The Eliezah Foundation Initiative’s Children’s Dialogue for 2014 was successfully completed with over 200 children representing oprhans, children living on streets, and other vulnerable children. The dialogue discussed children’s issues including destituted children and the challenges they face with law enforcements, family economic structures and status, HIV/AIDs, and the discrimination and exclusion of children in systems that support orphans and vulnerable children.
Of the estimated 17.1 Million Children below the age of 18 years in Uganda, 51% are critically or moderately vulnerable and 14% have been orphaned (2.43 million). For the central region, an estimated 52.7% of children are generally vulnerable, a 33.6% moderately vulnerable, a 7.8% critically vulnerable and only 5.9% not vulnerable. Service delivery for care and support to OVC has been challenged by crippled systems and general discrimination and exclusion of children, Said Eng. Rehemah Sserunjogi, the Secretary General of Eliezah Foundation
According to Uganda Household Survey of 2010 an estimated 2.3 million orphans (49%) lost one or both parents due to AIDS related deaths and 1,530,900 (63%) of the orphans live with caregivers other than a relative (natural parent). 2% of the children had lost both parents. Out of the 6.2 million households in the country, 1.1 million households have an orphan, representing 18%. Over 32,130 children between the ages of 10-17 head household
Children from around the country have requested civil society organisations to restructure their interventions and include more activities that trigger children to offer assistance as way of participation in matters that affect the well being of orphans and vulnerable children. The Eliezah Foundation has pledge to lobby for the creation of the National Conference for Orphans and other vulnerable children.
