Empower Child Domestic Workers Through Education

Florence is a 15 year old who was working as a domestic worker at Nsambya west –Makindye division where she was faced problems of nonpayment and mistreatment.. She was She was referred to Platform for Labour Action (PLA) by one of our trained taskforce member(Community Volunteer) who works as one of the Local leaders in Nsambya west. Florence dropped out of school while in Primary one after her father’s death, her poor mother who was unemployed could not further her education and decided to abandon her at her auntie’s place in Mityana ,under claims that she was not receiving any support from the child’s paternal family.An old Woman called Agnes offered to stay with Florence in Kampala – Kibuli since her auntie had failed to raise her school fees.Life was comfortable for all the three year she stayed with the old woman Agnes but it unfolded when the old woman’s daughter named Namukas gave birth and the old woman offered  Florence to be taken to Nsambya west so as to help out the new mother with domestic chores as she did not have any one around her during her maternity period.

She spent there spent seven months of unfair treatment where she was often physically and verbally abused and yet not paid for her services, this was all done under the disguise that she was so vulnerable to escape, on learning about the child’s torture, PLA intervened rescued her from child labour and mistreatment offered temporary resettlement at one of our trained taskforce member’s place, penalized the employer who compensated the child 500,000/=. PLA enrolled her in a Hair Dressing course at Kyebando Vocational training Centre, this has enabled her realize the right to education, which will greatly improve her livelihoods and also enjoy her childhood.

• Florence at the Vocational school (DOCX)