Human Trafficking in [Uganda] [other countries]Street Children in [Uganda Child Prostitution in [Uganda] [other countries] |
Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children In the
early years of the 21st Century - 2000 to 2010 gvnet.com/streetchildren/Uganda.htm
|
||
|
CAUTION: The following links and accompanying text have been culled
from the web to illuminate the situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLES *** Uganda: Forced Onto the Streets to Please the Men Katarzyna Heath, The New Vision, This article has been archived by World Street Children
News and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 2 August 2011] The day of the street children
starts early, as early as 4:00am. They wake and walk the three to four 4km
from the village to Jinja town. The children are
divided into groups, each entrusted with a task for the day. This can be anything from rooting through
the garbage skips, visiting the abattoir for meat left overs,
collecting firewood and charcoal or scrap metal to sell. They are also
expected to return with money, leading to their daily street begging that we
are all witness to. However, we are not witness to the
beating they receive when return home empty-handed because no kind uncle has flicked
them a grubby coin or two. At around
8:00pm the children return home and hand in their day's earnings and
gatherings. They will get a small meal if they are lucky and then go to bed,
ready to start the whole onslaught the next day. Some children do not even have a
family to return to; classed as 'fulltime' they are runaways and occupy the
streets twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Hard Life for Catherine Lyst, BBC Scotland
news website, 31 May 2007 news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/highlands_and_islands/6707219.stm [accessed 2 August 2011] A missionary with the African
Inland Mission, she has most recently been working with Dwelling Places,
which helps street children, abandoned babies and high risk slum
families. Many of them have HIV or have lost parents to Aids. "Many suffer from depravity,
disease, hunger and abuse. We see newborns to teenagers and families headed
by children." Marsali has
witnessed five-year-olds living alone on the street and has even seen teenage
girls who have spent their whole life on the streets having their own babies
while homeless. She has also come across numerous abandoned babies.
They have been found on the street, in dustbins, tied up in plastic bags and
found in pit latrines and swamps. ***
ARCHIVES *** Video Playlists
for Playlists developed by Brian Horne of almudo.com & streetkidnews.blogsome.com Part 1
- www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=1D3EA56808C230CD Part 2
- www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=AD9105CADE567C6A [accessed
2 October 2011] There are an increasing number of
street children videos now available that constitute a supplementary source
of information for researchers, especially for those who may not have experienced
the reality of street children. UNICEF – www.unicef.org/infobycountry/uganda.html [accessed 3 August 2011] The Department of Labor’s 2004 Findings on the Worst Forms
of Child Labor www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2004/uganda.htm [accessed 2 January 2011] [4074] A 1999 study estimated that
5,000 children beg, wash cars, scavenge, work in the commercial sex industry,
and sell small items on the streets of Kampala. Human Rights Reports » 2005
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61598.htm [accessed 2 January 2011] CHILDREN - Approximately 35 thousand
children, known as "night commuters", traveled from conflict areas
or IDP camps each night to urban centers to avoid abduction by the LRA. In
September the UN estimated that nearly 9 thousand children commuted nightly
into Gulu town and 10,847 commuted in Kitgum. During the year the government cooperated with
NGOs to establish shelters for such children in tented dormitories and other
semi-permanent structures; in other cases children slept under balconies or
on the grounds of schools, churches, and hospitals. Conditions ranged from
harsh to adequate. There were credible reports that many displaced girls
became involved in prostitution. SECTION 6
WORKER RIGHTS – [d]
In urban areas children sold small items on the streets, were involved in the
commercial sex industry, worked in shops, or begged for money. Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of
the Child (CRC) UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 30 September
2005 www1.umn.edu/humanrts/crc/uganda2005.html [accessed 9 March 2011] [71] The Committee is deeply
concerned at the increasing number of street children, especially in Number of children born on UGPulse News, Sept. 27, 2010 [accessed 3 August 2011] The number of children born on The Managing Director of Dwelling
places Rita Nkemba says many young girls ran away
from their parents and come to beg on the streets of Street children a challenge to city authorities UGPulse News, May 4, 2010 [accessed 3 August 2011] The increasing number of street
children in the city center is becoming unmanageable for Kampala City
