The Scale of the Crisis

Every morning in Uganda, approximately 40,000 children in institutions wake up without a family. 31,000 households led by children struggle just to survive. 10,000 children living on the streets face dangers no child should ever know. And in places where children should feel safe—like schools—8 out of 10 experience sexual violence.

This isn't just poverty. It's an assault on childhood itself.

MTI Community Fund is on the ground, fighting for Uganda's most vulnerable children. We know that building schools isn't enough. We create robust protection systems that wrap around each child, helping to ensure they:

✅ Can access education safely
✅ Are shielded from violence
✅ Complete their journey to empowerment

The Crisis That Needs Your Help

✖️ COVID's devastating legacy: Gender-based violence rates remain critically high with 26 girls assaulted every single day according to ongoing tracking since lockdowns began.

✖️ Eastern Uganda's hidden tragedy: Girls as young as 12 are forced into marriage during cultural ceremonies, with rates persisting despite efforts at intervention.

✖️ Karamoja's stolen generation: 25% of trafficking victims are children sold into servitude according to recent protection cluster reports.

✖️ The birth registration crisis: Approximately 30% of children aren't officially registered—making them invisible to protection services according to 2025 data.

Why Traditional Approaches Aren't Enough

✖️ Silence has become normal: Violence is often dismissed as "discipline" due to persistent cultural stigma 3.

✖️ Fear takes hold: Children are too scared to report abuse, with only 12,780 child defilement cases reported in 2022 despite estimated actual rates being dramatically higher.

✖️ Systems are failing: Only 1 in 100 cases of abuse is ever investigated thoroughly according to child protection assessment reports.

How We're Making a Difference

We've built a specialised protection network that brings together:

🔹 Community Guardians (religious and cultural leaders)
🔹 Legal Shield Teams (police and civil society organisations)
🔹 Survival Coaches (supporting child-headed households)
🔹 Trafficking Interceptors (working in high-risk districts)

What Your Support Can Do

✅ £1,000 helps train 20 Community Guardians
✅ £300 registers 10 "invisible" children, giving them legal identity
✅ £120 funds the emergency rescue of a trafficked child
✅ A regular gift of £50 a month provides a school survival kit for an orphan—including uniform, supplies and protection training

What Makes Our Approach Different

"We don't just remove children from danger—we dismantle the systems that put them there. Last year, with the help of our network:

✅ Early marriages fell by 20% in the communities we work in, simply by keeping children in school
✅ School retention increased by 78% for children with disabilities
✅ Reports of abuse in partner schools dropped by 30%"

Conclusion: Your Opportunity to Make a Difference

This is your chance to make a real difference in a child's life:

"When you help one child escape violence and complete their education, you don't just change a life—you help reshape the future of whole communities."