Uganda Charity Investment Guide

When you do your business in Africa and you prosper, there comes a time when you feel you have to give back to the community that has helped you succeed.

You may also find yourself in a situation where your multinational mining corporation has made a fortune in Africa and yet some of your most enthusiastic native supporters are needy folk. Naturally you would feel obligated to do good to those people who let you create wealth out their God given motherland. Furthermore when your aid is structured as corporate social responsibility (CSR) you will find out that your company could become more innovative, productive, and even more competitive. Whichever way you decide give back to the community as a successful investor, you want to be sure that your donation will first and foremost be received by the right organization (not a scam) and secondly that your donation will ultimately reach the needy folk that you want to help.

….And you don’t want to invest in an organization which will hurt your business in any way be it short or long term, the organization mission and objectives must be right!

In this Africa Uganda Charity Investment Guide you will find out:

• What it means to be a Non-government Organization (NGO) in Uganda
• What to consider before giving to Charity in Africa
• How to avoid Charity Scams in Uganda,
• About Mirembe Ministries, the Charity Guide Sponsor
• Charity news, guides and Charity Investment opportunities in Uganda

What are Non-government Organizations?

In Uganda a Non-government Organization (NGO) will be described as any legally constituted private, voluntary grouping of individuals or associations involved in community empowerment, advocacy, development, research  or relief work which is clearly neither part of Government nor clearly part of the ‘for profit’ commercial sector (National NGO Policy, 2008).           

The term 'NGO' is often used variously to refer to or otherwise mean the ‘independent sector’, volunteer sector, civil society organizations, grassroots organizations, transnational social movement organizations, private voluntary organizations, self-help organizations and Non-State actors (NSAs).

Non-governmental organizations are a heterogeneous group but can be classified inter alia, into operational and advocacy types. The primary purpose of an operational NGO is the design and implementation of development-related projects. One frequently used categorization is the division into 'relief-oriented' or 'development-oriented' organizations; they can also be classified according to whether they stress service delivery or participation or whether they are religious or secular; and whether they are more public or private-oriented.

Operational NGOs can be community-based, national or international. The primary purpose of an Advocacy NGO is to defend or promote a specific cause. As opposed to operational project management, these organizations typically try to raise awareness, acceptance and knowledge by lobbying, press work and activist events.

This Africa Uganda NGO guide is Sponsored by Mirembe Ministries.

What to consider before giving to Charity in Africa

If you’re considering a request for a donation to a charity, do some research before you give. By finding out as much as you can about the charity, you can avoid fraudsters who try to take advantage of your generosity.

These days, charities, Non-government organization (NGOs) and fundraisers (groups that solicit funds on behalf of organizations) use the phone, face-to-face contact, email, the internet (including social networking sites), and mobile devices to solicit and obtain donations. Naturally, scammers use these same methods to take advantage of your goodwill.

Regardless of how they reach you, avoid any charity or fundraiser that:

• Refuses to provide detailed information about its identity, mission, costs, and how the donation will be used.
• Uses a name that closely resembles that of a better-known, reputable organization.
• Thanks you for a pledge you don’t remember making.
• Uses high-pressure tactics like trying to get you to donate immediately, without giving you time to think about it and do your research.

This Africa Uganda NGO guide is Sponsored by Mirembe Ministries.

Charity/ NGO Tips to help you avoid Charity Scams in Uganda Africa

Take the following precautions to make sure your donation benefits the people and organizations you want to help.

• Ask for detailed information about the charity, including name, address, and telephone number.
• Get the exact name of the organization and do some research. Searching the name of the organization online — especially with the word “complaint(s)” or “scam”— is one way to learn about its reputation.
• Call the charity. Find out if the organization is aware of the solicitation and has authorized the use of its name. The organization’s development staff should be able to help you.
• Find out if the charity or NGO is registered in Uganda by contacting the NGO Board Ministry of Internal Affairs.
• Keep a record of your donations and find time to when on vacation to come to Uganda and visit the orphanage, or rural community to verify/audit the organizations’ operations. This way you will know if your grant/donation was put the right use.
• Make an annual donation plan. That way, you can decide which causes to support and which reputable charities should receive your donations/grants.
• While in many cases it is unsafe to wire money to NGO’s, in Africa Uganda, you might find that this is one way you will have to use if you really want to donate. The way to avoid scammers is pay for the service, product directly rather than sending the money to the organization, let’s take an example: when you’re supporting an adopted child to go to school, send the money directly to the school account rather than giving to an individual.
• Do not provide your credit or check card number, bank account number or any personal information until you’ve thoroughly researched the charity.
• Be wary of charities/ NGO that spring up too suddenly in response to current events and natural disasters. Even if they are legitimate, they probably don’t have the infrastructure to get the donations to the affected area or people.
• If a donation request comes from a group claiming to help your local community (for example, local police or firefighters), ask the local agency if they have heard of the group and are getting financial support.
• What about texting? If you text to donate, the charge will show up on your mobile phone bill. If you've asked your mobile phone provider to block premium text messages — texts that cost extra — then you won't be able to donate this way.

MIREMBE MINISTRIES

Changing Lives Impacting the World

This Africa Uganda Charity investment guide is sponsored by Mirembe Ministries.

Mirembe Ministries is a charitable / Non-government / not-for profit organization established under the laws of Uganda. Mirembe Ministries derives its name “MIREMBE” from the local Luganda word which means “PEACE”


The Vision: To create a community where every vulnerable child and youth has access to quality education, health services, shelter, clothing, adult supervision, guidance and a sense of belonging.


The Mission:  To restore hope among less privileged children and vulnerable youth through empowering and encouraging communities to respond and provide for their basic social needs.

Overarching Organization Aims & Objectives

• To establish, maintain and man a scholarship fund with a view of granting scholarships and bursaries to the less privileged children and youth regardless of their caste, color, race, creed or sex thereof making education accessible to such persons from pre-school to tertiary level.
• To extend logistical support including but not limited to; stipends and scholastic materials as well as providing medical help, clothing and food to such identified persons.
• To lobby the government, NGO, corporate firms, CSO both on the local and the international scene for donations and logistical support for the identified persons.
• To instigate and cultivate a human rights culture within such persons with a view creating equality, promoting girl rights and checking the ever increasing gender based violence.
• To create a sense of belonging and brotherly hood within such identified persons as a way of harnessing individual and team skills development within under privileged groups.
• To create an enabling environment for promotion of young people’s rights to reproductive health information and services as well as advocating for access to social economic empowerment for such persons.
• To affiliate and maintain contact with any institution both a local, regional and international with similar objects that may benefit the organisation.
• To contribute towards the implementation of Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).

How you can be part of Mirembe Ministries...

Mirembe Ministries is currently seeking Technical and financial partners in order to further its objectives and implement planned charitable activities.

If you're interested in supporting or partnering with Mirembe Ministries please feel free to contact the organization directly at the followign address:

MIREMBE MINISTRIES

Physical Address: Cornrad House Plot 10,Jinja Road Kampala, Uganda

Post Address: P.O. Box 10848, Kampala

E-mail: mirembeministries@gmail.com

Telephone: +256705555784