UNICEF Uganda

Uganda is home to over 900,000 child refugees and asylum seekers. The majority of these children are from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, countries that have been plagued by violence for years on end. After watching armed groups ransack their homes, these children often had no choice but to leave everything behind and start over – attempting to rebuild in overcrowded refugee camps miles from their homes. Children on the move are some of the most vulnerable in the world, as they are at a high risk of being assaulted, sexually abused, raped or trafficked.

To protect children and prevent further episodes of violence, UNICEF Uganda is using support from the Fund to strengthen government-led child protection mechanisms. By providing technical support to child protection actors (and pushing for collective agreements on the roles and responsibilities of the government at different levels) UNICEF Uganda is increasing the overall coordination of child protection mechanisms, improving their ability to effectively support children. UNICEF Uganda is also unifying tools and referral mechanisms to boost the efficacy of case management services.