UGANDA: Catholic Care for Children Uganda offer Parenting Skills
Participants and Facilitators in a group photo during parenting skills training in Jinja-Uganda, Case manager-Caroline Nansukusa making a presentation during the training at Jinja
Caroline Nansukusa – CCCU Staff
The two-year lock down due to COVID-19 pandemic unstabilized many families with domestic violence and poor parenting practices. Catholic Care for Children Uganda (CCCU) in response, embarked on parenting training for staff and parents with vulnerable children under religious childcare programs.
CCCU is one of the programs under umbrella of the Association of Religious in Uganda (ARU). However, Catholic Care for Children International (CCCI) is a global platform to support religious women and men in their efforts to ensure that children grow up in safe, loving families or family-like environments, (UISG YouTube, 2020). Catholic Care for Children (CCC) is a visionary initiative, led by Catholic sisters, to see children growing up in safe, nurturing families. Guided by the biblical mandate to care for the most vulnerable and animated by the principles of Catholic Social Teaching—especially the dignity of each person.
Catholic Care for Children (CCC) teams are reducing the need for institutional care by encouraging and facilitating family- and community-based care for children. CCC began in Uganda in 2016 after the government enacted legislation favoring family- and community-based care. The goal was to remedy the alarming increase in the number of children being cared for in institutions due to poverty, disability, and lack of social support. Catholic sisters and brothers ably read the signs of the times. With support from GHR Foundation, the Association of Religious in Uganda (ARU) launched Catholic Care for Children in Uganda to help the Catholic community pivot from institutional care toward family- and community-based care for children and persons with disabilities. (https://bettercarenetwork.org/)
Among other trainings, the Religious Sisters of St. Josephs of Tarbes at the Kakira Parish, Jinja Diocese organized a workshop with 92 participants out of 162 parents who were invited. The CCCU Staff members namely Sr. Stella Maris and Mrs. Nansukusa Caroline from August 22-27, 2022 facilitated the training.
The team noted that, better parenting practices is one of the remedies to reduce on the number of children institutionalized, abandoned/ rejected, as well as child mothers, orphanhood, single parenthood and thus, leading to child protection and safe-guarding.
The participants, mainly parents set many expectations such as a reminder on important parenting practices, new ways of parenting, what the law states, how to discipline without a stick, help fathers be part of parenting, among others. On knowing that this was within the package, by afternoon some of the participants invited parents invited and friends to come and benefit from the lessons. The facilitators covered nine topics, which parents rated as very important and pledged to share in parental network especially those who did not attend.
The organizers and participants were grateful for the training and confirmed: We thought we knew it all but as the training was ending, we felt it has just commenced and never wished to end but we had to end!” While other parents shared; “Much as are often annoyed by our children we have also devised other corrective measured other than sticks. We also choose to understand and give quality time for our children among others.
The Training attracted parents from different religious affiliations. Catholics were the majority; however, Protestants, Muslims and Pentecostals were present. There was a Catechist, Local Council Leaders and Foster Parents amongst the participants. Since there were cases psychological breakdown, the training ended with a moment of prayer and celebration of Holy Mass and all parents were commissioned to live good parenting practices in families and communities.
