
Centre for CDC and CDCD > Stories of Change > CRO, Uganda

Interview with Ms Caroline Okotel and Mr Bosco Mukiibi from CRO, Uganda

: Bosco Mukiibi

'Children have to take their own decision to quit the streets'

Child Restoration Outreach (CRO) Uganda supports street children and tries to reintegrate them into their family or community. Social workers Bosco Mukiibi and Caroline Okotel tell about their approach allowing children to think and speak for themselves.

Since 1992 CRO supports street children aged between six and sixteen in urban areas. The organisation uses a strategy of employing well-trained social workers who are equipped with counselling and care-giving skills.

Social worker Bosco: ‘On a daily basis our social workers go onto the street and encourage the children to attend our programme. This programme consists of counselling, confidence building and skills development.’

CRO aims to successfully reintegrate street children into their family, foster family or community. According to CRO, this approach supports the children in the most sustainable way possible.

: Caroline Okotel

Caroline: ‘We don’t institutionalise them, we don’t put them in a home. We provide the children with counselling and rehabilitation. Later on we resettle them, let them go to school and assist the family of the children.’

The children attend the rehabilitation programme for at least one year, in which they will be gradually encouraged to reflect on their own situation. ‘Children have to take their own decisions to quit the streets, only this will have a lasting impact,’ says Bosco.

After completing the rehabilitation trajectory and reintegration, CRO arranges the continuity of the kids’ education, in order for them to become self-reliant. Also the families or foster families will receive support. Caroline explains: “We try to reduce factors which will again push these children back on the streets.”

Action Learning Case Study

To enhance CRO’s performance, the organisation took part in an Action Learning Case Study to explore issues concerning the children, by listening to their stories.

Caroline: ‘One of the things about the storytelling methodology we used is that you do a lot of listening. You actually put off judgement. It’s all about trying to get the whole picture, while initially avoiding questions of ‘why’ as much as possible.’

‘The case study we applied was about Sam who ended up on the streets after his parents and uncle died of HIV/AIDS,’ Bosco explains. ‘Sam joined our rehabilitation trajectory in 2001 and received counselling. With our guidance, he came to the realisation that he wanted to return home. He became aware that the street was not the best place for him.’

Slowly CRO successfully rehabilitated Sam, finding him a new home. Now Sam is doing university and living with his brother’s family.

‘Through storytelling we learn lessons from Sam’s situation. He was not only praising our organisation, but because of his capacities - built over the years - he was also able to critique our services in a very constructive way. It was wonderful: first a person on the street, now in the position to help us improve.’

Caroline adds: ‘One of the things that has come out of the exercise was that when a young person’s self esteem has grown so much, it becomes contagious. As a current leader of our Child Management Committee, children look at Sam as a role model.’

: Caroline and Bosco during the Joint Learning Workshop

Identify change drivers

CRO’s experience with storytelling during the workshop was so powerful that CRO integrated the methodology in its counselling practise as well. Storytelling provides the organisation with an opportunity to let children see what the central problem is.

Caroline: ‘In this way the child prescribes the way it wants to be helped. I think that is very, very important, since every child is different. The methodology prevents us from thinking for the children, which enhances our capacity to support them.’

Bosco and Caroline noticed that storytelling helps a child to identify the people that play a part or a role in his story. At the same time it helps CRO’s social workers to identify the change drivers.

‘We can identify the people who are part of the change. Mostly these are the parents. Through our parent clubs in the community we can target these drivers, discussing child rights for example,’ Caroline explains.

The case study made Bosco and Caroline realise that everybody can initiate civic action. Caroline: ‘Especially when working with children in the context of Africa, where children are mainly supposed not to be heard. Now we will listen more to the children, which enables us to help them better.’