THE UGANDA
CHILD RIGHTS
NGO NETWORK

• WHAT IS UCRNN?
• MISSION
• VISION
• OBJECTIVES
• AREA OF FOCUS
  • Advocacy
  • Networking
  • Capacity building
• ACHIVEMENTS
  • The Alternative Report
  • Capacity building for member organizations in the UN CRC
  • Child Labor Study
  • Interntional Links
  • Public Awareness
• ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
  • The General Assembly
  • The Executive/ Coordinating Committee
  • The Secretariat
• MEMBERSHIP
• CONTACT

WHAT IS UCRNN?

The Uganda Child Rights NGO Network (UCRNN) is a coalition of NGOs working in the field of Child Rights in Uganda. UCRNN to uphold child rights and responsibilities as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the Uganda’s Children’s Statute.

Established in 1996, UCRNN’s initially spearheaded the writing of the alternative report to the United Nations (UN) Committee on the Rights of the Child in response to the Uganda government’s initial report. After the first report was submitted it was clear that the network could act as a collective voice and an alternative organ for monitoring the implementation of programmes and legal instruments on the rights of the child in Uganda. To date UCRNN incorporates a membership of 60 national and international NGOs.

MISSION

UCRNN’s mission is to facilitate the observance of the Children’s Rights in Uganda through advocacy, networking and capacity building with member organizations and child-focused actors. This will be guided by the principles of the best interest of child participation and non- discrimination.

VISION

UCRNN’s envisions to have a Uganda in which children’s rights to survival, participation, protection and development are observed as described in the UN Convention on the Rights of Children and Uganda’s Children Statute.

OBJECTIVES

• To facilitate regular information and experience sharing among member organizations and other child focused actors in order to tap each other’s strength, efforts and minimize duplication.
• To enhance a collective voice in safeguarding the rights of children in Uganda.
• To monitor the implementation of National and International Instruments on the Rights and welfare of children.
• To strengthen understanding of children’s rights issues among members and other development partners for improved advocacy and services for delivery to children.

AREAS OF FOCUS

Advocacy, Networking and Capacity building are the three prongs of UCRNN’s single programme strategy. UCRNN’s first goal was a training project aimed at creating awareness about Child Rights among member organizations, CBOs, Government departments and Donor agencies to enable them address child related issues better. Although work will still continues in this same area, UCRNN plans to focus more on the three programme choice areas of Advocacy, Networking and Capacity building.

1. Advocacy:

One of the pillars of the network is Advocacy. UCRNN has come up with a clear advocacy strategy as a means of improving its information and advocacy activities. This will involve:

• Public education and awareness campaigns
• Dialogue and consensus building
• Lobbying and mobilization

2. Networking:

To strengthen its capacity as a coalition, UCRNN is committed to supporting and coordinating collaboration and Networking among its membership. UCRNN seeks to enhance and expand existing efforts by connecting and mobilizing member organizations to meet the challenge of promoting child rights in Uganda. Through networking member organizations will be able to:

• meet other organizations, networks and groups engaged in similar work
• encourage and challenge each other
• share ideas, experiences, information and resources
• engage in joint ventures
• launch new initiatives locally, regionally and internationally
• participate in joint learning

3. Capacity building:

UCRNN works to build the capacity of its members in undertaking the role of child rights advocates effectively through:

• Training workshops (for staff of member organ isations)
• Specific workshops on content and implementation of the Children’s Statute, UN CRC and African Charter
• Production and distribution of training kits on child rights.
• Organising tailor made training to meet the training and capacity needs of the member’s organizations.
• Organizational development for its membership

ACHIEVEMENTS

The Alternative Report:

UCRNNs major achievement is the writing of the Alternative Report to the official government report on commitments made by the government of Uganda to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in June of 1996.

Capacity building for member organizations in the UN CRC:

UCRNN has contributed in promoting the rights of children through its training project. That includes: developing and distributing the training kit adopted from Save The Children Alliance. The kit has been used to train Staff members from all member organization as well as to sensitize members and stake holders on the UN CRC content

Child Labor Study:

UCRNN carried out a child labor study in Tororo District in order to identify suitable interventions to alleviate the problem of child workers. The findings of this survey will lay a basis for designing and implementation of interventions.

International Links

UCRNN has initiated contacts with networks within Africa region and outside Africa. The purpose of this is to engage in information sharing and networking.

Public Awareness

UCRNN has created awareness on Child Rights issues: through campaigns, and holding discussion on radio and television.

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

The General Assembly:

The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the network. It elects the Executive Committee, which is the Coordinating/ Management Committee of the network and gives direction to its work.

The Executive/ Coordinating committee:

The Coordination Committee is composed of seven persons elected from the General Assembly. It is the policy-making organ of the network and is responsible for the general supervision of network activities. It consists of a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, and three committee members.

The Secretariat:

The Secretariat is the administrative arm of the network and is charged with developing and implementing programs. It coordinates the activities of the network and disseminates information to members to keep them updated on any development in the organization.

MEMBERSHIP

Membership is open to indigenous, regional and international organisations, legally registered as NGOs in Uganda and are involved in or subscribe to child rights issues.