Sparrows Nest

Introduction

The Sparrow’s Nest is an NGO registered in Uganda as an auxiliary project of the umbrella NGO, the Charles Owor Foundation (COF), registered in Canada.
The Sparrows Nest project focuses on the armed conflict and post conflict in Northern Uganda. This is the homeland of most of us involved in the project, it is where we were born and bred. In this bush war, which has taken more than twenty years, hundreds and thousands of children were abducted from their homes or schools. The boys were forced to act as child soldiers while the girls became sex slaves or “wives” for the soldiers. Needless to say these children were made to commit unspeakable atrocities oftentimes even against their own families and communities.

In all this time, thousands of people in Northern Uganda were killed, maimed, raped their homes and crops looted. In an effort to try and solve or at least ease the suffering of the people, the government of Uganda then decided to put the people into camps, whose conditions in many ways were no better. The people continued to suffer the ill-effects of the camps and the war with no solution in view. The end result was that here were a people who had been uprooted from their cultural way of living with the result that a whole generation now exists which does not know what it is to live in normal homesteads. This has left the whole area in a hopeless state of devastation and helplessness.

In time some of these young people were captured from the bush war and brought back to their communities. Many of these were rejected by the communities because of the atrocities they had been made to commit and therefore have had to find refuge in other centers. Now one has girl-mothers coming with babies they were not ready to have and raise and their own families who have rejected them. Today, together with girls and boys who survived abduction, is a whole generation who was forced to leave school early or who did not have any meaningful formal education. These do not have any vocation and therefore cannot be employed or find work for themselves.

The vision of the Sparrows Nest is to help re-integrate these young men and girl-mothers into their communities by teaching them skills that will enable them to become functional members of the society. The vision will be achieved through teaching the youngsters meaningful community life as well as teaching them satiable vocational, life, and general skills that will ensure self-reliance and economic empowerment, not only for themselves, but also for members of their families. Our hearts go out especially to the abducted girl-mothers and to the many uneducated, ill groomed and vulnerable young women who together with their children, now burden the society. For as the saying goes, you educate a woman and you educate a nation.

Mrs. Margaret Jenny Nganwa
Founder/Director Sparrows Nest

Our immediate goals/program is to teach the ladies some skills such as:

Arts and Craft e.g. Bead making, basket making
Music, Dance and Drama. (therapeutic activities)
Selling used clothing
Also Embroidery/Crocheting/Knitting/Weaving/Patchwork
Cookery/Baking (Small tea/coffee shop in Gulu & Puranga)
Hair dressing
Home craft/ Management
Child care/ Management (Child care centre)
Simple gardening/ Horticulture (Small produce market/stall)
Animal husbandry (Poultry farming and goat & sheep keeping, zero
grazing)
Health care/Family planning
Basic education/ Second chance Education
Business management.

The possibilities and potentials are numerous. Many of the activities would have to be based within the village and town centers where there is ready market.

What we have accomplished so far

We have so far achieved the following:

• We have completed the registration of the Charles Owor Foundation (COF) in Uganda, as a non-profit charity organization. Sparrows Nest is a project of the foundation and therefore is funded and overseen by the CFO board of directors.
• Together with the Owor family we have set aside our family home in the Village of Bungatira, a 5 kilometers drive on Patiko highway, north of Gulu town as one of the training centers in Gulu district. Another family building in Puranga town, Pader District will also be utilized for the Sparrows Nest programs. This facility will be the head quarter for Pader district. The Puranga family farm is also the home of the proposed Cranberry industry. Also growing wild in the same area is the very marketable sheanut tree. There are two sites which have established as the demonstration farm areas.
• Various members of the Owor family and friends will be responsible for various tasks and the initial running of the projects. For example Silver (Owor) Ocitti and his wife Harriet already work with women groups who make crafts for export to South Korea. Ocitti has been the first Cranberry farmer in the region. This crop grows naturally and extremely well in Pader district. Commercial cultivation of this crop and related horticulture should be a significant income earner for Sparrows Nest in Pader district.
• Margaret Nganwa taught herself how to make beads necklace, and in turn has taught and trained others individuals various types of bead making, these persons will eventually server as teachers for the women of Sparrows Nest as they produce elegant Necklaces for the domestic and international markets. Much of the beads produced are currently very marketable abroad.
• We have managed to collect various teaching materials, such as books and old computers to be used in Sparrows Nest’s basic education programs for the women. We continue to encourage those who can support us in this endeavor to donate monetarily so we can acquire further materials and equipments or we suggest direct donation of used computers and other relevant equipment. Any contribution would be much appreciated.

