What’s Anthony Fund ?
We are an organization established for the protection and support of street children in Uganda, Africa. The organization is dedicated to continuing the charity work of Mr. Muwonge Anthony, hence our name.
" I simply want to help and support children in need. I do not want to see children struggling on the streets, and I cannot stand by while they get involved with gangs and turn to robbery.
We lived together like family in my house.
I want them to work hard not only in soccer but also on studying, and to become respectable people."
Quote by Anthony from the NHK World Documentary THE OTHER KIDS
OUR BEGINNING
To protect street children and let them live in his own place, to teach soccer and provide scholarships achieved by playing - there was a person who carried out such activities in Kampala, the capital of Uganda; Anthony, the director of the Proway Academy.
The work of Anthony first came to our attention through the NHK documentary program THE OTHER KIDS: SOCCER IS OUR HOPE.
NHK's documentary homepage is here ☞http://www6.nhk.or.jp/wdoc/backnumber/detail/?pid=160823
※ If you wish to view the documentary, please contact us.
At the beginning of this program 16 children lived together, with the number of children in Anthony’s care increasing to 22 by the end. The documentary concludes with one of the featured children, Reagan, an ace striker, scoring an impressive victory in a soccer tournament thereby gaining a scholarship and being able to attend school.
However, a very sad event occurred after this.
HEARTBREAKING EVENT
It happened suddenly. On 16th April 2016, Anthony died in the massive flooding that occurred in Kampala. For Reagan and the other children, to lose Anthony was to lose everything.
A NEW LIFE
Of the 22 children, those with parents returned home. Four children including Reagan were left. They lived in a new coach's house, but the coach had a family of his own to provide for and limited finances meant Reagan and the other children had to earn a living to pay their own tuition and food expenses.
PLAYSTATION : MAKING MONEY HEAD WAY
It was during the school holidays when the school was closed that we spoke to Reagan. When asked, ''How do you make a living?'', we were told that, during the holidays, the Playstation purchased by the coach was being taken to the local community centre and people were allowed to play it for a fee. The previous day's earnings totalled 6000 shillings, the equivalent of 180 yen (1 schilling = 0.03 yen). Half went to the coach and the remaining 90 yen was shared between four people. Reagan discussed how he would spend the money, with food being the top priority. But that amount of money is insufficient for the nutritional needs of children.
WHERE IS THE ASSISTANCE?
After the program broadcast, it seems that there were many offers of help from various individuals. However, because the money intended for children is exploited by adults, there is not enough money remaining to support the intended recipients.
We asked, 「Is there any adult person you can trust?]
Reagan's reply, ''No''.
RESOLUTION
When we heard this, we felt terribly frustrated by this situation. A one year scholarship of about 20,000 yen was discussed as part of the NHK program. That is not an unreasonable amount. One of our members had intended to see a stage production, with tickets and associated expenses totalling 30,000 yen, but instead of attending this performance our member decided to use the money to support Anthony’s children.
OUR STRENGTHS
When Anthony was still alive, all of the children gained scholarships but the principal took the money and Anthony and his children couldn’t support themselves.
Sadly, exploitation of money, kickbacks, side-streaming of goods is not uncommon in Africa. Still it seems more productive to try and manage with the current situation than do nothing at all.
In our case, we have a direct connection with the children and our support system has been organised without interference and exploitation by others. This is our biggest strength. In concert with local collaborators, we assess the list of items requested by the children and prioritize those most essential for daily life.
FINAL GOAL
We do not know if Reagan can become a professional soccer player. He seems small and short for his age, possibly as a result of malnutrition. However, even if Reagan cannot become a soccer player, we would to give him the skills required and opportunity to be like Anthony, to manage this foundation. In any event we want to continue to offer financial support at least until Reagan has graduated.
The final goal is to form an organisation managed by local residents and thus remove the middlemen from the financial support process.
Children like Reagan are raised in a society where a school principal can pocket scholarship money, with no adults to rely on.
''Is there any adult person you can trust?''
''No.''
We would like to create a world where such an exchange could not take place.
Translation Collaborator:
Mr. Andrew Bodsworth