Ugandans Adopt. Do you want to?

So, have I told you that ‘they’ made a YouTube video of me just because I am thinking of having a baby? Well, they did. Here. ‘They’ is Ugandans Adopt, a campaign that is reaching out to Ugandans interested in adopting babies. Aidah Agwang, runs the campaign. Basically, she is the person to call in case you are a Ugandan who is interested in adoption (be it as a volunteer or prospective parent). She's visiting this blog today to tell you more about that. 

 “Ugandans Adopt was founded on the belief that all children deserve to grow up with a loving family, instead of in institutional care. During my interview for this role, I remember being asked what I thought about adoption in Uganda.  I told the interview panel that I believed, while it is a relatively new concept in Uganda, all we had to do was put the word out. My task as Communications Officer is to run our Ugandans Adopt multi media campaign promoting adoption in Uganda, supported by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.  11 months later we have discovered the huge appetite that Ugandans’ have for adoption and have shattered the myth that Ugandans’ aren’t interested in adoption.

At our emergency care centre, Malaika Babies’ Home, we provide short-term care for babies until we can find them a family. I’m usually based at our small offices at Malaika and every day brings something new. Seeing a little one go home to a loving family and how they blossom thereafter, are some of the special moments that I never tire of.

There have been times after I have accompanied our Social Work Team to collect a child who has been abandoned when I could almost breakdown but, fortunately, this is always short lived. In our care, the babies are so quick to thrive and, above all, love again.

To date we have 28 Ugandan families and individuals who have adopted children from Malaika and another 35 who are on a waiting list to adopt.  Our social workers are currently assessing even more people who are interested in adopting, too. Our Ugandans Adopt Facebook page has 3,345 followers to date and growing every day. The Ugandan media has embraced our campaign and we have been able to appear on major media outlets like The Sunday Vision. I think it’s safe to say Ugandans’ are definitely more than just interested in adoption.

What makes my job so worthwhile is not just seeing a child go home but knowing, after our social workers conduct follow up visits, how truly happy they are. It always brings a smile to my face. It is why I do what I do. At Ugandans Adopt we strongly believe that every child belongs in a family – and we couldn’t achieve this without our supporters. Thank you so much from all the team at Ugandans Adopt for helping us make families instead of orphans.”

To find out more about our Ugandans Adopt Campaign, call Aidah on 0776110304 or send an email to adoption@childsifoundation.org. You can also visit our website @  http://ugandansadopt.ug/ , find us on Facebook or follow us on twitter.