Our Mission   Our Goals   Organizational Background   Regional Focus   Our Strategies

Organizational Background

In September 2001, following the UN Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, a coalition of peace building, human rights and community activists from Zimbabwe, South Africa and the U.S. met to plan the formation of a global initiative to address child soldiering. It was resolved to establish an organization – based in the US, with U.S. and global programs – to address the root causes of war and child soldiering, and to support the immediate and long-term restoration needs of millions of former child soldiers, children affected by conflict, their families and communities. Recognizing the essential work of human rights organizations which campaign and publicly advocate to end child soldiering, organizers felt there was a specific need for an organization working regionally and on the ground with grassroots communities to implement end-child-soldiering strategies, and equally important, to support the needs of children affected by conflict. From these meetings emerged United Movement to End Child Soldiering (UMECS).

Subsequently, UMECS organized as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and in 2003, took the decision to geographically launch its programs to address war and child soldiering, community and peace building in Great Lakes region, East and Southern Africa, with a particular focus on addressing the peace and community building needs in Northern Uganda. In 2004, UMECS hired Arthur Serota as its first Executive Director.

Thereafter, UMECS forged partnerships with peace building, humanitarian, education, and grassroots organizations in Uganda, Angola, Zimbabwe, England, Netherlands and the U.S. Its major programs support grassroots peace building initiatives, assist grassroots organizations working with children and women affected by conflict to build their capacities and implement programs, provide children affected by conflict with education support, foster the development of regional grassroots peace building initiatives, facilitate internships between graduate peace studies programs and grassroots communities in regions affected by conflict, network grassroots organizations working with children and women affected by conflict to international support partners, conduct relevant conflict response research, and provide peace building training and education opportunities for schools, colleges and universities, community groups and peace building organizations.

In 2006, UMECS was duly registered as a Non-Governmental Organization in Uganda.

Our Mission   Our Goals   Organizational Background   Regional Focus   Our Strategies