Community Outreach
Our Community Outreach Programme is often where children and families might first find out about the support that Kids Club Kampala can offer. Through this programme we can also identify those most in need of our support through our Saturday Kids Clubs, Girls Support Groups and Football Project.
The context
Slum communities make up 25% of Kampala city, but house 60% of its population (World Bank 2017). If you’re a child living in the slums of Kampala, life is not easy.
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Slum communities are transient, unsafe places where unemployment is high, buildings and walkways are unsafe and many families are living in a single room, eating one meal a day.
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Often children end up in a cycle of poverty, as with no access to school or skills training and no access to social care, children are left exposed and extremely vulnerable to the dangers of slum life with little chance of escaping.
Saturday kids clubs
Our Saturday Kids Clubs provide children with a safe space and the chance to play and enjoy being children, away from the challenges and struggles of their everyday lives. Every Saturday throughout the year, up to 1,000 children gather together across 10 different slum communities to play, be cared for and to just enjoy being children.
Each Kids Club is run by a team of local volunteers who give up their time each week to organise games and sports; sing songs; share teaching, dramas and stories; facilitate counselling sessions and serve the children a snack and a drink. Through running these clubs, our volunteers are able to identify children who are at-risk or in need of emergency help.
Girls support groups
We run Girls Support Groups to provide safe spaces, tailored counselling and guidance, peer support and community outreach and education for teenage girls. Groups focus on discussing issues such as early and forced marriage, teenage pregnancy, health and sex education, menstrual hygiene and personal security, alongside many other issues.
We also offer individual counselling for girls who have been abused, neglected or need support in any way, and we support hundreds of teenage girls to access period products each month.
Football project
Our Football project for teenage boys provides a safe space to belong and support each other, while being mentored both on and off the pitch. Boys are supported to improve their confidence, self-esteem, football skills, teamwork and discipline. We also provide counselling for boys who have been abused, neglected or need support in any way.
In 2023, 64 boys attended this project every weekend across 2 slums communities; Naguru and Namuwongo. With training taking place every weekend, boys also receive a nutritious snack and a drink to keep them fuelled throughout the session. All of our coaches here are volunteers, who dedicate their time to mentoring young boys through the challenges they face.
Our impact in 2024 ...
861
children regularly attended our Saturday kids clubs across 10 communities.
64
boys regularly attended our football project every week.
696
girls in vulnerable situations attended our counselling sessions.
2,386
period products were distributed to girls who would otherwise go without.
What next?
Over the next 12 months we hope to provide over 1,000 vulnerable children and young people with a safe space to relax, play and learn through our Saturday Kids Clubs, Girls Support Groups and Football Project across 10 slum communities. These young people will also receive basic necessities such as food, water and period products.
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Over the long term this will contribute to a reduction in the number of children living in poverty, improved social skills and wellbeing, a reduction in teenage pregnancy and children and families accessing sustainable solutions through our three other programme areas.
