Written by Hossein Akbarialiabad MD, MSc, Faculty Member at the Nuvance Health Global Health Academy
The Katanga slums are located in the middle of Uganda's capital, Kampala, between Makerere University and Mulago National Referral Hospital. The city has a population of around 5,000, of which two-thirds do not have a national identity card. A volunteer-run organization, Katanga 4 Kids educates and cares for around 50 children ranging from three to seventeen years old who live on the street in the community. One classroom serves the role of school, stage, playground, and church. They stay in two dormitories, with three to a bed and many on the floor.
The Katanga slums are quite unsafe even during the daytime, even as a local. In fact, a few days prior to my arrival, a teenage girl was sexually assaulted there. As a traveler, safety is a fundamental issue. There are also health concerns in this area. Residents only have access to ten toilets in total, for which they must pay, meaning Unhygienic defecation and urination practices are common, due to a severe scarcity of toilets—ten in total for 5,000 people—for which residents must pay to use.
Furthermore, tap water throughout Uganda must be boiled before use, but almost 90% of residents in the Katanga slums cannot afford to purchase fuel for boiling and sanitizing water, making cholera a significant concern. With an average of seven family members, the average household income in Katanga is less than 10 USD per month, forcing everyone regardless of age to work to feed the family.
"Children have the right to be children all over the world." This clear notion in high-income countries is a fantasy here, as even survival is not guaranteed, let alone mental health, physical safety, and sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Despite all these challenges, I reveled in watching children play football with something resembling a ball, screaming joyfully, feeling excitement, and living their lives. We enjoyed singing multiple songs and dancing with the children of "Katanga 4 Kids" projects.
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