Karimojong street kids to be resettled soon
Aug 18, 2011
THE Government’s strategy to resettle street children from Karamoja living in Kampala and other urban centres is in its final stages.
By Vision Reporter
THE Government’s strategy to resettle street children from Karamoja living in Kampala and other urban centres is in its final stages.
The project is being handled by the Ministry of Karamoja Affairs in the Office of the Prime Minister.
The ministry is working together with the gender ministry, GIZ, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Uganda Women’s Effort to Save Orphans (UWESO) and the Norwegian Embassy.
They are working to find a lasting solution to the challenge of Karimojong children flooding various urban streets.
The First Lady and Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Janet Museveni, said initially, the children would be taken off the streets, accommodated and then rehabilitated at UWESO’s Masuliita Children Village in Wakiso district.
She said Masuliita would be a temporary transit centre from where the children would be resettled at Kobulin Youth Development Centre in Napak district. Kobulin is, however, still undergoing rehabilitation.
Mrs. Museveni, accompanied by Karamoja state minister Barbara Nekesa Oundo, made the remarks while addressing leaders of the Karamoja community living in urban centres.
She was soliciting their support in search for a lasting solution to the challenge of street children.
The meeting, which was held at the Office of the Prime Minister on Tuesday, was attended by leaders from Kampala, Jinja, Iganga, Busia, Mbale, Katwe, Kisenyi, Nsambya and Nakulabye.
MPs Stella Namoe (Napak), Terrence Achia (Bokora), Peter Aleper (Moroto municipality) and Samson Lokeris (Dodoth East) also attended.
The First Lady said the Government, through its various development programmes, was committed to rebuilding and changing the quality of life of the Karimojong.
This would, however, require joint efforts of the Karimojong leaders and the Government, she said.
Mrs. Museveni encouraged the leaders to be proud of being Karimojong, engage in productive work back home and sensitise their communities to stop sending their children to beg on the streets in towns.
She said it would give her peace to know that Karimojong children were no longer living on the streets.
“Help me to ensure that no Karimojong child returns to the street after this exercise,†she urged the leaders.
Mrs. Museveni allayed fears of the children being bundled off to Kampiringisa Rehabilitation Centre like it had been done in the past.
She said under the new programme, the leaders would visit and find out the condition of the children while at Masuliita.
The Karimojong leaders commended the First Lady for her love and passion for their people. They said they had witnessed the deeper consequences of street life, including death, disease, rape and drug abuse.
They promised to work with the Government to end the street children problem.
The leaders attributed the constant return of repatriated children to the streets to lack of information about their origins, inadequate support and attitudes of the communities who consider them rejects of society.
Nekesa urged the Karimojong leaders to identify people who bring children to the streets so that they face the law.
She advised them to mobilise their people to participate in government programmes.
The MPs recommended that a committee be formed to work with the gender ministry so as to speed up work at Kobulin.
THE Government’s strategy to resettle street children from Karamoja living in Kampala and other urban centres is in its final stages.
The project is being handled by the Ministry of Karamoja Affairs in the Office of the Prime Minister.
The ministry is working together with the gender ministry, GIZ, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Uganda Women’s Effort to Save Orphans (UWESO) and the Norwegian Embassy.
They are working to find a lasting solution to the challenge of Karimojong children flooding various urban streets.
The First Lady and Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Janet Museveni, said initially, the children would be taken off the streets, accommodated and then rehabilitated at UWESO’s Masuliita Children Village in Wakiso district.
She said Masuliita would be a temporary transit centre from where the children would be resettled at Kobulin Youth Development Centre in Napak district. Kobulin is, however, still undergoing rehabilitation.
Mrs. Museveni, accompanied by Karamoja state minister Barbara Nekesa Oundo, made the remarks while addressing leaders of the Karamoja community living in urban centres.
She was soliciting their support in search for a lasting solution to the challenge of street children.
The meeting, which was held at the Office of the Prime Minister on Tuesday, was attended by leaders from Kampala, Jinja, Iganga, Busia, Mbale, Katwe, Kisenyi, Nsambya and Nakulabye.
MPs Stella Namoe (Napak), Terrence Achia (Bokora), Peter Aleper (Moroto municipality) and Samson Lokeris (Dodoth East) also attended.
The First Lady said the Government, through its various development programmes, was committed to rebuilding and changing the quality of life of the Karimojong.
This would, however, require joint efforts of the Karimojong leaders and the Government, she said.
Mrs. Museveni encouraged the leaders to be proud of being Karimojong, engage in productive work back home and sensitise their communities to stop sending their children to beg on the streets in towns.
She said it would give her peace to know that Karimojong children were no longer living on the streets.
“Help me to ensure that no Karimojong child returns to the street after this exercise,†she urged the leaders.
Mrs. Museveni allayed fears of the children being bundled off to Kampiringisa Rehabilitation Centre like it had been done in the past.
She said under the new programme, the leaders would visit and find out the condition of the children while at Masuliita.
The Karimojong leaders commended the First Lady for her love and passion for their people. They said they had witnessed the deeper consequences of street life, including death, disease, rape and drug abuse.
They promised to work with the Government to end the street children problem.
The leaders attributed the constant return of repatriated children to the streets to lack of information about their origins, inadequate support and attitudes of the communities who consider them rejects of society.
Nekesa urged the Karimojong leaders to identify people who bring children to the streets so that they face the law.
She advised them to mobilise their people to participate in government programmes.
The MPs recommended that a committee be formed to work with the gender ministry so as to speed up work at Kobulin.