Based on the long term perspective study and lessons learnt from working with and supporting orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) in Luuka district, orphans need protection against abuse and exploitation. Benamos-Uganda is providing Education, care, provision clothing, food, scholastic materials, medical services and support to Orphans and Vulnerable children at Benamos School. We also provide Child protection, campaigns against abuse of child Rights, torture.
Help build a better future for the Orphans at Benamos School in Uganda
Benamos-Uganda is considering to further implement strategies in regard to prevention of child abuse, exploitation and response strategies and construction of permanent block class rooms.
These are the problems facing these Orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs):-
1. When extended family support is unavailable or insufficient, OVCs face dropping out of school, and they start caring for sick relatives who are either at home of those hospitalized.
Other OVCs are forced to go for early marriages, others are discriminated and having their assets stripped after their parents die.
2. There is increasing number of child headed households.
3. They face various forms of abuse and exploitation such as sexual exploitation.
4. Abuse includes the physical, psychosocial well-being, emotional or sexual mistreatment of OVCs, or neglect in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power, resulting into actual or potential harm to child’s physical and emotional health, survival and development hence affecting their academic performance hence need for protection.
Violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation and discrimination are not the only human rights violation, they are also the most under recognized and under reported barriers to child survival and development throughout the life cycle of a child.
Loss of care by guardians combined with poverty may lead a orphan being exploited sexually and / or for labour. The orphans may either chose to go to streets for street life.
5. Orphans are denied education, they always lack the basic needs of life and do not enjoy their rights as children ie they are denied education, clothing, beddings, shelter, and food ad on top of that, they are tortured, defiled, sexually harassed resulting into early marriage and unwanted pregnancies and the associated problems of early child birth and the boys are forced into hard labour.
6. OVC care-givers and guardians lack adequate information and knowledge on children’s rights ad responsibilities.
7. OVCs lack carrier guidance ad counseling o education hence studying without vision for the future.
8. All these problems results into irregularity in class, poor performance academically accelerated by care-givers, guardians and foster parents lacking skills ad knowledge on good parenting and roles of education to a child future.
IMPLEMETATION STRATEGY
On addition to construction of Benamos school where orphans will study, the project will address those problems above by applying prevention strategies ad also response strategies where there will be victims of abuse the project area.
Prevention strategies
OVC abuse should be a concern to all development partners, Primary School teachers and also to the entire community as well. Children that have been abused sexually or physically cannot leave an upright life unless there has been psychosocial support to the child. The most abused children are the vulnerable children who are orphans, neglected, HIV positive, very poor children and the disabled. Some of these children lack the basic needs of life and have also lost their social structures. The vulnerable children especially the girl child will be targets to be trained in life skills for self defense and self esteem.
OVC are mainly abused by their foster fathers, step-mothers, peers, drunkards and teachers yet they are supposed to be the caretakers of these children. The project will carry out sensitization meetings targeting the families, teachers, peers and the entire community on child rights and responsibilities, effects of child abuse on a child and Psychosocial support
✓The project will also create awareness on issues like sexual abuse and exploitation to change agents such as the Police, judiciary, Community leaders and teachers. The project will support the awareness campaigns which will be in form of meetings and others in form of Rallies.
OVC ( in and out of School) will be trained as child advocates and peer educators for both in and out of school. This strategy will empower children to stand up and speak against abuse and also fight for their rights. These children will help in the identification of children abused so as to have them referred to hospitals for early medical checkup and treatment.
✓Advocacy meetings will be organized and supported by the project budget. The meetings will focus on different forms of abuses experienced by the orphans and the abusers and feedback will be given for further planning and intervention.
Response strategies
✓Referral mechanism from Benamos-Uganda, Luuka district, community, schools, village to the district probation and welfare office will be identified to ensure effective protection of vulnerable children especially victims of rape and neglect. The village and parish development committees will work hand in hand with child protection committees in helping the abused children get support. The committees will ensure that Benamos-Uganda is aware of the situation at hand to enable it report the case to police, probation office. Coordination and networking will be strengthened for purposes of project effective implementation.
✓Child rights clubs will be formed both in Schools and villages of Luuka district, local communities, trained and vulnerable children will be encouraged to join child rights clubs to freely interact with other children in school and in their communities. Children will be involved in recreation games such as football, volley ball, net ball, chess and tennis which will help them to reduce vulnerability.
