On 16th June 2022, ChildFund Uganda launched its 2022-2026 strategic Plan at Soroti Hotel in Soroti District.
The strategy details the organization’s goals including an anticipated increase in the number of children and youth reached by different program interventions throughout the 5-year period.
The event was hosted by Partners for Children Worldwide (PfCW) which is one of ChildFund’s 9 implementing partners.
Speaking at the launch, ChildFund Uganda Country Director, Moses Otai, said ChildFund will pursue five main outcome areas in the Strategic Plan.
ChildFund Uganda Country Director, Moses Otai
He said the first one is ensuring that children aged 0 to 5 years access nurturing care at home and access quality early learning outside the home, health, and nutrition, in households that are economically resilient.
It will also be working to see that children and young adolescents have increased access to equitable, inclusive, and quality basic education and are studying in improved school environments that promote life skills and child participation with parents having increased household incomes and are adequately meeting the basic needs of these children and young adolescents.
“Ensuring that youths have improved access to opportunities for employment, and engagement, and live a healthy life; working to strengthen the prevention, response, and resilience of communities to disasters and impact, ensuring that boys and girls and persons with living disabilities are actively engaged in programs and social affairs to equitably improve their lives and working with different stakeholders t to see that Community Based Child Protection,” he pointed out.
According to Otai, Mechanisms (CBCPM) are being strengthened to prevent and respond to violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation of children.
He said children will be empowered to meaningfully participate and engage on issues affecting their protection and staff, partners, and other stakeholders will advocate for government to increase budget allocation to child protection structures at the national and district level.
Children are a priority
Speaking at the launch, Beatrice, a Youth Councillor and a Vice Chairperson of Serere District, urged parents to educate children on their roles and also provide enough materials to be used by students when they go to school so that they are able to focus.
Beatrice, a youth councillor
She also noted that items like sanitary towels were among the reasons why girls were dropping out of school and also forced to be involved in sexual activities (in their exchange) a vice that must end and protect children against violence.
“Make homes safe havens for children. By harmful practices, we don’t only mean Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Mistreatment at home is harmful too,” said George Masuba from Partners for Children Worldwide (PfCW).
George Masuba
Mayor of Soroti City, Joshua Edogu, said that due to ChildFund interventions, the state of children has changed in terms of health and education.
“Family is the most important institution. As a local leader, I would like to thank Child Fund for complimenting government programs and duties. Your impact has been felt for a long time and is noticeable,” he added.
Mayor of Soroti City, Joshua Edogu
Soroti city Resident City Commissioner (RCC), Peter Pex Paak, who represented the Guest of Honour and Vice President, H.E Jessica Alupo, said the day of the African Child is a day when the African children in a town called Soweto in South Africa were crushed on June 16, 1976 because they were expressing dissatisfaction at the quality of education.
“As a country, we have laws that protect the rights of children and have created a democratic society where human rights are protected. We have created a better relationship with the rest of the world. This environment has attracted donors to fund our local partners,” Paak said.
“The country has also ensured security which has enabled NGOs to operate. The government has also ensured that families are stable hence children’s rights are observed,” he added.
According to Paak, there is still a challenge to parenthood which has increased the number of street children.
“Some parents don’t live together while others cannot afford to provide the basic necessities,” he pointed out, urging parents to take their responsibilities seriously.
He said poor parenting has also resulted in early child marriages, child pornography, child begging where children are paraded on streets to beg as well as child sacrifice which is common in Karamoja.
The launch of the strategic plan
He said the government is intervening by creating free primary education which gives an opportunity to children to go to school.
“Parents who continue to keep children at home will be penalized for denying them their education rights.”
He said the NRM government has also established youth skilling centers in every sub-region to impart skills like welding, carpentry, salon and tailoring, among others.
He advised parents and leaders to mobilize young people and have them registered so they can be trained and equipped for six months in various skills.
“All you need to do is transport the youth to the skilling centers, there is no further charge. After the six-month training, the graduates will be given tools to aid them to create things. We are trying to decongest the streets and also enable young people to earn a living,” Paak explained.
He cited other interventions like; Uganda women entrepreneurship program for mothers, the youth livelihood program and the new driver for development called the parish development model.
Resources
To ably achieve the set objectives, ChildFund Uganda has set a fundraising target of 40.1 million USD (about over 149 billion Ugandan Shillings) and with this money, anticipates reaching over 4 million children together with their parents within the 5-year period.
ChildFund this year commemorated the Day of the African (DAC) Child 2022 with the theme “Eliminating Harmful Practices Affecting Children: Progress on Policy & Practice since 2013”.
The Day of the African Child has been celebrated every year on June 16th since 1991, when it was first initiated by the Organisation of African Unity.
To commemorate DAC, ChildFund had various presentations from children inform of plays, songs, poems, and skits elaborating more on this message.
This year’s theme for DAC aligns with ChildFund Uganda’s core programming component: Child protection.
“As part of the organization’s core outcome areas, we intend to work with different stakeholders t to see that Community Based Child Protection Mechanisms (CBCPM) are being strengthened to prevent and respond to any harmful practices against children. This also involves working with children and empowering them to strongly speak against all these kinds of violations against them both in homes and beyond,” noted Otai.
ChildFund staff after the successful launch
ChildFund also focuses on empowering youth to be skilled and involved in their communities in a meaningful way.
As part of this program, a total of 75 youth who successfully completed vocational training in various trades will each receive a start-up kit to give them a boost as they put their acquired skills into practice.
These trades include; tailoring, plumbing, and construction, hairdressing, and mechanical work, among others. These tools are worth over Shs50m.
