Thank you from Uganda

Exactly what is a Child Headed Household? Willy Ogwal from our Project in Uganda explains:

In Africa, the phenomenon of children living on their own leading themselves under a family structure is real. CHHs are difficult to identify because African societies understand ‘family’ within broader social settings (village, community etc). Where children live on their own, they tend to share work and responsibilities in equal proportion while obeying their commands in the way they themselves understand. The reasons for children belonging in families of their own (without parental care) are numerous: HIV/AIDS, war, accidents, domestic violence, alcoholism, drug abuse and children running away from home due to torture, are just some examples. As a result of poverty and increasing family size, no one wants to take responsibility for their neighbours’ or relatives’ children and add to their own burden. Therefore children are left to live on their own. This situation is hard and most of the children end up moving to live on the streets, looking for “easy ways and means“ of survival. When children end up on the street from different backgrounds, they sometimes get used to one another and form themselves into a family unit. They work, eat, share their problems, and comfort each other.

A warm thank you from Uganda

Greetings from Jinja-Uganda to all our partners who will read this:

Quite a lot can now be shared about the Child Headed Household (CHH) Project. It was started in a very humble way in Jinja, Uganda. Research funded by Street Child Africa (SCA) in 2006 identified the urgent needs of CHHs in Masese: school fees, school materials, food, clothing, housing and bedding, capital for business, health care, and pocket money. This led to the creation of the CHH project in 2007. With great appreciation, fifty children in ten families have benefited from Street Child Africa funding and the project staff have also been remunerated for their role in the project administration.

One great achievement is that the children who once looked quite miserable, now look healthy and more settled in mind than before. Children love schooling and they no longer move to the street to beg or walk aimlessly as in the past. The biggest challenges facing them is lack of food. In most cases, the families where children spend long hours in school still go without supper.

As the children are growing and learning, the core team is making efforts to help the children learn practical skills. Members have already been trained in vegetable growing: demonstrations have been set up for mushroom growing, backyard vegetable gardens and the use of compost, manure, and other organic farming techniques. Children have also learnt about nutrition and a balanced diet. Ever since these children were absorbed by the project, they have not been back on the street. They may visit the town on a useful mission but no longer beg. The children are more settled than before.

Willy Ogwal, Logistics Co-ordinator