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27th October, Kampala: Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Patron of Save the Children UK, has met families in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Uganda, to learn more about the impact conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has had on children’s lives.
Uganda currently hosts 5 million refugees - the largest refugee population in Africa. Due to the ongoing conflict in the DRC, thousands of refugees have crossed the border into Uganda this year.[1]
In March 2020, schools across the country shut down as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold. Uganda kept schools fully or partly closed for over a year and a half, meaning children in Uganda faced the world’s longest school closure due to the pandemic.[2] To help children successfully return to school, Save the Children launched Catch-up clubs to accelerate the recovery of lost learning.
Her Royal Highness visited a school in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement where she joined a Save the Children Catch-up Club and took part in an activity with children to work together and build a story from pictures. Later that day, The Princess also met children who have fled their homes due to the ongoing conflict in the DRC and are being supported by Save the Children’s child protection activities at a Child Friendly Space.
Dragana Strinic, Country Director of Save the Children Uganda said:
“It was an honour to host Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal today to raise awareness of the impact that conflict and Covid-19 school closures are having on millions of children in Uganda. Due to the ongoing conflict, Save the Children’s Catch-up Clubs have been a lifeline for children growing up in Kyangwali refugee settlement, without these clubs, some of these children may never have returned to school.”
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal has supported Save the Children for over fifty years. Queen Elizabeth II was a patron of the charity for 65 years, during this time they have both inspired thousands of supporters, volunteers, and staff, and highlighted the needs of some of the most disadvantaged children.
HRH The Princess Royal became the Patron of Save the Children UK in 2017 after serving as the charity’s President since 1970. The Princess Royal spends a significant amount of time visiting Save the Children’s projects, both overseas and in the UK. She has travelled to Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Mozambique, Ethiopia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Over a quarter of a billion children are out of school globally and a record number of children – 1 in 6 – are living in war zones around the world. The Children’s Emergency Fund allows Save the Children to support children growing up in conflict and help children keep learning in times of crises.
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Notes to Editors:
For media enquiries please contact: Isobel Turriff I.Turriff@savethechildren.org.uk / media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409
About Save the Children:
Save the Children exists to help every child get the chance of a future they deserve. In more than 100 countries, including the UK, we make sure children stay safe, healthy and learning – finding new ways to reach children who need us most. For a century, we’ve stood up for children’s rights and made sure their voices are heard. With children, for children, we change the future for good.
For more information visit www.savethechildren.org.uk
About Save the Children Uganda:
Save the Children Uganda was established in 1959. Today, we work in 29 districts directly reaching 550,000 children and 240,000 adults a year, focusing on both humanitarian response work and long-term development programming. Save the Children Uganda deliver programmes to ensure children stay safe, healthy and keep learning.
[1] HNHCR Uganda - Refugee Statistics 2022
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