The Protecting Programme
Our Protecting Programme aims to make a real and long term difference in the lives of children and young people in the slum areas of Kampala, Uganda.
Our project is driven by the urgent need to respond to the increased cases of child abandonment, abuse and neglect in Ugandan slums. The project runs across 10 slum communities in Kampala, these are; Katanga, Naguru, Namuwongo Kasanvu, Mbuya, Gayaza, Jandira, Bukoto, Mpigi, Wakiso – Nansana, Kasubi (Rubaga division).
Our Protecting Project takes a holistic and targeted approach and combines a range of activities for children, teenage girls and boys, a community-based abuse prevention approach and an emergency response to safeguard children in imminent danger. We work with specially trained volunteers and counsellors to provide a safe space for children to have respite and enjoy themselves. The four projects driving this protection are;
Protecting Projects
In 2023 alone we’ve had over 1500 children and teenagers attend our Protecting Projects. With the generous donations from our supporters our trained staff have been able to provide these children the opportunity to consistently learn new skills, open up opportunities, feel empowered and improve their self-esteem.
The context
Working in slum communities for over a decade, we’ve seen a significant increase in cases of child abuse and neglect since the pandemic, and community leaders and many parents have specifically requested further safeguarding support.
More than 8 million children in Uganda are considered to be vulnerable to harm, and over 5 million live in the slum communities. Our projects focus on keeping children and young people safe and protecting their childhoods. Through extensive community and beneficiary consultation, we have become aware of the unique issues that these communities face.
The challenges include financial difficulties, lack of access to safe housing and services, exposure to alcohol abuse, and the absence of extended family support. These factors are well-documented as risk factors that increase the likelihood of child maltreatment (WHO, 2017). The awareness of child protection strategies and avenues for reporting harm is also lacking.
Our Impact
Our Protecting Programme aims to raise the awareness of child abuse leading to improved knowledge, skills, and mechanisms for children to be protected from harm, report harm, and receive appropriate and adequate support. The long term objective of the programme is to reduce overall incidences of child abuse, and create safer communities for children and young people. These projects have and are supporting over 300,000 children per year in Kampala.
Find out here how our Protecting Programme has helped Owen* and *Cal
Cal's Story
Cal lives in a slum in Kampala. He admits life in the slums is not easy, and there’s dirt everywhere and people don’t have proper toilets. He hopes one day it will get better.
We asked Cal what he most enjoys about Kids Club Kampala...
'I really enjoy going to Saturday Kids Clubs, and I especially love the Bible study sessions. I also really enjoy playing football and Kids Club Kampala gives me a chance to improve my skills and talent. However much I love playing football, my dream is to work hard and study so I can become a doctor. I want to be able to support my family and give them a brighter future away from the slums’.
You can help us reach more young children like Cal.
What next?
At Kids Club Kampala we’re committed to ensuring that our projects create empowering and sustainable transformations in the lives of those we support.
In 2022, to assess the effectiveness of our projects, we commissioned Vashi Impact Group (VIG) to undertake a comprehensive independent evaluation of our projects outcomes. The evaluation was designed to measure our impact against three specific OECD DAC Network on Development Evaluation (DAC) criteria: impact, coherence, and sustainability. We were particularly interested in gaining insights into the strengths and weaknesses of our project areas and individual initiatives. The aim for us is to learn where we could refine and enhance our strategies for the long-term betterment of the communities we support.
What did we find out about our Protecting programme?
Out of our four programme areas, our Protecting Projects are the most important. The evaluation highlighted we are one of the only organisations in Uganda taking this approach to protect at-risk children. Not only this we are also providing systematic support to local authorities and holding them accountable to advocate for children at risk of abuse and mistreatment. Most importantly, it flagged there is the need to scale up the Protecting Projects to reach more children. We are most impactful in this area because we;
1. Provide direct support to vulnerable children.
2. We’ve increased the accountability of local
authorities.
4. Our impact is unique and effective, teenagers attending our projects tell us they are unable to receive support like Kids Club Kampala’s anywhere else.
3. We provide vital counselling to children and teens.
5. The protection programme strengthens other projects run by Kids Club Kampala, specifically the Ewafe Project.
The Kids Club Kampala Way
Why we’re different
Our Protecting Programme is part of the way we are uniquely supporting children in Kampala slums survive and thrive.
At Kids Club Kampala, we believe that every child is unique, special and deserves to have the opportunity to reach their full potential. Our work is based on a holistic approach, where we focus on meeting the immediate needs of children and families in the slums while empowering them to bring about long-term, sustainable changes in their lives. Our approach encompasses four core project areas: feeding, protecting, educating, and skilling.
These four areas are not siloed; they work together holistically to create a supportive environment for vulnerable children and their families. We firmly believe in a holistic approach, ensuring that children and families have their basic needs met (food, safety) so they can fully engage with and benefit from education and skills development. This approach helps them move from merely surviving to truly thriving, as stated in our theory of change.
