The Uganda Women Effort to Save Orphans (UWESO) called on government to put in place measures that deter children from living on streets in Urban Centers Countrywide.

Grace Orikiriza, the in-charge of street children project at the UWESO, says that government should strengthen social protection networks and sensitise communities on the need to maintain families in order to discourage children coming to live on the on streets.

Children being served with food at the UWESO-Masiluta rehabilitation Center in Wakiso district.

She made the remarks on Thursday August 11, 2016 at ceremony where Standard Chartered Bank handed over items to children and mothers with eye problems from eye care partners to UWESO -Masulita Children’s village in Wakiso district.

Orikiriza says that there should also be stringent rules that discourage NGOs and people from giving street children money and food in order to make their lives hard to live on streets.

She also asked Kampala capital city Authority (KCCA) to modernize Kampala slum places especially Katwe and Kisenyi to reduce on the number of street kids which use these places as their residence and invade Kampala in big number.

One of the former street child living in UWESO –Masulita children’s home Allen Karugire, says that his life has changed since he was taken to the children’s home.

“I have been enrolled back to school and I have regular meals which I didn’t have before. I hope to study hard and be a responsible person who will be part of Uganda’s development in future,” Karugire says.

The head of retail banking at Standard Bank, Grace Mulisa together with the head of marketing, Hellen Nangonzi called for a lending hand to the needy and neglected children.