Peer-reviewed article
Uganda’s system to care for orphans and vulnerable children: a sociopolitical analysis of its evolution
Eddy Walakira, Adam D. Koon, Rita Nakanjako, Innocent Royal Kamya, Jeremy Shiffman ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This analysis examines Uganda's system for caring for orphans and vulnerable children, finding that the government gives insufficient priority and funding to this critical issue. The weak care system is heavily dependent on international donors and non-state organizations for financing and service delivery. Historical factors including colonialism, structural adjustment programs, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic have shaped the current state of the system. Despite these challenges, Uganda has strong child protection policies and traditional family and kinship care practices that provide some protection. The article argues that improving care for vulnerable children requires both technical solutions and political commitment from the government, civil society, and international partners.
Key points
- Many Ugandan orphans and vulnerable children experience abuse and neglect
- Government spending on orphan and vulnerable child care is inadequate
- The care system is heavily dependent on international agencies and non-state actors
- Uganda has robust policies for OVC protection and traditional kinship care systems
- Addressing the challenge requires political commitment and a coalition across government, civil society, and international agencies
Limitations
This is a sociopolitical analysis rather than an empirical study, so it does not provide quantitative data on outcomes or prevalence rates, nor does it evaluate specific interventions. The analysis describes the system's strengths and weaknesses but does not measure the effectiveness of particular care models or programs.
Abstract
• In Uganda, many orphans and other vulnerable children experience abuse and neglect. • The government pays insufficient attention to these children. • Low government priority underpins weak care capacity and donor dependence. • Historical factors including British colonialism also shape weak capacity. • Government and civil society stewardship over the care system must be built. Alarmingly high numbers of Ugandan children experience or are at risk of experiencing abuse and neglect. This article analyzes the state of priority for and quality of governance of Uganda’s formal system for the care of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). The government offers little meaningful priority for the issue, as evidenced especially by low government outlays for OVC care. Low priority underpins weak capacity of the system, and heavy dependence on international agencies and non-state actors for financing and service delivery. The present state of the OVC care system cannot be understood without reference to historical and sociopolitical context, including Uganda’s troubled political history, the legacy of British colonialism, World Bank-led structural adjustment programs, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Nevertheless, there are strengths in the formal and informal care systems. These include a robust set of policies surrounding OVC protection, and long-standing family and kinship care practices that are the bedrock for protection of children at risk. To ensure effective care for OVC, the government and civil society institutions must build capacity to exercise stewardship over the OVC care system—both its formal and informal components. Given the government’s inadequate attention to OVC care, addressing this challenge is as much a political as it is a technical matter. Above all else, a coalition needs to coalesce to push the government to act, one that links OVC care proponents in civil society, the state, and international agencies.