Empower Child Domestic Workers Through Education

Platform for Labour Action with support from Global Giving is implementing a project entitled “Educate 100 War and HIV/AIDS Orphaned Ugandan Girls”. PLA is implementing a global giving program entitled Educate 100 War and HIV/AIDS Orphaned Ugandan Girls whose overall goal is to empower female children through education in Lango Sub region. This project was started as a response to the 21-year-old LRA war that left many children orphaned and destitute. There is a pressing need for rehabilitation and empowerment of female children through education. Lira district is no longer affected by war and the communities are in rehabilitation where there is need to ensure that the children are rehabilitated and have access to education.

Platform for Labour Action through the Global Giving Donors is providing support for to 54 girls currently living in Lira district including; three children (3) in primary four, eight children (8) in primary five, seventeen children (17) in primary five, twenty six ( 26) in primary seven. The project provides support to war and HIV/AIDS orphaned girls and those girls living with HIV/AIDS with school fees, Lunch fees, counseling, scholastic materials such as books, pens, pencils, rulers, rubbers and school uniform, Toilet paper and mathematic sets and sanitary pads.

Through the home monitoring visit and school monitoring visit, PLA staff monitor the schools where all these beneficiaries are studying. This is done through checking their conditions with their teachers during school, their living condition when at school and providing psychological support at school and during holidays.

In this quarter a number of activities were carried out that included, taking children to schools, payment of fees for term two, counseling, school and home visits to the beneficiaries. Below are therefore the activities carried out in the three months of July, August and September, 2018.

Fees Payment

Last QuarterWe were able to pay school fees for all beneficiaries in different schools where they are studying

SCHOOL VISITS

The school monitoring visits are meant to check on the beneficiaries’ performance class and to see their behaviors at school.

The school monitoring visits gives the organization the chance to meet the beneficiary’s teachers since in most cases they are the ones that see the girls while they are at school and have one or two things to mention about their performances.

The school teachers also play big roles in shaping the beneficiaries better future especially when they get to know how vulnerable the children are through PLA staffs who are dealing with these children.

7 schools monitoring visits were carried out, the school visits were made in King James Primary School, Ireda Primary School, Otim Tom Primary School, Omito Primary School, Erute Primary School, and Sir Samuel Joe Primary School.

There is however great improvement generally on the living conditions of the children being supported. The children now have great hope for living. Some of the guardians living with HIV/AIDS have greatly improved health wise and stress has greatly reduced and their children are living normal lives like other children with both parents.

The Lira community has also continued to recognize the support given to the orphans and they are appreciating the help from Platform for Labour Action.

Good news

Out of 16 beneficiaries who sat for Primary Leaving Examination Board in 2017, 13 of them got free education from the various schools Like Akullo Patricia was being Admitted in MT St Mary Namagunga Lugazi because of her good performance in her primary examination and she is also a very good foot baller, 10 of them were being admitted at premier comprehensive school Lira for their good talent in girls foot ball and they are only paying scholastic materials costing them 60,000= per term, two girls were being given scholarship at The Vision High School. All these happened due to the lobby from the PLA staff with schools and District Officers to support these children.

CHALLENGES FACED BY CHILDREN

• Most of the children are being engaged to child domestic labour during holidays to look for survival especially during holidays. They work for people but later they do not get payment
• They are being given Heavy work during weekend, early in the morning and evening After class
• Some guardians are over working these children and they are reporting to school very late in the morning, hence making them not to perform well in class since they reach class when they are tired and not psychologically stable.

ACTION TAKEN BY PLA

• Local Leaders are being Advised on how the project runs and how the organization is raising money to pay this children.
• These girls are being provided with psychosocial support and they are advised to report any abuse to the elders, police or any Local Leaders around
• Children are taken through counseling to strengthen them psychologically in attaining self-confidence.
• Guardian who were not supporting the children and are mistreating them , pushing the into early marriage, are being counseled and educated on how to deal with this children and child right and protection
• Regular visits to the schools are being made by the PLA staff to check on the progress and performance of the children.