MBARARA – On February 2, 2016, the United States Government, in partnership with the Government of Uganda and Mbarara district local government, hosted more than 250 participants at the fourth Regional Forum on the State of the Ugandan Child. The forum put a special focus on the challenges faced by children in southwestern Uganda. Previous regional forums were held in Gulu, Mbale, and Arua.

The one-day forum, held at Lake View Resort Hotel in Mbarara, followed the National Forum on the State of the Ugandan Child, held in October 2015 in Munyonyo, Kampala.  Regional forums aim to create a shared understanding of the needs of children in adversity, especially girls, and to mobilize stakeholders on issues of child well-being within the regional context.

Key presentations by child rights advocates from southwestern Uganda highlighted challenges to child development in the areas of health, nutrition, girls’ education, and child labor. Statistics presented at the forum showed that the under-5 mortality rate in southwestern Uganda is 128 per 1000 live births, much higher rate than the national average. Nearly four in every ten children in this sub-region are stunted. In southwestern Uganda, 12 percent of youth become sexually active before age 15. Statistics also showed that 70 percent of the pupils who started Primary One in 2008 never made it to Primary Seven in 2014.

The forum brought together participants from both the public and private sectors, including district and local government officials, teachers, child rights advocates, civil society organizations, religious leaders, development partners, media and other key stakeholders. Mbarara Municipality LC V Chairman Mr. Deus Tumusiime opened the event. The Director of USAID’s Economic Growth Office, Ms. Jo Lesser- Oltheten, called on all stakeholders at various levels to become champions in the transformational shift that is necessary for Uganda’s children to thrive, and to ensure that no child is left behind. 

Participants pledged their commitment to support the draft National Action Plan for Child Well-Being in their region and in Uganda as a whole. The draft National Action Plan seeks to provide a clear direction for collective efforts to build a Uganda in which all children can survive, grow and develop to their full potential.