PROJECT INFORMATION

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

1. To create awareness about utilisation of HIV/AIDS youth friendly Services through behavioural change and youth led activities among 300 youths through youth centre and outreach based services by the one year project
2. To provide entrepreneurial, vocational, livelihood and employable skills training to 150 high risk youths as a means of contributing to the reduction to their vulnerability to risky behaviours and HIV by the end of the project.
3. To establish a net working mechanism with the local communities to foster social protection for high risk youth groups in the project area. 

PROBLEM STATEMENT

As is widely seen in many African countries, Uganda in particular; rapid population growth, the negative effects of structural adjustments, poverty among families, civil strife and the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which has created millions of orphans, have pushed children into premature and dangerous employment in search of their survival including their families. While child labour takes many forms in the country, working children are commonly found in numerous dangerous activities cropping up in the informal sector. It’s these adverse conditions of living that force the children into child labour and its associated risks drug abuse, theft, child prostitution among others that they consider fast paying and non violent as compared to domestic service.

In Uganda, ILO reveals that the number of children involved in child labour is increasing and this includes, but not limited to, children in domestic work, exposed to pornography, children in mining and quarry sites, children working in brothels, bars, lodges among others. ILO estimates 10,000 children (14-17 years) in Uganda engaged in commercial sex exploitation of children (CSEC) this in general has been attributed to orphan hood, ambivalence of parents, weak laws, peer influence and poverty. This has led children to move out of homes without any livelihood employable skills searching for opportunities to get quick money and become self-reliant.

Basing on UYWES’ past experience in reaching the street and slum youth, use of prevention strategies including, behavioral change and recovery education, complemented with accessibility to youth friendly health services; withdrawal and rehabilitation including livelihood vocational and employable skills this completes the cycle of prevention, rehabilitation, withdrawal and re-integration, which enables children to leave a meaningful and successful life.