The children’s home serves to accommodate orphans and children with family issues. Having accommodated over 50 children, COTFONE succeeds since 2013 in finding new families for orphans and resolve issues with their families as the organization beliefs that children can prosper best in a family environment.
Kiwangala Community Social Centre was established in 2014 for visitors and volunteers in order to provide them with close and convenient facilities to COTFONE’s initiatives. Currently being renovated, it is planned to include a restaurant for catering until the end of 2018.
Having started with the first group in 2008, the microfinance program is one of COTFONE’s success stories. Today, it counts about 350 members from the community which is split into seven self-reliant groups. COTFONE supports these groups with advice and is planning to provide them with additional loan funds in a healthy manner. Believing in the sustainability of these groups, the additional funds will benefit the groups through increased access to money and higher profit as well as will contribute to cover running costs like staff salaries for the organization.
Being the regional representative for the Slow Food organization, COTFONE established community and school gardens in several villages and schools in Lwengo and surrounding districts in Greater Masaka. Its objective is to promote sustainable agriculture by focusing on local plants, creating a possibility for mutual learning among surrounding farmers as well as providing vocational skills and food security for pupils.
COTFONE combines the recycling of the waste with promoting new business opportunities to members of the community. One example is the production of sandals from old tyres by young adults and women of the community under the Youth Communities within the Recycle of Matter-YOU.COM Project. Currently, two of our employees participate in a three-month exchange with the YOU.COM project in Poland.
