Table 7: FAC rehabilitated by GUSCO between 1994 and 2005.
Months
Male
Female
Total
August 1994 – February 2004
March – December 2004
January & February 2005
March 2005
April 2005
May 2005
June 2005
July 2005
August 2005
September 2005
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
4,303
383
29
27
18
05
05
07
17
06
07
07
08
2,254
357
27
34
04
08
04
07
14
03
07
07
03
Cumulative
6,557
6,557
740
7,297
56
7,353
61
7,414
22
7,436
13
7,449
09
7,458
14
7,472
31
7,503
09
7,512
14
7,526
14
7,540
11
7,551
Source: GUSCO Annual Report 2005
In Katakwi, the organisation that handles rehabilitation and reintegration of the formerly abducted children in
the district is called Katakwi Children‟s Voice (KCV). It was primarily formed to care for all the issues affecting
children in the district such as child motherhood, orphanage and now FAC. It was pioneered by volunteers but
now receives some support from the government; Feed the Children and Save the Children organisations,
among other partners. KCV has rehabilitated and successfully reintegrated 293 children into the community to
date: 186 boy and 107 girls.
When KCV receives the FAC, usually from the government soldiers, World Vision, or other sources, they are
kept in the KCV centre for a period of time: mostly two weeks but even as long as one month, depending on
the level of the trauma that the child has suffered. The children are provided with food, accommodation,
counselling and recreational support and overall medical care, such as treatment of injuries or trauma. When
they have attained a measure of stability, they are then provided with family retracing, reunion and assessment
of the ability of the child to fit into the community. The child is also provided with a reunification package
comprising of books and other scholastic materials, clothing, mattresses, basins and Jerry cans.
After reunification, KCV seeks to pursue a follow up program, checking on the individual children one week
after reunification, then two weeks after first follow up, then three weeks after the second follow up and finally
four weeks after the third follow up. During these follow ups, community sensitization is done and any
feedback is obtained in order to gain more experience. Needed provisions are also given to the children.
However, due to limited resources, it may not always be possible to carry out all these desired follow ups.
Currently, with support from UNICEF, an NGO carries out these follow up visits and reports back to the
PSWO. Any actions taken are also reported to the district authorities.
KCV also organises advocacy programs in community through seminars on such matters as: child protection
and care, cultural reconciliation, psycho-social care, training of trainers, and emergency responses in cases of
37