What if you grew up in a community surrounded by poverty along with a high infection of HIV/Aids? Would you have the strength to know you were capable of changing these conditions? Shadrak Kyobe grew up with a supportive family and a dream to make his home country of Uganda a healthier happier place for everyone.
He is an active supporter of women’s rights, is working hard to reduce the infection of HIV/Aids, and has decreased the cycle of poverty. He does all of this by teaching people that they are capable of creating change in their own lives. He founded the Empower and Care Organization in Uganda. His mission is “to reduce poverty and HIV/AIDS through economic empowerment, educational opportunities and support for disadvantaged groups. Their activities are targeted toward vulnerable women, especially widows and those living with HIV/AIDS; vulnerable children, youth, and the elderly.” I hope his interview inspires you to create change in your own life and eventually in your community and the whole world.
What was your inspiration or what necessitated you to begin this adventure? I grew up in a very poor environment and I also used to see vulnerable people not living a happy and healthy life. Now I devote my time to make a difference in people’s lives, develop a wide network, develop a range of skills and experience that can be used in everyday life, Each week, my gift of time will help nourish and sustain the quality of life for someone less fortunate than me and I love to see vulnerable people living a better and healthy life.
People who are poor and ill with AIDS are vulnerable to social isolation, depression, and the inability to care for their own and their family’s basic needs; Children are often forced to leave school to care for their dying parents. A widespread response is a home-based care program, which provides a community with trained volunteers to visit the homes of the ill. Home-based care volunteers assist with a range of needs, including food preparation, hygiene, basic medical care, and counseling. You can take your time and volunteer with this Uganda organization. And to me I have a belief that every human being is a unique individual and that we all have a right to good health and basic needs and should access means to a comfortable life in one way or another
Therefore I want to see women (since they are the mothers of the world) to be transforming from a state of hopelessness to a state of excellence hence freeing them from exploitation and fully exhaust their potential.
What steps did you take to create your program? Identified the status of these people and then the needs of these communities after that it was easier for me to start a program in this community.
What obstacles were you forced to overcome? That was poverty in our community, most of the people in our community thought that they were poor but these people were rich only that they didn’t know, so I am giving these communities the skills and knowledge on how to utilize the resources surrounding them.
What were the hardest problems to solve or actions to take? Is to drive out people’s mind that for them its poverty that has kept them to be vulnerable and they need money to solve their problems. Then I let them know that its not money that can solve a problem, but their the ideas if well expressed can bring money!
What must you do to stay operational? I must be trust worthy, Focused, Determined, Patient with a positive mind!
Who, if anyone, helped you succeed? My Parents and few friends have been on my side to see that I be what I am today, I remember my parents used to tell me that Shadrak you need to be patient, Hardworking and you have to listen to what others are saying as well as respecting their views if you are to win the battle. Besides that they advised me to have friends who are productive and that I should never and never look behind or having any negative thought in me because this can affect my future.
Get involved and learn more about the EACO at www.EACOuganda.webs.com …This interview is from a book that includes 15 other amazing people who are creating positive change. You can read the full book and buy a copy for you or your school at Bookemon.com
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Individual Empowerment 
What a wonderful amount of information Shadrak. Thank you for encouraging others to get involved in their communities and sharing how they can volunteer with EACO. You are a great role model.
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Dear reader,
Thanks for reading this article; we are waiting for your feed back on this.
Please we are interested in your ideas, like finding information and items for programs, and partnering organizations together to exchange services & share ideas, and sometimes find funding, actually we need your support you can as well share this page with your family members and friends.
Most of our projects have been built by volunteers and people like you in terms of knowledge sharing, technical support and financial support. And we believe in ideas if well expressed they can solve a problem, and to me Empowering vulnerable people with Resources, Information and Creativity is the best way to create, nourish and sustain the quality of life for someone less fortunate than you.
Am looking at the idea of you linking us to resourceful people either families, groups, companies individuals, volunteers to volunteer with EACO.
Here your gift of time will help nourish and improve the quality of life of someone less fortunate than them.
How do you see? Bellow are the Current volunteering opportunities
In your own communities
• Campaigning and fundraising – in your own communities you can help by campaigning, raising awareness and fundraising for access to safe water and sanitation, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, reproductive health knowledge and practices, income generating activities for the disadvantaged and more.
In Uganda in the Mukono and Maracha districts
• Hands-on assistance to families – they can help with the daily household chores of families with children that have been orphaned as a result of poverty, HIV/AIDS, violence, conflict related displacement or war. People with social work skills will find this experience very rewarding.
• Help establish income-generating activities – provide assistance to our projects that create and implement income-generating opportunities for women, vulnerable children, orphans, youth and the elderly. You can become a valuable incubator of a new family business.
• Office and logistic activities – deliver office support, assist with administrative tasks such as budgeting, accounting, updating paperwork, and maintaining personnel files on children and other beneficiaries. Bring your organizational experience to bear in a different setting.
• Project management – develop and write project proposals, write grant proposals, help in fundraising, sensitizing the community about health and sanitation. Write progress reports on EACO projects. Bring your project skills to enhance our skills.
• Teach children – teach math, language, science, personal health, and other topics at schools. Organize day-care activities in the roles of teachers, camp counselors and day care workers. Good for people who love children. Bring your games, songs, musical instrument and enthusiasm to the village!
• Peers education – deliver training to staff and volunteers on issues relevant to the activities where EACO is involved. Help enhance our knowledge base. Be a co-coordinator of one of our peer education projects or help develop a new peer education project. Be a teacher of teachers.
• Train farmers – give our rural beneficiaries information and training on applicable technology for best-of-breed agricultural practices, land conservation, food security, bee keeping and others. Bring your knowledge and ability to teach and work the land.
Volunteer requirements and qualifications
EACO particularly welcomes skilled professionals who can help us improve and develop our own capabilities. EACO welcomes enthusiasm and commitment in all volunteers and is committed to ensuring all voluntary experiences are as mutually beneficial as possible. We assure you will return home with memories of a very rewarding experience, just as our friend Claire Miller did.
All volunteers train through working closely with our local volunteers and are supervised by the organization director. When visiting rural areas the volunteers also work in partnership with other local volunteers.
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I agree that that was a very refreshing answer. He mentions undervalued qualities that we all possess and need to succeed. I am happy you enjoyed the interview. It was a joy to be introduced to his work.
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The answer to the question ‘What must you do to stay operational?’ impressed me. One might expect to hear words like obtain funding, staff, community involvement, but being trust worthy, focused, determined and patient are just as, if not more, important than anything of the other things. Nice interview Leah.
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