Today Joy For Children Uganda (JFCU) joins the rest of the world honouring refugees around the globe and celebrating their strength and courage of these people who were forced to flee their home countries to escape conflict or persecution. The World Refugee Day falls each year on June 20 as an occurrence that builds empathy and understanding for the plight of refugees and to recognize their resilience in the transformation of their livelihoods.
Globally UNHCR reports At least 79.5 million people around the world who have been forced to flee their homes. Among them are nearly 26 million refugees, around half of whom are under the age of 18. By 31st May 2020, Uganda is reported to be hosting 1,424,373million refugees and now the third largest refugee-hosting country in the world (UNHCR, 2020). And about 61% of these refugees in Uganda are children (UNICEF, 2019) vulnerable to a number of harmful social norms and practices that violets their rights.
We are celebrating this day when the world is grappling with COVID-19, with Uganda currently reported over 752 cases by the Ministry of Health. While the country battle COVID-19, Joy For Children Uganda (JFCU) a champion in advocating for the rights of all children with a diverse programming anchored in a unique strategy that seeks to change adverse yet long held societal practices & traditions that tend to undermine the rights of children, draws its inspiration to celebrate this day from the resilience refugees have shown in overcoming their own crisis of dislodgment and scarcity; their separation from their homes, families and countries; and their resolve to improve their own and others’ lives, despite these and other hardships for instance cases of violence against children and women like; early marriages, Gender Based Violence among other violation and abuses refugees face,
Joy For Children Uganda heed to Government of Uganda call for deliberate efforts towards increased funding and support for local and national actors in refugee response. Therefore, JFCU is supporting local organisations working in refugee hosting communities of Kamwenge, Isingiro, Kiryandongo, Kyegegwa and Arua districts, in budget advocacy and monitoring; accelerating progress towards Ending Child Marriage and other harmful practices that violates the rights of children in refugee settlements and host communities; and also engaging local government to respond to the plight of refugees’ and children in host communities.
JFCU is committed to increase support to end Violence Against Children (VAC), Sexual and Sender-Based Violence (SGBV) by embedding measures across our program that incorporate strategies to mitigate any risk of SGBV and VAC in communities. Seek to promote norms, fostering long-term social and cultural change toward gender equality in the humanitarian settings
Ensure child protection by improving Child Friendly Spaces; where conflict-affected children get a safe place to play, learn and socialize. Working with other CSOs to influence Government of Uganda renews its commitment to address child marriage; And to see that traditional and religious leaders have a better understanding of the causes and consequences of child marriage and are able to inform their specific cultural structures.