Council. The Deputy Speaker of
Kampala Central Division, Nabisere Asia Rizzo says
the number of street children on Child Restoration Outreach Gives Samuel Wamuttu, UGPulse, February 21, 2009 [accessed 3 August 2011] Opolot's father death meant his poor
mother could hardly look after their five children. There was no food and the
family of six were often ridden with sickness as
their only shelter was a tiny grass thatched hut on the verge of collapsing. At that point I went to the
streets with the hope that things would be much better than at home,"
says Opolot, now 26. It was1992 and he was just 10
years old. "I was wrong. Life instead proved much more dangerous than I
had thought." Wounded and fearless despite his small
frame, his body dotted with all sorts of rashes, tattered clothes, Opolot roamed the streets ransacking heaps of garbage in
search of a hard to find daily meal. At night, he and his fellow street
children would retire to boxes they used as beddings, to coil themselves
along shop verandahs. It was at such times that the police would pounce on
them in the wee hours of the night during their routine operations, making the street children to scamper in all directions. "We were often awakened by
mean loud voices. They hit us with sticks sending us in disarray. Some of my
friends would sustain serious injuries from the caning. Eddie Ssejjoba, The New Vision,
13th January, 2009 www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/667984 [accessed 3 August 2011] Over 100 Karimojong
street children were on Monday night rounded-up by the Police in “These children have been giving a
bad image to the country because they at times snatch items like phones, bags
and money from cars and taxis, especially in traffic jams,” he said. Tanui expressed
concern that the number of street children was increasing in the city. “When we would pick the young ones, their
guardians would dash out of their hideout to protect them,” he said. Police spokesperson Judith Nabakooba said the operation would continue until the
city is rid of street children. It is time we focused on street children David Muwonge, The New Vision,
14th September, 2008 www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/459/649570 [accessed 3 August 2011] The Government seemed to have
found a solution for street children during CHOGM but this was short-lived.
Research by the US Bureau for Labour Affairs indicates that about 5,000
children in The majority of these homeless
children are from Karamoja. The main causes of
children’s problems today are armed conflict, diseases, lack of education,
abusive parents or guardians, inadequate services and entrenched poverty. Commercial buildings have more destitutes on the verandas than night watchmen. The young
boys and girls break loose from hiding at 7:00pm to assemble on Bombo, Wilson and In addition, tall, dark
complexioned women with African bangles and anklets loiter
the streets. They stretch their hands out to ask for a penny and younger
girls aged 3-17 years lead in the quest for handouts. They run up and about
the streets seeking for attention from the pedestrians and drivers while
crying out “uncle, auntie,” whom they believe will provide for the day’s
meal. Fred Ouma, The New Vision, allafrica.com/stories/200809100164.html [partially accessed 3 August 2011 - access restricted] An estimated half of However, many of these extended
familial caregivers are overburdened and there are growing numbers of
child-headed households and an increase in child labour, street children,
abandoned children and school dropouts. Kabale district gets Land Bill deal Darious Magara, The New Vision, 15th
August, 2008 www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/644713 [accessed 3 August 2011] She blamed some parents for the misbehaviour among youths. She lamented that most youth
are poorly brought up, leading some to indulge in drug abuse and other
anti-social behaviour. Bbumba said some
of these cases were responsible for fires in schools. She advised parents to
live exemplary lives to raise responsible children. The Kabale
Resident District Commissioner, Cox Nyakairu, said
child offenders and street children
were not only posing a security threat but are a big social problem to the
district. The Chief Administrative
Officer, Joseph Mukasa appealed to the ministry to
establish mitigating measures and programmes that
prevent children from committing crimes. Sh250m for street kids project The New Vision, 25th July, 2008 www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/641159 [accessed 3 August 2011] The Government has provided sh250m
for the removal of about 2,000 children from the streets of Martyn Drakard,
The Observer ( allafrica.com/stories/200807171069.html [accessed 3 August 2011] Lira's street kids are mainly but
not exclusively boys, as happens everywhere. Girls are at particular risk,
and invariably end up as prostitutes. Perhaps surprisingly, most are not
orphans, but have run away from a dysfunctional household in the village, or
have come to town in search of food. They live under tarpaulin or in bushes
or any warm hiding-place they can find; they are not fussy about where they sleep.
