Presentation from international meeting on children's work and child labour hosted by the Africa Child Policy Forum, Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa, and Young Lives in Addis Ababa, 20-21 March 2014

1. Protecting the children,
securing the future
Anslem Wandega; ANPPCAN Uganda
EMERGING GOOD PRACTICES ON INVOLVING
CHILDREN IN CREATING CHILD LABOUR FREE
ZONES IN UGANDA; ANPPCAN- UGANDA’S
EXPERIENCES
Presentation at East African Regional Symposium on Child Work/Child Labour,
20-21 March 2014

2. Protecting the children,
securing the future
Introduction
 ANPPCAN Uganda is
part of the continent-
wide movement of
chapters in over 26
African countries
 Pioneer African NGO
to promote and
protect the rights of
children in Uganda
established in 1992

3. Protecting the children,
securing the future
Location of Uganda in
Africa & ANPPCAN areas of
operation in Uganda

4. Protecting the children,
securing the future
HISTORY
 ANPPCAN has been Implementing anti-child labour
initiatives since 2001
 2001 –Addressing worst forms of child labor in
Arua, Jinja & Kasese districts
 2002 – 2004 – Addressing harmful child domestic
work in Rakai district
 2005 – 2006 – Addressing child labor through the
SCREAM Methodology in Rakai
 2007-Integrating the voices of children in the NAP
 2010 - 2012 – Support to implement the NAP
against child labor in Uganda
 2011-2013- Reducing child exploitation in Kampala
and Jinja

5. Protecting the children,
securing the future
Consolidating Gains in
the past Anti - Child
labour Initiatives
 In 2013 with funding from HIVOS, a much
more focused IABA project was started in
Rakai district to consolidate further the
gains of past anti-child labour campaign.
Purpose
 To contribute to elimination of child
labour in Uganda through the creation of
child labour free zones in Rakai district.

6. Protecting the children,
securing the future
Understanding
CLFZ
 A child labour free zone is a place where no child
labour exists and where all children go to school.
This could be a village or a plantation.
 In a child labour free zone everyone is convinced
that all children of school going age must be in
school on full time and regular basis.
 Everyone is in such a zone convinced that a
school is the best place for these children to
work and get nurtured into a responsible adult
 Everyone, including children therefore
cooperates to completely eliminate child labour
and get all children into school.

7. Protecting the children,
securing the future
Rakai CLF Zones
 The program is being
piloted in two Parishes of
Mitukula and Nakatoogo
in Rakai district with the
expectation of having all
children of school going
age in the two parishes
in school, regularly
attending school and on
full time basis

8. Protecting the children,
securing the future
Process of establish
CLFZ in Rakai
 Working with children, we conducted a baseline
survey and findings showed that 71% of boys and
girls in the two parishes had dropped out of
school in in the previous year due to heavy child
work demands
 The process to identify, verify and withdraw
affected children to be enrolled back in school
was done with active involvement of children.
 In consultation with children, we set up and
supported two Motivation Centres and Short
Term Camps (MCSTC) for 400 older (9-14) never
been to school children withdrawn from child
labour to join lower classes

9. Protecting the children,
securing the future
Process Cont.
 These MCSTC built children’s
confidence and motivation to
enroll and stay school.
 In consultation with children,
we established and supported
two non residential Bridge
Centres for Accelerated
Learning for 100 withdrawn
older out of school children
in the age ranges 9 -14 who
had chosen not to start in the
lowest classes of Primary
school.

10. Protecting the children,
securing the future
Process cont..
 Over 1,600 children
aged 5 to 14 years who
had either never been
to school or dropped
out school were
enrolled in school and
provided with
scholastic materials
(books, pens,
mathematical sets,
toilet tissues), and
uniforms.

11. Protecting the children,
securing the future
Process cont..
 We also provided technical support to schools to
develop and implement policies and procedures to
prevent and respond to violence against children.
o This enhanced retention in school
 We worked with 50 young persons (15-24) to reach
out to children doing exploitative work and their
families with anti-harmful work messages.
 We strengthened two child labour monitoring
committees through training and facilitating them to
conduct their duties.
 We organized exposure visits for relevant government
bodies and CBO leaders to successful child labour
free zones

12. Protecting the children,
securing the future
Process cont..
 We undertook advocacy with children at district
level targeting key decision makers to fast track
the implementation of relevant laws and policies
towards declaring the targeted areas child labour
free zones.
 We established coalitions of 20 (10 per zone )
CSOs to advocate for policy change, clearer
guidelines for parents, schools, police and
schools to implement policies and procedures to
protect children from violence
 We supported children’s initiatives in schools to
encourage their colleagues to stay in school

13. Protecting the children,
securing the future
Process ctd
through the letter link boxes strategy. Here, in
school children write letters on various issues
affecting them and drop them in boxes which are
located in appropriate spaces for support.
 Trained community conversations facilitators to
conduct ongoing CC sessions to address child
labor

14. Protecting the children,
securing the future
What has worked
 Two promising practices 1. Use of the CC Model and
the Letter Link Boxes. I will talk about one:-
 Using Community Conversation Meetings to sensitize
communities on child harmful child work/ labor
o The model has proved to be economic, community
issues driven and hence sustainable

15. Protecting the children,
securing the future
Community cont..
CCs have brought
adults and children
together to dialogue &
explore the
underlying causes of
exploitative child
work/labor in in their
environment and
generate local
solutions to address
the problem.

16. Protecting the children,
securing the future
What has worked
ctd…
 The tool has enabled
us to deepen a
community’s
understanding on
child labour,
facilitated decision
making and taking
action in the local
context.

17. Protecting the children,
securing the future
What has worked
ctd…
 The group dynamic
processes has
empowered
communities and their
members to revise
values and cultural
practices on positive
child rearing practices

18. Protecting the children,
securing the future
What has worked
 CCM fitted well in the concept of child labour free
zone since it involved every community members,
including children and sweepingly cleared
communities of harmful child work/labour .
o It has worked as the most efficient and effective
tool for community mobilization and child
empowerment.
 It enabled us to hinge on indigenous knowledge
base to engage communities in the campaign against
harmful child work/labour while at the same time
teach children roles and socialize them into
responsible adults

19. Protecting the children,
securing the future
What has worked
ctd…
 We are very optimistic that with the changes in
attitudes and behavior on child labour and
involvement of children in decision making on
issues affecting them, we are noticing in these
two communities, a long lasting solution to
addressing harmful child work/labor in these two
communities is eminent

20. Protecting the children,
securing the future
The end