What we do

What we do.

COAC Foundation is a frontline non-profit organization working towards empowering OVCs under the direct care of elderly-headed families with the overall goal of Restoring Hope and achieving a positive impact in Ssese Islands community (Kalangala District). We identify areas where basic needs are not met or are extremely insufficient and our philanthropic engagements support elderly struggling families because they are marginalized and their grandchildren born in a lower socio-economic class of society. COAC Foundation programs are categorized into four segments namely:

Health Care

Ssese Islands that form Kalangala District is made up of 84 Islands with 64 inhabiting people. The entire district has 15 Health facilities (2 HC IVs, 6 HC IIIs, and 7 HC IIs but only 7 out of 64 islands are with health facilities.

There’s only one medical personnel for every 6,000 people, a number of islands have no health facilities neither the poor bereaved elderly and their OVCs can’t afford to meet health charges in nearby private dispensaries nor to reach these distant Health Centers. COAC Foundation fills in the gaps with basic health care services, consistently serving in the hard-to-reach Ssese Island communities.

Home-based Health Care workers mostly volunteers, conduct elderly home outreaches visiting different islands and travelling great distances. We make purposeful visits to elderly headed homesteads that involve dispensing drugs, provide counseling and carry out household chores.

We identify families that are struggling and need more support, talk with the children to ensure that their needs are being met. Transport challenges pose a great problem limiting inter-connectivity between the numerous Islands. This largely reduces access to Health Care Services. We bridge the gap and serve communities that would otherwise miss out through organizing free Health Camps.

We provide palliative care for the bedridden. Above all, we provide a vital service and deliver healing, health and hope to the individuals and families in their care. We train and support, and helping to facilitate the creation of networks of community health care workers that allow for meaningful exchanges of information among the projects.

OVC (REACH THE CHILD)

HIV/AIDS has had a bully impact on the Children of Ssese Islands; children under the age of 17 have been orphaned by AIDS and some have been born with the calamity. Majority of them are left under the care of poor, old and weak grandparents especially women. Vulnerable as they are, they easily drop out of school to help take care of their aging Grandparents and some end up taking the leading role in the family (Child-headed families). It is well understood that poor uneducated children grow up to be poor uneducated adults, children from poor families are less likely to complete school because of the associated costs of attending school. Survival is the first priority and the rest become luxury items.

COAC Foundation comes in to mobilize, identify and assist these OVCs by providing them with, the very basic needs (shelter, education and medicine) to ensure that they too have equal chances to attend school, learn how to protect themselves from the virus and flourish, especially when they are looking after their siblings in child-headed households.

Grandma support

At least every family in Ssese Island has experienced the bitter taste of the AIDS epidemic which has left thousands of children orphaned and mothers bereaved. In fact, it is estimated that between 65 – 85% of orphans who live with grandparent headed households are as a result of the AIDS calamity. After burying their own adult children and grandchildren, the grandparents especially the women take on the responsibility of caring for their grieving 2^nd generation grandchildren, often with little to no support and while coping with their own deteriorating health.

Poor, old and weak as they are, grannies have risen to become the key players of survival for their families; they have become bread winners and advocates pushing for rights and protection; they nurture, feed and put their grandchildren into school through trying small several economic activities. They work to educate their grandchildren about HIV prevention care and treatment, attend to the sick in their communities, help the recently bereaved, set up support groups.

Care Old Age and Child Foundation supports these grannies through Economic Empowerment Programs of life skills training in areas they are familiar with and have passion for but intertwines with their low physical abilities in order for them to have sustainable earnings for a better living.

HIV & AIDS

Kalangala District is one of the top districts with the highest prevalence rates in Uganda standing at number………… According to Joint Clinical Research Centre, HIV infection in Kalangala district is highest among fishing communities. The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is at 29% compared to the national average of 6.4%. Sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS still stands as the highest contributor to HIV infection in the district accounting for over 83% while mother to child transmission is estimated at 4% of all live births. The HIV/AIDS project is a community response to the HIV/AIDs pandemic in Kalangala district where services for counseling, testing, treatment and care is inadequate.

COAC Foundation initiated a holistic approach to address the HIV/AIDs problem in Kalangala by focusing on creating supportive environment that can cause behavioral change among people on the islands and embrace Voluntary Counseling, Testing, Treatment (adherence to medication) and Care. The Foundation’s HIV/AIDS program puts much emphasis on reducing the incidence of HIV transmission and tackling the adverse effects of AIDS among the people in Ssese Islands of Lake Victoria through going for voluntary testing and counseling, so that people could know their HIV/AIDS status in time and take precautionary measures.