Sylvia’s Children supports more than 1,000 children at the Mbiriizi Advanced Primary and Day Care School, located in Uganda, Africa, and situated 40 miles away from the nearest health facility. The charity has been making one medical trip a year for the past two years to help service the needs of the population.
According to a press release, there is very limited access to health care in this part of Uganda, and care that is available is often years behind the standard of medical care in developed parts of the world. Something as simple as sanitary supplies for girls is often not available or unaffordable.
As such, the charity is looking for nurses, nurse practitioners, pediatricians, dermatologists, ENTs, dentists, dental assistants, physical therapists and infectious disease specialists who would be interested in making the trip to help provide care. The cost of the trip is $3,500 all inclusive—airfare, hotel, all meals, ground transportation, water, and a three-day safari at the Mweya Lodge.
Last year the group of volunteer nurses and a doctor examined each child and created a medical history for each youngster. Children were treated for a range of ailments, including diseases of poverty, consequences of malnutrition and complications of HIV/AIDS. The group also carried over donated medical supplies that were used for treatments.
The charity was launched seven years ago by Sylvia Allen, a New Jersey businesswoman who made her initial trip to Uganda with a mission group she met while teaching at New York University. The Mbiriizi school was one of the places the group visited. A quarter of the children at the school had been orphaned or lost one parent to the AIDS pandemic plaguing their country. The mission of Sylvia’s Children has been to raise awareness and funds to educate, feed, clothe and shelter these children at the school, according to the press release.
Since starting the organization, Allen has succeeded in getting annual sponsorship for 93 of the 235 orphaned children and has raised $400,000-plus, all of which has gone directly to the school as all administrative expenses are covered by her public relations firm, Allen Consulting. She has also constructed a fresh water well; built a library and filled it with books; purchased 7 acres of land; donated a computer with Internet access; constructed a dormitory; built a playground; bought additional bunk beds for the boys’ dorm; provided sporting and musical equipment; and built three additional double classroom blocks as well as hiring a full-time nurse and building new stoves for increased cooking efficiency.
In addition, two businesses have been started. With the building of a chicken coop and raising chickens, each child can now get one egg a day (needed protein) and the extras can be sold at the market. In addition, the school now has a building with 40 sewing machines so the children can learn a trade and additional business can be garnered by sewing uniforms for the private schools in the area.
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