Foundation seeks to support abandoned Ugandan-born Chinese children

KAMPALA - A Ugandan-based Chinese foundation has launched a humanitarian drive to identify and provide assistance to Ugandan-born children who were abandoned by Chinese fathers while executing government projects.

Eric-Wang Foundation, a non-governmental charitable organisation based in Kampala, has expressed interest in supporting the vulnerable Ugandan-born Chinese children by connecting them to their fathers to ensure they receive the care and support they need.

While launching the humanitarian drive at Simbaland Cargo Holdings Ltd Offices at Ham Shopping Grounds in Kampala on Sunday, August 10, 2025, foundation director Eric Wang said they started the initiative after several reports that many Ugandan-Chinese children were severely segregated by communities.

“We first received demeaning reports that our colleagues’ children who resembled us were being laughed at in society for lacking what to eat,” Wang said.

“Reports have surfaced of Chinese nationals abandoning their Ugandan partners and children after working on projects in Uganda. For example, in Oyam district in Northern Uganda, several women have struggled to raise children fathered by Chinese nationals working on the Karuma hydroelectric power project,” he observed.

Local leaders have sought support from the Chinese company involved, Sinohydro, but responses have been limited because we are not in position to know where they are and what they do, he claimed.

Abandoned Ugandan-born Chinese children face unique challenges, including cultural identity issues, social stigma, and limited access to resources, but we are here looking for them to provide education and other social necessities, Wang emphasised.

"The China-Uganda partnership has yielded notable projects, such as the Entebbe-Kampala Expressway and the Karuma Hydroelectric power station, and that’s why we need to help our children".

David Wang, the foundation patron, said the foundation was started out of outcry from the public who were accusing Chinese contractors and technical workers who completed their work and left their kids behind without any plan.

“We have so far got two children whom we saw and concluded that they were Chinese without even conducting deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) tests,” David said.

Director Eric Wang Foundation Eric Wang, Patron David Wang and administrator Dorah Nakirya addressing the press conference at Simbaland Cargo Holdings offices, Ham Building. (Credit: Isaac Nuwagaba)

Some Ugandans bringing their own children who are not Chinese for support

David added that some Africans came to offer their children to them when it was clear that they were black without any Chinese remembrances at all.

“We shall even look after those who are rich and want their Chinese fathers to trace them for family bonding because some Chinese fathers left Uganda under unclear circumstances after their contractual work,” he pledged.

Dorah Nakirya, the foundation administrator, said such children shall receive education scholarships, vocational training, healthcare support and social integration.

“We shall give social integration assistance with cultural adaptation, language training, or community engagement to facilitate social inclusion,” she noted.

China's engagement with Uganda extends beyond philanthropy, with significant investments in infrastructure development, trade, and economic cooperation.

"If the China foundation follows through on its plans, it could have a positive impact on the lives of abandoned Ugandan-born Chinese children," Nakirya observed.

Child neglect in thousands

According to Police Crime Report 2024, a total of 3,663 cases of child neglect were reported to police in 2024, compared to 4,730 cases in 2023, thus giving a 23% decrease in this reported crime category.

Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango says authorities are greatly concerned about the rising number of babies and young children that are being abandoned in the capital, Kampala.

“The crime of abandoning babies has put babies under an extra burden on foster care homes, which depend on charity organisations,” he said.
These babies are mostly left on dumpsites and roadsides, but we highly blame abandoned children on fathers denying paternity, he insisted.