Otem Collective — Organization Profile
Otem Collective is a Christian-informed nonprofit organization working to strengthen families and communities so vulnerable children can grow up in safe, stable families rather than residential care. The organization’s name comes from a Leblango word describing a village gathering place around a fire, symbolizing family, community, teaching, and belonging.
The organization is based in Orlando, Florida, and its program work is focused in Northern Uganda. Otem Collective’s vision is to see a generation of Ugandan children raised in families, breaking the cycle of family separation and poverty. Its public materials emphasize that poverty is a major driver of child-family separation in Uganda and that many children in residential care have living parents or relatives.
Otem Collective operates through family strengthening, care reform, local partnerships, and trauma-informed caregiver support. Its work is designed to address the root causes that lead families to place children in orphanages. Instead of focusing primarily on institutional care, the organization supports family-based solutions that help children remain with or return to family whenever safely possible.
The organization’s family-strengthening work includes parent support groups, savings groups, agriculture initiatives, and caregiver training. Otem Collective also provides technical support and coaching to orphanages as they move toward family-centered care. Its use of Trust-Based Relational Intervention®, or TBRI®, reflects a focus on helping caregivers respond to children affected by trauma, neglect, or separation with practical, attachment-based tools.
Partnership is central to Otem Collective’s model. The organization states that sustainable change is best carried out through local leadership and grassroots organizations that understand the culture, national systems, and needs of the communities they serve. Its partners have included AMACOD in Uganda, and its strategy includes working with parents, caregivers, community leaders, orphanage leaders, and local organizations.
People can engage with Otem Collective by giving, serving as volunteers, joining the prayer team, subscribing for updates, supporting monthly or one-time gifts, and sharing its work with churches or communities interested in family-based care. Its distinct contribution is reshaping orphan and vulnerable-child care by placing families at the center of the solution in Northern Uganda.
Key Links
- Website: https://otemcollective.org/
- About: https://otemcollective.org/about/
- Our Work: https://otemcollective.org/our-work/
- Impact: https://otemcollective.org/impact/
- Partners: https://otemcollective.org/partners/
- TBRI® Resources: https://otemcollective.org/trustbased/
- Get Involved: https://otemcollective.org/get-involved/
- Giving: https://otemcollective.org/giving/
- Contact: https://otemcollective.org/contact-us/
Contact Information
- Email: in**@************ve.org
- Email: gi****@************ve.org
- Phone: 407-392-4324
- Mailing address: 821 Herndon Ave #140442, Orlando, FL 32814
Socials
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/otemcollective
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/otemcollective
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/otemcollective
Leadership
- Kristen Marks — Executive Director
- Bruno Odur — Uganda Project Coordinator
- Jaimee Brown — Board Chair
- Jacob Land — Board Treasurer
- Scott Marks — Board Member
- Johnny Outing — Board Member
- Harrison Porter — Board Member
- Kimberly Reiff — Board Member