They are not hooked onto glue, as their Kenyan counterparts are, and which is
deadly, but use bhang (marijuana), which reaches them from They fight each other. They go on
patrol at night, and it's wise to keep away from parts of the centre of the
town. Their ages range from nine to 16, but most are around 10 to 12. They are not necessarily
dangerous. They are insecure, but generally respond to genuine interest and
kindness. They need someone to listen to them and, most of all, they need the
affection they don't find at home, and which they look for in the gang.
Better to give them food than money, with which they can buy bhang. Obviously
they don't attend school. Police round up street children Chris Ocowun, The New Vision,
10th July, 2008 www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/16/638459 [accessed 3 August 2011] Former night commuters, who had
become street children in Gulu town, are being
rounded-up by the Police. They were
reunited with their parents by the probation and welfare department, Save the
Children in “We found them near Night commuters are children who
go and sleep at shelters in the towns of northern 10 Million Orphans Tom Masland & Rod Nordland, Newsweek Magazine, Jan 16, 2000 www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2000/01/16/10-million-orphans.html [accessed 3 August 2011] Bernadette Nakayima,
70, lives in Address domestic violence to check street children Robert Kashaija, The New Vision,
5th June, 2008 www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/459/631943 [accessed 3 August 2011] James Abola, The Monitor, 18 May
2008 allafrica.com/stories/200805190632.html [partially accessed 3 August 2011 - access restricted] Having lived and worked in The pull factors for leaving home
and going to live on the streets include the excitement and glamour of living
in a city; hope of raising living standard; financial wellbeing. The social worker told me that it is
particularly difficult to convince families to get off the street because the
amount of money that street people make from begging is usually a lot higher
than what they can make from entry level vocations. Children warn profiteers from war Bill Oketch, The New Vision,
30th March, 2008 www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/16/619451 [accessed 3 August 2011] “If Joseph Kony,
the leader of the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) denounces rebellion, we
shall all abandon the street, go back home and start living normal lives” Stolen childhood Eve Mashoo, The East African, 25
February 2008 This article has been archived by World Street Children
News and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 August 2011] About one in four Ugandan
households have two or more orphans. The responsibility of raising these
children is not easy and even providing them with basic necessities does not
come that cheap. With the development of anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) people living with HIV have managed to stay healthy
longer, but not everyone can afford the life-prolonging drugs. According to
some estimates, less than half of the 300,000 Ugandans in need of ARVs have regular access to them. Without a source of
income, children are particularly vulnerable.
Many of these children have turned up in the streets of But those without assistance of
any kind are a disturbing majority. Isabirye Hassan, a councillor in Kampala City Council, says the capital’s
streets have been taken over by street children who engage in crimes like pickpocketing and prostitution. Once in a while the city council rounds up
street children and takes them to Kampiringisa
rehabilitation centre where they receive training and counselling. However,
with a high unemployment rate in the country, many of them return to the
streets soon after they are discharged. Patrick Jaramogi, The New
Vision, allafrica.com/stories/200801240017.html [partially accessed 3 August 2011 - access restricted] The influx of Kenyan refugees
following the election violence has fuelled sex trade among under age girls
in the district. The Ugandan girls
aged between 11-18 years are a big attraction to many. "They charge as
low sh500 for sex per hour," said a resident. The looming sex trade
coupled with the influx of street children has prompted the Government and Busia district leaders to seek solutions to avert what
they described as "a looming crisis". Busia district
probation officer, Julius Ogalo said there are at
least 400 street children in the municipality alone."Most
of these street children are Karimojongs who come
to engage in petty business and smuggling along the border," he said. – sccp A Canadian 'mother' for six Ugandan kids The www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=65369b70-007c-4cdc-bd7c-7668955bdfb6 [accessed 3 August 2011] She learned the six unrelated
children had been living on the street, begging as a group for six months.
