Financial constraints affecting operations of Tooro babies home

Fort Portal, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Tooro babies home in Central Division Fort Portal tourism city is struggling to operate due to lack of funds, space and other challenges.

This was revealed on Saturday as the facility celebrated 50 years of existence.

According to the matron Betty Kemigisa, the home has since its inauguration in 1970 helped more than 9,340 children in the Tooro sub-region but it does not get any government support.

She says that all the finances that they get to run the day-to-day activities at the facility are from well-wishers and are in most cases too little to solve their problems.

Currently, the home has 51 children of which 25 are boys and 26 girls. But Kemigisa explains that it’s hard to feed or cloth these children, some of whom were abandoned by their parents while others are orphans.

During an event that was attended by very few people to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Bishop of Fort Portal Diocese, Rt. Rev. Robert Muhiirwa commended the founders of the babies home saying their efforts have helped many children.

The bishop condemned parents who out of fear of responsibility abandon their children by the roadside something that has seen the 50-year-old facility struggle with high numbers.

The Bishop of Rwenzori Diocese Rt. Rev. Reuben Kisembo asked the local community to help the facility in terms of funding and other basic needs saying that the task of seeing it exist for many years and serve its intended purpose needs collective efforts

Tooro babies home was started on September 19, 1970 by the Anglican and Catholic churches in Tooro under Bishops Jonathan Rwakaikara and Serapio Magambo both of whom have since passed on.

It was built by the people of Tooro with assistance from the boy scouts and girl guides of Norway in a bid to help the homeless and abandoned children.

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