UNICEF Uganda - Country Programme support 2021-2025

UNICEF provided time-bound surge staff (7 staff) support to functionalize the theatres in 2 HCIVs (Kawaala HCIV 2 medical officers and 1 anesthetist and Kisenyi HCIV- 2 medical officers and 2 anesthetists). This initiative was undertaken to prevent the need for referrals to Kawempe National Referral Hospital, which is already dealing with a substantial volume of expectant mothers. Notably, there was an increase in C-section rate during the support period October 2022 to September 2023, contributing to decongestion of Kawempe National Referral Hospital. UNICEF has at the same time played an important role in updating high intensive care units, not least at Kawempe hospital in Kampala. UNICEF collaborated with World Health Organization (WHO), World VISION International (WVI) and Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) to support the district local government of Kayunga and Namayingo in preparing and responding to a cholera outbreak. The support contributed significantly to a reduction of the spread of cholera in the two districts. 22,450 reached through Social and Behavior Change Communication activities including community engagement, jerrican cleaning campaigns and door-to-door sensitization on good hygiene and sanitation practices using Community Approaches to Total Sanitation. In 2023, a total of 52,235 children (29,469 girls) received pre-primary education and Early Childhood Development (ECD) services through formal and non-formal centres, including in the refugee settlements. Access to integrated ECD services is mainly delivered through community and home-based centres. UNICEF targets the hardest to reach children who would normally not be reached through various models including a novel innovation that was tested in 2023 the Mobile Early Child Development Unit in Terego District. A total of 1,960 (1008m/972f) women, men boys and girls in Napak, Bukwo, Kapchorwa and Kween participated in community dialogues aimed at changing attitudes to eliminate Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and other harmful practices. In Kween for instance, the community appreciated the dialogues and indicated that it enhanced their knowledge on negative impact of FGM on women, child trafficking, out-migration, child neglect and other forms of Violence Against Childen (VAC). The community dialogues also empowered the communities to appreciate the value of education and keeping their children uncut. The contribution supported the development of a comprehensive evidence-based parenting programme, to address VAC challenges, increase demand for services and guide parenting work in the country. 2,705(1,200M &1,505F) parents/care givers were reached through positive parenting sessions to prevent and respond to VAC in Kapchorwa and Kamuli. These parenting groups have been able to reach out to adolescent girls and boys including other parents to enhance their skills on positive parenting and build a network of parents practicing positive behaviours. supported the delivery of post Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) and provision of child protection services in Ebola affected areas which includes capacity development for 133 (52female, 81male,) Village health teams, Para social workers and teachers on provision of community based MHPSS during EVD and other infectious disease outbreaks. UNFPA and UNICEF and other partners, the government of Uganda launched a national campaign to address defilement, child marriage, teenage pregnancy and promote positive parenting. The goal was to reduce cases of defilement, child marriage and teenage pregnancy while ensuring positive parenting. The National multimedia Campaign Protect the Girl, Save the Nation to End Defilement, Child Marriage Teenage Pregnancy and promote positive parenting which aired from July 2022 to June 2023. All of the above results have in one way or another led to a change, both in terms of behavioral change as well as direct service provision for the beneficiaries. Although difficult to measure, the national campaigns have reached many young people and communties to better understand the problmes around teeange pregnancies, child marriages etc. The hospitals High Intensive Care Units have been equipped and staff have been trained and are now in a much better place to manage and assist new-borns and mothers in a critical situation during pregnancy and when giving birth. The results and work done in regards to Ebola and Cholera outbreaks are good examples of how a more flexible type of support have benefitted people when suffering from unexpected events, such in this case an outbreak of a disease.

UNICEF Ugandas country programme consists of four thematic programmes. In addition, UNICEF have added a fifth component focusing on programme effectiveness. The specific overall programme outcomes are as follows: 1. Child survival and development: By 2025, newborns, children and adolescent boys and girls, especially the most disadvantaged and those living in humanitarian situations and urban settings, have access to and the use of quality integrated-health, nutrition and HIV services and benefit from a more nurturing, protective and clean environment. This will be achieved by (a) An integrated package of quality services for pregnant and lactating women, including pregnant adolescents, and newborns; (b) An essential package of quality preventative, promotive and curative services for infants and young children; (c) A package of quality services for adolescent boys and girls, including programmes aimed at preventing HIV, establishing healthy lifestyle behaviours and diets and reducing harmful exposures and risk-taking; (d) A package of high-impact nutrition interventions for infants, children, adolescents and women of reproductive age; (e) Safe water, sanitation and hygiene. 2. Basic education and adolescent development: By 2025, girls and boys 3 to 19 years of age achieve age-appropriate learning outcomes, in the following ways: (a) Boys and girls 3 to 5 years of age, particularly the rural, urban poor and refugees, access quality pre-primary education through formal and non-formal learning centres; (b) Girls and boys demonstrate increased learning achievement in literacy and numeracy through increased access to inclusive, equitable and relevant quality education; (c) Adolescent girls and boys are empowered with life skills, active citizenship and/or employability. 3. Child protection: By 2025, children in Uganda are free from all forms of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation, including harmful practices, and realize their right to legal identity by: (a) Strengthening legislative, policy, budgetary and institutional frameworks that protect children from all forms of violence; (b) Capacitating children, families and communities to identify risks and prevent and respond to all forms of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of children; (c) Ensuring that children and their families are accessing quality multisectoral protection services, including birth registration. 4. Social policy: By 2025, child-sensitive evidence and analysis inform more effective and efficient planning, budgeting and implementation of programmes for reducing child deprivation, inequities and gender inequalities, especially for the most vulnerable and marginalized children and adolescents, by: (a) Strengthened national capacity to generate and utilize robust evidence on child poverty and vulnerabilities, and public finance to reduce socioeconomic disparities and improve access to basic services, while promoting social inclusion; (b) Strengthened national capacity to support the implementation of the National Social Protection Policy framework through contextualized interventions in urban areas and along the humanitarian-development continuum; (c) An enabling environment for child-rights governance that includes strengthening the capacity of national institutions, civil society and other key stakeholders to advocate for children, while advancing child rights and participation. 5. Programme effectiveness: By 2025, the UNICEF Uganda country programme is efficiently designed, coordinated, managed and supported to meet quality programming standards in achieving results for children. Under this component, in addition to strengthening results-based planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting, attention will be devoted to facilitating cross-programme coordination and the integration of disaster risk reduction as well as humanitarian-development assistance across programmes. Public communications, advocacy and private-sector engagement will be undertaken to mobilize leadership and communities for the childrens rights agenda.