Hero Image

Your Gift of Hope

This gift can pay for a Community Workshop in Uganda, training parents on how to keep their children safe. 

Endemic poverty in the neighbourhoods surrounding Jinja, Uganda, puts thousands of children at risk of abuse, trafficking, neglect and exploitation. Children on the Edge work with community members in six local areas in the suburbs of Jinja; transforming them into safe spaces where children are protected from harm and are able to thrive.

We work closely with Children on the Edge Africa, our sister organisation, to support and train six ‘Child Protection Teams’, made up of locally elected volunteers who work with community members to keep children safe from harm. They understand the problems that need to be tackled in their areas and they serve as a voice for local children. With regular training, they learn how to uphold rights and address child abuse and neglect, working with the police, social workers and local councillors to bring about change.

These teams use their knowledge and skills to run community workshops, training local parents on child protection issues and how they can keep their children safe.

Meet Maganda

Maganda lives in Wandago on the outskirts of Jinja, he is a father of five, and a teacher in the local school. He says:

"When I started here, there was a drug problem, absenteeism and a high dropout rate. Students would drift into school when they felt like it and leave early. Parents only cared about their alcohol distillery businesses and, instead of sending children to school, would give them work to do. Serious child abuse and neglect was rife in the community.

Children on the Edge Africa has greatly impacted our community. Workshops have helped parents understand child rights. Through Child Rights Club activities and home visits, we've seen positive behavioural change among the children and cases of child abuse have reduced. Training has also helped us teachers understand the children, and we are now like parents towards the learners, which has inspired children to love coming to school."

Join our community and be the first to get inspiring stories and news

The Child Protection Team model is low-cost and effective. It has been working since 2012, empowering local people to make the changes they want to see in their own communities, transforming them into safe places for children. 

With poverty rife, many families in the communities we work with cannot afford to send their children to school. So Child Protection Teams provide small business loans and training to help set up sustainable businesses that ensure families can earn enough money to pay for school fees. 

To empower children to play an active role in transforming their communities, three Child Rights Clubs in Loco, Masese I and Wandago work closely with the Child Protection Team members and campaign for change.  

At the national level we lobbied successfully 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.

Be the first to hear the latest news & stories

YOU MIGHT LIKE

Sign Up


Thank you!

Thanks for subscribing! Welcome to our Community. Keep an eye out for your first email from us.