Child Protection

Each evening in the Palorinya Refugee Settlement, as families gather around their meals under the dim moonlight, a familiar voice cuts through the static of the local radio broadcast. It is Andrew Kaya, a refugee, father, a former DJ from South Sudan and now a passionate advocate for child rights.

His voice carries more than just information. It delivers hope, urging parents and children alike to recognize their worth and rights.

A family listens to Kaya’s radio broadcast while eating a meal together at Palorinya.

Palorinya, located in northern Uganda, is home to more than 125,000 refugees and asylum seekers, many of whom fled the violence in South Sudan. Within the settlement, life is far from easy. Families are given a modest plot of land to build a home and grow food. But with caregivers often leaving the camp in search of livelihoods or returning to South Sudan for extended periods, many children are left to care for themselves.

In this fragile environment, the risks are high. Child-headed households are common. Violence most against women and girls is rampant. And where violence persists, children’s safety and rights are further compromised.

To respond, ChildFund stepped up, creating child-friendly spaces. These are fenced areas with classrooms, toilets and playgrounds. The organisation also trains Male Action Groups (MAGs) like the one Kaya belongs to. These groups are composed of local men trained to identify, prevent and respond to issues of violence and abuse in their zones.

Kaya’s zone includes the home of Rose, a young girl who once stayed out of school and lived in cramped conditions with her two younger brothers.

“When we first visited Rose, she didn’t want to talk,” Kaya recalls. “She had given up. But we kept coming back. We told her, ‘Your future is not gone. It’s waiting for you.’”

It is the continuous guidance and counselling that Kaya offered that helped Rose go back to school.

Kaya speaks to Rose during the Male Action Group sessions.

Rose remembers those visits well. “The MAG advised me to return to school,” she says. “They said children should go to school to help themselves, their parents and their future.”

It wasn’t just words that made the difference. Kaya and his fellow MAG members saw the living conditions Rose and her brothers all sleeping in one room, on one mattress and took it upon themselves to construct an additional house. Though they lacked financial resources, they offered what they could: action, encouragement and community.

“I am grateful to the MAG,” says Rose. “They saw our situation and decided to help build another room. If it gets roofed, my brothers can sleep there and I can finally have some privacy.”

Kaya is quick to point out that the Male Action Group doesn’t provide material aid. “We don’t support them with anything. Ours is only the words of the mouth,” he says. “But those words can change lives. For those who listen, they can be good. For those who don’t, they may end up dropping out or getting pregnant too early.”

Kaya moved to the settlement with his family.

To widen his reach, Kaya took to the airwaves. With his background in radio, he now uses the platform to spread messages about children’s rights, equality and community responsibility.

“I know not everyone can hear me in person,” he says. “But on the radio, my voice reaches hundreds. Maybe thousands. That’s how we change things one message at a time.”

“Children deserve safety, dignity and a chance at a better tomorrow. And sometimes, all it takes to start that change is a voice, steady, compassionate and persistent on the other end of a radio,” he says.