Good Intentions, Questionable Results: Uganda Cracks Down on Unlicensed Children’s Homes

Nakisanze Segawa - Global Press Journal

This special report from the Global Press Journal explains Uganda's recent "crackdown" on children's homes, highlighting the government's closure of one institution in particular, Hope Center Uganda, which has since transition from a residential care home to a community center. The home, according to the report, is managed by an American board of directors and was not registered by the government to operate as a children's care home.

Despite its lack of registration, the home continued to receive donations and volunteers from abroad, which is common among institutions in the country. "As much as $250 million in funds sent from western countries, mostly from the U.S., is spent to support children’s institutions in Uganda, according to a not-yet-published government report," says the article. "The exact amount of money isn’t known...because so many of the institutions aren’t registered." The article describes how some of these institutions exploit children to garner funds that the children often don't see.