Nursery school sets sights high

Child of Hope is a small organisation with big ambitions. They are improving the future for the slum area of Mbale, Uganda one child at a time. Child of Hope Uganda is registered as an NGO in Uganda and is a registered charity in the UK, to help them raise the funds they need. Child of Hope believes that if we can change the life path of just one child, you have also helped their family, friends and the rest of their community along the way. They want to make a positive contribution and impact in building a sound, sober, healthy and empowered generation.  

Co-founder Moses Okotel was a social worker before he set up Child of Hope with his wife, Bex Okotel. What started out as a small nursery for children in the slums has developed into an over-subscribed holistic education and social welfare service that has totally transformed the lives of hundreds of Ugandan children. 

They provide free education to children in need, as well as offering free meals, clothing and healthcare for the children who attend their school. They also operate an innovative business development service for local families, offering start up grants so that people can start their own small business and support their families. 

Their welfare team works with families in the slums to ensure children can attend school and that absenteeism is kept to a minimum.  Their drive and passion has seen them continue to grow over the past three years. Soon they hope to expand their services so they can accommodate up to 600 children between the ages of 3 and 11. They are currently half way through an ambitious build project that will give them the space they need for their continued expansion.

So far, colleagues from Ernst & Young have completed an action learning programme with Child of Hope and are currently helping them to identify sustainable funding streams to assist in their future development. Individuals from the International Learning Opportunities have helped them develop effective working practices, both in the school and within the social welfare team. 

“We cannot grow and reach our true potential if we operate in isolation and so when the opportunity came along to work with Emerging World we jumped at the chance,” explains Bex Okotel, co-founder and managing director Child of Hope Uganda. “As a direct result of our assignments, we now have more clearly defined work processes, better trained workers and a better understanding of how we will secure the longer term financial stability of our organisation. I hope that the individuals who came here realise just what they have given to Child of Hope and that in return, they themselves have gained a lot in working with us.”