Saint Paul and Rose Orphans’ Centre

Nurturing Orphaned Children

Location: Eastern Uganda

Saint Paul and Rose Orphans’ Centre:  Grantee in 2014 and 2017

The Saint Paul and Rose Orphans’ Centre provides a loving home, food, clothing, schooling and agricultural training to 36 orphaned children in the village of Buwala, in southeastern Uganda. Paul Bogere, himself an orphan, and his wife Rose were primarily subsistence farmers when they began taking in children that Rose met through her work with the International Justice Mission, an organization that fights sex trafficking, sexual violence, and other forms of human oppression.

The couple initially opened their home to three children who lost their fathers to AIDS, but the number steadily grew as they encountered more youngsters who were living on their own in abject poverty. With some outside help, the Bogeres were eventually able to obtain beds for twenty, make some needed modifications to their home, and take on some cows and goats. A few years ago, they connected with Project Redwood grantee Development in Gardening (DIG), who helped improve and expand the Centre’s gardens, and taught the Bogeres and the children about more effective methods of farming. Project sponsor and GSB 1980 classmate Ann McStay met Paul and Rose as part of a 2011 tour of DIG garden sites and operations in Africa.

Now, the orphanage has a Board of Directors and a staff of five who are working to make the Centre self-sustaining and to eventually increase the number of children it can support to 100. An estimated 2.5 million children in Uganda have been orphaned by AIDS, other diseases, malnutrition, accidents, and war.

GRANT SUMMARY AND PURPOSE

2014: $25,000 to purchase pigs and cows and build a shelter, shed and fence for the livestock; build a kitchen and store combination to support sales of produce and baked goods; and install a rain catchment system and water storage tank.

2017: $25,000 to add latrines and a community center, and to provide income earning training for the orphans and up to 200 local residents.  

IMPACT

Nutritious food and education in marketable skills will serve the children throughout their lives while neighboring residents will potentially increase income by $300-500 per year.