Prevent
We believe the best way to fight trafficking in Karamoja is to stop it before it can occur. Since trafficking thrives off of desperation and ignorance, our goal is to offer both education and resources for the purpose of building informed and responsible communities, equipped to protect their most vulnerable.
One of the most effective ways we have found to accomplish this goal is partnering with local schools to implement a two-pronged anti-trafficking initiative. School attendance is a key factor that can drastically decrease a child’s vulnerability to trafficking. Those who regularly attend school are far less likely to be trafficked.
Teenage girls who drop-out of school in Uganda are at higher risk to be trafficked.
Girls are far more likely to drop out of school than boys.
Straightway
Straightway partners with local schools to teach young girls about hygiene and sexual purity. While in the program, they learn how to create their own sanitary products for their own personal use or to sell in the market. This combination of education and empowerment ensures that girls in Karamoja and the bordering areas have every opportunity to stay in school, making them far less likely to be trafficked.
After launching the program, our first school saw a 60% decrease in female dropouts. In fact, 100% of the girls participating in the program passed their exams to advance to the next grade level. Both of these numbers were large improvements over previous years at that school.
We have since rolled out Straightway in more schools, including a school across the street from the Hope Center, which was the first school to implement both Straightway and the School Meal Program. The results of these two initiatives in tandem are very promising as we continue to see decreased dropouts, increased enrollment and regular attendance.
School Meal Program
The School Meal Program also partners with area schools to provide one full meal every day for every student. This encourages attendance, community participation and engagement with the school and provides an environment conducive to better learning and health. We have found providing a daily meal dramatically increases school attendance and decreases the likelihood of a child being trafficked.
The School Meal Program was fully rolled out in our local community school, in 2019. Before the program was implemented, the headmistress of the school had difficulty getting parents to commit to paying school fees and school attendance was irregular.
In 2020, our local school saw the biggest enrollment spike in their history, with 99 new boys enrolled and 101 new girls enrolled across all grade levels. The impact of this one program across the community has been transformative. Parent participation and cooperation is at an all-time high, students continue to thrive and other students have transferred from neighboring schools that do not offer a meal program.
The best way to END TRAFFICKING is to empower communities to create environments where it is not allowed to exist.
Join The Fight Against Human Trafficking!
Hope's Cry International
45177 River Rd.
Hammond, LA 70401
info@hopescry.com
