Our Programs

Uganda

War, poverty, and high rates of HIV have orphaned one million of Uganda’s children1, many of whom live in extended families or in child-headed households. More than half are adolescents with especially pressing needs2. OVC lacking adult supervision often drop out of school, and are less likely to be aware of HIV prevention information or have the life skills to make safe, healthy decisions. The government’s National and Other Vulnerable Children’s Policy (NOP) and the National Strategic Program Plan of Interventions for Orphaned and Other Vulnerable Children (NSSPI) have not yet translated into all children receiving the range of care and support they need, and existing interventions remain under-resourced, fragmented, and uncoordinated.

In response to these challenges, Bantwana currently supports three programs in Uganda:

Western Uganda Bantwana Program (WUBP)

In Western Uganda, on-going war in border-country Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), high incidence of forced marriage for girls, harmful labor practices, high drop-out rates in high school, and increased child abuse threaten the wellbeing of both children and adolescents. Without proper nutrition, health care, education, psychosocial support, and legal protection, these children face diminished chances of growing up into healthy and productive individuals.

The Western Uganda Bantwana Program (WUBP) builds the management and technical skills of 10 community-based organizations to provide comprehensive services to OVC. The program is improving the lives of 3,100 orphaned and vulnerable children over the long-term by investing targeted technical, management, and customized follow-up support in three areas of community-identified needs: child protection, livelihoods, and psychosocial support. WUBP is supported by a group of anonymous private donors.

WUBP is directly aligned with Uganda's NOP and the NSSPI, both of which stress the need for a range of integrated support for OVC.

Bantwana works with and supports 10 small, locally run organizations to ensure children have access to a holistic range of care and support services necessary for a normal and healthy childhood.

Civil Society Fund HIV Prevention Program

Bantwana has received funds as a lead agency from Uganda’s Civil Society Fund (CSF)3. With support from CSF, Bantwana is building the capacity of five community-based organizations (CBOs) to contribute to the prevention of HIV infection among young people. With these groups Bantwana is working to reduce vulnerability through peer-to-peer programs that enable adolescents to share information about HIV and AIDS and come up with strategies to protect themselves. Bantwana also refers youth for counseling and testing; a proven strategy for HIV prevention. Bantwana is also using support from CSF to increase awareness and community action for prevention.

The project is designed with the understanding that adolescents—especially those whose families are already affected by AIDS—are a vulnerable group. These young people are at great risk of HIV infection as part of a cycle of AIDS-related stigma, poverty, and loss of guidance and protection from exploitation by older adults.

The project integrates HIV-prevention activities—such as awareness and sensitization with home visits for vulnerable households—into a comprehensive care framework that directly addresses the social, economic, and physical vulnerabilities of OVC. Specifically, the CSF HIV Prevention Program aims to:

• Improve community awareness of sexual and reproductive health and sexual abuse of vulnerable youth and encourage community action for child protection,
• Increase HIV prevention knowledge and life skills among both in and out of school vulnerable youth, and,
• Build the capacity of CBOs to deliver high quality HIV prevention services.

Strengthening TB and HIV & AIDS Responses – East Central Region (STAR-EC)

The USAID-funded STAR-EC project aims to increase the accessibility and utilization of quality HIV and AIDS and TB services for the people of the East Central Region. Bantwana is responsible for building referrals and networks for the promotion of comprehensive OVC services. John Snow, Inc (JSI) is leading the project.

Read about Bantwana's partners in Uganda.