UG 26 - SUPPORT A DIFFERENT FUTURE

In Northern Uganda, in the post-war context, family dynamics have a great influence on the lives of young people, both in terms of educational and economic opportunities. Many young people are forced to deal with "emergencies" at family level and take on responsibilities even at a young age. Separation or divorce, a sudden death, serious health problems or the loss of a parent's job have a negative impact on the lives of young people (especially first-born sons) who are required to contribute to the support of the family unit. Especially in the case of separations and divorces, it is the mothers who suffer the consequences of the end of the marriage: difficulty in accessing land, the need to pay rent and basic needs to be met without being able to count on a secure and lasting job.

The first consequence in these situations is dropping out of school: the fees and additional demands of the schools become prohibitive and the children have to give up continuing their studies to dedicate themselves to occasional jobs to bring food home and support their mothers and younger siblings. The burden of early responsibilities, the frustration of having to give up projects and hopes for a better future, the absence of reference figures and material and moral support expose these young people to the real risk of "getting lost": often boys and girls decide to abandon their families to live on the streets with gangs of their peers or start abusing alcohol and drugs, enter the prostitution circle, also becoming violent and dangerous for the family and the community. We have direct experience of this thanks to a project that was launched in 2021 and which aims to reintegrate street boys/girls through a path of accompaniment and rehabilitation that culminates in school support to attend professional courses in order to learn a trade and start a small business. To date, there are about a hundred young people we have followed and just as many are already on the list. The monitoring work and constant connection with the community and local authorities confirms to us, however, that, while on the one hand it is important to act on deviance, on the other it is also essential to act on prevention.

In line with this issue, the project therefore intends to support 10 young people considered "at risk" through a professional training course and the delivery of a work kit useful for starting income-generating activities that can make them independent over time and contribute to the sustenance of their families. During the year of implementation, the young people will receive food support for the entire family unit they belong to and coverage for medical expenses. This additional support will allow young people to focus on training activities and the subsequent start-up of a small business without the worry of having to provide direct support for other family members. The stories of the young people included in the project, carefully collected by our staff, will be shared in the preliminary phase of implementation and updated upon completion of the activities.