Indiana group working with the children

Working with the Children is awesome experience that helped us bond and gain insights into each other, we joined p.1 Class and the rest of the School on Wednesday of 23rd July/2014 at 2pm to teach art and craft. We taught them how to make friendship bracelets, and some children and teachers learned how to crochet. All of the children were very excited to participate and have their own crafts to take with them. The rooms were very crowded, and full of noise and movement! They did a very good job. It is awesome to see all of the students, teachers, and our team walking around campus wearing these bracelets. It brought all of us great joy to be a part of this activity!
It has been a huge privilege to pray with and celebrate Mass each day with the COVE family. It is just incredible that we can share this same prayer, even though there are language differences between those of us from America and the people of Uganda. Jesus’ love extends beyond country borders and cultural differences. Coming together to sing, dance, and receive the Eucharist is one of the greatest gifts of these two weeks. The children sing loudly and passionately, with love for God in their hearts! What a joy it is to be able to share our Catholic faith.
This morning, Monday, July 28, 2014, we spent time reading with small groups of children from P1 and P2. They are developing good reading skills, and are able to identify big words (like ‘xylophone’!). You can tell that their teachers work very hard with them. The older students came to help the younger students, and they are very proud of all they know. It won’t be long till these little ones are reading chapter books like the older kids! We enjoyed reading with the students and helping them learn a little more.

 

Beautiful place beautiful Children!!!!!

Princeton Grow Team (GlobeMed) visits Uganda

“Traveling to Uganda for the first time, we had no idea what to expect. Being so far away from our families and friends was a little scary and intimidating. However, as soon as we met the staff and children, they made us feel extremely welcome, and within the first few days, we felt like a part of the COVE family.  We’ve made good friendships with a lot of the staff and children, whether it be playing games with the kids every day or dominoes with the staff every night. All of the teachers, nurses, and especially Joseph and some of the students have made this one of the most life-changing and fun experiences we have ever had.
During the day, we traveled to some of the schools around St. Jerome COVE Primary School. It was really nice to see the changes that COVE Alliance is making in the lives of the children sponsored at each school. We were warmly welcomed at the schools by the children and the staff, and we had the chance to interact with the sponsored children at the end of each visit. Although the children were initially shy, they started to open up once we asked them questions about their favorite colors, subjects, and future goals. Meeting the sponsored children has inspired us to get involved in the sponsorship process.
We’ve also had the opportunity to interact with the St. Jerome Health Center, and are expecting to help out with immunizations in the health clinic very soon. We also were able to survey St. Theresa  health clinic and discuss the problems or shortages that they deal with on a daily basis, which was very eye-opening. Over the years, we hope that we can not only build our partnership with COVE but also help out with some of the health centers’ needs as much as possible.”

PIGGERY PROJECT

Highland Middle School, located in Libertyville, Il began fundraising for a piggery, for the St Jerome COVE  Center in Kapeeka, Uganda, last year. Last month the building began and now you can see the results. Thank you for your generosity and your ability to give to those who are less fortunate.

Many of the delegates, who have gone to Uganda, yearn to be back again. The enjoy beng in the welcoming community and being with the children. We are so grateful for the lessons that they all teach us. They appreciate all things that will help them develope a means to provide a sustainable future for themselves and their families. They yearn for education.

Mary Alphonse Bradley Grant

Back in October 2012 we received a grant for a dormitory to house 😯 female students at the St Jerome COVE Center. Due to inclement weather it took longer to build than expected.

Here are the photos of the girls in their new home.  THANK YOU

A new beginning in their new home

Pontifical Day in Uganda

A French Bishop, Charles de Forbin-Janson, founded the Society of Missionary Children in France in 1843. The bishop was so deeply affected by the distress of the Chinese children who had been abandoned in the streets, he was moved to found a society similar to the Propagation of Faith- but for children.  He wanted children, around the world, to carry on the mission of praying and offering some money to help the needy children everywhere. In a few short years, the concept of “Children Helping Children” spread all over Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and Africa. The Society of Missionary Children was first established in Ireland in 1853 and was raised to the status of ‘Pontifical ‘in 1922 by Pope Pius X1. Children around the world, gathered in groups, form missionary awareness and support the many projects of solidarity for their peers.

In Uganda their society is locally known as The Missionary Society of St. Kizito. Children in Uganda carry out their activities with the motto of the society “Children helping Children”. Their Slogan is “Jesus is our friend, let us love one another”. During this day, the children take a leading role in liturgy, pray for all children, the universal church, and have special collections for the universal solidarity fund.  Children also offer items like food and clothing to help the needy children in their area.

The most unique thing about the choir is the choice of songs which is diverse from Luganda, to English and to Kiswahili.