✓There will be Schools and community advocacy meetings which will be conducted by Benamos-Uganda together with the probation office. There will be continuous data collection on issues concerning child abuse and exploitation throughout the project cycle for further intervention
✓The project will involves sensitization, mobilization, talk shows, dram activities on protection and prevention of child abuse and neglect, mobilization and sensitization on child rights, dissemination of information, laws on child rights, on violence in schools, protection of children from sexual abuse and harassment, talks with teachers and community members and leaders, guardians and parents pupil –teacher dialogues, campaigns to reduce to reduce physical violence against children. Some of these vulnerable children have lost one or both parents to HIV and AIDS and have seen them die of the disease; therefore these orphans have been traumatized and tortured by the effects their parents’ death. Death effects affect children differently at different stages of development.
Orphans and Vulnerable children participation in the project especially in implementation and monitoring will be encouraged. OVC will implement the efforts to fight against Child abuses, exploitation, discrimination, neglect and ensure children have a free and protective environment to live in. vulnerable children will get involved in educating their peers on their rights, life skills and prevention against HIV and AIDS through debates and Music Dance and Drama.
✓Community structures such as child advocates, child mentors and child managers will make follow ups on vulnerable children and build their copying mechanisms through counseling and will do referral of cases they can not handle to the probation office after informing Benamos-Uganda.
Resource mapping for the victims in Luuka district of operation for instance available medical facilities with trained child care specialist, schools, vocational schools, community child managers/animators will help in measuring results and for purposes of sustainability. Resource mapping will further help Benamos-Uganda in technical planning and future resource Benamos-Uganda will be involved in planning, monitoring and evaluation of the project
✓The project will involve stakeholders at all levels for the sustainability of project results. These levels include School teachers, Church leaders, police, Local council Leaders, local Community members, individuals, and family and at community level. A participatory approach in the monitoring and evaluation of the project will be ensured and lessons and achievements will be shared with beneficiaries and other stakeholders.
✓Purpose of the project
The purpose of the project is to improve OVC literacy level from 31.4 to 78 percent, improved social welfare and contribute towards protection, prevention of child rights and reduce the risk of OVC to child abuse in Luuka district through raising awareness, trainings, strengthening the capacity of families, and respond to their needs.
In order to achieve the above purpose the following objectives have been designed;
PROJECT OBJECTIVES:
✓To control the major limitations to social economic development in Luuka district and Benamos community caused by the problem of the ever increasing number of orphans without any care, support and not educated.
✓To establish an indiscriminative integrated orphans school( Benamos ) that will impart to study a multitude of skills.
✓To establish a self-sustaining orphans school and other children of the poorest parents in the community whose poverty level is 27% to 62% of Uganda’s population.
✓To enable Orphans acquire spiritual and moral values.
✓Improve Orphans Education from 31.4% to 78%.
-Reduce the risk of orphans and vulnerable children to child abuse in Luuka district through access to education, raising awareness.
✓To strengthen the capacity of families, primary school teachers and the community to Care and protect vulnerable children.
Strategies: Capacity for targeted individuals will be built by training them in child protection, child rights and responsibilities, and sensitize the community on child abuse, exploitation, discrimination and neglect. Abused children will be assisted to access health services, the project staff will work together with the police and ensure children are protected. Care givers will be sensitized on seeking help from the relevant people and institution in case of abuse of a child in their community. Other strategies to be used will include: collaboration with service providers to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation.
Inter-mediate result.
Families, primary school teachers, church members, Local council leaders, and community members respond appropriately to issues of child abuse and exploitation.
ACT
✓Strengthen Child protection committees in 29 village under Luuka district with a fresher training in Child rights and responsibilities and mediation skills
Child protection committees established at Local/village level will help in identifying vulnerable children, assist those abused and make referrals where necessary to police and other village courts. The child protection committee will do monitoring and investigating of complaints and also will be involved in the mapping of survivors of sexual abuse and other forms of gender based violence. The committees will be given refresher trainings in child mediation skills and child rights and responsibilities to ensure fairness in child abuse cases. Child protection committees will be encouraged to organize vulnerable families into Savings and Loan Associations (SLA) groups and later be linked to organizations like Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations ( SACCOs) and other small SLA groups for training in Savings methodology. Forming SLA groups will help orphans and vulnerable families increase on their household incomes.
✓Hold monthly meetings with child protection committees, primary school teachers, Head teachers on issues of child abuse, neglect and discrimination
Child protection committees will be responsible to make follow ups on cases of abuse and exploitation of children. They will also ensure their no cases of abuse in the communities and identifying gaps within the project. The meetings will help in finding out gaps and new issues concerning children and find a way forward for all gaps and issues mentioned. Meetings will be in form of reviews and local community leaders, teachers and heads of schools will be involved to have broad understanding of the problem affecting children in the communities.
