Doing Little Things for Grandparent Caregivers
Earlybird256 has always focused on providing children with everything they need to succeed, and we understand that their households play a big role in their success. That’s why providing assistance to parents and caregivers has always been part of our mission. Many of the children we work with are being raised by their grandparents, who often must support their households alone. We’re dedicated to raising awareness of this often silent struggle and making sure they have access to the resources they need to continue supporting their child’s education.
The HIV/AIDS pandemic has changed the dynamic of African households, with roughly 12 million children under the age of 17 having lost one or both of their parents to AIDS. This, in addition to other disasters and conflicts, has left an increased number of grandparent caregivers. Many of these grandparents have to take care of the children by themselves, preventing them from working full-time or earning their previous level of income. Others find themselves in highly stressful caretaking roles, caring for both their sick adult children and their grandchildren at the same time.
These grandparents of Uganda are providing an invaluable service to society by stepping in to create a loving and stable home for their grandchildren, and they should be provided with the support they need. It does take a village, after all. In order to honor and support grandparent caregivers, it is important to create easy access to information, resources and policies, and it is up to government and local officials to find ways to support their unique needs.
We currently hold workshops for the caretakers of our students — including grandparents — once per quarter, and we’re eager to expand them and hold them more frequently. Outside of providing breakfast, lunch, and homework packets for the students, we periodically give them food to take home. During the lockdown, our coordinators have also started doing home visits, where they provide the families with basics like flour, sugar and salt. This removes some of the pressure of where the family will find their next meal.
These little things done with passion create an impact. They help ensure that the students continue coming to school and can learn on a full stomach. Lack of food security and lack of supporting households has led to astonishingly high rates of early pregnancy and school dropouts in these communities.
When you support our mission, you’re not only supporting the education of girls in Uganda, but you’re supporting the older generations that are still giving everything they can to create a better future. It all starts with a cup of porridge.