On July 14^th the Kapeeka parish organized the Pontifical day for the children. The St. Jerome Primary School choir sung at that event. All of the children from the Kapeeka parish attended and enjoyed the day.

The reed dressed dancers and melodious voices of the choir made all of the children get up and dance to the beat.

Mark 10:14  “ Let the children come to me” and the gospel were taken literally.  All of the children had their innocent eyes facing the alter.

God Bless the children and the St. Jerome Primary School choir.

Joseph Mukasa

LINC TEAM at St. Jerome COVE Center

On June 20, 2013 the staff and children at COVE Center warmly welcomed the University of Illinois staff and students.LINC TEAM at St. Jerome COVE Center
On June 20, 2013 the staff and children at COVE Center warmly welcomed the University of Illinois staff and students.
For the past two days of their stay, LINC team met with the Tiva water team and Connect Africa representatives. The Tiva water team & Connect Africa representative presented the use of filters and concrete filters to the school and the dispensary respectively. These meetings provided the staffs, in the dispensary and the school, with procedures for installation and utilization of the filters. The patients, in the dispensary, left their beds and observed the installation procedures of the concrete filters and asked questions.The schedule for the LINC team will be to carry out the assessment of the 50 acres of land ear marked for agriculture; filtration education workshops with students of COVE primary school; community outreach; Vocational School survey in Kampala and visit Connect Africa, where they will meet with Dr. Musaazi of Makerere University to discuss community capacity-building and work with concrete bio-sand filters. God Bless their efforts.

Children and staff welcoming the Delegates from the University of Illinois

Tiva water representative introducing the Tiva water filters to the Teachers and LINC Team

LINC Team discussing concrete filter implementation with the nurses

Teachers and the LINC team in Tiva water filters meeting

Connect Africa representative introducing the Concrete filter to the nurses and LINC team

Joseph Mukasa (revised)

Introduction to COVE Alliance

WHAT IS COVE ALLIANCE

COVE Alliance is a 5O1(c)(3) organization that was founded in 2005. It began as one man’s dream and became a growing network of caring, gifted people reaching out to the orphaned and disadvantaged children in Uganda. As a seminarian, at St. Mary of the Lake, Fr. Hilary desired to minister to the children in Kapeeka. He shared this vision for a school and healthcare center in his homeland to serve the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the children and their community. As a result COVE Alliance was founded, Land was purchased, a well(bore hole) was drilled to provide water and construction began in 2007. Since that time a medical dispensary, primary schools one through five, two dormitories, two kitchens and an administrative block has been added.

All because of the generosity of donors like you.

We have the support and interest from middle schools, high schools and universities. Students/delegates have traveled to Uganda, taught best business practices, developed areas to keep the children physically active, interacted with the children and their families, provided medical guidelines, and given HOPE to the community.

We have had 9 students who have graduated from their vocational schools and have jobs that will sustain them and their families in the future. This is the goal- SUSTAINABILITY. Twenty-Two students have completed 7th grade and passed the required test to enter Secondary school. Four of these will be graduating in 2013. Eighteen others will be graduating in the future.

Patrick Mwanira is one of those children who graduated from 7^th grade and tested well enough to go to secondary school. He was orphaned and lived with his grandparents. Recently his grandfather died and his grandmother is frail. Yet he continues to respect his grandparent’s wishes to attend school, study hard and make a better life for himself and for his grandmother and future family. His relationship with his sponsor is a parent/child relationship. Even across so many miles the tears and support are there for him. He knows that, because he has received pictures, letters and gifts from his sponsor. He wrote a letter to his sponsor after the death of his grandfather. “I lost my grandfather. Now I am starting a new life because I am alone in this world. But I am still calling you my father and your wife my mother, even your children my brothers and sisters. With God’s help and power I will do well in my exams. Let the Lord God bless you. Your loving son Patrick” He tested well and is in Secondary School.

There will be a graduation ceremony for the sponsors of those children who have graduated from vocational school, at the Fundraiser on May 4, 2013. Please visit the COVE table in the narthex to purchase your tickets on April 13^th -14^th  & 20^th – 21^st and enjoy a fun filled evening of dinner, music, silent auction, raffles and the African Store. You can also learn more about COVE Alliance, from opportunities to sponsor a child, to volunteering your time to our inspiring organization. Visit covealliance.org for more information.

Fr. Hilary will be there to greet you on April 20th and April 21st (at St. Mary of Vernon Church located in Indian Creek) . There will also be a special collection during that Mass to help Fr. Hilary with his mission, the St. Jerome COVE Center, located in Kapeeka, Uganda, Africa.

Patrick 2006                                                Patrick 2012

Thank you for your generosity.