✓ Support survivors of sexual abuse and other forms of Gender based violence
OVCs sexually abused will be supported by linking them to health centers and hospitals for medical check-up and treatment. Children will be given financial assistance for transport facilitation to the hospital for medical check. Caregivers of vulnerable children have lost cases in court concerning defilement and Rape because they lack evidence from medical doctors that their girls have been defiled. Guardians lack funds to facilitate the medical check-up and end up losing the case and the defiler walks freely without being punished leaving the victim traumatized.
✓ Conduct community/village, school sensitization meetings, awareness campaigns, rallies on child abuse, exploitation and rights and responsibilities of children.
School and Community sensitization meetings will be conducted to make the community members aware about the magnitude of child abuse and exploitation within their communities and be involved in finding solutions on how abuse can be stopped, tracing and punishing the perpetrator. The community sensitization meetings will comprise preventive education campaigns against the negative consequences of ill treatment of children. Care givers of vulnerable children will be mobilized and be among the people to attend the meetings. This will be organized by Benamos-Uganda together with the community leaders and be held at the sub counties of the targeted areas.
✓Conduct advocacy meetings on issues affecting OVCs in Luuka district.
Benamos-Uganda and school teachers will organize meetings with other stakeholders at higher levels to advocate for the rights of children and responsibilities. During the meetings issues of child abuse, exploitation, neglect and discrimination will be discussed and measures drawn to ensure these hazards come to an end. Children have a right to be treated with respect and dignity both at home, in the community and at school.
✓Develop and distribute Information Education and Communication Materials (IEC) materials on child rights, child abuse and exploitation
Information, Education and Communication materials will be obtained from organizations handling issues of child protection such as Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social development, Save the Children for community awareness on child abuse and neglect.
The IEC materials will include flyers, posters, T-shirts and stickers. Other organisations targeting the same community will be approached and requested to distribute the IEC materials to ensure wide coverage in the districts. Were possible, project staff will deliver the same messages when they interact with the program participants. Benamos-Uganda will distribute 50,000 IEC materials to reach out to about 150,000 people. IEC materials will educate both literate and the illiterate on issues concerning the rights of children.
✓Conduct child led radio programmes on the rights of children (Radio talk shows)
Campaigns against child abuse need a wide rage of coverage in order to reach out to so many people in the district beyond even the targeted areas. For people to stop abuse they need to understand the rights of children in respect to their responsibilities. Busoga region seven radios and the project will utilize a radio with a wide coverage which can reach even the rural areas. Radio talk shows will be conducted together with the probation office, OVCs will directly participate in these programs for the public to understand that children have a voice when it comes to issues concerning them.
✓Intermediate result Resource mapping and community action plans on the needs of children rolled and integrated in Luuka district Development Plan.
ACTIVITIES
✓ Liaise with Luuka district, parish chiefs, Village local councils, Schools to identify different stakeholders in Luuka district.
The Benamos-Uganda project staff will work together with Luuka district Education officers, community development officer in identifying different stakeholders like NGOs, /CBOs/FBOs, SLA, SACCOs operating in the district to participate in the action plan for the needs of OVCs the district . The sub county chief will help in identification of OVCs.
✓Support child rights education and ensure a protective environment for OVCs
Strategy.
The strategy to carry out child rights education will employ the children themselves taking the lead to identify their rights and carry out advocacy in respect to their rights. Children/ young people advocating for their rights will generate action and increased accountability from different duty bears in the rights and young people. The Project will encourage children participating in making informed decisions on key issues that affect their lives and enhance cohesiveness between law makers, enforcement agents to appropriately respond to their protection from their abusers. Families of OVCs will also be sensitized on the rights of children.
Intermediate result
Reduced cases of child abuse and exploitation due to community involvement in protection of children’s rights.
Activities
✓Conduct and support family sensitization meetings on child rights and responsibilities.
Both orphans and Vulnerable children have rights like any other human being and also tasks to perform while at home and at school that suits them as children. Experience from the previous programs show that majority of the parents do not know about children’s rights and responsibilities. Children 15-17 are not taken as children by some parents instead they look at them as adults who can be married off and they get bride price. By the end of the meetings parents will have got knowledge on child rights and their responsibilities as parents in fulfilling the human rights of children. Emphasize will be put on education to avoid the so many OVCs dropping out of school .
✓Carry out awareness campaigns on child rights and responsibilities in schools and Local communities.
