JOY FOR CHILDREN-UGANDA

Friday 5 June, 2009 Joy for Children Uganda, on Friday June 5, 2009, visited Old Kampala Primary Schools to raise awareness among the children on preventing violence against them. Hundreds of children sat attentively listening to the information being given while others were reading charts hang on the walls. Children concurred with the presenters that violence against children is a daily reality facing them. They also shared their experience of violence against children. Violence against children in Uganda has reached unbearable level and still increasing. It undermines the full spectrum of health, education and development goals. It results in physical injury, emotional trauma, sexual exploitation poor educational outcomes and economic hardships for children. The negative consequences of the violence is it affects current realities of children as well as their potential. Above all, the violence is a blatant injustice and a gross violation of children’s rights. Despite all this, viol

Compassion Project: Children take part in cleaning the local market Saturday 6 June, 2009 The compassion project carried out on 06 June, 2009 by children from African Child Academy. The project is part of the Kids Games which are held by projects in and around Kampala. Kids Games seek to empower children through experiential learning. The compassion project aims at instilling in children a spirit of responsibility, love and kindness towards the community they live in. Over 30 children took part in the project. Children gathered at their school located in the slum of Bwaise (Kawempe Division) at 9:30am along with their tools (brooms, spades, and hoes) which they were asked to carry along from their homes. The children registered their names upon arrival. Prayers were led by one of the children at 9:50am to dedicate the activities and the day unto the lord. They were then briefed about Kids Games and the Compassion Project by Mr. Ntenga Moses the Executive Director of Joy for Children-

Violence against children (VAC) undermines the full spectrum of health, education and development goals. It results in physical injury, emotional trauma, sexual exploitation poor educational outcomes and economic hardship for children. The negative consequences of the violence affect current realities of children as well as their potential. Above all, the violence is a blatant injustice and a gross violation of children’s rights. What is becoming clear is that a proactive and catalyzing community based work is needed to win hearts and minds of individuals and respond to concerns of a wide range of children . The nature of this engagement will have to be diverse, participatory and based on persuading individuals that just relationships with children is in everyone’s interest. At Joy for Children-Uganda, we do all that we can to protect children from violence. We organise walk in major towns to highlight the plight of childre