A compassionate response
Talemwa -meaning "God never fails" in the local dialect- is a Christian initiative, set up in 2008 to provide support to orphans and vulnerable abandoned children in the desperately poor area of Kaliro district, in Eastern Uganda. It is a compassionate response to the acute needs in this region.
Our aim is to give these children a helping hand to realise their potential and break out of the poverty trap that they come to accept as their fate.
Sahan Thalayasingam with orphans & vulnerable children in the poor region of Kaliro. Uganda 2010.
Sugi Thalayasingam visiting some of the children in their homes. Kaliro, Uganda 2010.
Why Kaliro
Kaliro is a district 120 miles North East of Kampala comprising a number of small villages with 186,000 or so inhabitants. Villagers subsist through small-scale farming or fishing in lakes and rivers. Poverty, death and disease are ever-present threats for Kaliro.
Many people live on less than $1 a day and average life expectancy is around 40 years.
Malaria and HIV are the main causes of death but death during childbirth or due to accidents is also common. A lack of medical care means untreated injuries often become infected, with fatal consequences.
Kaliro is home to hundreds of children who have lost one or both parents and are left to fend for themselves. Poverty, disease and death have also blighted the educational prospects of these children.
Although primary education is free in Uganda, the child’s parent/guardian has to pay for the child’s uniform, scholastic material, books and midday meal. Owing to a lack of funds or parental interest (ailing adults often rely on children to perform essential household chores and look after siblings), around 30% of primary school pupils leave school before completing their primary education. Of those that do pass primary 7, only 45% progress to secondary education.
Our aim
Along with caring for these very vulnerable children, we are working with the local community to address other needs:
-food security
-sanitation
-access to potable water
-education
We long to bring about lasting change. We want to lift Kaliro’s people out of poverty and dependency.