The Reality
The reality for care leavers in Uganda is challenging, with many individuals facing significant hurdles as they transition from institutional care to independent living. Without adequate support, care-experienced individuals often struggle with access to education, employment, and stable housing, leaving them vulnerable to poverty and social exclusion. The lack of comprehensive aftercare services and the absence of strong community networks further exacerbate these challenges. Many care leavers find themselves disconnected from family and community, without the necessary resources to navigate adulthood successfully.
Piloting mental health peer support for young people in Uganda
We have partnered with Child’s i Foundation, final year social work students from Makerere University and No Limit Generation to develop a tool kit that can be used online or in person, to address a number of areas affecting youth in the community and young adults with lived experience of institutional care.
The innovation, supported by Grand Challenges Canada, is a youth-led, accessible video series with an accompanying guidebook designed to identify, address and support the healing journey for children, young people and youth in Uganda.
It is designed to provide families, social workers, and youth-serving organisations, including students of social work with the tools to start important, non judgmental conversations about Mental health and wellbeing.
OUR VISION FOR CHANGE
We believe that care leavers are the driving force for change. By amplifying their voices, strengthening community support, and advocating for policies that prioritize reintegration and well-being, we ensure that no care-experienced individual is left behind. Through holistic support, leadership development, and evidence-based solutions, we empower care leavers to thrive, shape their futures, and build a society where every young person is valued and included.
Care Leaver-Led & Community-Driven
Holistic Support & Well-Being
Advocacy & Policy Influence
Capacity Building & Leadership Development
Evidence-Based & Collaborative
Strengthening the Social Service Workforce for Family-Based Care in Uganda
ACLU, in partnership with Child’s i Foundation, is contributing to the Strengthening the Social Service Workforce for Family-Based Care project, a two-year initiative led by the Global Social Service Workforce Alliance with technical support from Child Frontiers and funded by the Martin James Foundation. This project, implemented in Uganda, India, and Brazil, aims to equip social workers, para-professionals, and community volunteers with the necessary skills and motivation to strengthen family-based care systems.
Guidelines on Communicating with Children and Young People - Recommendations from Care Experienced Persons in Care
The purpose of these guidelines is to support practitioners to develop messaging for children and young people that clearly communicates the intention to transition and the implications for children and young people in care. The guidelines seek to address challenges so that children and young people can fully understand the implications of transition and be granted opportunities to genuinely and appropriately participate in making decisions about their lives.
A report by the Uganda Care Leavers Project, based on insights from over 250 care-experienced individuals, highlights the challenges faced during the transition from institutional care to independence. Many struggle with education, employment, housing, and mental well-being, often without the necessary support systems. Additionally, Western donor-funded approaches have, at times, disconnected children from their families, communities, and cultural roots. This calls for urgent reforms in child care policies and a shift toward community-driven solutions that prioritize family strengthening and long-term support for care leavers.