Only one of them had a living parent, a mother whom Travers later helped
locate, while the rest of them were alone. And she learned that the children
didn't want to be separated, something they faced if they went to one of the
shelters in the area. Grim Future for War Orphans Caroline Ayugi - International
Justice - International Criminal Court ICC, iwpr.net/report-news/grim-future-war-orphans [accessed 2 August 2011] Orphans still living in refugee
camps, where they often struggle to get by, are worried about what will
happen to them when they eventually have to leave. Scovia Akello, 16, sitting in front of her dingy hut at Koch Goma refugee camp in Amuru,
said she was concerned about what she could feed her hungry brothers and
sisters. "There is no food and I don't
have money. I don't know what we shall eat today. I have four other sisters,
and seeing them hungry [plays on] my nerves even more." Akello does not
know where she and her sisters will go once the refugee camp where she lives
finally closes. She knows little about her home village or her
relatives. "My mother once said
our village is in Olwiyo, but I don't know where
the village is. I don't even know anyone there, not even where our home was
once located,” said Akello. – sccp John A. Emojong, Tororo, The Monitor ( This article has been archived by World Street Children
News and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 August 2011] One of the recent projects
undertaken by the organisation was the
rehabilitation and return of street children to school under a programme managed by Smile Africa Ministries, a Tororo based Christian Organisation. The Executive Director, Smile Africa
Ministries, Pastor Ruth Kawa said at least 293
children had been picked from the streets and rehabilitated before being sent
back to school. Katarzyna Heath, The New Vision, This article has been archived by World Street Children
News and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 2 August 2011] The day of the street children
starts early, as early as 4:00am. They wake and walk the three to four 4km
from the village to Jinja town. The children are
divided into groups, each entrusted with a task for the day. This can be anything from rooting through
the garbage skips, visiting the abattoir for meat left overs,
collecting firewood and charcoal or scrap metal to sell. They are also
expected to return with money, leading to their daily street begging that we
are all witness to. However, we are not witness to the
beating they receive when return home empty-handed because no kind uncle has
flicked them a grubby coin or two. At
around 8:00pm the children return home and hand in their day's earnings and
gatherings. They will get a small meal if they are lucky and then go to bed,
ready to start the whole onslaught the next day. Some children do not even have a
family to return to; classed as 'fulltime' they are runaways and occupy the
streets twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Let us reach out to the suffering street kids Jennipher Taber, The New Vision, 16th
August, 2007 www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/459/581722 [accessed 3 August 2011] Hauling water, firewood, eating
from garbage bins on the streets and sniffing glue, such is the life of a
street child in Andrew Nkurunziza, The Monitor ( This article has been archived by World Street Children
News and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 August 2011] Over the years the number of
beggars and street children on The beggars and street children
are common on Others are mothers who
strategically place their children to beg as they monitor from a far. The
other group is of young boys and girls aged 10-15. These are lone rangers
commonly referred to as street children and to compliment begging, they
engage in petty theft. Who is Luring Karimojong Children Back to
Streets? Al-Mahdi Ssenkabirwa
& Robert Mwanje, This article has been archived by World Street Children
News and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 August 2011] The number of street children in The government and KCC recently
launched a campaign to take street children and beggars off the streets in
preparation for the Chogm in But what lures the children back
to the streets? People who act as Good Samaritans
and donate money and food to the children have apparently frustrated efforts
to relocate them. Last year, KCC promised to pass a
by-law criminalalising the giving of money or other
items to street children but the law is yet to come. Jinja urges govt
over street children Charles Kakamwa, The New Vision,
17th June, 2007 www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/17/571041 [accessed 3 August 2011] Muzusa was responding to complaints
raised by the business community about the street children. “They consume alcoholic substances, move
with sharp objects such as knives and threaten us but the Police and leaders
in the town are doing nothing about this problem,” said Francis Katumba, the Napier Market traders’ chairperson. Muzusa however
blamed the business community saying some encourage children to remain on the
streets by employing them. Children's Activities Child Restoration Outreach (CRO) At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 August 2011] SCHOOL SPONSORSHIP - CRO believes that through
