Empower Child Domestic Workers Through Education

Quarterly Report January to March 2017

Platform for Labour Action with support from GlobalGiving is currently supporting 118 girls, (of these seventy (70) children are supported due to the Community funding grant)with school lunch, scholastic materials, Fees and psychosocial support in all aspects of their lives and are at school. The girls go to government and private owed schools in Lira District. These schools  are, Eliaoulet  Primary School,  Adyel primary school, Lango Quran  primary school, Light Vocational Secondary school, Sir Samuel Joe primary school, Ober primary school, Erute Primary School, Ayer Seed Secondary School, V.H primary School ,Ojwina primary school, and Ireda primary School Lira Modern Primary School, Otim Tom Primary School, King James Primary School, King James Comprehensive Secondary School, Omito Primary School, Lira Police Primary School, Lira Army Primary School, Lira Primary School, Railway Primary School, Badela Primary School, and ST. Mary Primary School.

“Educate 200 War and HIV/AIDS Orphaned Ugandan Girls” is a project that has given hope and a better future through education  to the 118 girl beneficiaries in northern Uganda, despite the hardships endured due to the absence of their biological parents who they lost either to HIV/AIDS or during the 21 years long LRA rebel war. The girls have continued to show committed to better their lives through education by working hard at school and many being exemplary. The counseling and education services have enabled them to build resilience and courage to push on in life.

Activities carried out during the quarter.

 A total of 118 beneficiaries; 0ne hundred eighteen girls of which 15 are in secondary Schools and 103 are in primary schools were supported during the court.

 PLA has continued to monitor its beneficiaries at school, at their homes and continued to offer counseling sessions both to the children and their guardians. The Administrative Volunteer helps in monitoring and following up of the beneficiaries both at school as well as at home.

The beneficiaries received both scholastic materials fees and lunch.

 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 since the office is providing close supervision to children and their guidance.

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

 In 2016, twelve girls (beneficiaries sat for primary leaving examination board and all passed to secondary. Four beneficiaries got first grade and the six were in second grade and the four were in third grade.

 Home monitoring visits

26 home monitoring visits were made this quarter. The Beneficiaries experience similar problems while at home including heavy work-loads, little food given to them, harsh guardians and sometimes bad living situations, Sharon, a 14 years old girl in primary five at V.H Primary school said that her life has improved a lot. Before PLA started paying her, she was taking care of vicky’s child at home she was being left with the child only with milk to feed the child, but she was not being given food at all. She could stay without eating. She said that she was surviving with babies’ milk at time. She said that since PLA helping her, she is not being beaten at home like before, she is enjoying breakfast and Lunch at school as PLA as already paid for. She said that she had no hope of stopping to study and prays that PLA and Global Giving will continue to support her, since she had no one else to cater for her education.

School monitoring Visits.

11 school monitoring visit was made during this quarter. The purpose of monitoring them is to check on the beneficiaries’ performance in class, interacting with their class teachers to know about the children performance, their strengths and challenges in class and also to provide them with psychosocial support at school.

Holiday`s events.

PLA was able to meet with all the beneficiaries on the 25^th January -27th January 2017 at PLA office before they report back to school to start term one 2017

The purpose of meeting with beneficiaries during holidays is to provide them with psycho -social support through sharing with staff, sharing their life stories with their fellow friends to enable them to carry on and know that their situation is not unique to one but to many other children, but how to find ways to deal with the challenges while enjoying their childhoods and the right to education. Playing with their friend through activities organized by the office. This time there was a lot of sunshine and they were only able to participate in storytelling and sharing their home situation.

Those who are in primary seven raised their request to the office that if possible they allow them to be in boarding since their guardians used to give them a lot of work in the morning which really makes them to report to school very late.

Case story

Akullu

My name is Akullu, I am seventeen years old and in senior four a King James Comprehensive School in Lira district,the daughter to the late Okello

My father was called Okello and my mother is called Atim. I lost my father when I was young when he went in the village to collect Cassava during war period and he was shot dead and I was left with only my mother.

In 2008 Platform for Labor Action members visited Lira P/7 (IDP CAMP).The people in the camp and interviewed me and registered me as one of PLA beneficiaries and PLA started paying my school fees.

I want to thank PLA a lot for the love, support and help they are offering me in terms of scholastic materials, school fees and guiding me  which my mother never used to afford.”I am happy at school because am like the other rich people’s children. I also thank PLA because they have made it possible for me to study up to this high level of Education”.

I do thank God for making me to study though some of my friends with whom we started school have more than two children.

I thank the PLA staff for being patience with me and for guiding me till I reached this Level of Education

I thank PLA, Global Giving sponsors  and the Director for supporting me with school fees and Scholastic materials. She advised her fellow beneficiaries to work very hard so that they even pass her level so that their children does not suffer the way they suffered May God bless you all!

CONCLUSION

PLA and the beneficiaries remain grateful to the support that is received through global giving; this support has given hope to a better future  and the support have enabled them to stay in schools and stopped them from getting intoearly marriage and and other exploitative forms of work

• The above photos showing Akullu S.4 at King James (DOCX)