EACO Uganda

EACO’s mission is to reduce poverty and HIV/AIDS through the creation of economic empowerment and educational opportunities and support for disadvantaged groups of people. EACO’s activities are targeted toward vulnerable women, particularly widows and those living with HIV/AIDS, as well as vulnerable children, youth, and the elderly. EACO believes that effective and sustainable development comes through empowerment programmes, where vulnerable members of the community are given the skills, motivation and support to improve their lives and communities.

ORGANIZATIONAL OBJECTIVES

1. To stimulate, promote, and support economic activities in rural communities that improve quality of life for disadvantaged and marginalized persons;

2. To prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and mitigate its effects;

3. To improve agricultural production by making necessary resources available;

4. To build and strengthen the capacity of community groups in order to improve upon management and planning at the local level;

5. To build and strengthen strategic partnerships to maximize and effect change; and

6. To mobilize resources and facilities from key stakeholders, government, and donors so as to implement community programs.

The activities that EACO does include;

1) HIV/AIDS prevention / mitigation and awareness campaign through availing necessary information to the general public by conducting HIV/AIDS seminars, sensitization and workshops on malaria and other diseases.

2) Women development enterprises, here women collaborate with other needy women to foster their own development through setting up different income generating activities that would help to enhance their capability in development.

3) We work with and to support people with Disabilities through a set of different activities like advocating for their rights and concerns, emphasizing working together/ no discrimination among this group of people as other people neglect them.

4) Eradication of Extreme poverty and hunger. This has been done through setting up different income generating activities that would help to improve the conditions of the poor people. We have also started to implement a policy on right to food in order to fight hunger. This is done through provision of seeds to peasants that would help them both to earn a living and use at home as food.

5) Promote gender equality and empowerment of women. This is done through advocating for their rights towards participation in Economic –social development of their localities.

6) We support orphans and other vulnerable children (OVCS) through availing them support and care, access to education which is free. We put much emphasis on the girl child right to education. The organization supports and gives care to over 300 orphans and other vulnerable children.

7) We help, support and care for the Aged. This is among the most neglected group by most development agencies, government and people. This group is not recognized yet its group that helps those in development to stay on the truck through availing ideas as advises. They are abused, neglected, and denied right to participate in development and also in pension giving. Therefore, we advocate for their rights and concerns through creating them income –generation Activities, Shelter development, Food and right to receive pension and development.

8) Health improvement .This is done through to safe and clean water, improved sanitation, fighting of malnutrition ,reduction of child mortality, maternal improved health ,and access to good treatment most especially for those with HIV AIDS, malaria and Tuberculosis.

9) Child welfare .EACO advocates for the concern and rights of children through access to care, protection against molesters\ abusers, stopping child trafficking, stopping child labour and giving them, support in all aspects of life / human rights.

Opportunities from this organization

Train community members in water and sanitation - Volunteers are needed to carry out training of the community on all aspects of the and covering the following activities. • Hygiene promotion • Construction of latrines Hand pump installation and maintenance • The links between water, sanitation and health • The importance and main elements of hygiene-promotion • The complexities in delivering safe water and sanitation • Reporting and monitoring • Disease surveillance • Coordination and partnerships • Water quality testing and monitoring • Environmental sanitation

Community Nutrition & Health for Rural Mukono - We are in need of volunteers for the economic development, community nutrition & health, gender equality and sustainability of rural populations of Mukono and based on the research reports we shall be able to compile a report and look for funds to support and solve the problem in the area of study.

Train rural schools in hygiene and Sanitation - Volunteer have to establish a monitoring and evaluation system to inform decision-makers. They need to know whether the enormous amount of hardware installed in the last ten years is kept in a functioning condition, and act accordingly; whether the hygiene awareness created in the schools is beginning to translate into changed behavior, starting with hand washing; whether it then starts increasingly to influence home-based behavior and that of pupils’ families. Decision-makers also need to be aware of the continuing need for funding, when the big donors leave.

Save Bees by Training the community in biodiversity and conservation in Uganda – The project needs support from volunteers for its activities in apiculture, agriculture, and organic farm work and for providing information to the bee farm's visitors. Volunteers assist farm visitors (with guidance, interpretation,), tree maintenance and reforestation, flower planting and reproduction. Volunteers also help with the small vegetable garden,

Help establish income-generating activities – provide assistance to our projects that create and implement income-generating opportunities for women, children, youth and the elderly.

Office and logistic activities – deliver office support, assist with administrative tasks such as budgeting, accounting, updating paperwork, and maintaining personnel files on children and other beneficiaries. Bring your organizational experience to bear in a different setting.

Project management – develop and write project proposals, write grant proposals, help in fundraising, sensitizing the community about health and sanitation. Write progress reports on EACO projects. Bring your project skills to enhance our skills.

Teach children – teach math, language, science, personal health, and other topics at schools. Organize day-care activities in the roles of teachers, camp counselors and day care workers. Good for people who love children. Bring your games, songs, musical instrument and enthusiasm to the village!

Peers education – deliver training to staff and volunteers on issues relevant to the activities where EACO is involved. Help enhance our knowledge base. Be a co-coordinator of one of our peer education projects or help develop a new peer education project. Be a teacher of teachers.

Train farmers – give our rural beneficiaries information and training on applicable technology for best-of-breed agricultural practices, land conservation, food security, bee keeping and others. Bring your knowledge and ability to teach and work the land.

Medical Volunteers – Volunteers in the field that field can help to Volunteers will help to strengthen Sexual and Reproductive Health for youth through: 1. Capacity Building and Training o To train service providers for Adolescent Friendly SRH Services provision o To train peer educators on communication and counseling skills 2. Institutional Framework o To set up adolescent Reproductive Health Clubs for mobilization both in and out of school adolescents for life skills and other positive reproductive health behaviours. 3. Information Education and Communication o To develop and distribute relevant IEC materials to all RH services delivery points 4. Adolescent SRH Service Delivery o To establish Adolescent Friendly SRH services at all delivery points o To initiate community based recreation activities for adolescents o To explore avenues of setting up income generating activities for adolescents

When: Start Months: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec

Minimum Stay: Minimum: 1 week Maximum: 52 weeks

Accommodation: in Mukono, EACO can arrange for volunteers to stay with a local family or in a guest house. In Maracha the volunteer must stay with the project co-ordinator in the area.

Food: 3 meals per day

In-country orientation/ training

In-country staff support

Language Instruction

Airport pick up and drop off at Entebbe Airport

Over thee weekends we can organize and visit some of the tourist places, this will be at your own expense and can include: Source of the Nile in Jinja, Water falls, Game parks and others.

There are many other tourism opportunities in Uganda.

EACO's key principles on and approach to community development

· The vision and philosophy of EACO is based on the belief that every human being is a unique individual and that we all have a right to good health and basic needs and should access means to a comfortable life in one way or another.

· We believe that the first priority is that people should have a sustainable life. However, almost equally important is that an individual’s life should have meaning and that they should develop independence. This is being achieved through care then empowerment and support. But we need to get infrastructure to give our communities clean water and latrines to stop the spread of disease. It’s really only then we can bring education so that our people understand the overwhelming benefit to them. With improved health comes the ability to be employable to generate income and escape from poverty.

We look forward to receiving your requests, Comments and so on.

If more information is needed, please do feel free to contact me

Empower And Care Organization (EACO) Uganda

Mukono District Kayunga Road Ggulu A Kitete Village

Tel: +256 774 310 393

Email. empuganda@yahoo.com,