The Child Restoration Outreach (CRO) in Mbale City is purportedly under sale by the owners of the building. The CRO, popularly known as a child training centre, has served thousands of street children in Mbale City and beyond, equipping many with essential survival and community skills, such as petty businesses, especially the sale of padlocks, after rehabilitation. Others have been encouraged to return to school and have received financial support for their education.
The Child Restoration Outreach was established as a philanthropic center meant to equip street children in Mbale Town with skills to lead decent lives, particularly those displaced by cattle raiding activities in Karamoja who sought refuge on the streets of Mbale Town. Over time, children from various districts of Masabaland, including those unaffected by cattle raiding and insurgencies, have also benefited from the NGO’s services.
The motives behind the organization’s sale to YY Bus Services remain unclear, as no one was willing to be interviewed for this sensitive story. Unconfirmed sources suggest that the donors lost interest in the project.
There is resistance to the sale of the building among many Bamasaba people, who believe that funds invested in such projects are typically raised in the name of the Bamasaba community. It is considered improper to sell such an asset. Hajj Mansa Musa suggests that instead of selling, the building should be given to Inzu Ya Masaba, a view shared by Betty Mabonga, a former probation officer of Mbale District Local Government.
Recent reports from the Daily Monitor highlight the alarming rise of HIV cases among teenage street children in Mbale City due to the absence of organizations available to counsel and advise these vulnerable children. The collapse of such a critical unit like the CRO would undermine all efforts aimed at protecting street children.
The Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development must promptly investigate this illegal sale. Although statistics on the number of street children are hard to come by, ocular observations indicate that there are hundreds of them. Many engage in illegal activities such as homosexuality, petty theft, and prostitution, while others resort to sleeping on the streets or consuming alcohol excessively throughout the night.
