A Children's Home for the most vulnerable
Uganda
In the heart of Uganda, a Family Home is taking shape—not as a place of refuge, but as a generative space of dignity and opportunity. A safe, structured environment where women and children in vulnerable conditions can not only find shelter, but build pathways toward autonomy, learning, and growth. A project rooted in the local community, supported by an international network, and designed to be self-sustainable thanks to an integrated farm.
Effatà: where charity becomes home, and home becomes community
In a small village in the Mukono district of Uganda, there is a place where hope takes on a tangible form every day. It is here that Silvia Marcolin, a volunteer from Treviso, chose to live in 2020 to stand beside those who are most fragile, most alone, and most forgotten.
Around her, Effatà Charity Organisation was born—an association officially registered both in Uganda and in Italy, where it became a recognized ODV (Voluntary Organization) in 2023. Its mission is to build authentic relationships between those who give and those who receive, and to support children and families living in extreme poverty, malnutrition, violence, and abandonment.
Effatà operates with a direct and deeply human approach. Silvia knows every child and mother by name. She regularly visits families, listens to their stories, walks alongside them—and shares daily updates with supporters in Italy through a dedicated WhatsApp group.
Concrete support, born from relationships
Today, Effatà reaches hundreds of children through projects such as:
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School sponsorships, covering tuition fees, a daily warm meal, school supplies, uniforms, and family support.
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Family assistance, including the construction of small brick homes, renting land for farming, and purchasing animals and basic necessities for survival.
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Medical care for children with disabilities, malformations, or severe illnesses—including wheelchairs and essential health equipment.
The Family Home: a dream taking shape
Among all Effatà’s projects, one stands out as the deepest expression of its mission: the construction of a Family Home, which we at the Costa Family Foundation have chosen to support in a special way.
Why a Family Home?
Because dignity cannot be handed out—it must be built.
A true home is not just a roof over one’s head, but a place where people are welcomed, loved, cared for, and given a chance to start over. It’s an opportunity for mothers and children in distress—sick, abandoned, or at risk—to find shelter, care, and a path to reclaim their lives.
The Family Home will include:
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Rooms and spaces for long-term accommodation
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A kitchen, dining area, and infirmary
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Play areas and vocational workshops (such as tailoring)
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A guesthouse for volunteers
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And most importantly, a farm
A self-sustainable home, alive with the community
In 2022, Effatà purchased one hectare of land.
Part of it is planted with matoke, soy, cassava, papaya, guava, and mango. The other part will host chickens, goats, and cows.
This land is the beating heart of the project. It will feed the Family Home, but also generate income through the sale of surplus produce. Above all, the Home is not meant to be a closed-off island, but an open, inclusive space. Village children will be welcome to play there, and local artisans will be invited to teach their skills.
Effatà dreams of a home that is also a school of life—a small forge of the future, where caring for oneself and others becomes part of the same act.
Other projects in Uganda