formal education, street children will be able to live an independent life,
support their families and also contribute to the development of their
communities. CRO supports children in
school by paying school fees and uniforms. Parents/ Guardians are encouraged
to provide books, pens and pencils. VOCATIONAL SKILLS - The older street children who
are not able to join formal schools are attached to local artisans to train
on the job in skills of their choice for a period of one year. CRO pays the trainer's fees and training
material. Regular monitoring of the training is done to ensure children
attend the trainings. At the end of the training, the trainees are supported
with starter-up tools to enable them become productive and independent. Hard Life for Catherine Lyst, BBC Scotland
news website, 31 May 2007 news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/highlands_and_islands/6707219.stm [accessed 2 August 2011] A missionary with the African
Inland Mission, she has most recently been working with Dwelling Places,
which helps street children, abandoned babies and high risk slum
families. Many of them have HIV or
have lost parents to Aids. "Many suffer from depravity,
disease, hunger and abuse. We see newborns to teenagers and families headed
by children." Marsali has witnessed five-year-olds living alone on the street
and has even seen teenage girls who have spent their whole life on the
streets having their own babies while homeless. She has also come across numerous abandoned
babies. They have been found on the street, in dustbins, tied up in plastic
bags and found in pit latrines and swamps. News in brief... The New Vision, 30th April, 2007 www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/219/562659 [accessed 3 August 2011] [scroll down] FORMER STREET KIDS GRADUATE - Over 150 former street children
graduated on Friday after being rehabilitated and trained in vocational
skills by Friends of Children Association, a charity. “As a way of empowering
these youths economically and making them self reliant, we trained them in
motorcycle mechanics, motor mechanics, hairdressing, tailoring, carpentry,
and welding for a period of one year,” said Namara Sabakaki, the charity’s programme
manager, at the mayor’s gardens. The children were mainly picked from the
slums of Katwe, Kisenyi, Kasubi in Sh2.16b sought for child protection Chris Ocowun, The New Vision,
22nd April, 2007 www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/16/561164 [accessed 3 August 2011] The district child protection
coordinator, Joseph Kilama, urged charities to
address the problem of street children.
“We never had street kids before but today, they are over 60. Some of
them have guns, while others have cocaine.” Bringing a rare smile to sick, homeless kids Mary Anne Ross, The Sentinel, Spotswood, March 15, 2007 eb.gmnews.com/news/2007-03-15/Front_Page/103.html [accessed 3 August 2011] The group traveled around the
country, visiting orphanages, setting up one-day medical clinics and working
with the children who fend for themselves in the slums of the capital city, The first orphanage they visited
was the Sanyus baby home. "The babies brought there were found
on the road, or in latrine pits or outside the hospital," Pokrywa said. Conditions were not what one would expect
in the "There were about 50 babies and
toddlers. The floors were filthy. None of the children had shoes and most did
not have diapers," she said. The 12 volunteers spent the day taking care
of the children - holding them, feeding them, bathing
them. "They seemed starved for a human touch. They just clung to
us," Pokrywa said. Ridding Ben Simon, Moroto, The Monitor ( This article has been archived by World Street Children
News and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 August 2011] An estimated 700 Karimojong, primarily women and children, who had been
begging on the city streets of Sarah Grainger, BBC News, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6378969.stm [accessed 3 August 2011] STREET LIFE - One of them is 10-year-old Nabale Amuye. She came to John Omoding and Salume Among, The New Vision, 15th February, 2007 www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/17/549348 [accessed 3 August 2011] Following a public outcry, the
Police in Soroti have rounded up over 20 street
children. The district Police commander, Sam Musisi,
said they were found on verandas and corridors where the majority of them
sleep. “The public has been accusing
them of gang raping women, snatching phones and beating people at night.” Should prostitution be legalised? Emmanuel Kihaule, The Guardian, At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 August 2011] `50,000/- For a lover` read posters that are found almost all over NGO protests Harriette Onyalla,
The New Vision, 8th February, 2007 www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/17/547988 [accessed 3 August 2011] Recently, about 1,000 karimojong children and women were forcefully taken to Kampiringisa Remand Home in Mpigi
district to await transportation back to Karamoja. In a statement, the charity said
the Government should get the consent of the children before forcing them off
the streets. “We note with great
concern how the rights of these children are seriously compromised in the
present actions taken by the authorities.”
