Food, tuition and care for Kamuli's Children

URGENCY: medical care for our dear Cook, Mr Kitanda

Sometimes, it is not just about us, the children of KCBB, but about our supportive community and those who kindly help us: May we ask to all merciful and caring hearts of our gofundme donors to help us reach, as soon as possible for them, our additional target of 500 EUR (530 USD) raised to be able to pay for the hospital bills and medical care for our beloved and always dedicated cook, Mr Kitanda.

Mr Kitanda got badly injured whilst working, by a petroleum lamp flare, and has severe burns covering half of his body. We pray that he may recover soon and come back to our KCBB house to cook again for us - what he diligently did well, for years now.

Could the generous donors mention 'Medical Care for Michael' in comment of their donation if they want to specifically support this good endeavor of solidarity and mutual care?

We still need to raise about 380 euros to reach the forecasted cost of medical bills and medicine purchase for Mr Kitanda.

We want to, again, humbly thank our most regular donors who have done so much for us already: blessings, love and 1000 hugs to you all !

The children of Kamuli, on 22 January 2023

Also, on a more positive note; please visit the restored web address of our Band website to watch and enjoy our funny first 'Kids Skit' video: https://www.kamulibrassband.org

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KCBB Presentation:

Dear reader, dear Gofundme.com Visitor or Donor: thank you already for reading our story and for helping us perhaps with our struggles, letting us better fulfill our dreams, improve our lives and accomplish our promise to progress as children and youths, living in Uganda, Africa.

We are the children and youths of Kamuli Community Brass Band (KCBB).

Your last donations have really helped us in a dramatic and life-saving way ! Our ten dear children who were hospitalized with malaria and typhus fever, have now been cured and released from intensive care - they are safe and well back at the Band Home! We are so grateful to all donors! Thank you !

As before, we are now again resuming our fundraising monthly, to try to cope with costs we have not been able to cover by ourselves so far in a steady and sufficient manner.

Our hearts and minds will bless you and go to you if you would consider a small donation to us – thank you so much in advance !

Each Donor will receive upon request, a named PDF printable certificate for his donation, with mention of its preferred spending usage as wished for by the donor and mentioned by him/her in the comments of his/her donation.

You can find the current needs and the corresponding funding sought in the overview table (in two parts) below, and perhaps accord your donation to one of the items mentions, fully or partially - as you wish and if you can:

N.B

Currency conversion rates to USD and EUR as on 6 July 2022 8PM BRU time (GMT+1)

The rent is for the house where the children of KCBB band sleep, these children are total orphans (both parents lost) and are part of the 120 children currently in the kamuli community brass band project."

There is also a need for a camera so that we can start taking good pictures of the activities and updates, and also videos

You may download our funding needs table also here, in printable PDF format: PDF FILE DOWNLOAD

Every little bit helps, and is valued and cherished in our hearts as much as larger donations!

Please do not forget to visit our website www.kamulibrassband.org , listen a bit to our current and future brass band music, discover about our life and activity in video or photo, and perhaps drop us an message, a greeting, a best wish or an idea or suggestion?

With our gratitude and kindest toughts,

The children and youths of Kamuli Community Brass Band (KCBB),

Geoffrey Tibagalika, Director of KCBB

Dimitri Arnauts, Composer for and Ambassador of KCBB

to our website

About us

We, the Children of Kamuli, are Kamuli Community Brass Band. We are a charity organization, found in Uganda-East Africa and in Kamuli district. Started in 2016 by Geofrey Tibagalika with a goal of creating an indigenous community brass band, our NGO status is recognized and accredited by the Ugandan State (Registered Indigenous NGO in Uganda: N°9341)

Our mission

Our program is about learning and making music for opportunities for social, economic change and empowerment, to improve the status of disadvantaged children / youth in Kamuli district and surrounding areas through developing their music talents through Brass /Jazz Band Music both theory and practice.

Music for social and economic empowerment, to provide high-quality education and skills to OVCs (Orphaned Vulnerable Children) and OVYs (Orphaned Vulnerable Youths) for better resource exploitation, management and control for improved quality of life.

Our values

Compassion ! We care for each other, and our tutors and teachers care for us, as we need all to live and make music - with joy, confidence and dignity

Empowerment ! We want to learn, grow and thrive as children, as youths and young adults in our villages and cities - against all odds and difficulties in our lives

Commitment ! As our tutors commit themselves to us, we are full of promise to faithfully devote ourselves to beautiful music, diligent study, fruitful work, purposeful service

Transparency ! We are as we act, and we act as we are: we set ourselves clear goals and communicate to our kind supporters and generous donors about progress

Accountability ! Our tutors and leadership are vigilant and care about our safety and wellbeing, about the good usage of funds and means - to foster best practices

Our goals

To improve the wellbeing of orphaned and underprivileged children and youths.

