Over 150 orphans helpless as funders pull out

By  Steven Wandera
More than 150 orphans at Restoration Gateway, a Christian non-governmental organisation in Kiryandongo District, are stranded after staff laid down their tools due to non-payment of salaries for more than five months.
The most affected children are those whose parents were victims of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) conflict from the Acholi and Lango sub-regions. Among them are 83 boys and 84 girls, with 167 orphans aged between two and 20 years.
 Founded in 2004 by Dr David Tim McCall and his wife Janice from Texas, United States, Restoration Gateway was established to help orphans whose parents died as a result of the LRA conflict in Northern Uganda. The organisation operates a level IV health facility, a secondary school, and an orphanage.
 Currently, the organisation employs about 150 staff members across its education and health sectors. However, for the past week, the employees have been on strike, leaving the orphaned children without essential support.
 It is alleged that the founder, Dr McCall, abandoned the project and returned to the US after a donor withdrew funding due to accountability concerns. We could not independently verify the claims and the founder could not be reached by telephone or email.
 Ms Christine Atimango, one of the orphanage caretakers, said they are struggling to provide for the children’s basic needs, including food, soap, and other necessities.
“I have worked here for seven years, and the NGO used to provide everything for the orphans, from food and medicine to education. But the situation started to deteriorate last year, and now we no longer receive essentials such as soap, sugar, cooking oil, and food,” she said.
 According to Ms Atimango, the children’s clothes have gone unwashed for days due to the lack of supplies.
“As a caretaker, I don’t have money to improvise. We haven’t been paid for more than five months. My son at university had to apply for a dead year in July since I couldn’t afford his fees,” she added.
 Students have also been affected academically and nutritionally, with teachers absent and only one meal provided per day.
“I was brought here as an orphan from Agago District, but since term three began, we haven’t had any English, Maths, or Chemistry lessons. I was given only half a bar of soap and one cup of sugar for the term, and we get one small meal a day, sometimes just a bit of posho with unfried beans,” said Ayo Caroline, a Senior 4 student.
 Lab technician Francis Onega reported that he is owed about Shs2.5 million for six months of unpaid work. 
“Because of inadequate food, some students leave school to fish in the lake and later sell their catch at the market, while others resort to stealing food, especially cassava, from nearby gardens,” he noted.
 Ms Unice Oroma, a medical officer at the orphanage’s health facility, said they treat orphans and a few local community members. However, with the staff on strike, the children have been left without medical care.
 Ms Dianah Nakyobinga, the administrator at Restoration Gateway, said that the organisation has repeatedly asked the employer to allocate resources to support the orphanage in vain.
“We have held many meetings with top management and district leaders in Kiryandongo for assistance in vain. I have also had to fish at the river just to survive,” Ms Nakyobinga said. The health facility is currently closed, leaving orphans who require medical care with no options.
 Mr Samuel Mbabazi, the assistant resident district commissioner, confirmed that they have received complaints and are drafting letters to relevant offices to request intervention.