**Fatshimetry: Grandmothers Reinventing the Future of Vulnerable Children in Uganda**
In Kanungu District, western Uganda, where HIV and poverty have left many children without parents, a community of grandmothers is reshaping their futures, one home at a time.
The Nyaka Grandmothers Programme has empowered over 20,000 grandmothers to take charge of the education and development of over 80,000 orphaned and vulnerable children.
What started as a simple gesture 20 years ago has become a transformative community initiative for thousands of families.
Founder Twesigye Jackson Kaguri says, “We went house to house in the community where the first Nyaka Primary School is located and asked the women to host the children while they attended school from Monday to Friday.”
The results were conclusive. The children now had easier access to school, thanks to the nearby shelters where they resided.
“We saw greater participation in school, better attendance and we saw that it was working for our children. But we wondered what we could do for these women who were volunteering to take in these children without being paid. We decided to evolve the programme and include benefits for these women whom we call Nyaka Grandmothers,” Kaguri explains.
At 60, Kyarikunda Georgina lost her husband in 2005. We find her grinding sorghum on a stone while the children sweep the yard.
With her only child gone, married and living in another town, instead of living a solitary life, she decided to take care of the children who needed a home. Today, she has eight children in her care and has found meaning in her volunteer work.
“Giving and supporting children is not about how rich or how much money you have. There are people who have a lot of money but have not helped, but through my example, others are starting to get involved in helping children,” Kyarikunda says.
She is a role model for many older women in the community. “Many people have learned from me through the passion I have for these children who are not mine. For example, there is a grandmother in the neighbourhood who now has a lot of responsibility but is involved because of what she sees me doing,” she says.
For the children in the care of these grandmothers, life is different. Jordan, 15, in Kyarikunda’s care, says, “I feel good living with my grandmother because she provides what we need. When I grow up, I want to be a doctor.”
Prima, barely a teenager, has already been confronted with the harsh realities of life. However, she remains hopeful. “I was in CM1 and I was promoted to CM2. I thank my grandmother because she has provided for all our needs. She paid the school fees for the term and we received the report card. When I grow up, I want to be a teacher.”
On this cold day, five grandmothers with children in their care have come to visit Kyarikunda. They stay in touch and meet from time to time to exchange simple business ideas.
Many of these women have lost their own children to HIV.
The program offers a holistic approach to rebuilding families, while providing educational opportunities and economic support.
Recruitment is based on social values such as care, resilience and a sense of community.
“We hope that our grandmothers will be role models in society. They should at least serve as examples so that even those who grow up with them can see them as caring people. We don’t tolerate smokers, drinkers or those with bad habits,” says Denesi Niwarinda, coordinator of the Nyaka Grandmothers Programme.
As the programme expands to other districts, these grandmothers are rebuilding their own lives while raising the next generation.
They are not just caregivers, they are heroes.
*Raziah Athman, for Fatshimetrie*
Africanews.