Welcome to THE Marz Foundation
Message from the Executive Director
Uganda was one of the first countries in which the potential impact of the HIV and AIDS epidemic on children was documented and recognized (Hunter 1990, Müller and Abbas 1990,Dunn et al. 1992). According to Children on the Brink 2000 (Hunter and Williamson 2000),in 1990, 17 percent of Uganda’s children below 15 years old were orphaned. The Uganda National Household Survey conducted by UBOS in 2005/6 identified that 15 percent of Ugandan children (below the age of 18 years old) were orphaned, suggesting that at that time there were approximately two million orphaned children in Uganda.
Orphaned children are just one category of vulnerable children in Uganda, since many more children live in situations that render them vulnerable. Rampant poverty and lack of access to basic services (such as appropriate housing, health care, education, water, sanitation, and proper etiquette) have left many children vulnerable to high risks of exposure to harm.
Today there is an increasing number of children living on the streets, not exclusively because they have lost their parents, but also because of the harsh environment or abuse at home from parents or guardians.
Additionally, with the increasing population growth rate in Uganda coupled with high levels of poverty, continues to impact negatively on children, heightening their vulnerability. Uganda is facing a crisis. Over half of the country's population is under 18, and 78 per cent is under 30. And yet, youth unemployment stands at a 80% second to Niger in the world. The informal sector employs about 90% of the total Non-farm Private workers. A high percentage of young couples (20 to 35 years) who earn a living are employed by the informal sector. Overall women constitute 92%.
The dominant activities in the urban informal sector in Uganda are food processing – e.g. maize milling, baking bread; sell of clothes/ shoes (tyre sandals); metal fabrication; wood products – e.g. furniture, Handcrafts( table cloths, brooms, baskets, mats);construction – e.g. small houses, kiosks; services e.g. (hair dressing, car washing) and Transport (Taxi drivers, cycling).
Activities of such a nature are labour intensive quite involving and take a minimum of 13 hours in a day. Worst still are not bound by employee social protection and benefits. And since Women constitute 92% of the informal sector they are left with little or no time to look after the young ones not even accessing the basic health care package offered by the state.
Some children are kept away from school to care for younger siblings or other sick family members. Of recent there has been quite a number of fire accidents in homes as a result of busy parents who leave kids at home to take care of the cooking and lighting.
In circumstances where a woman carries her baby to work, this baby is exposed to environments like congestion, polluted air with fumes, infections, accidents, poor feeding and worse still socially un desirable behavior.
On the side of the “girl- child” , given the busy schedule of their parents the teen-age girl is left un attended to or guided especially whole day long during school holiday. All this predisposes her to high risks especially early sex debut which may culminate into prostitution since the parents cannot meet all the girl’s requirements due to poverty.
Despite Governments efforts in addressing such problems and a number of Non-Government Organizations, there are still some pockets left unattended to.
With the a fore mentioned, was the birth of the Marz Foundation to “reach the unr/eached” through provision of: services that empower the community access to information, skills training, provision of health education on primary health care, counseling and guidance. A center that caters for the needs of children, the girl child, teenage mothers, youths including a home care setting for early childhood development for babies under 6 years whose mother is whole day engaged in petty business.
Lydia Martha Nakasumba
The Marz Foundation Ltd. P.O.Box 6008 Kampala, Uganda. Situated at Wampewo Gayaza Road.
Tel +256 772 411204 +256 701411203 Email: marzfoundation@gmail.co
Facebook account
“The Marz Foundation”
The Marz Foundation has four implementing arms
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The Marz Day Care Centre and Kindergarten
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The Marz Youth and Children’s Initiative (Community Based Organization)
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The Young Women’s Club
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The International Volunteers Student Exchange programm
Events & Announcements 2018
Through 2018
D0ctor's Medical Centre Kampala located on Gayaza Road Tel. 078855533 is offering frees serices on HPV Vaccine (girls 10 yrs old) and Rota Virus Vaccines (children 1yr to 1 and half years)
Week 4
July
Class days (Parents visitation) & Educational trip
Week 4 November
Fun Week and end of year concert
9th December
Girl Talk 11 to 14 years at the Marz Foundation offices