Frequently Asked Questions
Co-founder Caroline Nakayenga is a Ugandan-born Canadian citizen who returned to visit her family in 1994. There she met the dying mother of five children in Busabaga, a long distance from her own district of Masaka. The children’s father had already died of HIV/AIDS. Caroline brought the story of these five orphans back to Ottawa and a small group dedicated themselves to support their education and basic needs and to assist other young Ugandans in similar circumstances of being HIV/AIDS-affected orphans.
From a small beginning in Canada and with the help of a group of dedicated volunteers in Uganda, CANHAVE has grown and now in 2023 supports children in primary and secondary schools.
The education system is built on the British model. There are seven years of primary school and four years of secondary school. If a student intends to enter university, the student must take an additional two years of secondary school, equivalent to the O and A levels in Britain.
At the end of Primary 7 and at the end of Senior 4, students take national exams. The students have to pass exams to consider going on to the next level. A much smaller proportion of children attend secondary school than those who attend primary school.
Uganda has many schools of different types. There are government-operated schools, private secular schools and private religious schools managed by different faiths. Even in the government-run schools, there are extra fees for uniforms, exams, meals etc. Though Uganda has adopted Universal Primary Education (UPE) as a policy, many families cannot afford to send their children to school without financial assistance and many drop out for varied reasons. Private school and mixed schools with government and private funds all collect fees for various activities. HIV/AIDS-affected orphans usually live in an extended family (e.g. with grandmothers, aunts and uncles) and do not have the finance means to attend schools.
Most villages have one or more primary schools, but few have a secondary school. Therefore, children have to leave the village and board at school or in the town where a secondary school is located.
1. CANHAVE is completely volunteer-based in Canada. We have no paid staff, no office or equipment, no overhead. Our administrative expenses relate to our communications and fundraising activities in the Ottawa area and to the costs of doing our banking and governance. Most of annual revenue is transferred to Uganda for the children’s program and the Vocational School.
2. CANHAVE has a volunteer board of directors in Canada. Our partner in Uganda is managed by the Board of Trustees, which oversees the operations of the children’s program.
3. The decisions for the program are made in Uganda. The Board of Trustees has the legal and fiduciary responsibilities of the Ugandan property and operations.
4. Canada’s Board of Directors provides a policy and planning framework discussed and approved by the Ugandan Board of Trustees. It raises funds and communicates with donors, partners and funding agencies to ensure that sufficient funds are available for the priorities of the year.
Up to this point, CANHAVE has not applied for government funding.
CANHAVE has made applications for specific needs and has been successful in receiving grants from a number of funding bodies. It has also received monies from schools, churches, and service groups.
