Amasiko is a new Ugandan street children programme run in partnership with Alongside Africa and local community organisations.

In the course of our work in Kabale, Uganda, we have come across many street children. These children are orphans or have been forced to leave their families for various reasons; the main ones being poverty and physical, often sexual, abuse.

These children form loose groups or sometimes more organised gangs that sleep rough and find their food from the rubbish tips that are scattered throughout the town or by begging.

Street children get food and clothing from the rubbish bins.

In keeping with the vision of Alongside Africa of a world in which every individual has the opportunity to make a living, given our experience in the area and the infrastructure we have on the ground, we plan to implement a new programme that will give the street children of Kabale an alternative to living on the streets that will lead to the opportunity to earn a living. In doing this we aim to develop a model that can be replicated in the wider region.

The new programme is called Amasiko, which means Bright Hope in the local Bakiga language.