In order for Uganda to move beyond its current status as a third world country, a focused and committed effort needs to be made to address the issues of starvation, lack of education, and self-sufficiency for the family unit. KICVOP has developed a program that supports a family over a 7 year period to achieve these goals. Families enter the KICVOP Family Pathway to Success via the nutrition program in which they receive enough basic food staples to ensure one nourishing meal each day. The micronutrient program is an adjunct to the nutrition program. Chronic starvation has left the children and their families deficient in iron, vitamin A, and other critical micronutrients. Children are entered into an educational setting as soon sponsors become available to assist with the fees, uniforms, and school supplies as Uganda is not yet able to offer its people a free public education. The KICVOP Library Project is a satellite program geared to providing the children and schools with books for improving the children’s educational experience. The final stage of the KICVOP Family Pathway to Success is a micro loan project that oversees the administration of small loans to families to start their own successful businesses. The fledgling entrepreneurs are put into groups of 5 where they are taught how to make a business plan, manage income and expense accounts, and effectively market their products. The group members act as support and oversight for themselves in a supervised setting, giving each other encouragement while maintaining individual accountability for loan repayment. Interest on the loans is used to gradually expand the micro loan program. The final component of the Family Pathway to Success project is for families to give back to their community as an act of social responsibility.

The kindness and generosity of donors and sponsors have made each program possible. The most pressing need is ongoing financing of each piece of the Family Pathway to Success. The Family Pathway to Success is designed with clear entry and exit points for participants and a realistic time frame in which constituents can become stable in their new lives. Transparency and accountability measures have been put in place for the organization and its stakeholders to enable donors and sponsors to recognize the positive impact they have on lives. Onetime monetary or item donations and longer term sponsorship are equally valued. Please take the time to investigate each part of the program and to volunteer your time or share your financial resources. Help pave the way for Uganda to become a fully independent member of the world stage, one family at a time.