Because our child development program is unique with costs varying widely per needs and family situations changing, we can’t connect one sponsor with one specific child. Children in our development program fall into one of the three categories below.

All children in our program have had contact with the law. We then access them based on our vulnerability report to ensure that we are focusing on helping children that would otherwise not have an opportunity to attend school.

Primary and Secondary School Children
These children have often missed or fallen behind in their studies. It’s not uncommon for us to see children who are 13 or 14 years old and are only educated at the primary level. Emmanuel is a great example of this. He never dreamed that one day he’d be able to go to school. School seemed a million miles away from his harsh life on the streets of Uganda’s capital, Kampala. Like thousands of street kids in Kampala, Emmanuel worked from dawn to dusk to scrape together a few shillings to buy food. He carried a scale – offering to weigh people in return for 200 shillings (about a nickel). But things spiraled out of control when 12-year-old Emmanuel was caught up in a police “sweep” of boys and girls living and begging on the streets. He was sentenced to six months’ detention at the children’s prison. In the prison, Emmanuel received care and Bible-based counseling from SixtyFeet. The lessons he learned from our counselors made a big impact on him. On his release, Emmanuel returned home determined to go to school. SixtyFeet followed up with Emmanuel and decided his unstable home life put him at risk of returning to the streets. That’s when a sponsor came forward to pay Emmanuel’s school expenses. Emmanuel couldn’t believe that someone in America would care enough about him to send him to school. Today, Emmanuel is 16 and he’s been in school consistently for three years – thanks to his faithful sponsor in the U.S. His life on the streets left him lagging behind his peers academically, but he’s working hard to catch up. He’s even persuaded a friend to leave the streets behind and get back in school. “My dream is to be an engineer,” Emmanuel says.

University/Trade Children
The older children leaving the prisons have completed their studies and need either a trade skill or university studies to return to their community and have a positive impact. If these children meet the vulnerability requirements we will access the best option for them and provide for their studies. Mercy is a great example of a university student. She is studying fashion design and has a heart and passion for God. When Mercy was 14 years old she was abused by family members and kicked out of her home. She was found on the street by a pregnant woman who took her to M2 under the care and protection program. After 3 weeks Sixty Feet workers began to understand more about Mercy and her circumstances. Mercy says “After a week l was taken away from that prison to a very comfortable home. I was given clothes, food, school fees, shelter, medications, love and most importantly Sixty Feet showed me that God loves so much even when everyone else doesn't. I was given a shoulder to cry on which l never had before. Sixty feet has done so much for the children of Uganda without hesitation.”

Special Needs Children
School is totally out of reach for many children in Uganda. It can cost HALF a family’s monthly income to put one child in school. The cost for a special needs child is even greater. Ofter resulting in no effort being made. James is an example of what we often see with special needs children. James was admitted to M3 in 2006 as a missing child. He had been abandoned in a taxi park. He was diagnosed as mentally retarded and showed symptoms of epilepsy. Sixty Feet stepped in and began working with James. there was a special needs assessment, and then he was enrolled in a special needs school. He has grown to be able to feed himself with moderate assistance, he now communicates with familiar people expressing both positive and negative emotions. James has grown so much because of the care, love and support he has received from sponsorship through Sixty Feet.

In the 2017 school year, Sixty Feet has 125 children needing sponsorship. Half sponsorships begin at $38 a month. Full sponsorships are $76 a month and provide everything a child needs from tuition to books to uniforms to health check-ups to supplemental food. Any size gift, monthly or one-time, will make a huge difference in the lives of children and their families.