In Ozugo East Village, Baratuku Parish, Itirikwa Subcounty in Adjumani District, Godfrey Makumai wears many hats. A peasant farmer, Parish Internal Security Officer, father of six, and now an active mobiliser for Royal Kids Home Learning Centre Management Committee (HLCMC), Makumai is a man who understands what is at stake when a community comes together for its children.
Before Royal Kids HLC was established in November 2025, Makumai’s biggest concern was simple but serious: his community had no early childhood development (ECD) facility. Children went straight from home to primary school, with no foundation to prepare them for what lay ahead. For Makumai, who could not afford school fees and had no savings safety net, the future felt uncertain.
With support from UNICEF, through the Strengthening Early Childhood and Childcare Services Delivery Project, LABE established Royal Kids HLC in November 2025, bringing ECD services directly to a community that had never had them.
When news of the HLC began filtering through, first at the subcounty level, to the parish, down to the village, parents did not need much convincing. They enrolled their children. Godfrey enrolled three of his. Today, Royal Kids serves 62 children.
The change in his children has been visible and joyful. They come home singing. They have begun speaking English alongside their mother tongue, reflecting the HLC’s bilingual approach to early learning. They are more social, more confident, and more connected, making friends both at home and at the centre.
But the moment that stays with Makumai is quieter. Every morning, his children come to him and say, “Baba (father), take us to school.”
“That tells me they love it,” he says. “They know the importance of going.”
For Makumai personally, the HLC has opened new doors. He has joined the centre’s Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA), saving with a clear purpose, to support his children’s transition to primary school and meet household needs. He has also participated in skilling sessions, where parents learned to make liquid soap and petroleum jelly, practical skills with real income potential. He sees these sessions as especially powerful for young mothers in the community, helping them build confidence and self-reliance.
As a mobiliser, Makumai does not wait for parents to find their way to the HLC on their own. He reaches out. And if a parent hesitates, he goes ahead and engages the LC I chairperson to speak to them on the matter.
“I would advise them to bring their children and not keep them at home,” he says plainly.
The HLCMC is currently constructing a structure to house children during learning sessions.
The community, he adds, is ready. They are happy about the HLC. They participate willingly and pray for its expansion. Makumai shares their hope and wish for more: play materials, seating, and a handwashing facility, and eventually another centre, so that children on the Maaji side are not cut off when the rains come, and the roads fail.
“We are grateful to LABE for drawing ECD services nearer to us,” he says. “Our children can now be prepared better before they cross over to primary school.”
