When TPO first started working in the Lira region in Northern Uganda, most of its inhabitants were living in IDP (internally displaced persons) camps, one of the many devastating consequences of years of rebel activities in the area.

TPO uses an empowering approach in order to develop and implement its social development projects. This approach prepares people to fend for themselves during displacement and also during the transition to resettlement. The approach which TPO refers to as the Community Support Structures approach, entails identifying existing support structures within the communities, with the goal of strengthening and supporting these structures to participate in the recovery process. One initiative was to identify a group of caregivers, providing them with training, thus enabling them to share this new knowledge with their local community groups.

One such caregiver is Grace – a young woman quite simply exuding kindness – who received training from TPO in 2005, and now works with women’s groups and other community structures in her parish, providing emotional support to children and families in need. And of those, there are countless cases; orphans and children returning from captivity who have spent most of their childhood in camps with no formal schooling or education; adults and parents who increasingly turn to alcohol and violence as a way of coping with the untold horrors of the rebel years.

For 16-year old Eva, her childhood ended abruptly when her father died – with no one to protect her, she became the victim of sexual abuse and a resulting pregnancy at the age of 12. More abuse followed, as did a second child by the time she was 14. With little support from her remaining family, Eva struggled to get enough food and clothes for her and the children, and school was not even an option to consider.

A local women’s group brought Eva’s case to Grace’s attention, seeking her advice as they often do. “When I first met Eva, she was in a bad way,” explains Grace gently. “She was totally isolated, trying to prepare food for her children, there was no one to help her, and the hygiene levels of both the children and Eva herself were very poor.”

Armed with the counselling skills and techniques acquired from TPO mentorship, Grace started visiting Eva on a regular basis, talking to both Eva and her stepmother, mostly focusing on how to get Eva back to school.

Grace’s efforts paid off; Eva’s stepmother now has agreed to support her by looking after the children and Eva returned to school earlier this year. “Before Grace there was no one,” says Eva quietly. “No one ever spoke to me like that before, Grace has opened my eyes, educated me, and really supported me. I think of her with such happiness and pride.

“I am so happy to be back at school and learning,” continues Eva. “I want to study more and become a nurse, so I too can help people. I am already trying to help other girls I know, who are in similar positions as me, trying to encourage them to come back to school as well.”

For Grace, who carries out her work on a voluntary basis, this is the reward. “It makes me so happy to see how Eva has changed in just a year,” she beams, a beautiful smile spreading across her face. “I feel that I have created an impact, a positive change. It’s like I am the one who has come back to school – that’s how happy it makes me!”

But it doesn’t end here for Grace, she still has serious concerns for the children’s welfare – especially the oldest, who is severely malnourished. “I worry for their future, what is going to happen to them. But at least we have been able to help Eva, and hopefully, together we will be able to improve things for her children as well.”

Using the CSS model, TPO recognizes that helpers like Grace do have their own emotional and physiological needs since they too have been equally affected by conflict and displacement. Therefore twice a month, TPO sponsors interactive meetings with such helpers, where they meet to share their experiences, and are supported to meet their own needs. In some groups where this model has worked well, TPO has supported such helpers to access livelihoods support and other micro-enterprise opportunities.

Some names in this story have been changed to protect identities.

Child Protection Committee meeting chaired by TPO staff


Grace: "When I first met Eva, she was in a very bad way. She was totally isolated".


Eva is now back in school and hopes to one day become a nurse; "I want to help other people like I was helped."