To prevent wars and genocide, a culture of peace must be built. UMECS helps to build a culture of peace and fosters the education, rehabilitation and community reintegration of children and youth affected by conflict. These are among our critical strategies to end child soldiering.

         A First-Ever in sub-Saharan Africa

In a highly competitive process, SPRING/USAID in Uganda selected and awarded United Movement to End Child Soldiering (UMECS) with a grant to pilot school-based peace education and school-based guidance and counseling in secondary schools in Northern Uganda. UMECS chief partner is the Ministry of Education. Seven secondary schools in the four districts of Northern Uganda - Amuru, Gulu, Kitgum and Pader - and Unyama-National Teachers College are serving as the pilot institutions.

"This is a major stepping stone to build a culture of peace and healing to prevent new wars." said UMECS Country Director Charles Onencan on September 8, 2009 in Gulu when the grant was signed. "At the same time, we are addressing the guidance and counseling needs of children on a systemic basis. It is a pleasure working with the visionary and hard working officials at the Ministry of Education, such as Commissioner Opiro, Deputy Commissioner Web and other ministry officials. We are also grateful to SPRING Uganda for supporting this program which, starting in Northern Uganda, will ultimately benefit all of Uganda as a society."

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As her battle wounds were being treated professionally and lovingly by nurses, Ronnie Adong, above, stared into the eyes of her health caregivers and thought to herself: "I want to be like them." Abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and forced to become a chlid soldier at age 13, Ronnie had been through the worst. When she was finally able to escape five years later at age 18, the nurses inspired her to nurture her dreams. "I wanted to become a nurse but I had no funds, not even for secondary school. Then UMECS came along."  Two years ago, UMECS decided to sponsor Ronnie. Today, she is excelling in Senior 2 at Pope Paul II Memorial College (secondary school) in Gulu, ranked at the top of her class and headed toward nursing school, which we will sponsor.  "Ronnie makes us very proud," Anthony Ojok, UMECS Education Field Coordinator notes. "She works hard so that one day she can be like the nurses who helped her. She wants to become a change agent in her community and inspire other young girls like her that no matter what you've been through, your life has value."

Charles Ojok, like Ronnie, wants to make a difference in community health care - as a physician. Born in an Amuru district diplacement camp during the war into a highly vulnerable family in Attiak sub-country with a congenital disability - an enlarged neck and jaw that is often in pain - Charles never had access to a health care system that could diagnose and treat his condition. When UMECS was recruiting new students in Attiak for its Northern Uganda Education Program two years ago, community leaders identified Charles, disabled and forgotten yet hard working with a long held dream of becoming a doctor. UMECS enrolled Charles in our program; he is now a Senior 2 student at Sir Samuel Baker Secondary School in Gulu where we sponsor 27 students. Charles is ranked 12th in his class of 62. We have also started taking Charles to hospital where we are awaiting a bone specialist to diagnose his condition, after which, we will explore treatment options. "I want to become a doctor because I know people like me can be treated medically. We don't have to be neglected." Charles is excelling in the sciences and we are guiding him toward a success-bound secondary school program that will prepare him for medical training. As with Ronnie and all our students, we will sponsor Charles through his degree program. "Charles is an example of the many youth in Northern Uganda who have the potential to make a difference in our communities," notes Joel Ojok, UMECS Director of Counseling and Guidance. "He will get there. He will become the doctor he has always needed. We will help him become a doctor and he will heal many in our community."

When you support UMECS, you are supporting Ronnie and Charles and our many students affected by war striving to become transformative leaders through education.

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UMECS School-Based Guidance and Counseling Program in Secondary Schools in Northern Uganda now being implemented will addressed war-affected trauma, HIV, family, relationship, peer pressure and other youth issues. Students will have psychosocial counseling services, and school guidance. In April and May 2008, we conducted a comprehensive needs assessment at three secondary schools in Northern Uganda, which revealed the guidance and counseling needs of students and teachers. The Executive Summary and Report , which contain data, analysis, and recommendations may be downloaded here as a resource to schools and communities in conflict and post conflict regions that may be considering implementing similar programs. This needs assessment, followed by additional surveys this year, helped to formulate the teacher training modules for our School-Based Guidance and Counseling Program.

For the EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF REPORT, please click here.
For the FULL REPORT , click here.
To Read the article: "THE NEED FOR SCHOOL-BASED COUNSELING AND GUIDANCE IN UGANDA" by Country Director Charles Onencan, click here.

Read about the history of our School-Based Counseling and Guidance Program which ultimately led to School-Based Peace Eduction, Guidance and Counseling. It all began in February 2007 at Lira Palwo Senior Secondary School in Pader District........more>