COVE USA

March 15, 2013

So this is the newest picture of the campus. Can you see the addition? It is by the water tower in the middle of the picture.

Dormitory

The new dormitory and bedding will accommodate 80 more children. Students who board at St. Jerome benefit enormously by avoiding the often long walk (up to 10k) each way.  Some students would not be able to attend school at all without this option as their homes are too far.  Those who would walk, if there were no boarding options, might have to miss class on occasion during the rainy season when walking could become dangerous both in terms of the muddy road conditions and the children’s health.   This would interrupt their learning progress.  An on-campus residence provides them a secure and stable place to stay and includes health benefits and nutrition.  It guarantees readiness to learn!

Success story

A success story!

Atanansi is a sponsored child that lived with his uncle in 2008. His uncle frequently kept him out of school to help in the garden. However, he always performed well on testing, so when the sponsorship team recognized that he had a great love for learning they asked his uncle if he would allow the boy to go to a different school where he would board. The uncle agreed. Atanansi was enrolled in St Kizito’s secondary school. He excelled in his studies. His plan is to help the people in his village as an engineer. He is now in senior 6 and will be taking his final tests to see if he is suitable to attend a university. Without COVE’s intervention it is hard to tell where he would be today.

Here are his pictures “Before and Now”.

As many teachers have stated, “Thank God for COVE Alliance”.

Before                                Now

Christmas Letter from Fr Hilary

END OF YEAR THANK YOU MESSAGE

Dear Board members,

Dear COVE friends,

It is right and just as the year 2012 comes to an end to give Praise and thanks to God Almighty Father for his protection and providence. Despite the biting poverty, the year 2012 has ended with lots of blessing, which I would like to attribute to our Loving God.

This year 2012 we have had very exciting moments with both COVE Alliance sponsored children, all the children being educated at St. Jerome COVE Primary School, the staff both at the Primary School and the Health Center as well as the two groups of visitors hosted in May and in September through November. The group that was led by Carol Armstrong and the other led by Darlene Frantonius were great groups. These visits are of great help to ensure proper monitoring and good stewardship of the funds we get from our donors.

Over this year, I have enjoyed mostly, seeing the children we have nurtured growing to maturity. This was most evident during the Children’s Camp which started on December 5th

                

and ended on December 9^th with a Christmas party. During the Children’s camp we had over 170 children attending, and all of them were very active, enthusiastic, supportive and ready to learn from one another. I was touched when children composed their own songs, poems and plays to perform on their Christmas party on December 9^th, 2012. Those children who are in high school/secondary schools and vocational institutes manifested special love for the younger ones when they started sharing with them the importance of education and encouraging them to be resilient and not to drop out of school before completion. The two graduates by the names of Nansamba Carolyn (Certificate in Cosmetology) and Benedict Mukwaba (Certificate in Construction) moved the whole congregation into tears when during their speeches at the Christmas party, which was also their graduation party, knelt in tears to thank COVE Alliance for the education they have acquired. They said that for them this was a miracle, since they were both total orphans at the time when they were selected into the program. They vowed to work hand in hand with COVE Alliance to support other children now since they are going to start earning money.

This year God has blessed COVE Alliance with generous people who have continued to donate to COVE Alliance and adopt children. I am so pleased that COVE Alliance was able to send over 23,000 books through their collaboration with bookfriends. The beneficiary schools have set up very good libraries which they have never had before, and now the problem is no longer lack of books, but the initiative of both the pupils and teachers to make the best use of these books for their building of knowledge.

I am very happy about the Dormitory Construction, a project, which officially started on December 1^st, 2012 targeting the beginning of the next academic year. I am so grateful to the Mary Alphonse Bradley Fund (MABF) together with an anonymous donor who raised enough founds to build a dormitory which will accommodate 80 children in the next academic year.

Although all seems to be going well, we cannot forget that we are still a growing institution and COVE Alliance still needs all the support we can get to build up our capacity to sustain our services as we build the capacity of the children to support themselves and their families in the future. We can only keep our knees on the ground praying for economic sustainability and praying for all those who have sacrificed all they have to make a difference in the lives of the children and the communities,  we are committed,  to serve for the betterment of their lives.

We are all praying for all our donors, sponsors of the children, friends and well-wishers. We are praying for the Board members both in USA and in Uganda, as well as all who support COVE Alliance in one way or another.

We wish to welcome in advance all our prospective visitors next year 2013. I already understand there are about three groups that would wish to visit and work with us next year. We wish you all the best as you prepare to come, and may the almighty God bless you all for your generosity and support.

I wish you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year 2013.

Fr. Hilary Muheezangango

Executive Director, COVE Alliance.