Through decades of civil war, the families and village communities are largely destroyed. The victims of the war are mainly children. An entire generation has grown up in camps (Figures 1.1 – 1.10).
Many of the children are
- traumatized,
- suffer from infectious diseases and hunger, are without primary care
- do not have a home
- are orphans or full orphans and are inadequately cared for by the relatives living in poverty
- have little or no chance of attending a good school and education
Although the rebel army is shattered and the population returns from the camps to abandoned villages during the civil war, the problem of inadequate education remains, and there is a great need for action.
The school system in Uganda consists of public schools and private schools. In public schools, classes are in overcrowded classes and teachers are poorly paid, resulting in low levels of education for children attending such schools. In the north of Uganda, state schools usually have their primary school left behind (Primary 7). Secondary state schools (Secondary 1-6), which enable students to study, are virtually non-existent in northern Uganda. Thus, it is not possible through the state school system to obtain a higher education or to achieve the ability to study.
Rich parents can afford to send their children to private schools for a good education. For the majority of children in the Ugandan families, and especially for half-or full orphans, this possibility does not exist.
To improve the situation of children in northern Uganda must be long term
- a basic medical care will be established
- ensure the supply of clean water and food
- Education and possibility of training.
- family-like communities for the large number of orphans.