It said the relocation should be done in consultation and with the
participation of the children involved. The Dawn of Peace Masumba David, Antiwar.com, January 29,
2007 www.antiwar.com/orig/mdavid.php?articleid=10419 [accessed 3 August 2011] The war between the LRA and the
Ugandan government ended in 2006, yet many Ugandans still live homeless,
naked, and traumatized by the war. Many beggars on the streets of The Redeemed The Redeemed redeemedafrica.com/history.htm [accessed 3 August 2011] David Kyambadde,
a Ugandan, and his wife, Aimee, an American, took fifty street children from Woman MP starts children’s project Maria Nakitto and Rehema Aanyu, The New Vision,
22nd December, 2006 www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/19/539410 [accessed 3 August 2011] THE Government is concerned by the
increasing number of street children in Street Children Turn to Sex Workers Aliga Issa, Masaka, The Monitor ( This article has been archived by World Street Children
News and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 August 2011] THE majority of street children in
Masaka have turned into prostitutes and
homosexuals. The Manager of Buddukiro Children’s
Agency, Kassim Wamono
revealed during a press conference at the offices of South Buganda Journalists Association in Masaka
on Nov 20. "Street children come from poor families and so they resort
to sex trade in towns for survival," he said. WFP denies 'encouraging' street children in Charles Kazooba, African News
Dimension AND, This article has been archived by World Street Children
News and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 August 2011] The legislators were also unhappy
that the street children if not cleared off the streets would create a
negative image of Uganda prior and during the Commonwealth Heads of State
Meet to be hosted by Kampala in November next year. “WFP help us and desist from
feeding those street children, CHOGM is on the way. We are trying to get them
off the streets. But if you decide to feed them, do you think those kids will
get off the streets?” MP Edward Bwerere Kasole wondered. It Could Be Illegal to Donate to Street Kids Diana Lule, The New Vision ( This article has been archived by World Street Children
News and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 August 2011] Kampala City Council will soon
pass a bylaw making it a criminal offence to give money and other items to
street children, the city probation officer, Dan Mujjukizi,
has said. Mujjukizi
said, while the Children’s Act 2000 makes it illegal for children to be on
the streets, the people who donate money and food to them were making efforts
to relocate the children difficult. Parents blamed for street kids Joel Ogwang, The New Vision,
LUGAZI, March, 2006 www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/19/487516 [accessed 3 August 2011] Lugazi Diocese Bishop Mathias Sekamanya has blamed street and orphaned children on
parents. He said some parents spent
more time in bars than with their children.
Sekamanya criticised
parents who dressed indecently, saying they were not exemplary. Information about Street Children - This report is taken from “A Civil Society Forum for East
and Southern Africa on Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Street
Children”, 11- 13 February 2002, At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 August 2011] 51% of the population is under 18;
number of street children is estimated at 10,000; underlying causes of children’s
problems in Childhoods in Marc Lacey, The New York Times, March 24, 2002 www.nytimes.com/2002/03/24/world/childhoods-in-uganda-being-lived-in-the-street.html [accessed 3 August 2011] Aposi Lakwemwe
considers himself one of the poorest people in one of the poorest
countries. All he owns is hanging on
his lanky frame, a torn T-shirt and a too-small pair of jeans. Plus there is
his slab of cardboard, which is the only thing that separates his body at
night from the cold pavement.
