On 22 and 23 February, the Ugandan education union UNATU conducted two school community meetings in the villages of Acherer and Nanyidik (Karamoja region), where child labour is rampant, in particular through gold mining and animal grazing.\

170 parents, 17 teachers and 15 district representatives participated in the meetings. “We obtained a commitment from the communities to send their children back to schools once they reopen in March, after a year of lockdown due to the pandemic. The local authorities have committed to support the communities by providing security, pay and deploying more teachers. The meeting also identified the need for a continued mobilisation and sensitisation of parents and elders to grow more of their own food to develop school feeding programmes, on top of the World Food Programme support, which would attract children to schools”, said Robert Gunsinze, UNATU project officer.

These school community meetings were conducted as part of the WNCB programme jointly implemented by UNATU, the NGOs NASCENT and Save the Children.