About Kemeza Child Support Initiative

Kemeza Child Support Initiative (KCSI) is a community-based organization established in 2019 in Bugweri District, Eastern Uganda, along the Kampala-Malaba highway. It is legally registered and operates within Bugweri County, in the sub-county of Ibulanku, covering the parishes of Ibulanku, Nawasenga, Ibaako, and Bunyantole (historically part of Iganga District, registered with the Community Development Office under minute Cul/233).

The organization is passionate about the wellbeing of child mothers — children aged 13–17 who are victims of sexual abuse, particularly defilement, and who become mothers as a result. Once the perpetrators are convicted and imprisoned, these girls are frequently abandoned and rejected by their parents or guardians, leaving them to fend for themselves. Many resort to hawking, vending, or prostitution in local trading centers. KCSI was founded to address this reality by restoring hope and dignity to child mothers through a range of support programmes.

Beyond direct support, KCSI helps child mothers rebuild their lives after abuse, especially where they face discrimination and rejection from parents or guardians. The organization also works to reorient parents and guardians toward their responsibilities in the healing and restoration process, helping build a more supportive environment for the wellbeing and development of children in the community.

As a child-focused organization, KCSI holds its staff, volunteers, and stakeholders to a standard of care that keeps children safe from all forms of abuse, and works to strengthen safe practices among staff, volunteers, and community stakeholders involved in child rights advocacy — including identifying early warning signs of abuse in schools, churches, and the wider community, and knowing what steps to take when abuse is suspected or disclosed.

KCSI acts as a link between government structures and community action teams in responding to and preventing child abuse cases, working within the national, regional, and international child-protection legal framework. It partners with other agencies working with children, women, and teenage mothers, holding each other accountable to safeguard children throughout every stage of programme implementation. Any partner, staff member, volunteer, or guardian engaging with the organization is required to agree to and comply with its child protection policy.

KCSI also maintains a common assessment framework for children facing neglect, those in child-headed households, those living with elderly guardians, and those with abandoned or alcoholic parents — helping these children find a path to realizing their rights.