PAYTON. FOUNDATION. CHANGING LIVES.

Alice Achan grew up as a traditional African girl in northern Uganda. She saw first hand the impact education could have on ending a cycle of poverty.

She established the charity in 2002 in order to care for the wellbeing of girls who had escaped captivity by the Lord’s Resistance Army, led by the infamous Joseph Kony.

Most were aged only 12-16 years, were pregnant or had babies, and all had suffered unspeakable atrocities.

Her work began under a Kworo tree with 10 child mothers, babies in hand. 20 years later, the work has expanded to include two girls’ boarding schools, a maternal and child health centre and mobile health teams.

In addition Te-Kworo also operates social protection work, including a women’s shelter and community prevention projects, and social enterprise guest houses in two locations.

Girls’ Education

Educating girls creates benefits for the whole community. Te-Kworo’s High Schools in Pader and Nwoya are creating pathways for hundreds of girls to stay in school. A new vocational training centre in Kitgum will soon open.

The boarding schools provide quality education for girls who cannot enrol in mainstream education because: they have babies, they are too old to go back to their grade level as a result of abduction, or due to extreme poverty.

Along with a specific curriculum suited to child mothers, these schools provide for the special circumstances of these girls. Each school has child care facilities so mothers can leave their babies while they learn.

Te-Kworo Medical and Maternal Health Centre

The Te-Kworo clinic services a population of 300,000, through a staff of five midwives (rostered around the clock to ensure 24-hour care for women in labour), a medical officer, a comprehensive nurse, two laboratory technicians and a number of ancillary workers.

Pader District health services have been ranked in the bottom 20 of 122 districts in Uganda.

The Health Centre offers services for minor surgery, maternal health care, paediatric care, laboratory services and reproductive health services.

There is a life-saving ambulance on standby that can transport women with complications due to childbirth and children with malaria-related anaemia to the nearest hospitals in Kalongo (60 minutes away) and Gulu (2 hours away).

The team conducts regular outreach to remote communities to educate people about family planning and provide medical support to vulnerable mothers and their babies.

Every day in Uganda: 15 women die from pregnancy and childbirth related causes, 94 babies are stillborn and 81 newborn babies die.

These deaths are preventable.

Thanks to the establishment of the Maternal & Child Health project in 2016, there was a 475% increase in safe births in 2018.

The Te-Kworo model of support operates on the belief an educated girl in a community, will transform the community.

Alice’s life is testament to this.

More than 1000 girls have been through the Te-Kworo schools, 200 with babies.

By 2030 their vision is to see every girl in the area access basic education, allowing her to access a source of income.

1. Sponsor a Girls’ Education – $600 per year

The greatest need is getting young women back to school, after school closures due to covid. There is community pressure for women to not be educated and many are now pregnant against their will. Alice expects the number of teenage mums this year will be overwhelming.

The cost of educating pregnant girls can be nearly double, depending on their health needs. Boarding facilities also need to be equipped with day-care facilities to cater for them.

2. Set up a Blood Bank in Pader – $30,000

Life saving blood is currently a 2.5 hour ambulance drive from Pader.

The proposed Blood Bank will be one component of the hospital complex, currently in the design stage. The hospital will include two operating theatres, three birthing suites, special needs ward, 16 bed ward and an 8 bed gynae ward.

The blood bank will be incorporated into the pathology section of the new hospital. $30,000 will provide: refrigerator, testing equipment to ensure blood is clear of HIV and funds towards construction of the building.

3. Labour of Love Program – $30,000 for 500 safe birthing kits pa

It costs $60 to provide pregnant women with: a skilled antenatal care, a safe and clean delivery (with a birthing kit), monthly postnatal check-ups, and complete immunisation of the baby up to six months. The women are asked to pay $2 for these services which is the most they can afford.

A birthing kit can give a pregnant mother a safe and clean birth with a few basic necessities that help prevent infection, disease and death for mother and child. Without a kit they cannot give birth at the local medical centre or receive medical support.

A birthing kit contains:

• Gauze
• Clean cord for tying the umbilical cord
• Plastic gloves to prevent the transmission of HIV and other disease
• Sterile scalpel so old rusty knives aren’t used to cut the umbilical cord
• Soap
• A plastic sheet to lie on
• A wrap for the baby to ward off pneumonia and other illnesses