To promote primary and vocational education to AIDS orphaned and other vulnerable children and youths.

To create an indigenous community brass band in the district

To provide care and support services to these vulnerable children.

To promote job creation opportunities to the most vulnerable OVCs and OVYs

Our situation

No parent would wish to have his or her child placed in an orphanage, but some conditions are unavoidable and these force them to take them there;

Wars or natural disasters, discrimination, and disability plus the problems that come with it.

These force the desperately poor parents to seek help from whoever would provide it to them. And if no one is found the only option left is to take their children to orphanages where they are promised better living conditions.

Limited or no access to health and social care by the parents to their children also leaves them with no choice. It’s very painful to see your child sick.

And you don’t have the money to take her or him to the hospital. And when somebody wants to give a hand, you welcome it with open arms.

Our Dream

To realize a future for Uganda where all orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) have access to quality education and livelihood support.

To invest in families so that they may develop the necessary skills to become responsible and self-sustaining.

To confront poverty and social injustice in Uganda, through the education and empowerment of its most vulnerable children and their families.

Fiona’s Success story.

Fiona, dropped out of school due to lack of school fees and being an orphan only with her mother who is a peasant and HIV positive, life was not that easy with her sibling...

Fiona approached us here at Kamuli community brass band where she brought her sister to join the band, but after deep conversatio,n we came to realize she had big ambitions - but due to the situation in her family, it was not easy to achieve her dream.

With her dreams of becoming a tailor.

Kamuli community brass band through our education program we supported her through vocation: she did a short course in tailoring for 6 month and now she is working with someone in a tailoring shop, she is working hard to buy her own sawing machine and fabric so that she can own her shop.

“Today am now a qualified good tailor and my dreams were fulfilled by the support given to me by the Kamuli community brass band. With the profits I get, I can provide food and other basic needs for my mother and my sibling”.

Way forward is to support more children in both Vocation and other Education fields so that they can have better future.

We have more four children in vocation school who also will soon also be like Fiona.

Impact of Covid 19

By the time coronavirus disease of 2019 broke out in Uganda in 2020 around March. The country was put under total lockdown to combat the spread of the virus. On 18 March, public gatherings including places of worship, pubs, weddings, music shows, rallies, and cultural meetings were suspended for 32 days with immediate effect.

Foreigners and Ugandans arriving in the country were put under 14-day mandatory quarantine. This was done in hotels designated by the government in Entebbe, about an hour from Kampala, but the stay was paid for by the citizens themselves. COVID-19 to orphans in Uganda did more harm the good to them.

Orphans face problems like emotional problems, low pro-social behavior, peer problems as well as to conduct problems.

Impact on our NGO

Below are the impacts of COVID -19 on the orphans in Kamuli Community Brass Band since the first outbreak.

Children always have a delicate lifestyle. Due to COVID -19, it was hard for people to access medical facilities and the child suffered from different diseases that are to say headache, malaria, burns, allergy, flu, cough, diarrhea, tonsillitis, and wounds. Getting the medication was hard. it becomes hard to feed the children, provide health care for the children.

Domestic struggles in the family, high prices of food, and a shortage of medical care led to malnutrition to the children and displacement of the children to families that can support them. Leaving many children wanting to to come to the orphanage as they don’t have any families to take them in. many children died because of hunger and fever as some kids feed on special kids of food staff and are not accessible and if it was the prices were high and could not afford it. People were unwilling to volunteer for free.

Orphans were unable to go to schools to study due to the closure of schools in the pandemic.

Many orphans have not been able to go back to school as in supporting them became hard due to lack of funds. This has left out very many out of school limiting them to a bright future in life. Material things come from charitable works or organizations. That is to say: clothing, shoes, and others. This left many orphans with nothing to put on.

Many families have forced orphans into early marriages. This is since they were unable to provide food for themselves and other basic needs. Child labor was on the rise. Forced on the streets to look for money through selling bananas and masks. This was to provide for their families putting them a risk of getting the virus.

In a nutshell, COVID-19 to orphans in Kamuli Community Brass Band, faced a lot of challenges during the pandemic. Restoring the lost hope in then. That is to say: guidance and counseling, food staff, health care, and material donations. Sponsorships, donations, and fundraising can help. This will at least restore the lost hope and for them to know that at least somebody somewhere still cares for them through Kamuli community brass band.

Pleaseand if you can: help us ! As we promised : our hearts and minds will bless you and go to you, if you would consider a small donation to us – thank you so much in advance !

The children and youths of Kamuli Community Brass Band (KCBB),

Geoffrey Tibagalika, Director of KCBB

Dimitri Arnauts, Composer for and Ambassador of KCBB

TO OUR WEBSITE