• Lack of food
• Lack of shelter
• Lack of clothing
• Lack of education
• Living in fear
• Lack of friends and relatives
• Lack of medical care

• No love and care
• Exploitation
• Conflict with law enforcers
• Sexual abuse and defilement
• Begging around streets
• Abuse from community.

• Sensitize the community about this killer disease and how to care and support children infected by HIV/AIDS.
• Encouraging post testing clubs and mobile clinics to extend health services near the people.
• Train people counseling and care skills.
• Support orphans and children living with HIV/AIDS with food nutrients.
• Taking out home visitations and check on children living with HIV/AIDS plus guiding the care takers on how to take care over these infected children (word of encouragement).
• Mobilization of people living with HIV/AIDS in the community and sensitize them on how to take care of themselves and human rights enhancement.
• Supporting and promoting income generating activities through skills training people and children living with HIV/AIDS and the whole community for self reliance.
• Meetings every after 36 days and analyze challenges, know the stages of the project, feed backs and updates.

• To promote quality life for orphans and children living with HIV/AIDS
• To sensitize the community about care, prevention on the side of those still free and support for infected children.
• To promote quality life for orphans and children living with HIV/AIDS by providing them education.
• To promote their life living in the word of God.
• To rescue and cut off all their grieves and sorrows (orphans and children living with HIV/AIDS) by planting in them hope, care and support.

• They lack proper medical care
• They lack proper accommodation
• They lack proper feeding
• They are always lonely
• They live in fear
• They lack education
• They lack proper care
• They always think about death
• Lack of clothing /shoes
• Lack of parental care

• Lack of medicine and this brings about a high rate of death in needy people.
• Disease attacks due to poor feedings
• They are always beggars
• They live a miserable life
• Lack of land
• Lack of job opportunities because they are un educated
• They have no joy in life
• They always live in poor hygiene
• Some take much alcohol so that it should give them a peaceful mind

• Severe wars
• Hopelessness
• Diseases
• Lack of education
• Domestic Violence
• Ungodliness
• Lack of Unity
• Selfishness

• Lack of Job opportunities
• Fornication
• Theft
• Poorness
• Lack of Parental care
• Drunkaredness
• Greed
• Love for money

• Unsatisfactory
• Unfaithfulness
• Jealousy
• Hypocrisy
• Unadvisable
• Rape
• Un-peaceful mind

Children with disabilities (CWDS) are vital and valuable part of the society, yet most marginalized and vulnerable group of persons in Uganda. They are abused, exploited and excluded by the societies they live in, denying them of their inalienable and recognized rights.

Uganda has broadly domesticated the rights of CWDS as enshrined in both the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which was ratified by Uganda in 1990 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) with its optional protocol ratified by Uganda on September 25, 2008 without reservations. By so doing, Uganda committed itself to accord all rights stated in the UN human rights instruments to PWDs like all other citizens. The provisions are recognised in the constitution of 1995 and in most of the laws and policies establishing the rights PWDs and/or children including, but not limited to the Children’s Act and PWDs Act of 2006.

In spite of the fact that the rights of CWDS are acknowledged, some of the provisions to realize them do not meet the standards expected by the CRC and the UN CRPD and as a result, CWDS have suffered disproportionately. The data relating to CWDS are scarce and to some extent, unreliable. However, the research study conducted by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) between November 2013 and February 2014, and also based on the estimates, the child disability prevalence is about 13% or 2.5 million people living with some form of disability in Uganda. Henceforth, CWDS are vulnerable to a number of challenging issues recognized as follows;

Lack of effective participation

There is limited involvement or no involvement of CWDS, their parents or guardians in formulation, dissemination and implementation of the laws and policies that relates to them. Worse to that, even the relevant persons that take care of CWDS are also not engaged in the formulation, dissemination and implementation of such laws and policies. This has, as a result, led to ignorance and ineffective implementation of the existing laws and policies that could be enforced by CWDS and their parents or guardians to cause inclusiveness. The lack of effective participation for the interest of CWDS negates Article 7 of the UN CRPD which enacts that;

‘‘In all actions concerning CWDS, the best interest of the child shall be a primary consideration’’

Community misconceptions and stigmas
Community misconceptions and stigmas remain associated with CWDS, homes of CWDS and this in turn leads to attitudes and behaviors of neglect, isolation, abuse and marginalization of CWDS by communities and families leading to increased discrimination. CWDS are under looked by their fellow peers in the societies that they live. Some parents have had and continue to have negative attitudes towards CWDS. A study conducted by the African Child Policy Forum in 2009 revealed that parents of CWDS and the immediate family members are the most perpetrators of violence against CWDS. Parents often hide CWDS and deny them of their rights thinking that they are totally helpless. Communities view CWDS as objects of charity worthy of no existence. This has, as a result, affected the ambitions of CWDS.

Inferiority complex
CWDS always underestimate themselves before others in society. They think they do not fit in the society like how other able bodied children do. This is visible in self pity, loss of self esteem and non- reporting of human rights violations against them. The situation is made worse by the service providers and the general public who do not appreciate that to accord CWDS their rights is an obligation. CWDS, therefore, have grown miserable and lack social networking skills.