''Nobody's poorer than me,'' he says with a hazy look in his eyes, the
result of hours of sniffing aviation fuel. ''How can they be? I don't have
anything. I don't have a mother. I don't have a home. I don't have
anything.'' But Aposi,
16, has plenty of competition when it comes to desperation, especially among
the thousands of street children who haunt the business district here, as
others do in many African capitals, begging and robbing their way from one
day to the next. Adoption Now! - The Work In Adoption Now At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 August 2011] People think that it is poverty
and AIDS that causes Ugandan children to leave home, but the problem goes
beyond that. I have gone to rich
families and have found out that they have lost kids to the streets, and seen
that those children who have remained at home are miserable. What they seek is *Self-esteem, *Meaningful
time and conversation with someone they can trust and model, *Love, *A sense
of belonging, *A sense of importance, *A sense of family. They need all the things that they were deprived
of at home. A New Dawn, a New Beginning in The World Scout Foundation, www.scout.org/en/content/download/3110/29900/file/7bl_e.pdf [accessed 3 August 2011] Recruiting young people directly
from the street, What is RYDA? [RTF] Rubaga Youth Development Association
Document 2001 www.blackdouglas.com.au/ryda/ryda2001.rtf [accessed 3 August 2011] STREET
CHILDREN - RYDA
operates one of one of the largest street children skills training in Vocational Training Of Orphans And Street Children International Care & Relief ICR At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 August 2011] The orphans attend vocational training
workshops where funds have been spent on tools and equipment, technical
assistance, training activities and educational materials. This means that
they can gain the skills necessary to get decent paid work and provide for
themselves. With the incentive of
receiving nourishing food, regular attendance by the children is secured. The Baaba Project Monica Nyakake, Baaba Project Manager, GOAL www.unicef.org/magic/bank/case044.html [accessed 3 August 2011] AIMS
& OBJECTIVES -
The goal of the project is that the street children will be able to exercise
their rights to sexual and reproductive health within an environment where information
and services are freely accessible and their rights are respected by the
community and its members. This is based on the premise that street children
with increased knowledge, skill and confidence are able to make their own
informed choices for a healthier future. The project adopts a variety of
strategies including advocacy, capacity building and peer education to
achieve this goal. Harnessing talent: Kirstin Mitchell, Juliet Oling, Tony Onen, Monica Nyakake & Sarah Manyindo Kihuguru, Sexual Health Exchange 2002-1 www.kit.nl/exchange/html/drama_hiv_aids_uganda_-_sexual.asp [accessed 3 August 2011] Through street and community
outreach, HIV prevention clubs and training workshops, an innovative project
called the Baabas takes HIV prevention messages to
street children www.bethesdainternational.org/ [accessed 3 August 2011] Bethesda International exists to
restore and uphold hope and a future to the most vulnerable children by
providing physical, social and spiritual needs. Due to their marginalization, the most
vulnerable children, have lost all hope.
Kids in Need: An NGO Solution Christopher Wakiraza, Director,
Kids in Need KIN, eJournal At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 August 2011] THE LIFE
OF A STREET CHILD -
To survive, each child in the gang had to work very hard. Some provided sex
to adults for food or a pittance; others carried heavy loads, sold drugs, or
participated in organized crime. A Future
for Street Children in Caritas www.caritas.org.au/ourwork/where_uganda_story.htm [accessed 3 August 2011] AKOLUMOGEN'S
STORY - 15 year old Akolumogen miserably recalls his first days on the
streets: "Food was getting scarce
each day that we began. Left alone after my parents' death, I had to fend for
my well-being. All the heads of cattle that my old Papa had left me had
dropped off one by one and now there was nothing to feed on. This prompted me to move to Adoption Now! - Caring For Orphans And Street-Children In 02 November 2006 At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 3 August 2011] All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE
RESPECT COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT ARTICLES.
Cite this webpage as: Patt, Prof. Martin, "Street Children - |
Human Trafficking in [Uganda] [other countries]Street Children in [Uganda Child Prostitution in [Uganda] [other countries]