Community Engagement

Background

From 1987 through 2006, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) under Kony ravaged Northern Uganda. Thousands of children were recruited to become child soldiers or child brides. The value of human life was lost. Innocent families fought to survive. Families were forced to relocate and survival took priority over education. These same children affected by the war are now husbands/wives and parents - struggling to lead a family when an example was never given to them.

To this day, Northern Uganda is far behind the rest of the country. This area comes first in Uganda in things such as gender-based violence (GBV) and alcoholism and comes last in education and development. These issues involve all community members (survivors, perpetrators, witnesses) which, in turn, demands that all community members participate in ending these vices. Hence the name of this program, Community Engagement

activities

Prevention

To prevent gender-based violence and child protection issues (CP) in our community, we are involving local leaders (volunteers), children, and the general population.

Local leaders were identified to lead the fight against GBV and child abuse. They are closely connected to each family in their respective village and have the best understanding of what is happening at any given time. These volunteers are called “Changemakers”. They are our eyes and ears in the community - enabling us to reach more people. After being trained on abuse (the types, how to recognize it, the effects, and how to prevent it), our Changemakers are now able to handle cases and report cases that need police intervention. They each received a t-shirt that has our toll-free number so people can reach us to report cases.

Children are innocent victims (we like to call them “survivors”) in cases of GBV and child protection issues. They play an important role in the fight against these problems by reporting cases. They can also decide for themselves that they want a different direction for their future family - ending abuse in their generation. Through Ignite Change, we hold school outreach events to help children understand their rights and responsibilities. These events are highly interactive with debates, drama, and songs involving topics related to GBV and CP. Students hear from inspirational speakers who have grown up in an abusive family, but they were able to study hard and work hard to overcome their condition.

Communication about “rights” has been misconceived by many people in the general public. Some parents lack the knowledge of alternative discipline measures aside from beating their children (which goes against the child’s rights). So then parents then say that “children's rights” stop them from disciplining their children. Having only women attend “rights” events has also led to more violence in their homes as men feel as if they are losing their power and control. Women do not commit violence against themselves, but men are often forgotten in the fight against GBV. Therefore, we involve both men and women in our programming.

We hold radio talk-shows that reach over 20,000 families. Topics include child protection concerns, child development, GBV, how to report cases, parenting, and taking action to prevent GBV and child abuse (just to name a few). We also have community dialogues where we travel to different locations with a sound system. Different audience members, both male and female, are selected to come to the stage and talk about different topics surrounding child protection and GBV. These dialogues are broadcasted live on radio so they reach tens of thousands more than just those attending. Through these activities, people have a better understanding of what abuse is and the negative effects it has on families and communities at large.

Survivor Support

While our main activities are focused on preventing abuse, we cannot ignore the cases of abuse that happen in our community. Unfortunately, justice can be expensive here in Uganda. Police are underfunded and families of the survivor must contribute towards having the perpetrator arrested and sent to prison. On top of getting medical forms filled and other transportation. This is unaffordable for vulnerable families and so many end up settling outside of the justice system. A man can sexually abuse a child and the family settles for a cow or a few goats. This perpetuates bad behaviors in the community - as families with money believe they can always buy themselves out.

Ignite Change provides an alternative. We help families of survivors seek justice including paying for things like arresting the perpetrator, transferring them to prison, and supporting the survivor with temporary safe housing, and transferring them to a safe family if needed. This ensures the perpetrator faces consequences and is removed from the community. We continue counseling for those in prison and we have seen great transformations when they are released.

In cases of child neglect (families not meeting a child’s education, medical, feeding, shelter needs), we work with families to find a solution. Many times this includes referring them to a health facility that is able to help. We have seen malnourished children who could barely move recover and start walking and many more amazing transformations!