The Concept of Barlonyo Child Care Project (“Toto” Village):
· A nurturing atmosphere for the orphans and vulnerable children.
· A home and family that promotes spiritual and emotional well-being for disadvantaged children.
· Pre and primary school facilities to provide basic education services to children from 3-15 years in and around Barlonyo.
· Vocational skills training to equip older children from 17+ years and adults for employment as leaders in their local community.
· Integration of community based child care approach into institutional child development centre.
· Psychosocial empowerment centre for orphans and vulnerable children.
· Appreciative to the community involvement.
· Identification, selection and registration of needy children through linkages with the local structures (local council leaders, religious leaders, traditional leaders and education officers).
· Follow up, monitoring and impact evaluation jointly with the community leaders.
Since our goal is to enable the disadvantaged children attain their full human rights by raising and educating them in the community and home areas to live a meaningful life for self and community sustenance.
This will be achieved within the following framework:
The Toto Village, the name given by one of the oldest ladies in Barlonyo, will be a motherly village for several hundreds of vulnerable children for generations to come. The Toto Village is to have twelve units, each having six cottages housing twelve children in each with one African mother. In addition, there will be four residence halls which provide housing accommodations for our children as they enter secondary school. Toto (means mother in local language).
The mothers and residence hall parents receive training on child development and Christian principles to provide a loving home for each child. Each cottage lives together as a family-eating, going to church, playing, and working together. The children and the mothers connect as family. When the children enter junior secondary school they move to a residence hall at the Toto Village which has a married couple who become the mother and father for the children thus providing a fatherly figure for our children.
There will be health unit acting as a drop in centre providing health services to the children at the village and the community in and around Barlonyo. Pregnant mothers including mothers with babies and children are the prime targets.
There is a Chapel in the name “The King of Glory Chapel” inside the village to provide moral, spiritual, social and emotional well being of the children and the community under the leadership of a Chaplain.
A pre school including a primary section with kitchen and dining facilities established within the village so that our children access basic and alternative education on the instruction of high caliber Christian teachers to enable them grow up into whole person.
The vocational training component will provide market based skills in various vocational trades (knitting, tailoring, carpentry/woodworks, masonry, radio repairs, bicycle repairs, motor cycle repairs, bee keeping, pottery, aquatic farming and agro forestry) to women and youth to improve on their income earning opportunities as well rural technology to break the generational cycle of poverty prevalent in Barlonyo and surrounding war ravaged areas in North and East of Lira district.
The Sub office established within Toto Village for collaboration and networking on community outreaches through:-
a) Self Help Groups (savings and credit),
b) Community Evangelism (discipleship and leadership development, Adult literacy and Bible supplies),
c) Peace Building (conflict solving and transformation),
d) Community Development (value formation and participation in sustainable development),
e) Income Generating Activities (improved income earning opportunities at household level).
Key Concept and Focus:
“Touch a Child………………… Touch the Community”
“Develop a Child………………. Preserve the Future of a Nation”
“Develop a Family………………Develop a Community”
“Grow the Poor…………………. Grow the Community”