The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, The Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, has launched the Church’s annual Children’s Focus Month with a pastoral visit and outreach to children in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, one of Africa’s largest refugee communities, home to more than 186,000 people.
During a special service at Kashojwa Church of Uganda within the settlement on Thursday, the Archbishop led prayers dedicated to children and their wellbeing.
He was accompanied by senior clergy including the Provincial Secretary, Rev. Canon William Ongeng; Ankole Diocese Bishop’s Commissary, Rev. Canon Nathan Bobs Mwesigye; the Director of Household and Community Transformation (HCT), Rev. Agaba Andrew; Ankole Diocesan Secretary, Rev. Canon Edison Abaasa; Provincial Youth and Students Coordinator, Rev. Richard Rukundo; among others.
Archbishop Kaziimba reaffirmed the Church’s commitment to safeguarding vulnerable children, emphasizing that Children’s Focus Month, observed every November across all 39 dioceses, aims to show love, offer hope, and advocate for children’s holistic wellbeing.
He noted that Uganda, currently hosting more than 1.8 million refugees, carries both a moral and spiritual mandate to extend compassion to the most vulnerable, particularly children whose lives have been upended by conflict and displacement. Nakivale alone hosts tens of thousands of such children.
Condemning wars driven by selfish interests, Archbishop Kaziimba highlighted their devastating impact on innocent families.
The Church of Uganda, through its Household and Community Transformation Directorate and partners under the ACT Alliance, continues to support refugees with food and non-food relief, trauma counselling, psychosocial support, GBV prevention, education initiatives, peacebuilding, and spiritual care. Since opening an office in Nakivale in July 2024, these interventions have reached more than 3,000 refugees.
The Archbishop called for stronger collaboration among government agencies, civil society, development partners, and the wider Christian community to prioritize children in resource allocation.
He also encouraged Ugandan’s of goodwill to donate essential supplies such as food, sanitary items, scholastic materials, and household necessities to support refugee families.
Earlier, Archbishop Kaziimba addressed the Western Uganda Bishops and Spouses Fellowship in Mbarara City, commending bishops for promoting peace, love, and reconciliation in their dioceses.
According to the Provincial Secretary, Rev. Canon William Ongeng, the Archbishop delivered a substantial consignment of relief items for children in Nakivale, including posho, beans, matooke, clothing, bedding, sugar, diapers, powdered and bathing soap, toilet paper, and other essentials benefiting more than 1,000 children aged 0 to 17.
Titus Jogo, Refugee Desk Officer for Mbarara under the Office of the Prime Minister, thanked the Church for its continued support, saying refugees remain a shared responsibility and praising Uganda’s open-door policy.
Fatoumata Dioulde Diallo, Senior Protection Officer representing the UNHCR Head of Office in Mbarara, acknowledged ongoing challenges due to donor funding cuts but reaffirmed UNHCR’s commitment to protecting refugees in Uganda and around the world.
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