Transforming Communities in Karamoja

Endemic poverty in the Karamoja region of north eastern Uganda puts children at risk of abuse, trafficking, neglect and exploitation.

Children on the Edge work with communities in the Napak district of Karamoja to create protective environments for their children; transforming them into safe spaces where children are protected from harm and are able to thrive.

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1,607 PEOPLE GIVEN CHILD PROTECTION TRAINING

6 CHILD PROTECTION TEAMS ESTABLISHED

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20 RESOURCE PERSONS TRAINED

26-year-old MARIA is a mother of two. She earns a living by doing gardening work to provide food for her family. When a new Child Protection Team was set up in her area, she volunteered and was elected by her local community to join the team. Maria is a committed and active member of her the Team, who lead by example to help make the community safer for the children who live there.

After taking part in training about health, sanitation and the importance of latrines, Maria decided to dig a pit latrine at her home by herself. This impressed her neighbours so much that they began to follow suit. Maria’s actions were the turning point for the community, who have since dug over 50 pit latrines, with more in progress.

She says, ‘’Children on the Edge has taught us to be independent and do everything by ourselves instead of waiting to be given handouts by the government and other NGOs. I have gained self-esteem and confidence in myself, so that whenever I look at the latrine I built myself, I become overjoyed and now believe that I can do more than that.’’

WORKING ON 'THE EDGE' IN KARAMOJA, UGANDA

Karamoja is situated in north eastern Uganda and is home to around 1.3 million people.
The area is remote with people living sparsely and Napak, one of nine districts in Karamoja is an area where children are most at risk.
The hot, desert-like area is one of the poorest districts in Uganda, with infertile soil leading to famine. Children often run away from home because they are hungry.
Children are left to wander outside and fend for themselves, and few are sent to school.
A high rate of sexual abuse and assault puts children, especially girls at risk. It is common for girls to be married by the age of 13.
Trafficking is rife, with children taken for organ harvesting or prostitution in other countries.
With people living so remotely, there is little protection from police and crime rates are high.
All these challenges have led to unsafe environments for children, leaving them vulnerable to maltreatment, neglect, exploitation and death.

A young Ugandan child standing in a slum area next to two large puddles of black filthy sludge. In the puddles are sticks, rocks and litter. Behind the young girl are two large black barrels and a few single storey buildings. There is a brick building to her side and a pile of barrels, woods and sheets of metal. Click here to read more about where we work in Uganda.

WHAT WE DO TO HELP

We work closely with Children on the Edge Africa, our sister organisation, to support communities in the Napak area of Karamoja, replicating our Child Protection Team Model developed in Jinja, Uganda. We work with community members to help them transform their areas and make them safer for their children, creating a protective environment where children can safely live, play, learn and grow.

Voluntary Child Protection Teams work with community members and families to keep children safe from harm. They aim to ensure that children have a better start in life and improved prospects for the future.

At the national level in Uganda we have been lobbying for a change in the law to protect children from Child Sacrifice. The Prevention and Prohibition of Human Sacrifice Bill 2020 was finally passed into law by the Ugandan President on the 14th July 2021.

The back of six Uganda children, wearing tshirts that say on the back - 'Ask me about child rights'. The 6 children are sat at a desk outside in a line, they are facing a large group of schoolchildren, all wearing purple uniforms. The children are looking at the 6 children sat at the desk.

Meeting with local officials in Napak, Karamoja

CHILD PROTECTION TEAMS IN KARAMOJA

Electing Child Protection Team members in Napak in 2022

For the last 10 years, we have been supporting volunteer Child Protection Teams (CPTs) in slum communities in Jinja, a city 80 km east of the capital in Kampala. This low-cost, community-owned model has transformed these areas, enabling local people to create protective environments that allow children to thrive.

In 2022, we began to replicate the Child Protection Team model in the district of Karamoja, eight hours north of Jinja, to tackle identified child rights abuses and ensure vulnerable children are better protected. We began by building relationships with the community, including teachers and local leaders in each of the six parishes of Lopoko sub county, and supporting them to elect and establish six Child Protection Teams of around 10 people each, made up of representatives from 39 villages.

We also established a Child Protection Committee (CPC) at Lopoko sub county level, formed of a representative from each parish (Longalom, Akalale, Lorikitae, Kayepas, Numugit and the newly formed Namoroakwagan).

Our current geographical focus is Lopoko, one of seven sub counties of the Karamoja district of Napak, which is identified as one of the areas most at risk. People here are mainly agro-pastoralist, practising subsistence crop production and semi-nomadic livestock rearing. Identified needs in the area include child neglect, child abuse, hunger, trafficking and crime, including a lack of police protection to tackle it, due to the remote nature of the settlements.

Roadsign in Karamoja reads 'Don't sell your children, send them to school'

A sign on the roadside in Karamoja highlights why children need protection

WHY ARE CHILD PROTECTION TEAMS SO EFFECTIVE?

Child Protection Teams are made up of local volunteers, men and women, elected by their communities, who understand the problems that need to be tackled. They receive training on child protection and child rights, how to deal with emerging community issues and serve as a voice for the children. They are supported to uphold children’s rights and tackle child abuse and neglect.

Their regular physical presence in the community acts as a deterrent for crimes including child trafficking and, because they are trained to intervene and advise in situations where children are at risk, communities see a reduction in child abuse, child sacrifice and child labour.

The Teams become ambassadors for the welfare of children and their communities look to them for support and advice. The Child Protection Teams build better relationships between communities and the police, meaning more crimes are reported and dealt with effectively.

Team members work with the community by facilitating workshops on a range of children's issues and social problems, to change mindsets and culture. Here, families learn how to care for their children and make their homes safer, so we see a reduction in domestic violence and abuse. Parents become more aware of the risks to their children and why it’s important to keep them safe.