and along with an educational
sponsorship program for 1000 Sudanese refugees in the displaced persons
camps in Lodwar, Kenya for a number of years.
KENYA
Current Sponsorship of 112 former choir children in the following areas, in primary and secondary schools: Nairobi, Eldoret, Kisumu, Machakos and Nanyuki.
Some of the first Kenyan choir children have now reach the place of Trade Schools and programs in the University.
MFL teams conduct
music camps each year for disadvantaged children.
RWANDA
Fifty former Choir Children sponsored are placed in the best primary and secondary schools in Rwanda.
Gisimba Central Orphanage sponsorship covers such things as food, medical, and building developments in the capital city of Kigali.
MFL teams conduct music camps each year for disadvantaged children.
Past projects include
relief supplies, food and equipment for orphanage setups after the genocide
plus post traumatic stress disorder training for teachers, orphanage workers
and community and church leaders.
NIGERIA
King's Kids Academy
located
in Esiama, Imo State, an rural area. Sponsorship of 80 needy children.
12 choir children are also cared for here.
GHANA
The Living Stones Primary
School:
sponsorship of 12 choir children which continues on through secondary school
etc.
SOUTH AFRICA
A base school and office was run in Simons Town outside of Cape Town for 2 years.
A Choir primary and secondary boarding school for a resident choir began in mid 2002.
Outreaches in neighbouring townships have begun with needy children in short music camp formats.
A larger facility, the Music
For Life Center is located in Rhondebosch, a suburb of Cape Town.
It houses a comprehensive education and training being developed and will
feature a secondary school focused on arts and technology for former children
as well as a primary school and training program for children selected
for the choir.