Some Children know that they have rights and others do not know about their rights, however children that are aware of their rights normally miss understand those rights and have ended up messing with life because of the misconception on rights of children. Children also need to be taught or informed about their responsibilities so that they do everything in the right way. Children will be sensitized about their roles and responsibilities in relation to their rights and also know limitations of those rights for example parents have always complained about the rights of children as one measure that has spoilt their children.
✓Disseminate children act to local leaders, teachers, judiciary and enforcement agents (Police)
Children statutes are important documents that institutions and people working with children should be well familiar as guiding tools of handling children issues while fulfilling their rights. The police is an institution which has the mandate to carry out investigations into criminal cases of which defilement is among, however some police officers, guardians, parents and teachers who spent most of the time with these children lack knowledge on the rights of children and also lack good skills of handling children when in wrong. In Luuka district defilement cases which are reported to police stations do not reach the courts of law. For example between January and September 2021, out of 35 defilement cases that were forwarded from police to court, only 25 cases were registered at Luuka court meaning 10 cases were not registered they mysteriously disappeared between police and court ( Previous project officers Luuka Report). Therefore in the dissemination of the child statute /Act.
Benamos-Uganda will also advocate for the rights of children against sexual abuse especially defilement being ranked the highest so far.
✓Participate in the day of the African child
Both orphans and Vulnerable children will be mobilized and organized to join the recent of the world in commemorating the day of the African child. School clubs such as young talk, child rights club, music dance and dram will be invited to perform on that day. This will lead to increased child participation in children issues hence community discussions on the rights of children and it is also a form of advocacy. OVCs will be transported from their schools and community and they will also be given lunch and transport back. School clubs that will perform on that day will equally be supported by the project.
Intermediate result
✓A child friendly school and community environment established and sustained by 2027
Train 600 school teachers on the prevention and response to child abuse, child rights and responsibilities
Children need a friendly environment in order for them to concentrate on their studies and perform well in class, an environment free from abuse by their own fellow children, teachers or even their parents. Teachers will be trained in child rights and responsibilities, prevention of child abuse and in case of any how best can they respond to the situation. Teachers spend much time with pupils and therefore need to understand their vulnerability and hence a need to protection. After the training teachers will have developed skills on how to establish systems /mechanisms of preventing and responding to child abuse in schools and communities.
✓Identify and train 600 child rights advocates
A right is defined as international human rights applicable to children, set out primarily in the UN CRC but also to be found in all other human rights conventions. Children have a right to basic needs like shelter, food, education, clothes, medical care, and a right to live. However so many children have fallen out as victims of circumstances and have ended up living a miserable life. Children have been defiled, harassed sexually and others physically violated in communities or at their homes. Child advocates will be selected from each sub county and they will consist in and out of school children. Child advocates will be trained in child rights, child abuse and exploitation. The in school children and OVCs trained will also sensitize other children and their parents during school debates, seminars and school functions on the rights of children.
✓Form and support 300 child rights clubs in 300 schools of Luuka district.
The formed clubs for in and out of school OVCs will also help reach out to abused children within their schools and communities and report to the relevant offices. The clubs will also help in advocating for the rights of children at all levels. Child rights advocates and peer educators will be members of these clubs. The clubs members will organize debates on child rights in their schools. The project will also support interschool discussions on the rights of children and responsibilities, child abuse especially focusing on sexual abuse and exploitation and neglect. Children will be able to share experience during these meetings and help in finding solutions on issues concerning them. The child rights clubs will also sensitize their fellow students/ pupils on HIV/AIDS. The clubs will be supported with recreation facilities such as balls, drafts, rundles, tennis balls, volley balls and nets.
✓ Intermediate result
Affected Orphans and Vulnerable children are referred and linked to the right Institutions to address their needs.
✓Carry out dialogue meetings with Community Local Council Authorities, Sub County Chief, Local Council Chairperson three, One, Two, police on issues concerning child protection
Children are very vulnerable and when they commit offences they are always in the hands of police and the judiciary, however conditions where these children are detained are not child friendly. Children are detained with adults who are not proper since they end up learning bad behaviours, this creates a negative impact on their lives. Judiciary/police are supposed to protect these children but in most cases it is not the case, A mother is imprisoned and because she has a young child still breast-feeding she has no option but to take her along. The meeting will help to advocate for OVCs and find ways of protecting them against all these negative conditions. Laws protecting children like children statutes will be discussed to sum up the discussion.
✓To increase enrollment of marginalized Orphans, Vulnerable children and girl child in schools.
