Dr. Nataliey Bitature visits Kyangwali refugee settlement in Uganda and reports on Save the Children's work with pregnant mothers, fathers, and schoolchildren. She met trained refugee volunteers and praised partnerships with UNHCR and Uganda's government, calling for donations and involvement.
132,000
Hi, I'm Dr. Natalie Bititere and I'm the chair for save the Children UK's Africa Advisory Board. I'm here in Shangwali refugee settlement in the Hoima region of western Uganda. I spent the last two days here interacting, learning, listening and understanding the work that Save the Children is doing in the field, on the ground. Changwali has 132,000 refugees currently occupying the area. It's been so impressive, so inspiring to meet them, to understand their stories, to.
Listen to what they've gone through, and.
Also to see how Save the Children and its partners, like UNHCR and Office of the Prime Minister, have interventions and programs to receive people, to maintain their dignity, to give them the resources that they need, the support that they need, to make sure that these individuals and families have a fighting chance at life. I've been able to visit different centres that support pregnant women, lactating mothers, new fathers, have different kinds of programs that support them to learn about nutrition, about education, about childcare, to have safe spaces.
For their children and for them as families to grow and learn.
I've had the opportunity to go to a primary school to see the situation.
Of how many children they are managing, how many children they're trying to teach.
With such few teachers, with such limited resources to go so far, to meet.
Child mothers who have been through so much and are fighting for themselves and.
For their children, to maintain their education, to build a better life, it's been really enlightening.
I'm honored to have had the opportunity.
I appreciate all the people that have opened up and that have shared their stories, their examples with me. I really commend the teams that work here from the different partners, the Save the Children's staff, the volunteers that are trained, that are supporting their communities, that are coming as refugees, going through these trainings and becoming light in their own communities. It's really been an enlightening journey for me and I hope that I can share some of these stories and some of the understanding that I now have with the different people that I meet all over the world as I advocate for the work that Save the Children is doing. If there's anything, anyone has an idea.
I want to donate, they want to get involved.
Please do feel free to reach out to me to Save the Children's office in Uganda, Save the Children uk there's always a great need and I'm sure challenges like this exist all across the continent. But programs that Save the Children run are specific. They're professional, they're safe, they put children first. They're very thoughtful and the staff are always, always so impressive to me, the.
Compassion that you have to have to.
Do this kind of work day in and day out, the professionalism, the diligence, its very impressive and I really commend.
The teams for executing these programs that.
Are life changing in such high quality ways.
