Bridges to the Future: Economic Empowerment for AIDS-Orphaned Children in Uganda

Each child participant in the Bridges Arm will receive the usual care in addition to a Child Development Account (CDA) to be used for secondary education by the AIDS-orphaned child. The CDA will be a matched savings account held in the child's name in a financial institution registered by the Central Bank (Bank of Uganda). The account will be matched with money from the program at a match rate of 1:1. Additionally, participants will receive: 1) twelve 1-2 hour workshops focused on asset building, future planning, and protection from risks; 2) mentorship sessions to reinforce learning and build optimism; and 3) a family income-generating /micro-enterprise promotion component for children enrolled in Bridges and their families.

Each child participant in the Bridges PLUS Arm will receive the usual care in addition to a Child Development Account (CDA) to be used for secondary education by the AIDS-orphaned child. The CDA will be a matched savings account held in the child's name in a financial institution registered by the Central Bank (Bank of Uganda). The account will be matched with money from the program at a match rate of 2:1. Additionally, participants will receive: 1) twelve 1-2 hour workshops focused on asset building, future planning, and protection from risks; 2) mentorship sessions to reinforce learning and build optimism; and 3) a family income-generating /micro-enterprise promotion component for children enrolled in Bridges PLUS and their families.

Participants in the usual care condition will receive usual care for AIDS-orphaned children in the study area. This includes: counseling, school lunches, and scholastic materials (textbooks and notebooks). Counseling will be provided by priests in the community (as is currently done).