About FOCEI
FOCEI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming the lives of vulnerable children through education, health, and empowerment. We believe that every child deserves access to quality learning, proper healthcare, and opportunities to build a better future.
Our programs provide school sponsorships, essential learning resources, life skills training, and health support to ensure holistic child development. By working closely with communities we create sustainable change in the lives of Children. Through the generosity of donors and partners, we are breaking barriers and giving children the chance to thrive and succeed in life.
Our Mission
Working together to invest in the lives of children to build a healthy environment they need to thrive and empower them to create lasting change in their lives and communities.
Our Vision
Empowering children for community transformation
Core Values
We prioritize understanding and empathy towards the needs and challenges of children. We approach our work with a caring and nurturing attitude, ensuring that children feel supported and valued.
We maintain the highest standards of honesty and integrity in all our actions and interactions. We are committed to transparency, trustworthiness, and ethical conduct, ensuring the well-being of children is never compromised.
We believe that collective efforts are essential in achieving our mission. Our dedicated team collaborates seamlessly to provide the best possible service and support for children, their families, and communities.
We are accountable for our actions and decisions. We operate with openness, providing clear information about our initiatives and finances. Accountability ensures that we can measure and improve our impact on child empowerment.
Our Key Focus Areas
Education & Sponsorship
Health & Well-being
Learning Resources
Life Skills & Empowerment
Community Engagement
Learning Resources
Our Story
FOCEI did not begin with grand resources or elaborate plans. It began with something simple something powerful. A meal. A prayer. A listening ear.
In our project area too many children were living in despair. Some had been abandoned by their families, left to navigate life alone. Others came from homes where extreme poverty made basic needs food, clothing, medical care seem impossible. Many had lost all hope, carrying burdens no child should have to bear.
We saw their pain, and though we didn’t have much, we had love to give. So we began with what we could. We gathered the children, shared meals with them, prayed together, and sat with them in counseling sessions. In those simple moments, something beautiful happened. The children, who had once been silent, started to talk. They smiled. They believed again.
A Meal: More Than Just Food
Hunger was one of the greatest challenges. Many children would go for days without a proper meal. Some struggled through school with empty stomachs, unable to concentrate.
We started by providing meals, not just to fill their stomachs but to remind them they were seen, valued, and loved. Food was not just nourishment—it was an act of care, a way of saying, You matter.
As we shared meals, we realized that many of these children were not just hungry for food; they were hungry for love, for belonging, for hope.
Praying Together: Restoring Faith
We didn’t just feed them physically; we fed their spirits. Every gathering began with prayer. We prayed for them, with them, and over them.
For many, prayer became a source of strength. In a world that had told them they were forgotten, they began to believe they were loved by God, that their lives had meaning, and that their circumstances did not define them.
Prayer also became a way to restore families. Some parents, who had lost hope in their ability to care for their children, found encouragement. They realized they were not alone in their struggles.
Counseling: Healing the Heart
Beyond hunger and physical struggles, many of these children carried deep emotional wounds. They had experienced neglect, abuse, loss, and rejection. They had been told, through words and actions, that they were unwanted.
We created a safe space for them to share their pain. Some had never spoken about their struggles before. As they opened up, we listened, we reassured, we reminded them that their past did not determine their future.
Through counseling, they began to replace the lies they had been told with truth: You are loved. You are important. You have a future.
Expanding the Mission: Meeting Deeper Needs
As we walked alongside these children, we realized their struggles went beyond what we had first seen. Many were facing:
- Lack of medical care: Some were sick or malnourished, needing urgent attention.
- Family struggles: Some parents had abandoned their children out of desperation, believing they could not provide for them.
- Barriers to education: Many children couldn’t attend school due to a lack of fees, uniforms, and supplies.
We knew we couldn’t stop at meals and prayer, we had to go further.
Education: Opening Doors to a Brighter Future
We started by helping children return to school. We provided uniforms, school fees, books, and supplies everything they needed for a fresh start.
But education was more than just getting children into classrooms. We worked with teachers and mentors to ensure these children received emotional and academic support. We encouraged life skills training and leadership development, helping them see beyond their current struggles to a future filled with possibilities.
Children who once saw no future for themselves now dared to dream. They began to believe they could become doctors, teachers, and leaders in their own communities. Restoring Families, Strengthening Communities
Rebuilding Families Through Hope
As we helped the children, we saw another heartbreaking reality—many parents were not abandoning their children out of cruelty, but out of hopelessness.
Some had lost confidence in their ability to provide. Others were trapped in cycles of poverty and despair. They needed help, too.
We introduced family counseling and empowerment programs. Parents were given opportunities to rebuild their lives through farming and small business training.
As families became stronger, children who had once been neglected were welcomed home again. Parents who had once given up on their children began fighting for them instead.
Transforming Lives, One Story at a Time
The change we’ve witnessed is nothing short of incredible.
A child who once felt abandoned now walks into school with confidence. A mother who once struggled to put food on the table now runs a small business and proudly sends her children to school. A family once torn apart now prays, eats, and grows together.
This is the heart of FOCEI. We’re not here to offer temporary relief—we’re here to restore hope. It’s not just about helping children survive, but giving them the chance to truly thrive.
Our Story Is Still Being Written
Every day, we meet children in need—of food, of love, of someone to believe in them. And every day, we witness how a simple act of kindness—a warm meal, a heartfelt prayer, or a caring conversation—can spark lasting change.
But this is only the beginning. With every new sponsor, volunteer, and supporter, the FOCEI family grows stronger. More children are fed. More families are healed. More futures are rewritten.
We continue because we believe no child should ever feel forgotten or without hope. When we stand together, we don’t just change lives—we rewrite destinies.
Our Staff
Winnie Nakayenze
Founder/Team Leader
Muzaaki Doreen
Finance Manager
Wabwire Jackson
Assistant Programs Officer
Namwigo Loving
Training Coordinator
