Child wellbeing: Forum to bridge research, policy and practice gap
“We’ve tried everything to get her off junk food, but nothing works. We don’t want her to starve,” Joy's mother adds helplessly.
Researchers want children to enjoy good lives. (Credit: Ritah Mukasa)
Ritah Mukasa
Journalist @New Vision
Researchers with government officials after launching the forum at Africhild Centre in Ntinda, Kampala. (Credit: Ritah Mukasa)
By Ritah Mukasa
At just seven years old, Joy weighs 29kg, far beyond the average 22kg for girls her age. Walking is a struggle, and her mother watches with growing concern.
“Joy was a small child, but when she turned five, she developed an insatiable craving for junk food and started gaining weight rapidly,” she says. Now, chips, fried chicken, burgers, pizza and milkshakes dominate Joy’s diet.
“We’ve tried everything to get her off junk food, but nothing works. We don’t want her to starve,” her mother adds helplessly.
Joy is not alone. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS 2022), childhood obesity in Uganda is on the rise, with 2.9% of children under five classified as overweight.
Following this growing concern, the gender ministry (MGLSD) has partnered with Civil Society Organisations (CSO) led by The AfriChild Centre to launch the Multi-sectoral child wellbeing research uptake forum on March 1, 2025. The forum is expected to bridge the gap between research, policy and practice to improve the lives of children across Uganda.
AfriChild Centre executive director Timothy Opobo said: “There is a need to do evidence-based research that will be used by policymakers to make informed decisions.”
He added, “Children constitute about 57% of Uganda’s population, but we don’t have adequate data to inform their wellbeing.”
“We are seeing many obese children due to changes in feeding patterns. Others are depressed because they wake up early and sleep late,” he says.
In today’s education system, children face immense pressure to excel academically, often for the prestige of their schools. This is further compounded by rising cases of child exploitation, defilement, murder, child labour and cyberbullying. To Opobo, addressing these challenges requires a research-driven, collaborative approach.
While many studies have been conducted on child welfare, Opobo says, many remain shelved, failing to translate into action. He attributes this to limited stakeholder engagement as well as research gaps that sometimes lead to unintended harm to children.
How the forum will work
The child well-being research uptake forum serves as a strategic platform for stakeholders to engage in evidence-based discussions and promote the integration of research findings into child-focused policies and programs.
They will hold evidence-based discussions and integrate research findings into child-focused policies and programs. The activities include quarterly meetings, advocacy sessions, field monitoring visits, stakeholder panels, publications of policy briefs and an annual report on child wellbeing.
Police child and family protection department acting commissioner Maureen Atuhaire said issues cannot be solved without data. However, recommendations have to be put into practice to solve problems.
“As Police, we collect information all the time. We also have bi-annual and annual reports which help us to make informed decisions.”
Atuhaire added that Police pay attention to cases involving children such as defilement, rape, murder, child labour, negligence and domestic violence. As they pursue the cases in court, on the ground, the community policing and Child and Family departments create awareness in communities.
They visit churches, markets and schools. Police also work with Local councils, and different ministries such as gender, health, education and agriculture to protect children.
Meanwhile, Vincent Tumusiime, director at the directorate of socio-economic monitoring and research, Office of the President and Timothy Lubanga, assistant commissioner for monitoring and evaluation in OPM, urged researchers to have evidence-based work.