What we do
Hope for Orphans and Rural Development (HORD) aims to improve the lives of the poor by focusing on programs and services that benefit the most vulnerable groups in rural communities. This includes:
- Early Childhood Care Program
Early childhood care and development are foundational for at-risk children and families. HORD sponsors and donors assist children living in impoverished communities in attending preschools and daycare centers. Here, they can develop social and cognitive skills, receive therapy and support for special needs, have nutritious meals, and learn about the importance of education from a young age. This sets them up for long-term success in school and life. Moreover, these programs also offer a safe environment for parents in the communities we serve to bring their young children while they work to provide for their families.
Our Programming Approach Is Driven by the Needs of Children and Families
HORD creates programs specifically tailored to meet the unique needs of children and families in our operational area. Our early childhood programs address trauma and provide therapy for children with special needs. With the support of HORD sponsors and donors, we strive to help children thrive by meeting their individual needs.
- Economic Empowerment Program
Many parents, particularly single mothers, often feel helpless in supporting their families due to a lack of education or marketable skills. HORD sponsors and donors play a crucial role in providing job skills training to these vulnerable individuals. This includes single mothers facing stigma and discrimination, as well as women who become the sole providers for their children following the loss or departure of their husbands. Through HORD’s economic empowerment programs, struggling parents are equipped with the necessary tools, education, and practical experience in areas such as sewing, gardening, starting small businesses, or raising livestock. These initiatives aim to enable them to earn a stable income and provide for their children. Ultimately, these programs strengthen families, promote self-reliance, prevent separation, and contribute to the growth and well-being of children.
Our Approach to Economic Empowerment is Driven by the Needs of Children and Families
In every community where HORD operates, our on-ground teams strive to develop programs that specifically address the distinctive needs of children and families. In communities where the stigma surrounding single motherhood persists, HORD donors play a crucial role in empowering women to fulfill their parental responsibilities and support their children. In rural areas, HORD implements a self-help group model that enables parents to collaborate and enhance their living standards while fostering the growth and well-being of their children. This approach promotes community empowerment and enables families to create an environment where children can flourish.
- Education
Education is a transformative force that empowers children to pursue their dreams and unlock their full potential. It serves as a powerful tool for breaking the cycle of poverty, not only in the lives of individuals but also in their families and communities. In our operational area, HORD sponsors and donors play a vital role in eliminating barriers that hinder children’s access to education. This support encompasses covering school fees, providing uniforms and supplies, as well as educating parents and community members about the significance of education for all children. Education not only equips children for their future but also combats issues such as early marriage, child labor, trafficking, and gender inequality. By prioritizing education, we foster positive change and empower children to lead fulfilling lives while addressing social challenges.
Who we are
Hope Orphans and Rural Development (HORD) is a non-political, non-profit, Community-Based Organization (CBO), registered with the District Community Development Department of Kamuli District. Since its inception, HORD has scaled up its support especially to the Vulnerable Women, Child-Headed Households (CHH), orphans and others affected by HIV/AIDS.
The HORD staff is 100% volunteer based. With no salaries, the only incentive for HORD staffers is to improve the living conditions in their own communities – that is incentive enough.
A young organization, with limited resources, HORD is initially focusing its programs and services in Uganda’s Kamuli District; home of HORD’s founder and one of the poorest districts in all of Uganda. Kamuli is divided into 22 sub counties, the largest of which has a population of 35,000. HORD has a staff of 22 volunteer field workers, each responsible for a single sub-county. The field workers act as the eyes and ears of their assigned sub-county, ensuring that HORD’s assistance reaches those most in need. HORD’s founder, Simon Nzigu, serves as an overseer the work of the field volunteers.
Mr. Nzigu is responsible for designing and implementing HORD’s programs. He dedicates his time to soliciting support, such as scholarships, gifts in-kind, and adoptive families. He has also brought vocational and agricultural training programs to the community. Mr. Nzigu houses 10 orphans in his own home.
History of HORD
Simon Nzigu was a fortunate child. Simon’s father, an accountant and the only educated man in his rural village, insisted that his son receive the best education possible. But when Simon was 17 everything changed. His father died of AIDS. Simon’s father had pleaded for Simon to continue his education after his death. But without a male head of the household, Simon’s family no longer had the means to provide schooling.
The year that followed his father’s death was a dark time for Simon; he was without hope. With no money for school, his education was over. He lived in the village for an entire year, believing that subsistence farming was his only choice in life. Simon wanted more for himself. Fortunately, so did his village.
Simon had always been a bright kid and the villagers had seen his potential. They knew that without an education he would never have an opportunity to realize that potential, and so the community came together to ensure he got one. Family, friends and neighbors funded Simon’s education, for in him they saw hope. When Simon qualified for the top technology university, they saw to it that he was able to attend.
Throughout Simon’s education, not a day went by that he didn’t feel blessed. After that year spent in the village, he understood the value of education. Without it, he had been hopeless.
At university, Simon studied information technology and took a two month volunteer position with a NGO in northern Uganda. Originally, he had accepted the position because it provided a small stipend. But when he left, he took more than the money. He took with him an idea, to start a charitable organization in his own village. For while he had been lucky, there were hundreds of children who weren’t so lucky.
“After the death of my dad, I was in a very dark place. But at least I was older,” explains Simon. “Some children are orphaned when they’re so young in that they can’t even put on their own clothes. I wondered ‘how could they survive?!’ I felt such pity. I had to do something.” And he did….
When Simon was on a university break, he returned to the village to talk to his mother, herself an AIDS widow. She lived in her late husband’s house, technically Simon’s house, as its tradition for property to pass to the oldest male of the next generation. The home that Simon inherited was quite large by village standards. So, Simon asked his mother a favor: would she open her home to orphans?
Simon’s mother was happy to do so, and within months, Simon’s inherited house was home to nine parentless children. A good start. But Simon wanted more. He began mobilizing a team of volunteers across the district to find supportive homes for orphans.
In 2008 Simon’s idea came to official fruition; Hope for Orphans and Rural Development (HORD) became an officially registered CBO by Kamuli district and Bugulumbya sub-county where the organization is headquartered.
In December 2008 he became the second person from his village to graduate from university.
Just as the community rallied to support Simon’s education, they have now come together to support HORD, ensuring that Simon can dedicate all of his time to growing the organization and its impact on the community. Simon has returned to his village, and the home he shares with orphans.
Village Life
Poverty is everywhere in Uganda, but in rural Kamuli district the poverty is paralyzing.
Uganda’s per-capita income is estimated at $300 USD ($0.82 per day), but those in outlying areas survive on just a fraction of that, or worse; on nothing at all. The majority of rural people are subsistence farmers, only able to feed themselves and their families. They cannot afford education. Without newspapers or televisions, they have no access to the outside world. With no knowledge, there is no hope for change.
Development has skipped Rural Uganda. AIDS infection is a tragedy in every corner of the world, but in rural Uganda, AIDS kills both people and communities.
While AIDS does not discriminate between men and women, men often die much faster from the disease. In some rural communities AIDS has widowed nearly half of the female population. The widows are then left to provide for their children, but without the skills to do so. With no income, they’re unable to send their children to school. And so, the next generation of uneducated adults is raised into poverty. Without education, these children are without hope.
And then there are the orphans. If they are lucky, they are taken in by relatives who will provide food and shelter in return for labor. The unlucky ones remain in their parentless homes, living off the sporadic generosity of the community; barely living.
Kamuli district is in eastern Uganda and it is HORD’s initial service area. Kamuli ranks 90th in terms of wealth. With such extreme poverty, the tragedies and hardships described above are the daily realities of life in Kamuli.