Uganda

Background of Uganda

The Republic of Uganda is an East African country bordered by Kenya, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania. It has suffered great political and economic instability since the 1960s which have left it as one of the poorest countries in the world. Notoriously the rule of Idi Amin between 1971 and 1979 left the country in tatters as his time in power cost 300,000 Ugandan lives and left the economy broken.

In more recent years Uganda has started to make economic progress and it even experienced a 7% growth in 2008 despite the global recession. This growth has led to development in all parts of Ugandan life, most notably for women and children. There is still a major HIV/AIDS issue in Uganda with over half a million people said to be living with HIV/AIDS and around 20,000 babies infected with HIV from their mothers each year. However, the improvements in economic stability have greatly improved the Ugandan fight against HIV/AIDS both from a medical and educational point of view.

Despite the economic improvements there is still a critical humanitarian crisis in the north of the country as there has been more than 20 years of conflict between the Ugandan government and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The LRA are a rebel group formed in 1987 whose leader Joseph Kony has proclaimed himself the spokesperson of God. Their conflict with the government has killed thousands and has displaced more than 1.4 million people since it began, with 80% of this number being women and children. The displaced have been forced to move into temporary camps which suffer from terrible poverty and limited access to basic services. The LRA are also said to have abducted more than 25,000 children into slavery in this time. The conflict in the north of Uganda means that very little development can be achieved in this area.

Children in Uganda

Due to the violent conflict in Uganda in 2006 hundreds of children were orphaned and the country's high HIV rate has led to many other children losing parents and having to grow up alone. In many cases after the death of the parents it becomes the oldest sibling's task to take over the leadership of the other children and run a household all alone. This is what we call a child headed household.

Sometimes the oldest sibling is as young as 12 years old, but is given the responsibility to raise (often three or four) younger brothers or sisters. Taking care of the whole household does not only mean doing housework, but earning money on the streets by begging or doing different, often harmful, jobs. These tasks do not allow any time and do not provide enough money for these children to go to school and get an education that could secure a brighter future.

In spite of the African saying: "It takes a village to raise a child", child headed households are often discriminated against by the community. These children remain all alone and, unless they have an understanding uncle or aunt, often do not get help from any adults in the village.