Hunger
It is a painful reality that CWDS go through in their day today lives. Inadequate nutrition at a young age prevents CWDS from developing properly both physically and cognitive. This has led to poor health due to lack of food security.

Lack of community mobilization and advocacy.

This has been because of weak institutional framework as a result of lack of coordination between government institutions and civil society organisations of PWDs.

School related challenges
The enrolment rate of CWDS in pre-primary, primary and secondary school is very low. About 9% of CWDS attend school and only 6% of these children complete primary school and go to study in secondary schools according to a study conducted by UNICEF. The UBOS statistical abstract 2010 survey states that disability is one of the major factors for children not attending school and according to the figures, 30% of the children aged 7 gave disability as one of the reasons for not going to school. The 2002 national census estimated that about 2.5 million Ugandans were PWDs with only 2.2% of these having gone beyond primary school. The 2009 Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI) report cited rampant dropout rates of PWDs. It noted that many disabled children fall behind and discouraged by repeated failure, dropout of school. Denying CWDS their education is interpreted as denying their way of livelihood. The recognized challenges/barriers include the following;

a)The Alternative Report to the United Nations Committee of experts on the implementation of the CRPD as launched on April 27, at Hotel Africana indicates that UPE has created a high demand for secondary education, which is not being addressed by the Government. There is no universal secondary education (USE) policy and consequently there are no programmes or initiatives addressing the needs of CWDS in secondary education. According to the Uganda Population and Housing census of 2002, only 2.2% of PWDs in Uganda attained post-secondary education;

b)Financial incapacity to manage the school dues;

c)The current school curriculum is not sensitive to the educational needs of CWDS and opportunities for these children are consequently limited and restricted. Disability related concepts and studies are ignored and/ or not thought of or little included in various school curriculums. The examination system is not flexible and nationally recognised and practiced;

d)School infrastructural difficulties are unfriendly to meet the CWDS’ needs. This involves impassable and un available facilities within the reach of CWDS;

e)Negative attitude towards CWDS by teachers and their fellow colleagues/ peers has affected the retention of CWDS in schools. CWDS are presumed to be incapable, of low intelligence, without friends, no value from them. Their participations at school are presumed to be useless and of no meaning.

f)Provision of insufficient institutional materials like braille papers, Perkins braillers and braille text books to special units to suit the special learning of CWDS. The alternative report to the UN committee of experts on the implementation of the CRPD indicates that no braille text books are available for secondary school. Such has directly discriminated against CWDS and prejudice their education;

g)Lack of/limited involvement in sports disability related activities for CWDS hence restricting sports ambitions and poor body healthy set up for such children.

h)Few trained sign language teachers;

i)Long distance: Schools are not within the reach of CWDS. In rural areas, transport is still a big obstacle. This is complicated by some CWDS having assistive aids and compliances to enable their movement, rough terrain, rugged and slippery roads during rainy season

Disabled Children Rights
This project, implemented in four western Uganda districts across Uganda, is intended to address the negative attitudes, inadequate laws and policies, limited participation of CWD’s and limited collaboration between CSO’s and government in regards to disability.

Its objectives include increasing knowledge on childhood disability and protection services for CWD’s, increasing capacity of duty bearers to protect CWD’s from abuse and improving coordination, monitoring and review.

Key activities include the production and distribution of IEC materials with advocacy massages, radio spot and talk shows and training children in psychosocial support skills participation.

The situation of children with disabilities can only improve if attitudes towards disability change. Uganda Society for Disabled Children works through innovative approaches, making children with disabilities and their families direct agents of change and enabling them to raise their voices. We work with other organisations and stakeholders to raise awareness in disability issues and work towards equal opportunities and rights.

Our activities over children & people living with disabilities

• Support to inclusive education through modification of schools, tailored inclusive teacher training
• Improvement of health for CWDs through outreach clinics and surgical camps
• Empowering children through child rights clubs in schools and communities.
• Individual grants to most vulnerable children with disabilities.
• Improvement in capacity and effectiveness of existing support mechanisms for CWDs for example capacity strengthening for parents of children with support groups through social economic empowerment including support for income generating activities and savings and credit cooperative organization.

Our objectives over children and people living with disabilities

• Mainstreaming disability in partner programs forexample through network meetings
• Sensitization and awareness and reinforce the capacities of communities and stakeholders;
  CWDS, their parents or guardians to be actively consulted on an on going basis in relation to the decisions that affect them directly or indirectly;
• Little Angels Aid Ministry to construct its special education units for children living with disabilities
• Little Angels Aid Ministry to recruit special needs Education Assessment and Resources Services programme (EARS) with a view to re-establishing it.
• Little Angels Aid Ministry to implement Nutritional counseling and encourage immunization of CWDS. Nutritional status of CWDS can be improved through community based growth monitoring programme like identifying malnourished CWDS and encourage their families to adopt supplementary feeding. This will help to prevent polio and underweight.
• Little Angels Aid Ministry to Implement programmes in education, health and rehabilitation fields;
• Little Angels Aid Ministry to Provide disability friendly facilities and instructional materials;
• Little Angels Aid Ministry to commence it’s special secondary education to consolidate all children living disabilities for comprehensive service delivery;
• Little Angels Aid Ministry to implement Community mobilisation and advocacy;
• Parents of CWDS to form Associations under Little Angels Aid Ministry.