Where is Aringa?

Aringa is located in the Northwest corner of Uganda, bordering Sudan and Congo. You can see it here!

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Current Projects

Here is Life has many current community development projects:

1. Evangelical School of Technology in Aringa (ESTA) has graduated over 70 students since it began in 2000. These students have gone on to plant churches, start small businesses, and contribute to the community. There are currently 63 students. ESTA promotes:
   
1. Spiritual Development through
   
1. Leadership development
2. Biblical training
3. Evangelistic outreach
2. Skills Development through
1. Agriculture
2. Construction
3. Carpentry
4. Tailoring
5. Welding
6. Computer training
7. Accounting
   
2. Voice of Life FM 100.9 radio station broadcasts Christian, health and educational programming 18 hours daily throughout the West Nile region.
3. Kei Health Center is a Grade Three Health Unit with 20 inpatient beds. The center provides:
1. Primary health care
2. Health education
3. HIV/AIDS testing, treatment and education
   
4. Language and Literacy Services assist in:
1. Developing the local orthography
2. Training teachers to teach the local dialect in the primary schools
3. Translating the Bible into the local dialect, and confirming accuracy with local residents
   
4. Providing access to books in English for local residents
5. Developing books in the local dialect for primary education
5. Social Welfare Services assist communities to start income-generating projects and help in relief during disaster.
6. HIV/AIDS Prevention program. With funding from USAID, Here is Life is implementing HIV/AIDS prevention interventions in the 42 parishes of Aringa county in Yumbe District. Thirty religious leaders (both Christian and Muslim) work together to address behaviors of transmission in their local congregations. In addition, 50 volunteers collaborate to mobilize 30 people in each parish (over 1200 involved total) to:
1. Discuss risky behaviors that lead to HIV/AIDS in that particular parish
2. Identify methods to deter such risky behaviors.
7. Research. Here is Life has received a two-year grant to research ways of developing stronger, healthier chickens in local communities to increase income for poultry farmers. This research will be carried out through ESTA.
   

Accomplishments

Since 1988 Here is Life has helped to establish the following:

1. Community income-generating projects in Aringa.
2. A vocational school called Evangelical School of Technology in Aringa (ESTA).
3. Community library services in Aringa county. (At present the library system has over 6,000 books.)
4. Grade Three Health Center at Kei. The center has a very strong primary health care (PHC) and HIV/AIDS program. With help from two German organizations (Christian Services International and Help for the Brethren) and one German missionary (Miss Birgit Klumpp) a very strong Primary Health Care Program has been established at the center. Its activities include community health education, and HIV/AIDS testing, treatment and education.
5. Voice of Life FM radio. With the help of a German NGO, Here is Life operates an FM radio station reaching the West Nile region.
6. Literacy development. With the help of Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) Sudan, Here is Life has collaborated to develop the orthography of the Aringa language, and literacy materials in the language. Here is Life has helped to form the Aringa Language Committee to encourage the writing and use of the Aringa lanuage. Aringa has been accepted as one of the minority languages in Uganda which can be used to teach in the primary schools. Recently Here is Life, with the Education Office, has trained 30 teachers in teaching the Aringa language in primary schools.

Management

1. Policy making body: Here is Life has a Board of Directors composed of nine members who form the policy making body of the organization. The Chairman of the Board is Lt. Col. John Onaah.
2. Secretariat: The Project Managers make up the Secretariat (day-to-day leaders of the organization), headed by the Executive Director.
3. Lawyers: Kiyimba-Kisaka & Co. Advocates
4. Auditors: Entreprenur Consultancy Services (ECOS)
   

Establishment

Here is Life was founded in 1988 and registered as a limited company, focused on encouraging physical and spiritual development in Aringa county (which was then part of Arua District in Northwest Uganda). Here is Life participated in charitable activities. In 2005 it transitioned into a non-governmental organization (NGO) and a non-profit company. This has enabled it to be involved in interventions which are not for profit.

Registration

Here is Life is dually registered as an NGO (Registration Number S.5914/5760) and as a Non-Profit Company (limited by guarantee number V5738). Here is Life's Articles and Memorandum of Association, staff policy, work manual and financial policy are available upon request.

Challenges

Aringa county (which is now Yumbe district) is one of the poorest districts in Uganda. Most of the residents live on subsistence agriculture. Tear Fund UK found that Yumbe was the eighth poorest district in Uganda in May 2007.

The causes of the poverty in Yumbe district are several:

1. The rebel activities that continued from the 1980's to 1998 have left effects on the people from which they have not recovered. Many people lost their properties during that time and have not recovered them.
   
2. The local subsistence agriculture that relies entirely on handheld hoes produces very little.
   
3. Most of Here is Life's staff are volunteers. Those who are paid often do not receive enough to support themselves. For example, the staff at Kei Health Center are funded by fees from patients and an annual governmental contribution. However, the patients often do not pay the full fees, and the health center receives only one third of the approved amount from the government - with no reasons given.