Around 55-65% of Kampala’s 1.7 million inhabitants reside in slum areas resulting from rural urban migration, & the city is struggling to accommodate its infrastructure to this massive & growing need. Land tenure remains a controversial issue & persistent flooding creates health & logistical difficulties.
Over the course of two years, Joy for Children has acted as a key instrument in raising to the World Bank serious human rights and social issues, including sexual violence and threats to girls and women, that were occurring during the construction of a World Bank financed project, the Fort Portal to Kamwenge Road Construction.
In Uganda, 45% of girls are married before the age of 18, yet child marriage often goes unreported. Child rights advocates in the country are determined to do something about that and recently launched Girls Not Brides Uganda: the National Alliance to End Child Marriage.
Uganda is investing heavily in promoting access to education for all its children. Over the past decade, the education budget has increased significantly yet both the learning outcomes for children and primary school retention rates, particularly for marginalized girls, are discouraging.
In an environment where government structures are weak or ineffective, it’s the responsibility of a civil society organization to stand up for children’s rights.
Joy for Children Uganda is cognizant of and concerned about the rapid spread of the Coronavirus that has caused a global lockdown and led to tens of thousands of deaths. As of today, 6th April, Uganda has 52 confirmed cases of Coronavirus Patients while Globally, there are over 1,257,037 confirmed cases and 69,501 deaths and still counting.
Joy for Children Uganda, like everyone else, has been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. The nationwide lockdown has had a diverse effect on our work across Uganda where we have a number of community empowering interventions. Currently, our Head office in Kampala and regional offices in Fort portal and Lira are closed and all our staff at home.
