17% of Ugandan children suffer extreme shelter deprivation

Shelter is by definition a word that conveys protection from the elements, from animals and vermin, from people who mean to do harm. It means home, it is a place where family converges, where love and food are shared. Within the realm of a child's most basic needs, the shelter is primary.

Each day the poorest children in Uganda are faced with struggles that connect to their shelter. For those living in the most vulnerable situations, there may not be a shelter to return to each night- they may be homeless, or living in temporary settings that are uncertain.

17% of Ugandan children suffer extreme shelter deprivation, living in homes that are overcrowded with five or more people per room.

One third (33%) of Ugandan children living in the poorest households suffer extreme shelter deprivation with five or more people per room.

Children worry about catching illness and getting sick from overcrowded living conditions.

Some Children are concerned with how poor quality of their home does not protect them from potential violence and theft- particularly in Moroto, Northern Uganda, where cattle raids continue to occur

For children who are fortunate to have shelter, their concerns turn to overcrowding of the home, and  the quality of the structure. Some also worry about the safety of their home- particularly those living in Karamoja, Northern Uganda, where cattle raids and deadly violence continue to be real concern.

So many Ugandan families send their children to boarding schools, a child's living quarters there is for long periods of time, her or his shelter and in some cases, not safe nor conducive to learning.

Girls in one secondary school reported not having their own living quarters (while the boys had their own block) and resorted to sleeping on mattresses on the floor of their head teacher's office.