 After five years of civil society campaigning, Children on the Edge is delighted to announce that The Prevention and Prohibition of Human Sacrifice Bill, 2020 was finally passed by Ugandan Parliament on the 4th May. The new law aims to curb rampant cases of human sacrifice in Uganda by addressing gaps in the existing legislation that do not adequately handle this appalling practice as a specific crime.
Children on the Edge, together with Annie Ikpa (media professional and the instigator of the concept of this Bill), Children on the Edge Africa and World Vision Uganda have been at the forefront of campaigning for a change in the law, leading up to this week‘s crucial decision. In Uganda, we support communities to create a protective environment for their children. Recently, we facilitated our annual 'Most Significant Change' exercise with the five slum communities we work with in Jinja, Uganda. People from each area gather to share their experiences and discuss which stories of change are the most significant to them over the year, and why. They then vote on which story they feel represents the most important kind of transformation for them as a community. This is the fourth time we have used this technique in the Loco, Masese I, Masese II and Masese III and the second time it has been used in Wandago. Here are some highlights from the stories chosen by each community. Namakusa Ruth - MASESE I
Mutumba Steven - LOCO
Acham Agnes - MASESE III
Sanyu Fazira - WANDAGO
Kasobya Aisha - MASESE II
Children on the Edge aims to ensure that vulnerable slum dwelling children in Jinja, Uganda are safer and better protected. With your help, we work to ensure that children have a better start in life and improved prospects for the future. Read more about our work in Uganda.
 In July 2020 we broke ground on the start of our sustainable construction project in Kyaka II. Partnering with Haileybury Youth Trust (HYT), over two years we will be working alongside local communities to rebuild and refurbish 14 Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres that we support across the 30 zones of the camp.
A member of the Children's Parliaments in India, interviewing another child for the survey. World Children’s Day is recognised each year on 20th November. It is an opportunity to advocate, promote and celebrate children's rights and marks the day when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
This is a promise made 30 years ago by governments across the world to do everything in their power to protect and promote children’s rights to survive and thrive, to learn and grow, to make their voices heard and to reach their full potential.   The current global pandemic has created universal challenges to accessing education that millions have never faced before. This summer, children all round the world are getting ready to return to a very different school environment. This summer also marks 30 years since the beginning of Children on the Edge. We’ve been overcoming barriers to education for the most marginalised since 1990, so for us, lockdown has been just one more hurdle to jump. The children we work with have been amongst the hardest hit, so we’ve been providing regular support and finding creative ways to get them back to school. In slum communities surrounding Jinja, teachers from our Early Childhood Development Centres have made regular doorstep visits at each student’s household to keep education going. They have discussed learning, given out home study packs and checked in on children’s safety and wellbeing. They often found that children and their work books were dirty and advised parents on how to keep them clean.
Our digital programme in Bangladesh has helped transform the way Rohingya children learn in the Kutupalong refugee camp and the slums in Cox’s Bazar. Digital education content is projected in each classroom, tackling language barriers and helping to bring learning alive.
 When we think of distance learning during lockdown, the images that often spring to mind are interactive whiteboards, back-to-back digital lessons and a variety of personalised online programmes. In the situations where we work, there are many distinctive barriers to simply protecting and connecting with children during lockdown, let alone delivering effective learning opportunities, but our partners are rising to the challenge.
 Despite heavy rain interrupting a number of workshops and activities in the last few months, the five Child Protection Teams have had a great impact on their respective communities. Here are a few highlights from what they have achieved:
 Elijah is 4 years old and he started baby class at Loco ECD Centre a few terms ago. During the first parent -teacher meeting, Elijah’s father mentioned that he can be mischievous at home and needed close supervision. Doreen is Elijah’s teacher, and she noticed within the first few weeks that he often snatched snacks from other children, would always disappear outside the class and didn’t seem to trust anyone apart from his mum and dad.
 It’s been one year since Wandago Early Childhood Development Centre (ECD Centre) opened. Since then huge progress has been made and the 75 children who attend the ECD Centre are benefitting significantly from their education and achieving increasingly impressive results.
|
Categories
All
Archives
May 2021
|
- DONATE
- WHO WE ARE
-
WHAT WE DO
- Bangladesh: Education for Rohingya refugee children
- India: Education for 'untouchable' Dalit children
- Uganda: Transforming slum communities
- Uganda: Early Years Education for Congolese refugee children
- Kachin State Myanmar: Support for displaced children
- Bangladesh: Community Schools for slum dwelling children
- Lebanon: Education for Syrian refugee children
- India-Nepal border: Education for children in brothel communities
- SUPPORT US
- Latest stories
RSS Feed
How we help |
Get Involved |
NewsDONATE |
More |
|
Children on the Edge, 5 The Victoria, 25 St Pancras, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 7LT, UK.