Buliisa district functionalises child well-being committee to uplift children’s rights

Buliisa: Buliisa District has functionalised its Child Well-Being Committee as part of efforts to strengthen the protection and promotion of children’s rights.

According to the District Community Development Officer, Stella Katusabe, the committee derives its mandate from the National Child Policy (2020). She noted that the committee is responsible for ensuring that children’s rights are protected, promoted, and fulfilled at all levels.

Katusabe urged committee members to be vigilant and responsive to issues affecting children in their communities, saying their safety must always come first. She encouraged members to coordinate, collaborate, monitor, and supervise children’s rights as a team, and to offer psychosocial support to affected children.

The District Probation Officer, Godfrey Katusabe, asked members to refer all child-related cases to his office and to the Police’s Family Protection and Child Affairs Unit for proper management. He revealed that the committee will be convening quarterly to strengthen efforts towards creating a safer environment for children.

The Project Officer of the Real Father Project under the Lake Albert Children and Women Advocacy and Development Organisation, Hillary Kyamanywa, urged parents to create play corners for children at home, explaining that early childhood learning heavily relies on play. He encouraged parents to provide appropriate play materials to help children exercise their right to play.

Kyamanywa further explained that under the Real Father Project, selected fathers undergo a seven-month parenting curriculum. The fathers, aged 16 to 25, must be married or cohabiting and have children aged 0–3 years. They are trained to support their partners through activities such as bathing, feeding, and playing with their children, which strengthens bonding and improves caregiving skills.

He added that the Real Father Project is being implemented in five districts Buliisa, Kagadi, Kakumiro, Hoima City, and Kibaale. The initiative was introduced by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development to address intimate partner violence, violence against children and women, and to promote positive parenting practices in families.