Child Protection Teams in Uganda Making Progress After Lockdown

10/4/2022

Voluntary Child Protection Teams in Wandago, Masese I, II and III, Loco and Mafubira help to make their communities safer for children. In recent months they’ve been busy and made some amazing progress. Here are some highlights….

MASESE I

After lockdown, many parents in the community were unwilling to send their children back to school as they felt they were too old for learning. So the team has been working hard to encourage parents and older children to realise the value of education.

During lockdown many older children became involved in harmful habits like theft, sexual assault and drug abuse. Much of this activity took place in overgrown vegetation where they could hide. The Child Protection Team met with local councillors and the police, and worked together to clear these areas of bush, which dramatically reduced this behaviour and helped to keep the children out of trouble.

A Ugandan wokshop leader is stood by a whiteboard leading a workshop outside

Child Protection Team Workshop in Masese I

MASESE II

Child Protection Team workshop in Masese II

Work recently has been focussed on encouraging more positive behaviour with teenagers in the community.

The Child Protection Team held workshops on child rights and spent time persuading them to go back to school when they opened and not to form or join gangs. The children soon began to stop loitering, and stayed safely at home.

The team also managed to secure bursaries for 86 children in the community to support them at school.

MASESE III

Team members here have been working with community members to clean up the local area, and are now starting to see great results. Culture has changed and residents are now keeping their surroundings clean and tidy on an ongoing basis. The Team also managed to secure a donation of books, pens, pencils, calculators, rulers and mathematical sets for 200 local children after speaking with a local citizen who wanted to support the community. The donor is hoping to do the same in Masese II and thanks to coordination from the Child Protection Team in Masese III.

The team also obtained 73 scholarships from an organisation called Child Restoration Outreach, enabling two boys to go to vocational school, 12 children (7 boys and ,5 girls) to secondary school and 59 children (35 boys, 24 girls) to primary school.

A group of Uganda parents are gathered around a tree in their slum community to listen to a workshop. They are sat around on chairs and the floor listening to the workshop leader.

Workshop for parents and care givers on the importance of education in Masese III

LOCO

After the team spent time talking with a local church about the social problems in the area, the church started offering free training in hairdressing and tailoring for local mothers; giving them useful skills to help gain employment or earn an income through their own businesses.

A local health team, which includes two Child Protection Team members was formed by the local health inspector after one of our community workshops about hygiene and sanitation. This team has been very active in recent months, making residents aware of various health issues and working effectively with people to clean up the environment and improve waste disposal.

The team also helped the baby of a 16-year-old child mother who was suffering from a heart problem, but was not not receiving proper treatment. The team linked the family to a visiting cardiologist at Nalufenya Children's Hospital, who were running a campaign to support children with heart problems free of charge. The baby has been on medication ever since and should make a full recovery.

A recent community workshop in Loco

MAFUBIRA

Since our newest Child Protection Team has been working with local young people, there has been a positive change in the behaviour of boys in their area.

They have also focused on raising awareness on the importance of education and the prevention of child labour with local parents. As a result, many children are back in school, not sent out to work, and are safer at night.

In the short time that they have been working here, Mafubira Child Protection Team have developed a good connection with local people, who understand who they are and what they are trying to achieve.

A group of 6 child protection team volunteers are gathered outside of a brick building, sat on plastic chairs, wearing masks as they take part in a workshop

Child Protection Team delivering a workshop in Mafubira

WANDAGO

Wandago Child Protection Team have done a fantastic job training staff at their local school on many aspects of child rights. Like the other teams they have worked hard to persuade parents and children to return to school after lockdown and have seen great success.

They also tackled the problem of children going to video halls, where they were at risk of abuse. By talking with the community, the children are now being kept away from these places.

Our sister organisation, Children on the Edge Africa works with slum communities in Jinja, Uganda, to ensure that vulnerable children are safer and better protected. Through six voluntary Child Protection Teams, an Education Loans programme, three Child Rights Clubs and two Early Childhood Development Centres, we work to ensure that children have a better start in life and improved prospects for the future.

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