ROCK OF AGES CENTER FOR HOPE

Background

Rock of Ages is a Project registered with the Kampala City Council under a community-based organization (CBO) named “Rock of Ages Center for Hope” with its founder members as; Ms Lucy Lamunu (The Administrator/Center Coordinator), Mr. Gerard Oballim (Agriculturalist/Member), Ms Lilly Laboke Aketo (Member), Ms Susan Apio (Social Worker/Member),and Mr. Robert Olweny (Member)and Mr. David Otonga ( Teacher/Member)

Looking at the plight of the children of Northern Uganda, which has been affected by an over two decades civil war, we the members of Rock of Ages Center for Hope came up to support the project which was already started by Ms Lucy Lamunu on a personal ground and decided to set up a formal orphans’ home with the intension of giving these unfortunate children another chance to live a meaningful and hopeful life.

The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency in northern Uganda, one of Africa’s longest running stretching over two decades, has had devastating effects on the livelihoods of people in the region. Economic activities have been reduced to a bare minimum and other development programs in education and health severely hampered. In the middle of all these are the children whose lives have been severely disrupted and future rendered uncertain. For many years, the insurgents had abducted these children, turned them into child soldiers or sex slaves or forced them into a life of servitude.
Those returning from the bush had been traumatized and gruesomely brainwashed. Many more have lost parents or guardians directly or indirectly due to the war and remain without caregivers. A number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have come in to try and solve some of the most imminent problems like food and water scarcity and poor education, for example, World Vision International, Save the Children, Gulu Support Children Organization-GUSCO in Gulu, Child Care International in Kitgum, some of which have focused on children. However, there are thousands of returnee, orphans and abandoned children, not all of which can be absorbed into these centers or programs. Furthermore, majority of the support has been through the family/household setting implying that children with improper or no family linkages could easily miss out. This is where the concern of the founder members are.

We intend to bring up the children (Orphans of war and other vulnerable children) whose numbers increase daily because of being exposed to the war and other natural calamities and even those who are just a result of the cruelty of this world; This project therefore intends to work alongside other organizations already concerting efforts, and individuals to help in rehabilitating these neglected children who have been relocated to their new home (The Center) where they can experience a lovely home, enjoy the experience of childhood, attain the basic needs of life like shelter, accommodation, education, parental guidance and love, sports and culture and to give them hope for the future.

PROJECT GOAL;

To rehabilitate the children of Northern Uganda in order to transform their thinking and actions and inspire them to facilitate future development in the region.