Introduction
This report comes as a result of the need to know the impact of TGN project on its beneficiaries. In relation to the above, a review questionnaire was designed and home visits were made between 27th/ 8/ 2007 – 28th/ 8/ 2007 to the homes of the beneficiaries.

From the 45 children under the project, 15 children’s families were sampled with eleven children from Bulolelo village and four from Namwalye village. The parents and guardians of the children were asked for their views concerning the child’s class performance, hygiene, and perception of Lulwanda Children’s Home among others.

As a general comment noted, from the homes visited, the parents and guardians were very happy and extended a vote of thanks to the donors for the provision in aspects such as the scholastic materials and the health kit among others.

Children’s performance prior to this assistance
When asked about the children’s performance before they were enrolled in TGN project, some of their responses were that the children’s performances were good, fair, and low while some children were just joining primary one and nursery when they were enrolled which made it tricky to assess the impact of the project on such children. The fair and low performance was attributed to lack of scholastic materials which could cause the children to miss school. The teachers would send the children home on grounds that they didn’t have books, pencils or pens. The children would stay at home until the parent got money to buy the items. But now some of the children have more than enough scholastic materials which are shared among the other children in the family.

One parent illustrated that it would be difficult for her to buy a book of 100 Ug. Shs. for her son when there was no paraffin or salt in the house. This implied that the child would rather miss school for some days than the family to spend the only one hundred shilling coin on a book and stay in darkness or forego salt.

Children’s current performance
However, most parents registered positive reactions when asked about their children’s current class performance. The improved performance was attributed to TGN project for the great support as the children no longer have to miss school due to lack of scholastic materials which have been catered for. For example, Napokoli Emma from Bulolelo village is in nursery and was in the 10th position out of 28 children in class in first term. In second term, he was the 2nd out of 16 children in class. There was a general improvement in his grades and performance.

Role of the Health kit
When asked about the children’s hygiene before enrollment into TGN project, most parents and guardians said that they were not able to provide all that was necessary for the children’s hygiene since they were not able to even acquire for themselves things like tooth paste and a tooth brush. The children and their elders would pick sticks to be used as tooth brushes without tooth paste. The children would sometimes go to school with pale skins due to lack of money to buy vaseline, dirty uniforms even on Mondays because they only had one pair of uniform and if there was no soap to wash it, the child would have to go to school in a dirty uniform.

Napokoli Emma`s mother Mrs. Wandyetye Sarah from Namwalye village confirmed it that her son Emma at times went to school on even a Monday in a dirty uniform if there was no money for soap to wash it over the weekend. Most parents and guardians said that they couldn’t afford shoes for their children and so; most of them would go to school in bear feet.

The parents and guardians were very grateful for the health kit because to most of the children, brushing with a tooth brush and tooth paste was there first time experience but they have adopted it and are committed to it without any difficulty. Benard Waneloba’s parent Wangalya Tofiko confessed that her son didn’t know how to brush. With the health kit, he had learnt how to brush and was consistently brushing twice each day which he used not to do before. Some parents and guardians admitted that the tooth paste, versline and shoe polish were shared among all the family members.

Perception before and after TGN project
The parents and guardians of the children had different views about the Children’s home.
Some of them loved it anticipating that with such an organization in the area, their own children would in future be chosen and helped. Other anticipated getting jobs as the Home expanded and its expansion meant development of the area as a whole. To some, they were less concerned about the Home and whatever happened to it was not of their concern because they didn’t see it as of any benefit to them.

However, by choosing their children to benefit from TGN project, those who loved it have increased their love for it while those who were less concerned about it have developed interest in it and have come to realize that the Children’s Home also thinks about the community in which its situated.

Goats as an Income Generating Activity
The goats that they received as gifts were not a burden to them and some of them reacted and said that it was an additional income generating activity while others like Mrs. Masolo Annet a mother to Wandera Sam from Namwalye village said: ‘‘It’s not a burden to me because I didn’t have any animal at home. ’ ’

Napokoli Emma’s mother said that it was not a burden as they already had some goats so they just added on what they had. However, it’s unfortunate to mention that Emma’s goat had a miscarriage and lost two kids.

The knowledge about goat keeping has been appreciated by most of the parents and guardians and they have put some of it to use like treating the goat, feeding it, giving water and sheltering it from the rain. Although most of them didn’t have permanent structures for the goats, they had simple structures with only a roof or others kept them in the kitchen, few of them left the goats to sleep on their verandahs but promised to put up buildings for the goats and complete those which were incomplete with only roofs.

Most of the goats were healthy with some of them about to conceive, expecting and others had given birth like Napokoli Emma`s goat from Bulolelo village. Kharono Pamela`s mother from Namwalye village said that Pamela`s goat fell sick and when there was no hope for it to recover, they sold it at 10.000 Ugandan shillings. They got the money and topped up with two hens to acquire another goat for her and by the time of the visit, Pamela’s goat had a kid. Manakhe Fiona’s case was different, her goat fell sick and died on 26th/ 8/2007 a day before the visit and there was nothing done to replace it by the time of the visit.

