MEET LYDIA
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My name is Kisakye Lydia and I am the chairperson of the Child Protection Team in Masese I.
When I first attended a meeting about the Child Protection Team (CPT), I had a few problems at home and thought that the CPT workshops were the perfect opportunity to get the knowledge which could help settle my worries at home. At first, I looked at myself, not the community.
But soon I got more involved in the Child Protection Team and became the chairperson. I most look forward to improving my teaching skills as part of the Team.
Since lockdown, and the closure of the schools, many children began to form gangs in my community and domestic violence has been on the rise. I want our Child Protection Team to change this by organising more workshops in the community, so we can create awareness and help people to learn more.
Most people are open to learning and they have learnt a lot since the Child Protection Team committee was formed. Cleanliness in the community has also improved.
When I first attended a meeting about the Child Protection Team (CPT), I had a few problems at home and thought that the CPT workshops were the perfect opportunity to get the knowledge which could help settle my worries at home. At first, I looked at myself, not the community.
But soon I got more involved in the Child Protection Team and became the chairperson. I most look forward to improving my teaching skills as part of the Team.
Since lockdown, and the closure of the schools, many children began to form gangs in my community and domestic violence has been on the rise. I want our Child Protection Team to change this by organising more workshops in the community, so we can create awareness and help people to learn more.
Most people are open to learning and they have learnt a lot since the Child Protection Team committee was formed. Cleanliness in the community has also improved.
Throughout 2022, Lydia will be telling us what’s happening in her community in Uganda and about the issues that matter to her. We'll hear more about what she's doing to make the changes she wants to see in Masese 1.
LYDIA INTRODUCES SCOVIAMay 2022
Lydia works with 34 year old Nakimuli Scovia, who came to live in Masese I with her three children after she separated from her husband. Scovia benefitted from our education loan programme. Lydia tells us her story below... |
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“Her aunt welcomed her and hosted her with her children for a while, but advised Scovia to think about being independent because her aunt also had her own large family to take care of.
Scovia started doing casual labour at the landing site (edge of the lake) where she got some money and saved up. This enabled her to open up a vegetable stall and rent a small room where she moved to with her children. During this time, she made friends with one of our Child Protection Team members called Amuge Teddy.
Though Scovia had started a home and had a small business in place, what she was earning was not enough to cater for her family’s basic needs, and during her conversations with Teddy, she mentioned how her earnings were low and the hardship she was facing in raising the children.
Teddy introduced her to me, and I encouraged Scovia to apply for our education fund programme. After a visit from the loans officer, she was taken through loans and business training, and came up with an idea of selling charcoal alongside her vegetable stall. She was given a loan, and after investing it in her new business, Scovia’s daily income rose to 5000 UGX (around £1.10) a day compared to the 2000 UGX (44 pence) she used to earn before. She looks happy at the moment and is stable at her home.”
Scovia started doing casual labour at the landing site (edge of the lake) where she got some money and saved up. This enabled her to open up a vegetable stall and rent a small room where she moved to with her children. During this time, she made friends with one of our Child Protection Team members called Amuge Teddy.
Though Scovia had started a home and had a small business in place, what she was earning was not enough to cater for her family’s basic needs, and during her conversations with Teddy, she mentioned how her earnings were low and the hardship she was facing in raising the children.
Teddy introduced her to me, and I encouraged Scovia to apply for our education fund programme. After a visit from the loans officer, she was taken through loans and business training, and came up with an idea of selling charcoal alongside her vegetable stall. She was given a loan, and after investing it in her new business, Scovia’s daily income rose to 5000 UGX (around £1.10) a day compared to the 2000 UGX (44 pence) she used to earn before. She looks happy at the moment and is stable at her home.”
Scovia now sells charcoal at her stall thanks to an education loan
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WHAT IS A CHILD PROTECTION TEAM?
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Since 2012 Child Protection Teams, set up, trained and supported by Children on the Edge, have been working successfully across slum communities in Jinja to make them safer for children.
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. 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. |
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