Watoto Child Care Ministries

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Watoto Child Care Ministries began in 1994 as part of Watoto Church in Uganda. It builds villages with homes, schools, churches, clinics, and farms to care for orphans and widows by creating families for them.

There are three Watoto villages: Bbira and Suubi near Kampala, and Laminadera near Gulu. Each village houses eight orphans and one widow mother, who live together as a family. The villages also have schools, clinics, community centers, and churches to support the children’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs until they grow up.

Watoto runs other projects too, such as baby homes, vocational training, and farms to support the villages. They also run the Watoto Children’s Choir, which tours internationally every year.

Watoto aims to raise the next generation of African leaders. The Watoto Model is a plan to copy this village approach across Africa, and it has already worked in Gulu and near Kampala.

The church also runs Fathers Heart, a program that connects male role models with the children to mentor and support them. To keep the villages sustainable, Watoto focuses on farming and technical education for students and the community.