Busiita United Women's Group

Families in the Sironko district of Uganda have been overwhelmed by the loss of life, increased disease burden, and severely diminished quality of living—all of which are scars of the HIV and AIDS crisis in Africa. The Busiita United Women's Group was established in 1995 to address some of the socio-economic challenges that have impacted many households in the community and to mitigate the lasting impact of the disease. Busiita's ambition is to teach orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) livelihood skills, thereby giving these children the opportunity to support themselves and their extended families in the future.

The Bantwana Initiative learned about Busiita's commitment to use poultry operations and vegetable gardens to help teenagers meet their health, nutrition, and education needs. Impressed with Busiita's commitment to provide comprehensive support for OVC, Bantwana formed a partnership with the Women's Group, called Strengthening Capacity of OVC Households Project. Bantwana's grant has paid for classes in farming and poultry for the Busiita United Women's Group staff, who then train OVC in farming methods and business skills. The project has also provided OVC households with start-up kits for their livelihood projects. The partnership has invested heavily in teaching OVC about nutrition and in helping the children to follow healthier eating patterns.

Additionally, Bantwana has covered the school fees and costs of scholastic materials, such as books and uniforms, for 24 OVC in primary and secondary schools. Ten community volunteers have been trained in providing psychosocial support to OVC and have observed children in a school setting to gain a better understanding of the social and emotional issues that the OVC face in an educational environment. Additionally, Busiita has created six after-school youth groups that provide adolescents with an opportunity to interact and support each other. The hope is to expand the psychosocial support component of this program to members of the OVC households.