Strategy
✓ Orphans and girls are always undermined in most of the African societies yet women labour so hard to ensure sustainability of their homes by supporting the family with food, beddings, and clothes even contribute to the education of their children. However many women are illiterate and Orphans are uneducated meaning they only depend on farming yet does not yield much in terms of income. In Addition, Orphans are just left to go and look after cow in t swamps every money, no clothing provided to them, they are left to get involved in dubious activities like alcoholism, prostitution, subjected to labour work and this leaves them not empowered through either Education, not trained in vocational skill, meaning that their future lies in the hands of God to determine. When young orphans grow into women, in Bukooma and Luuka district depend a lot on their husbands for support which they do not even get some times. For so many years women have been lagging behind via education because culture was not in support of educating a girl child, education was only for boys as girls were given in marriage. This increases domestic violence in homes since it is not source of pride for men to have a woman who depends on them and it is even worse today since uneducated women have been abandoned for the educated. A survey will be conducted to find out problems in promoting OVCs education and also train OVCs and girl Child education advocates after sensitize the community why OVCs and girls should be educated and also inform them that OVCs and girls have equal opportunities as boys and non-orphans.
Result area
✓Increased enrolment of Orphans, Orphans and girl enrolment in schools.
✓Sensitize the targeted Guardians, Parents and community members about Orphans and girl child education to avoid school dropouts.
✓ Sensitization meetings will be held in villages, parish and Sub counties, encouraging guardians, foster parents to educate Orphans and girls as well putting in mind that they are children. Communities will be told the advantages and by the end of the meeting their attitudes about Orphans and girl education will have changed. Community development officer, school teachers, Headteachers, Church leaders and the LC111 chairmen will help in mobilizing the targeted community for the meetings.
✓Conduct go back to school campaigns in the targeted areas /communities
✓The project will organize campaigns to make sure both Orphans and Vulnerable children go back to school both school drop outs and school irregular attendants. During experience from previous project children drop out of school because they lack carrier guidance and counseling by their parents/guardians while others due to lack of school fees. However with government policy of USE and UPE still children have failed to accomplish their primary level and others have failed to join secondary level because they lack a vision for education. The campaigns will be conducted by the project staff together with members of child rights clubs, child protection committees and community local leaders with guidance from the probation officer.
✓ Train 600 teachers in psychosocial care and support of vulnerable children
Psychosocial support is a child cantered methodology that all teachers need to learn because among the children they handle some of them are vulnerable. Children need to be counselled whenever they are emotionally traumatized and stigmatized. Vulnerable children have a lot of psychosocial problems since some of them stay with relatives and friends who ill treat them and are not bothered about their welfare.
✓ To construct permanent block/ class room structures for Benamos school of Orphans and vulnerable children ( OVCs). This will as well act as their home where they will have access to care, support, protection and access to quality education while onsite.
✓Though in temporally wooden structures, Benamos is a school providing education to 450 OVCs of guardians whose poverty and illiteracy level in both the guardians and these widows ranges from 27% to 62 percent and 31.4% to 78 percent respectively which in said to be the highest in the country.
Benamos-Uganda has a holistic approach to educational standards and development of OVCs.
✓Intermediate result :-
Vulnerable children receive care and support from caregivers and community members
Conduct campaigns in the community to fight discrimination and stigma against Orphans vulnerable children.
The project staff will organize community campaigns aimed at fighting forms of violence discrimination, child neglect, abuse and stigmatization of vulnerable children. The children affected most are those living with HIV and AIDS this has led them to drop out of school. Children living with HIV are discriminated both at home and in the community and denied basic needs like education.
The project will reproduce and distribute available IEC materials already existing and developed by other child centered programs and Government Ministry of gender, labor and social development to schools and in the targeted communities. The project will use public systems for the campaign in public rallies, Music, Dance and Drama (MDD) and video films for in school campaigns.
✓Hold quarterly review meetings.
Meetings will be organized by Benamos-Uganda, School Head teachers and probation officer at the district, local council leaders; Community based organizations (CBOs) women groups, savings and credit cooperative organizations (SACCOS) and community leaders community leaders, child protection committees and members of the community to check out results of the activity and its performance so that improvements and solutions can be made where there are gaps. The reviews will be helpful for purposes of further planning
✓Conduct monitoring/field follow up
The Benamos-Uganda project staff at Benamos School will conduct monitoring/field visits to establish the progress of the project, identify gaps, and document best practices and lessons learnt.
Organizer: Kyayi Moses