Amolatar's voice for the underprivileged children

Uganda has been described as the Pearl of Africa. However, in this beautiful land, there are a number of harmful cultural practices that make it a place no child would want to live IN. As the third series of the Tumaini Awards is launched, ANDREW MASINDE visited Amolatar to examine how a local NGO is advocating for the protection of children’s rights

.The armed conflict in northern Uganda had far-reaching effects. Thousands of children were abducted and forcefully conscripted into the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel ranks.

The atrocious acts of the rebels also led to the displacement of many people.

As in any war situation, women and children usually bear the brunt of the conflict following the destruction of the social, economic and educational infrastructure.

Some of the displaced persons found themselves taking sanctuary on the shores of Lake Kyoga in Amolatar district, almost 300 kilometres away from the epicentre of the conflict in Gulu.

“Their situation was appalling,” says Judith Acana, the area women LC5 councillor and initiator of the Amolatar Women’s Initiative For Peace and Children’s Rights (AWIPCR).

“Most of these people were coming from underprivileged backgrounds. They did not have the resources to support the many children and orphans they came along with. \

The men started marrying off young girls. Mothers started brewing local gin and engaging in prostitution,” Acana says.

Birth of ACWICR

Acana says that during one of her routine tours as the area councillor, she found a big number of children, some as young as four, engaged in fishing

At first I was mad, but developed sympathy on learning their background and predicament. Most of them came from women-headed families,” recalls Acana.

“This made me think of something that could not only stop this sad state of affairs, but also ensure a lasting solution to the plight of the vulnerable groups through interventions targeting the communities and the local leadership,” she explains.

Acana presented the matter to the district council, asking for political intervention while at the same time mobilising women to start income– generating projects.

She became a voice for this under-privileged group at all workshops she attended and begged for support. Her efforts paid off in 2007 when she made a passionate appeal during a meeting for women initiative for gender justice in Lira district and got a donation of sh2m. She then founded the AWICR.

AWICR objectives

The initiative’s main objective is to see a society where all children are in school, free from abuse and mothers work towards development.

It also aims at ensuring that children, women and men live in a peaceful and healthy environment free from captivity.

The organisation fights to empower and provide sustainable development in a peaceful environment.

“We are committed to improving the lives of children, especially affected by abuse, neglect, and exploitation and most especially those that were affected by wars,” Acana says.

Activities of the initiative

According to Acana, their first task was identifying and collecting data on the vulnerable children and documenting the cases of child right abuses.

“We advocate for the stopping of child labour and empower children with knowledge and skills to be able to protect themselves from abuse,” Acana explains.

AWICR also sensitises parents against concealing defilement, early marriages and on the need to provide for their children in terms of improved standards of living, health care and educational services.

“Though the majority of the people are poor, we taught them how to share the little they have with the children,” she said.

Through the local leadership and the communities, AWICR is empowering the locals to protect children from social evils, abuse and child labour and giving them access to health services.

“Many parents and the community did not take it seriously until we started working with law enforcement agencies to see that the culprits of child violence are brought to book,” Acana adds.

She says that some of the perpetrators would just pay little compensation and be set free yet the child remains with trauma.

“We shall make sure the culprits are punished in accordance with the law and as a deterrent to the other would-be-criminals,” she added.

AWICR advocates the elimination of violence against children’s rights through media, community awareness and community policing which has seen a tremendous improvement in in terms of children’s rights.

As a way of making the victims of war forget the trauma, AWICR empowers domestic violence victims and war survivors with counselling and legal aid to get justice as well as expose the culprits.

Acana uses the advantage of being a counsellor to raise her child rights issues on every function she attends and she makes sure she leaves all people aware of children’s rights.

Many children have been sensitised on the values of going to school and those who are poverty–stricken are provided with scholastic materials.

Parents have also been involved.

They are responsible for their children’s education, a case that has raised the standards of school going children every year.

“People in this place never valued education all they knew was fishing and so long the grades had been poor. However, since AWICR started sensitising people on the values of education, the place has had a tremendous improvement in education.

Achievements

People now fear violating children’s rights, knowing there is someone who will follow up the issue with authorities.

The number of children engaging in fishing has reduced tremendously as many now value education.

Mothers now know the value of going to hospital for maternity services and also taking their children to the hospital when sick instead of thinking in terms of witchcraft.

Challenges

The biggest challenge is parent’s attitude that’s bad as they believe children are theirs and have rights over them. Lack of transport, especially bicycles is a hindrance to police the hard-to-reach areas. They also lack financial resources for follow ups.

Beneficiaries speak out

Patricia, 7, was raped, but the suspect was set free after paying a small compensation.

“There was nobody to stand for me until Acana came and reported the matter to the Police. The rapist was re–arrested and is on remand awaiting trial.

This has greatly helped because now many men fear knowing that there is someone who will take them to the Police,” she says.

Alfred Okech, is a parent of four blind children.“I did not know that even blind children could be taken to school. Acana helped me when she visited and asked me to take my children to school. I did and now my children are doing well

   true
Some of the children who have benefited from AWICR organisation in Amolatar