The Potter's Village

Offering hope and a future to vulnerable babies

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Vision and values

The Potter’s village is a registered charity, founded and overseen by the Church of Uganda. Revd Jenny Green, a youth pastor in the Diocese of Muhabura and a CMS partner, has had a vision for many years to reach out to destitute children within a Christian community. Using her experience and inspirational leadership, Potter’s Village is now well established with a largely Ugandan team of staff and carers.

Ezra is the chief administrator. He is a local man who brings crucial experience and compassion to his job. Find out more about Ezra.

Vision

The Potter’s Village exists to rescue babies who have no other chance of survival. Up to 30 babies can be given a home on the site. Babies will be given optimum provision to thrive with one-to-one care, within a family environment.

The following health and welfare needs are catered for:

• Health and psychological care
• Remedial nutrition
• Education and parenting skills
• Support for families
• Spiritual and social care
• Future support of children when they leave the Potter’s Village.

Support of teenage mums, through pregnancy and early motherhood, is an essential part of the ministry. Future building plans include homes for teenage mums. At present they are supported within the local community.

 

Provision of medical care and health education for the local community is part of the vision. There is a great need for a clinic that will provide this education and support.

A nursery school for destitute pre-school children is also planned.

Values

Potter’s Village seeks to provide a home where God’s love is lived out within a Christian context.

The staff - carers, cooks, site workers and builders - are all employed from the local community, providing employment and training.

The support is long term. When the children are between two and three years old they are fostered in the local community, returned to their extended family or adopted.

The Potter’s Village is integral to the local community and inter-denominational. Children in the care of the home will be brought up with Christian values and hear Christian teaching unless they come from another religious background.

Where possible the community seeks to be self-sufficient, growing its own fruit, vegetables and trees, and keeping some livestock.

Volunteers from the UK and America are welcomed for varying lengths of stay, including parties from churches Jenny is linked with.

Background

Kisoro is a very poor area, struggling with the consequences of AIDS, malaria, and refugees from the Congo and Rwanda. The mortality rates in childbirth continue at the rate of 1 in 16 for women in Africa. Sometimes teenage girls are the victims of rape and find themselves destitute when they become pregnant. These factors can all result in babies being abandoned.

Despite the Ugandan practise of extended families taking responsibility for orphaned children, many are unable to care successfully for orphaned babies. There are also many very young street children with no form of care.

Project Management

A Board of Directors has been drawn from the Children’s Ministry Management Committee of the Diocese of Muhabura, together with other church and community leaders. The Board includes members of the diocesan Board of Education, members of local government and a representative of the Magistrate an Probation Services, (legally responsible for abandoned children). This Board oversees the work in Uganda.