Fund a woman, fund a child

GlobalGiving Impact Update: Your Support Is Bringing Justice Closer to Women and Girls

Thank you for continuing to stand with FIDA-Uganda and the women, girls and children whose lives are affected by inequality, violence and injustice. Your generosity through GlobalGiving is helping us bring legal assistance and protection closer to people who would otherwise struggle to access justice. Every contribution helps someone find support when their rights are violated, seek redress when they have nowhere else to turn, and begin rebuilding their future.

The need for accessible justice remains significant. During Quarter 3, FIDA-Uganda registered 7,543 legal aid cases across its service delivery network, including 5,195 involving women and girls and 2,348 involving men and boys. Women and girls accounted for approximately 69% of all clients served. Of the cases registered, 1,324 concerned child maintenance, while 1,153 involved domestic violence. These figures reflect the persistent challenges women face in securing family support, protection from violence and the opportunity to exercise their rights.

The impact of our work extends beyond individual legal cases. During the quarter, 5,188 community members were reached through physical sensitisation engagements, while an estimated 153,995 people were reached through radio and television engagements. Our Community Legal Volunteers handled 5,369 cases, demonstrating the importance of community-based structures in bringing justice closer to underserved populations. Of the 5,379 concluded cases, 5,326 were successfully resolved, helping thousands of people move closer to justice.

Behind these numbers are women and girls whose vulnerabilities often overlap and reinforce one another. For many women and girls living in poverty, this can mean interrupted education, limited access to skills training and economic opportunities, and increased exposure to exploitation, trafficking and abuse. When these violations occur, the barriers to reporting, protection and justice are often even greater. Without intervention, girls can be pushed into lifelong cycles of dependency, poverty and abuse, with limited opportunities to determine their own futures.

Through our legal aid clinics, Family Justice Desks and Community Legal Volunteers, FIDA-Uganda works to address these injustices by providing legal advice, representation, counselling, referrals and community-based support. We also engage communities, strengthen child protection mechanisms and advocate for policy and institutional changes that address the conditions allowing these violations to persist.

One recent case from Moroto illustrates why this work matters.

A Childhood Restored: Securing the Safe Return of a 13-Year-Old Girl

For one mother in Moroto, poverty had become so overwhelming that what appeared to be an opportunity to improve her family's circumstances nearly cost her daughter her childhood.

Her 13-year-old daughter had dropped out of school when a trusted neighbour offered to take her away with the promise of a better life. Days later, the child had disappeared. The family eventually discovered that she had been transported hundreds of kilometres away to Busia, where she was working as a domestic helper.

Desperate and unsure where to turn, the mother sought assistance from FIDA-Uganda.

On the day the case was reported, our legal team engaged the woman responsible for taking the child and initiated mediation. Recognising the family's vulnerability and the serious violation of the child's rights, FIDA-Uganda provided legal counselling and demanded the child's immediate return.

Within days, the girl was safely brought back to Moroto at the expense of the person responsible for taking her. On 10 July 2026, FIDA-Uganda witnessed her formal reunification with her family.

FIDA-Uganda also counselled both families on children's rights, the dangers and legal consequences of child trafficking, and their shared responsibility to protect children from exploitation

The circumstances surrounding this case reflect a wider challenge facing vulnerable children in Karamoja and the whole of Uganda. Poverty, limited educational opportunities and promises of employment can expose children to trafficking and exploitation. In this instance, the mother had reluctantly agreed to the arrangement, believing her daughter would earn an income to help the family survive.

This intervention secured the child's return, but it also highlights a much larger issue: poverty should never make a child vulnerable to exploitation or force a family to choose between survival and a child's safety, education and future.

For girls who have already left school, the consequences can extend far beyond one incident. Interrupted education, limited access to skills training and economic opportunities, stigma and inadequate protection can make it harder to escape exploitation and vulnerability. This is why legal intervention must go hand in hand with community awareness, stronger protection systems, access to education and opportunities for girls to build independent futures.

One girl has been reunited with her family, but many more children across Uganda remain vulnerable. Our work must therefore continue beyond individual cases to prevent further harm and address the conditions that expose children to exploitation in the first place.

Help Us Reach More Women and Girls

Your contribution through GlobalGiving makes this work possible. We invite you to continue investing in this work. Your giving does more than help resolve an individual legal case. It brings more women and girls within reach of justice, supports advocacy for policy changes, and enables community awareness that can prevent violations before they happen.

Every contribution counts. Every girl deserves the opportunity to grow up safe, learn, develop her skills and shape her own future. Every woman deserves access to justice.

Thank you for being part of this change.

Links:

• FIDA-Uganda's website to learn more about our work and your part