The Orphans and Vulnerable Children’s Ministry of the United Methodist Church was initiated to address the challenges facing the East Africa Annual conference, Those of us who may not be aware, about the East Africa Episcopal Area, it comprises of 5 sovereign states of Uganda, Sudan, Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi. It covers a total land area of about 2.85 million square kilometers, with a total population of 116,117,987.

For more than two decades these countries have not enjoyed stability and peace. Uganda has had civil wars for over twenty years and about a quarter of the population has lived in restricted camps. There is a whole generation that has had their entire life in internally displaced people’s camps.

In the case of Rwanda the country is yet to fully recover from the impact of the 1994 genocide. For Burundi, it has had numerous coups and civil wars. Equally Sudan has been subjected to more than fifty (50) years of civil war in the South and Darfur is just recovering from the SPLA/M rebellion. This part of the country has no infrastructure worth to talk about. Of late Kenya, which has been relatively peaceful, has just had political and social unrest due to the post election crisis.

Worse still the region has been hit by diseases such as the HIV/AIDS epidemic, malaria, and of recent Ebola. These diseases have left millions dead resulting into growing numbers of orphans and widows. Thus a number of households are in the hands of either the aged or children. All these events have greatly impacted on the social, political and economic prosperity of these countries.

Rationale for the Orphans and vulnerable children’s ministry.

The orphans and vulnerable children’s ministry intervention is aimed at addressing the challenges the parentless children in the conference are faced with. The ministry sets out to create and operate the following:

“All Inclusive Centres:”
These will be set up to provide a holistic environment to the orphans and the vulnerable children. The centres shall operate schools (Pre-primary, Primary and High school), dwellings, and other facilities that go with it such as a water sources, toilets, and health facilities.

Enrolment of children to these centres shall be through the United Methodist Church structures and local leadership. The centres shall admit children of all ages, but preferably those aged 2 to 12 years.

It is planned that at least one such centre shall be established in each of the five countries that make up the East Africa Annual Conference.
One such all inclusive centre is Humble United Methodist School, where the children are given a holistic life.