Child Protection and Inclusion

Every child has the right to grow up in a safe and inclusive environment
It is therefore of utmost importance that CPAM and stakeholders have a Child Protection Policy targeting and Safeguarding Children with Disabilities and Special needs, in order to safeguard children from any kind of abuse, exclusion and to minimize risks of mistreatment and neglect that might occur deliberately or otherwise.

The work of special education focuses on the education, Integration and Participation, and upbringing of people with special needs. CPAM is concerned with the targeted support of people with mental or physical disabilities. Special education also considers Children and Youth who struggle with special social and psychological impairments in society.
Special support is needed for young people who are disadvantaged by their social, economic, and cultural situation, whose social and professional integration is difficult, and who have educational, psychosocial, and family problems. This target group is given special priority by youth social work at schools.

Violence against children knows no boundaries. It happens in every country, and in the places, children should be most protected – their homes, schools, and online. It can be physical, emotional, or sexual. And in most cases, children experience violence at the hands of the people they trust.

Harmful cultural practices pose another grave risk to girls and boys worldwide. Hundreds of millions of girls have been subjected to child marriage and female genital mutilation – even though both are internationally recognized human rights violations.
Children with disabilities are one of the most marginalized and excluded groups in society. Facing daily discrimination in the form of negative attitudes, lack of adequate policies and legislation, they are effectively barred from realizing their rights to healthcare, education, and even survival.

Most children with disabilities in Uganda, are often likely to be among the poorest members of the population. They are less likely to attend school, access medical services, or have their voices heard in society. Their disabilities also place them at a higher risk of physical abuse and often exclude them from receiving proper nutrition or humanitarian assistance in emergencies.
CPAM works to promote a society where children with disabilities can grow up healthy, protected from harm and educated, so they can reach their full potential. Every day we’re working to make this vision a reality. No matter who they are or where they are born, we reach out to the most vulnerable children wherever and whenever they need us”.

CPAM for Deaf

CPAM for deaf supports young people with sign language, learning charts, Videos, and other articles about topics of our target group. CPAM for deaf supports hearing impaired young people, parents, and their children in difficult life situations. We want to support young people with hearing difficulties in their individual and social development and avoid or reduce disadvantages.
We support and advise deaf parents, Parents of the deaf, and other guardians in their upbringing and in coping with everyday conflicts. We want to avoid external placement in a home or foster family or support a return to the family.
Positive living conditions for young people and their families in the context of hearing impairment are to be maintained or created. We want to support families in current crises or stressful situations to be able to manage their lives to the full extent again

Skills Education for Disabilities

Simeo is an old member of CPAM and has been involved in art, especially sculpting, for now, 5 years. For this he uses wooden logs in several sizes and from them he creates beautifully shaped, handcrafted sculptures. His figures range from realistic statues to filigree creations, all of which are painstakingly handcrafted. The ideas for his works come from himself. He likes to be inspired by biblical themes.
Simeo suffers from a mental disability that made academic schooling difficult. He then chose to devote himself more and more to his passion, sculpture. He receives extensive support from CPAM and his family, consisting of his five sisters, two brothers, and his two parents, who are particularly proud of him and are very helpful.

With his work, he has already motivated children with such disabilities and infected many young people of CPAM and around Uganda who now want to learn from him.
The presentation of the Pope Francis statue made by him, as a guest gift for the Holy Father during his visit to Uganda at the end of November 2015, is for him personally the highest honor and appreciation of his work so far. The impetus for the Pope figure was given to him by his father Francis, because of the common name. Sister Agnes was very taken with his work, so she worked to present the statue to the Pope in Nalukolongo (Kampala) as a gift.

Simeo meticulously produces all his works by hand, as he does not have access to labor-saving machines and more elaborate tools. He is currently saving up for a grinding machine that will add even more shine to the contours of his sculptures.
He gets support for his work from CPAM and Mr. Kampi, who is employed in the woodworking industry. The contact came through CPAM. Mr. Kampi found photos of the young artist and saw potential in him. As a result, they began teaching Children and Youth in the Wood Carving Industry.

In Uganda, there is a youth unemployment rate of about 73%. SIMEO would like to counter this precarious situation in its own way with a project together with CPAM. With the help of a wood workshop in which he can offer workshops in carpentry and arts and crafts, he wants to give unemployed young people and also disabled children and young people a future. In addition, the social exchange and interaction between people without and with disabilities are in the foreground, since the latter often do not receive the same attention in Uganda. With his project and in cooperation with CPAM, he wants to show other adolescents that people without disabilities can learn from people like him and vice versa.

Through training, young people and most especially those with Disabilities are taught different skills in Wood carving Carpentry, Tailoring, Knitting, Plastic recycling, Paper bag making, Environment management, Sewing and Tailoring, Knitting, Brick-laying concrete and Practice, Leather Tanning, Hand Craft training, promoting technologies through Computer training, Plumbing, Mechanics and Party Decoration among others.

