Project
1.Addressing Violence against Women And Girls In Busoga Region.
Women and girls living in Busoga Region suffer enduring physical and mental health. This frustrates their ability to survive and often their families to engage in meaningful productive lives. Sometimes, men too experience violence in such settings.
2.Action To End Violence Against Children In Households, Schools And Communities In Busoga Region
Action to End Violence Against Children in Families, Schools and Communities in Busoga Region, is a two-year project. It's main goal is to contribute to the reduction of violence against children in targeted families, schools and communities.
3.Enhancing Collaboration And Legal Action To End Harmful Practices (Child Marriages) In Busoga Region
Uganda has one of the highest child marriage prevalence rates in the world at 40% (UNICEF 2016). Nearly one in every two girls is married before their 18th birthday.
4.Harnessing The Potential Of Female Adolescent Sexuality To End Child Marriage
Community knowledge, experiences and actions that happen organically are important in bringing to light the understanding and experience from knowledgeable community members including adolescent girls, on addressing female adolescent sexuality as it relates to ending child marriage. With the strongly held belief that collective Action is needed to end Child Marriage, a practice that robs millions of Girls of their human rights, AFSCO is among the best organization in Uganda Ending Child Marriage,
As a top priority of AFSCO, advocacy efforts have focused on local leaders to consider the effects of child marriage: condemning a girl to continue to live in poverty, often denying her an education, & increasing maternal & child health risks ~ all outcomes that not only affect the individual girl but prevent Uganda from advancing on reaching key Sustainable Development Goals.
AFSCO works closely with communities to change common beliefs, practices and traditions that force, coerce, sell or otherwise compel girls to enter into marriage. Our innovative holistic model, Girls Empower, has seen transformative changes in perceptions and practices around child marriage in Busoga Region.
Our Contribution towards Ending Child Marriage
- Empowering girls to stay in school thru incentives like a Gift of a Goat, and direct disbursement of School Fees
- Formation of school based clubs which give girls an opportunity to share issues affecting them
- Media engagement
- Community sensitization
- Engagement of leaders
- Policy advocacy and following up on government commitments to end child marriage
5.Accelerate Progress Towards Ending Child Marriage In Busoga Region
The girl child is seen as a commodity through which the family can earn livelihood, especially in vulnerable communities in jinja . She is traded into marriage as a child and expected to live as an adult. Her dilemma which is rooted in traditional cultural perceptions has been escalated by COVID19.
6.Violence Against Children Prevention Centers Project
AFSCO with funding from friends and well-wishers, is implementing "Violence Against Children Prevention Center" (VACPC) project in Busoga Region.
In an environment where government structures are weak or ineffective, it's the responsibility of a civil society organization to stand up for children's rights.
Joint report of Raising Voices and Save the Children Uganda conducted in 5 districts of Busoga Region concludes that "in overwhelming numbers, children described the rampant use of violence against them:
- 95 percent of children reported experiencing physical or emotional violence
- 70.5 percent reported experiencing sexual violence
- 64.9 percent reported experiencing economic violence.
For each form of violence, a significant percentage of children reported experiencing the violence at least once a week or more.
Our Contribution towards preventing violence against children
- Establishment of Violence Prevention Center for Children. This is a safe place for children who have become victims of violence. Affected children are encouraged to visit the center and their cases are referred to police.
- Promoting violence-free Education thru Work with schools and sensitizing communities
- Engaging probation officers who are primarily responsible for following up cases of child abuse.
7.Educate A Child Sponsorship Program
In Uganda, two-thirds of children drop out of school before completing their primary education. 67% of children living in eastern Uganda don't attend school.
8.Delay Marriage | Promote School
:In Uganda, 54% of women between 20 and 24 were married by 18, and 12% are married by age 15. In Busoga Region, parents marry off their daughters for money and gifts.
In 1997, the Government of Uganda introduced the Universal Primary Education program to provide free primary education. Enrollment increased from 3.1 million pupils in 1996 to 8.4 million in 2013.
But this success is overshadowed by high dropout rates and poor-quality schooling. According to UNESCO (2012), 68% of children in Uganda are likely to drop out before finishing the primary cycle due to several challenges: gender inequalities, low motivation of teachers, child marriages, lack of awareness of the benefits of education among parents, and poverty as mandatory school fees remain a substantial challenge for most children.
Our contribution to promoting education
- Supporting Schools to become "Good Schools" which means having qualified & motivated teachers, a conducive & non-violent learning environment, and a responsive and progressive administration
- Advocacy & Support for marginalized Girls
- Create girl and boy-friendly sanitation facilities
- Developing a School Information Management System to monitor attendance
- Provide durable, child-friendly drinking and handwashing stations
- Promoting Counseling and Guidance programs
- Advocating for Positive Discipline instead of Corporal Punishments
- Organizing School Debates
- Sensitizing Parents and Teachers on the Importance of Education through school out reaches, Radio Talk Shows and Community Dialogues
- Engaging Government Officials and Ministries
- Collaborating directly with schools and involving nearby communities is a proven approach that effects positive change: Enrollment rates increase, teacher-student relationships improve, children and parents become aware of the benefits of education, and schools begin to support girls by providing sanitary pads, scholastic materials, and separate washrooms.
9.Children Activities Project
The children's project engages children in activities that help contribute to improving their education. The project also involves children in games to promote body physical fitness while allowing them their right to play.
10.Empower disadvantaged children Through Computer Skills Training
Proficiency in computers is an absolute requirement for success in today's technology-driven environment. However, many disadvantaged children simply do not know how to use a computer and are 100% computer illiterate. This project is helping to change this by providing basic computer training to children and youths in eastern Uganda. This essential training is in great demand, providing a much-needed foundation and equipping them for future success.
11.Food distribution for disadvantaged communities and washing soap.
Distributing Food Supplies and washing soap for Families in need who affected by Covid-19 Pandemic. With food supplies we are be able to help the people surviving day by day.
12.Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in eastern Uganda
Access to clean water and good sanitation facilities can change almost every aspect of daily life.
Health
Sadly, waterborne diseases are still prevalent in rural areas of eastern Uganda; every year over 4,500 children in Uganda die from diarrhoeal diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation. An estimated 88% of cases of diarrhoeal diseases are preventable with safe drinking water and improved hygiene and sanitation.
Education
Lack of proper sanitation facilities in schools has led to high numbers of children missing school due to illness. Children will leave their studies due to waterborne disease, caring for sick family members, or to collect water.