The SOS Day Care Centre in Gulu hosts a total of 48 children who range between the ages of 3 and 7 years old. The children are sifted out from those families in the SOS Family Strengthening Programme (FSP), whereby caregivers are engaged in an income generating activity, yet they are unable to pay for their children either in day care centres or pre-schools within the community. These beneficiaries usually receive a very small wage which makes it impossible for them to afford the high charges that service providers charge to the community at large.This means that the most vulnerable or the most poverty stricken of FSP beneficiaries are unable to afford such services.The day care centre helps to bridge the gap in that children have a place to stay during the day; instead of remaining redundant at home where they may be vulnerable to all forms of abuse, as there is no one to watch over them during the course of the day.
At the centre children get to interact with one another in a safe and secure environment. They also receive a well balanced diet, gain from the pre-school curriculum that is in place and not forgetting the free medical treatment that they are entitled to from the SOS clinic.
If one visits the centre it is obvious that the children enjoy attending it and that they have a fondness for their teachers. It is also obvious that the children are fed and well cared for, they appear strong, energetic, healthy, and well mannered and are able to grasp a few words in English.
The children spend the whole day in the care of their teachers Noreen, Rose and Mestica, who are passionate about the children in their care. They are a committed and dedicated team and have a real fondness for the children.
Once the whole day’s activities are exhausted, the children take an afternoon nap after which they are woken up in the evening to prepare for departure, when they are collected by their parents who by then would have finalized their day at work.
by Noreen Omony, Day Care Leader
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