Uganda
Supporting children affected by HIV and AIDS
Economic decline has left Uganda among the poorest and least developed in the world with 35% of its population living below the poverty line. The average daily Ugandan income is £2 compared to £40 in the UK. The country’s health indicators are among the lowest in sub-Saharan African.
With an estimated 1.8 million people affected by HIV, the rate of infection is growing at an alarming pace and with half the population under 15, HIV and AIDS has had a devastating effect on the lives of children in Uganda.
Approximately 40,000 children were diagnosed with HIV last year alone, with half of those infected through mother to child transmission. There are an estimated 2.3 million orphans, mostly due to the disease.
In addition to the huge impact HIV and AIDS is having on the lives of children, and despite Uganda’s commitment to international statutes such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), rates of child abuse at home and in schools are actually on the rise in Uganda.
Violence against children is openly practiced in schools with adults routinely abusing their positions. Shockingly, a recent study revealed that 98% of children report experiencing physical violence (such as caning, slapping, locking up, burning), while 60% of in-school children say that they are routinely beaten and humiliated at school, and 76% of the children consulted having experienced sexual violence.
Studies have clearly shown that corporal punishment has a detrimental impact on children’s health, well-being and school attendance with 66% of children dropping out of school during their primary and secondary school years.
Learn more about what ChildHope is doing to support children in Uganda.
- Protecting children from abuse and HIV in remote Ugandan fishing communities
- Reducing the impact of HIV and AIDS on children
- Reducing abuse in schools
What can you do to help children in Uganda?
Donating to support ChildHope means you are helping to transform the lives of vulnerable children, including street and working children, as well as strengthening local communities in Asia, Africa and South America.
