The goals of the Mama Jane Guesthouse at a glance:
- the orphanage generates income from renting rooms in the Guesthouse
- volunteers and their family and friends have a good residence outside the orphanage itself
- look at the environment in Jinja in the form of jobs and good example in terms of maintenance
- The possibility of practical training: training on the job. Older children can gain practical work experience
- Collaborating with other foundations (NGOs) and the (Jinja) community
Current projects at Mama Jane:
- Mama Jane moved to farm the land in Bukaya. In that environment is easier to find food for the cows and goats. There is a shed built for the cows using sponsorship. On the land several crops: Maize, cassava, bananas, irish patatoes, etc.The children help on the land and the proceeds will be eaten..
- Mpummude is a piece of borrowed land where used to be cows, chicken. It is used to train and house some of the older children. There is a building in which Mama Jane wants to start a craft school. Agnes started this project in 2018. It will take some more years and funding to complete this project.
- Search for family and relatives. Children should not remain in an institution, but with family - at least during school-holidays, says the Ugandan government. A very good thing, but also a difficult one. Mama Jane is working hard to find relatives of the children. If it succeeds, the children (with financial support) stay with them permanent or during the long holidays, on 'family-suppert'. Unfortunately the search was not succesfull for many of the children yet.
Finished projects:
- Solar panels and a system to collect rainwater. This saves a lot of cost to the orphanage. And there is more electricity! The children can now evening doing homework for instance. Improved dormitories for the children. There are levels built of wood and the children now sleep with their peers in one room. It is at night a 'mother' present. The children feel more secure and so if something is going on ... The 'mothers' daytime the teachers in the kindergarten classes.
- Infirmary on an extra floor built in the orphanage. With a real sister. They at night sleeping on one of the dormitories with the children. In the infirmary, children separated recuperate. Unfortunately regularly sick, among others malaria.
- Additional nursery classes. There are now three equipped classrooms for toddlers and preschoolers. As the youngest of Mama Jane lesson, and children from outside. Who pay for this, a steady source of income for the orphanage. Each year, two students from the Belgian Pabo help with teaching. That also has appeal to children (the parents) outside Mama Jane.
- Playground equipment and painting the courtyard at Mama Jane.
- Mama Jane for years knows the problem that the children who have finished school, struggling to find a job. Every year there are children who complete their training. These children can not continue living in the orphanage and are thus placed in a difficult position. The orphanage feels naturally responsible for the children and is always looking for opportunities to improve their chances.
- Mama Jane the farm on a piece of land in Mpumudde just outside Jinja. Here is a project to help children after their time at Mama Jane to an independent life. There always stay an average of 8 children who because of their age no longer allowed to live in the orphanage. They kept cattle, selling milk and chickens and grow vegetables on part of the land. In this way, the farm provides a training on the job and livelihood of the children.