Pastor Bamanya John
Founder & Chairperson
ExpertisePastoral Leadership, Community Mobilisation
About SKOM
Community-rooted. Christ-centred. Child-focused.
Ssesse Kids Outreach Ministries (SKOM) exists so that children on the Ssese Islands can learn, grow, stay safe and reach their God-given potential — surrounded by families, churches and communities that care for them.
Who we are
A local response to the needs of island children.
SKOM is a Christ-centred, community-based organisation established to address the educational, protection, health and welfare needs of children living in the Ssese Islands of Lake Victoria.
We are a Non-Governmental Organisation aligned to the NGO Act, 2016, headquartered on Janna Island in Kalangala District. Our work focuses on children aged 5 to 15, and on the families, churches and community structures around them.
SKOM’s leadership brings more than 15 years of cumulative experience in grassroots community intervention, rural child development, faith-based mobilisation and NGO project management across Uganda’s island and fishing communities.
Our story
From a shared conviction to a clear plan.
SKOM was founded by Pastor Bamanya John, its Founder and Chairperson, together with Co-Founder Ganyana Caroline. The founding members came together around a shared conviction: that every child on the islands deserves a real chance to learn, to be safe and to flourish.
Guided by the Chairperson, the founding members drafted and adopted SKOM’s vision and mission, and agreed that the organisation’s work would be guided by four core pillars — learning, well-being, safeguarding and community engagement.
Those pillars now shape SKOM’s 2026–2029 strategic partnership and resource mobilisation program, which aims to reach 3,000+ children across the Ssese Islands.
Read about the 2026–2029 strategyVision, mission & motto
What we are working towards.
Vision
A safe, hope-filled community where every child on the Ssese Islands is protected, anchored in Christian faith, valued, and fully equipped through quality education and compassionate care to reach their God-given potential.
Mission
To nurture, protect, and empower children aged 5 to 15 on the Ssese Islands by providing essential resources, educational support, and Christ-centred mentorship within a safe, loving community that breaks cycles of hardship and builds a purposeful future.
SKOM’s vision and mission were adopted by its founding members and will be reviewed and refined following the organisation’s pilot study.
Our motto
Every Child, Every Chance.
Core values
Five values that shape how we work.
Faith
Our work is anchored in Christian faith and expressed through care for every child.
Love
We treat every child with warmth, patience and dignity.
Integrity
We are honest in what we say, accountable in what we do.
Inclusion
Children of all backgrounds and abilities belong.
Excellence
Island children deserve our very best work.
Where we work
The Ssese Islands of Lake Victoria.
The Ssese Islands archipelago lies in Kalangala District, Central Uganda. Many of its communities depend on fishing, and many are reached only by water.
- Headquarters
- Janna Island, Ssese Islands, Kalangala District, Uganda
- Target area
- Ssese Islands Archipelago, Kalangala District, Central Uganda
- Primary beneficiaries
- Children aged 5–15 years
Who we serve
SKOM’s primary beneficiaries are children aged 5–15 living in the Ssese Islands. Because children thrive within strong families and communities, our work also reaches the parents, caregivers, churches, young people and community leaders who surround them.
Why SKOM exists
Connected challenges need a connected response.
Geographic isolation
Limited access to quality schools, health facilities and child protection services — and costly, difficult logistics for delivering them.
Child labour & dropout
Economic dependence on fishing contributes to school dropout and exposes some children to net mending, fish processing and night fishing.
Protection & health gaps
Limited psychosocial support, health literacy and safeguarding structures can increase children’s vulnerability to harm.
Governance & leadership
The team leading SKOM.
SKOM’s leadership combines pastoral, child development, compliance, planning, field and safeguarding expertise.
Ganyana Caroline
Co-Founder
ExpertiseChild Development, Field Assessment
Wampamba Joel
Secretary
ExpertiseNGO Compliance, Project Coordination
Nalwanga Catherine
Strategic Planning
ExpertiseProgram Design, Monitoring & Evaluation
Mpologoma Jovia
Field Operations
ExpertiseCommunity Engagement
Tusabe Dinah
Program Quality
ExpertiseChild Safeguarding, Governance
Legal & organisational status
Transparent about where we are.
SKOM is a Non-Governmental Organisation aligned to the NGO Act, 2016.
Registration status: Registration in process with the Kalangala District NGO Monitoring Committee.
This page will be updated when registration is complete.
Legal & policy framework
SKOM’s work is aligned with:
Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, 1995 (as amended)
Including Article 34 on the rights of children.
Non-Governmental Organisations Act, 2016
The framework governing NGOs in Uganda.
Children Act, Cap 59
Uganda’s principal law on the care and protection of children.
National Child Policy 2020
Uganda’s national policy direction for child well-being.
Walk with us for the next three years.
Explore the four pillars of our work, or start a partnership conversation.