Protecting Children in Karamoja, Uganda

Endemic poverty in the remote Karamoja region of north eastern Uganda puts children at risk of abuse, trafficking, neglect and exploitation. Cattle raiders attack remote villages who have little police protection, and infertile soil leads to famine.

Children on the Edge support local people here to transform their communities into safe places, where children are protected from harm and able to live, play, learn and grow.

We support six Child Protection Teams in Napak, made up of local volunteers 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.

These groups of volunteers are trained and supported to work with community members and families to change mindsets, support each other and create the change needed to keep children safe and uphold child rights.

Child Protection Teams hold popular workshops for hundreds of community members each month on topics like child trafficking, hygiene and sanitation, positive parenting and child labour. They encourage parents to send their children to school and report any cases of child abuse that they come across.

Levels of sanitation in Napak have vastly improved with communities now conducting weekly community cleans and both attendance and enrolment at local schools has significantly increased. Hundreds of latrines have been built by community members following workshops to highlight the dangers of open defecation and vegetable gardening is blooming.

Three Child Rights Clubs enable local children to learn about their rights and work alongside Child Protection Teams to bring change in their communities.

OUR IMPACT

6

Child Protection Teams

3

Child Rights Clubs

984

Latrines built

Child Protection Team member Santina builds a latrine in her community. Hundreds of latrines have been built in Karamoja as a result of hygiene and sanitation training, and disease is decreasing.

Meet Ngorok

11 year old Ngorok Nivia is a proud member of the Child Rights Club (CRC) in her village in Karamoja, Uganda. When she was 8, she was rescued from the streets in Kampala where she was begging for survival and now lives with her grandmother. Despite wanting to go to school, her grandmother couldn’t afford the fees and instead Ngorok was responsible for collecting and selling firewood to support her family.

But things changed when she joined the CRC in her village recently and became an advocate for children in her community. Our staff in Uganda encouraged her relatives to register her at the local school and she is now attending first year. Her elder sister has returned to take over the firewood business, enabling Ngorok to focus on learning.

She says, "I'm very grateful for the opportunity to stand as a CRC member for my village. I advise all my peers not to ever go and live on the streets because it is not a good life there. I'm now in school and am respected in my community as a CRC member.”

A donation today can support more children like Ngorok to realise their rights and thrive

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