All in all, as observed by Miss Mutuwa Betty and the team which went out to carry out the visits, most of the goats were fine and healthy and this was all attributed to the knowledge about goat keeping which helped the family members to take good care of the goats. The parents and guardians expressed their children’s commitment to look after their goats very well by taking them out to graze, taking water for them to drink and making sure that it doesn’t rain on them.

Perception about the Saturday fellowship
When asked about the Saturday fellowships which are organized for the children to meet and interact at the children’s Home, all the parents were interested in it and said that it was good for the children to learn from each other. The parents and guardians said that their children learnt obedience and good morals and they really encouraged it. They said it was good to socialize and fellowship with other children and this opens children to better opportunities in life.

When Perez Masai`s mother Juniice Namanda was asked for her view about Saturday fellowship, she said that she liked the idea and her son was always anxious for the day. He would wake up very early on such days because he liked meeting his friends and the Saturday fellowship was the only day he had ample time with them.

Nambuya Sharon’s mother Mrs. Masai Victo also said she liked the fellowship and said that domestic chores never end and so one day off for her daughter was not bad. She said that her daughter wakes up early on such Saturdays to do some house work and when she goes back home in the evening, she again helps her mother.

Perception about the selection criterion
As observed from the parents and guardians, the selection process of the children to be helped by TGN project was fairly done as most of them admitted. It was done without segregation or discrimination and no body was favored but there was equal opportunity. This is evidenced by the children selection from around the Children’s Home and from different families.

Nambuya Elizabeth’s parent from Bulolelo village had this to say;

‘‘There was no discrimination because the children picked on were from even the homes of none believers. Further more, given the name of the project as Good Neighbor not Good Christian, means that it caters for all the neighbors irrespective of their religious affiliations.’ ’

Wanyetse Hilda Rose’s parent Mr. Akosoferi Kutosi also said that the selection process was fair because if it were unfair then the selected children would be from one place and only those too close to the church.

Manakhe Fiona’s parent also said;
‘‘If the selection process was unfair then there was no opportunity for my child to be selected."

Most of them didn’t know that their children would be picked on but they attributed the selection to God’s will and thanked him for opening a way for their children to be selected. They appreciated the management for the job well-done and above all for acting as good stewards.

Impact of TGN
All the parents and guardians of the children admitted that The Good Neighbor project had been of great help to their families and requested for the assistance to continue because it has helped in changing the way of living of the children and their families at large.

Waneloba Bernard’s parent said that the project had helped her since she had many children to care for.

Most parents and guardian were grateful for the continued support which has reduced on their burden as they have other children to look after and provide for. The assistance has helped to improve the children’s performance in class through the provision of the scholastic materials. Their health and that of their family members had improved through the provision of the health kit where family members share the versline, shoe polish, tooth paste and soap. These have helped to improve on the hygiene of the other family members although it’s maintained for as long as the health kit lasts. Its duration depends on the family size and when it’s over, the struggle to acquire soap and vaseline continues while shoe polish and tooth paste are not given much preference, these are usually suspended until the child gets the next health kit.

The parents and guardians were grateful for the shoes that the children received because most of them admitted that they were not in position to afford such shoes for their children.

On asking about their contributions that they would like TGN project to address, they had similar contributions to make. Some of them requested for their children to come and join Lulwanda Children’s Home and live with the children there and study with them because the Children in the children’s Home are admirable as they are very healthy.

Some parents and guardians alternatively suggested for their children to continue staying with them but study together with those in the children’s Home because the schools where their children are studying from have a high population. The child-to-teacher interaction is almost not there and some gave an example of a class of 150 children attended to by one or two teachers. This they said partly contributed to their children’s low grades in class.

Others like Nambuya Sharon’s parent and the one of Kharono Pamela suggested that on some of the Saturdays when the children under TGN project come to the children’s home, they should spend sometime in class learning. In addition to that, that their children should be given home work to take home and bring it back as they come for the next fellowship.

Masai Perez’s mother requested that if it were possible for the project to take her child for medical check up then she would be grateful because Perez is sickly but she can’t afford to take him for medical check up.

Wamutu Isaac’s parent also appreciated the great assistance that has been offered to his son and he only requested that if it’s possible then the project would kindly provide some text books for the children so that they would revise from home as such facilities are inaccessible in the schools where their children learn from.

The children under TGN project were happy for the visit by the team from Lulwanda Children’s Home led by Miss Mutuwa Betty and they requested for their friends who were twined to them to also pay them a visit. Some children and their families gave the visiting team hens to bring for their friends and among the three hens that were brought, one was for Barbirye Brenda and it came from a friend called Kharono Pamela from Namwalye village.

Conclusion
All in all the parents, guardians, children and the rest of their family members were left with smiles on their faces because of the assistance from TGN project and they all hoped and prayed for it to go on and even recruit more children as the funds may allow.