Counselling Services

Girls and young men can be affected by sexual or domestic violence at any age. Most of those affected by sexual abuse are Girls. CPAM gives psychological support, advises, and informs affected and endangered girls and their caregivers. Likewise, professionals can turn to CPAM if they suspect, for example, that a girl or boy might be affected by sexualized or domestic violence.

We offer children and adolescents an environment in which they can make new, positive experiences. In addition to individual support, this also includes the experience of clear rules and structures and, above all, the experience of safe and reliable contact persons. Secured by the protected framework within the Curative Education Program, it is possible for the children and adolescents to catch up on existing developmental deficits, as well as to recognize old – negatively afflicted – behavioral patterns and beliefs and to gradually develop them into more goal-oriented or positive ways of acting.

Our Counselling program supports children and adolescents who need special assistance due to their mental health (curative) pedagogically and therapeutically in currently 4 groups:
For each group, there are two pedagogical specialists and one therapeutic and pedagogical specialist. In the preschool group, we place special emphasis on reducing developmental deficits and developmental delays (e.g. in the motor, perception, and concentration areas). Through the remedial environment, we offer the children a new learning area for socially appropriate behaviors. Likewise, they get to know new development possibilities in the living space of the Curative Education Program

School Social Work

School social work supports pupils with personal, family, and school problems – directly at school, with confidentially, reliably, at an early stage. School social work is socio-educational action with a preventive approach at the school and is based on cooperation between the pedagogical staff of the school, the children, and the youth. Due to the spatial connection to the school, our services are easily accessible for pupils, parents, and teachers. Other fundamental principles for the school social work offered by CPAM Uganda are voluntariness and confidentiality.

Target group and objective
School social work is aimed to promote Child Rights to all young people at their respective schools.
Pupils, especially those with social disadvantages or individual impairments, receive suitable offers to compensate for their problems at an early stage and can thus be supported in their personal and social development in the best possible way. School social work contributes to a constructive school climate and positively shapes the school as a living space for the pupils. School social work contributes to equal opportunities for all pupils and supports successful personal development.

Services offered by School social work

• Supports pupils with personal, family, and school problems – directly at school, with confidentially, reliably, at an early stage
• Supports young people in their professional orientation and integration
• Advises parents on educational issues and family problems and supports them in their dealings with institutions – also outside of school
• Conduct group activities and develops projects for pupils and students (media work, health promotion, play, sports and creative activities, cultural programs, violence prevention, training and support for mediators, etc.)
• Works together with teachers and school management
• cooperates with the district social work department
• Participates in school life
• Cooperates with specialized counseling centers and youth recreational facilities in the communities

CPAM Village Health Pharmacy

The outbreak of the Corona Virus pandemic threatens has brought in socio-economic challenges such as causing food shortages and insecurities for hundreds, Unemployment due to loss of Job by many. A disruption in labour availability has brought in Food insecurity as well as a crippling chain in Supply. Due to lockdown measures, such as curfew, shut down of public transport, closure of hotels and restaurants, people have lost jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Bulando is a regular Village in Kitovu Parish with around 1.300 inhabitants and 2,000 residents in of the nearby surrounding villages. The village has a lot of children and young people with Special needs and Disabilities living in poverty due to discrimination because of disabilities- handicapped and diseases outbreak that faced by the village residents and their ancestors.

These disease outbreaks were caused by war bombs in 1986. Most of the residents were attached to the war toxic acids that erupted from the Bombs of the Idi Amin war during the 1980s. These affected most of the people in this village and hence led to many having psychosocial problems, trauma, and above all handicapped of the siblings. In Addition, young people must walk long distances ca. 3 km in search for water for the older people in the Households who cannot fetch water for their hygiene and sanitation.

The people in Bulando live largely without running water and electricity. Only a few villagers can afford this luxury. In Bulando, there are many very old people who have worked hard all their lives and are now physically frail and unable to walk long distances. There are also many children and young people, who walk long distances to fetch water for their families and to those with Special needs and Disabilities.
As a result of the Health problems facing the people around this Village. We blessed to be sponsored by Dr. Juergen Hereaus to start a Village Pharmacy in order to support the health challenges of the people in this village.

The Village Pharmacy caters to about 3 000 people who live in the catchment area. Many sick people, adults, and children often come on foot. A doctor comes once a week, or he is requested in urgent emergencies. In the past, sick people were treated under trees and on the meadow.
When he arrives and determines that surgery is needed, the sick person must be driven to a hospital about 50 kilometers away. If the road conditions are bad, the trip takes longer, and then it is often too late for the patient. “Thanks to Dr. Juergen Hereaus for the first phase support of the Village pharmacy building

Aims of the project
– To give the village population a better awareness of the importance of healthy living, food, nutrition in relation to health and development;
– Within this period of awareness and preventive actions, the response of CPAM to current health problems of Children in the village, and homes will be improved through WASH techniques (Water, SANITATION, and HYGIENE).
– Educators, parents, and pupils can become advocates for disease prevention and control at home, in schools, and in the village Bulando by talking to others about how to prevent the spread of viruses, Like Corona