The Day of the African Child is celebrated each year on June 16th. The day recognises the ten thousand black students that marched in the streets of South Africa calling for an end to the Black Education Act on June 16th, 1976. The Black Education Act legally segregated students based on their race and created damaging inequalities in South Africa’s education system. 

During the two weeks of protests, hundreds of people were killed as they fought for education equality, the right to be taught in their own languages and the end to segregation. 

Since 1991, The Day of the African Child commemorates the events of June 1976 and celebrates education equality in Africa. Each year, governments and NGOs raise awareness of the ongoing inequalities facing children in Africa and the need to improve educational opportunities in terms of gender, poverty and distance from school facilities. 

The day focuses attention on the barriers African children face in order to receive a quality education

This year's theme of the Day of the African Child “Eliminating Harmful Practices Affecting Children: Progress on Policy & Practice since 2013” is particularly relevant for the protection and reintegration of conflict-affected children as harmful practices and social norms as well as negative coping mechanisms. 

In Uganda, only 1 in 4 children who start primary school makes it to secondary school. Many factors play into this reality; education in Uganda is not free, many young girls are forced into marriages and as children get older the lure of finding work to help support families becomes greater which amounts to child labor.

Child Restoration Outreach-(CRO Uganda) is a local NGO that supports children rescued from the streets with education through provision of fees, materials  and  career guidance to equip them with knowledge, skills and values for self-reliance.

With support from our partners and sponsors like you, CRO ensures that every child who succesfully completes the rehabilitation class gets the opportunity to go to school because  we share the vision that it is through education that young people can break the cycle of poverty and live a hopeful future.

The students/pupils are provided with tuition fees, learning materials and uniforms in so that they can attend school. Parents/guardians are also encouraged to contribute some scholastic materials e.g. books, pens etc. where possible. Regular school monitoring visits to check on the progress of the students are done as well.

School fees cause a large but necessary expense for Ugandan families. Hence, it is not always easy for some of the parents/guardians to generate the dues.

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