Problem and Need

Approximately 350,000 children in Uganda are paying a high price due to parental imprisonment. They experience a higher risk of;

• Serious mental health disturbances
• Poverty and homelessness
• Dropping out of school
• Early pregnancy
• Sexual abuse and social stigmatization
• Becoming entangled in the criminal justice system themselves

The most pressing and expounding of these is homelessness. Wells of Hope Ministries has been able to provide the basic needs to these children for example, good quality education, clothing and food through the Education Support program. Through our experience of helping children with imprisoned parents, we have observed that most children fail to go back for holidays and stay at school throughout the year; this denies them an opportunity and right to be raised in families. This also impairs their social, moral, emotional, cognitive, spiritual development and growth.

These children are unable to go back to their families for school holidays due to several reasons among which include:

• lack of a permanent family to return to
• absence of a guardian
• risky living conditions
• some were born in prison hence are unknown to their families.

Those who manage to go back face social stigmatization, segregation, untold hostility, leading to death sometimes.