Call for support.

As already noted, the overall need of Sparrows Nest is great. We are cognizant that one does not have to have much to begin such a program. We there for appeal to family and friends of the Charles Owor Foundation to come along side with us so that we can begin this challenging yet extremely life changing work for the recipients of the program.
Here is how you could help us begin the work of Sparrow’s Nest:

• Expertise: We will need people with (any level of skill) either as short term/ long term, volunteers or full time employees in any of the above areas.
• Financial contributions: payable for staff salaries/remuneration, purchase of equipment, stationery, rent of facilities, purchase of farm or business starter kits etc.
• Physical contribution: both used and new items in any related areas such as old computers, cook/bake ware and, sewing machines, old clothes, books etc.
• Education sponsoring: Partnership with girl students who want to continue with their formal education, second chance education or vocational education
• Prayer partners: We value the committed prayers of partners as these help to sustain the vision and open wide God’s windows of blessings upon the project.
• Management: Because the needs are many and varied, the activities may open in various centers eventually, we welcome those who can qualify to be on the management and board positions.

Contact:

South Africa
Charles Owor Foundation Board members: In South Africa and Uganda:
Sparrows Nest Director: Margaret Jenny Nganwa-Bagumah mnganwabaguma@yahoo.co.uk
COF Board member Prof. Alex Bernard Nganwa-Bagumah bagumahn@yahoo.com
COF Board member. Ms Peace Judith Kenyangyi Nganwa kenyangyi@yahoo.com
COF Board member. Dr. Patience Jennifer Kengyeya Nganwa kengyeya@yahoo.com
COF Board member. Dr. Philip Joseph Kanyamunyu Nganwa philipnganwa@yahoo.com

Canada,
Charles Owor Foundation Executive Director/Founder: Mr. Shannon Owor Titomailto:stito@shaw.ca email: Shannon@charlesowor.org

Charles Owor Foundation Board Member Mrs. Primrose Igonor email:kentwiga@yahoo.co.uk

United Kingdom
Charles Owor Foundation UK Director of Oyam Progressive School & Orphanage & Ococan women’s group: Ms. Susan Arach Owor, susanoworarach@hotmail.com
Amos Nek: email: anek@yahoo.co.uk

Uganda
Charles Owor Foundation-Uganda Director: Mr. Silver and Mrs. Harriet Ocitti shocitti@yahoo.com
COF-Uganda Board of Directors. Ms. Joyce Owor. joyceowor@yahoo.com
COF- Roving Board of Directors Mr. Michael Luke Owor lukapowor@yahoo.co.uk
COF- Uganda Board of Directors Dr, Alice Nganwa alicebn@yahoo.com

All Contributions to be made to:

In Canada
Charles Owor Foundation
Canada Trust
Murrayville Square
22259 – 48th Ave., # 400
Langley, B.C. V3A 8T1
TR # 91900-004 account # (a/c no.) 9190-5207296

Note: A PayPal account will be applied for shortly so that individuals who would like to donate via credit cards can do so directly from our website. (This feature will be ready when our website updated is complete.)

In South Africa
Contact person is Mrs. Margaret Nganwa

In UK
Contact person is Ms. Susan Owor

In Uganda
Contact person is Mrs. Joyce Owor