My name is Suzan Nantaba, and I’m a Community Education Officer with Rescue One More in Kampala, Uganda. I help run our child abuse prevention and awareness program in Uganda.

I want to share a moment from last month that I’m still carrying with me, because it represents exactly why we walk into schools in the first place.

In April, our team spent a morning at Progress Junior School. We sat down with over 1,000 students to talk openly about child protection—sexual abuse, exploitation, and violence.

We named what should never be a secret. We taught every child how to say no, how to report abuse, and how to seek help.

And then we listened.

A young girl stood up, took the microphone, and said:

“My advice to young girls out there is that you should not be scared to report something bad. Just be audible. Report to elders and run for help.”

She is already braver than many of the adults around her.

That is the work. That is the reason we walk into a school in the first place—so that one day a child will have the language for the unspeakable, and the courage to use it.

Why Child Abuse Prevention in Uganda Matters

But a child’s bravery is only the beginning.

For a disclosure to lead to safety, the adults around that child must be ready to receive it.

That’s why Rescue One More doesn’t only teach children. We also train teachers, school administrators, parents, community leaders, and other adults on how to prevent, recognize, and report child abuse.

Creating safer communities requires everyone to understand their role in protecting children.

What We Teach Parents, Teachers, and Community Leaders

For parents, safeguarding starts at home. We encourage them to use correct names for body parts, know every adult who has access to their child, have regular conversations about safety, and believe their child if they disclose abuse.

Teachers learn how to identify warning signs, create safer learning environments, respond appropriately to disclosures, and follow reporting procedures that protect children.

Local leaders, including LC1 officials, receive training on Uganda’s child protection laws, their legal responsibilities to report abuse, and the dangers of settling cases privately instead of pursuing justice through the proper legal channels.

Building a Culture of Protection

The little girl who stood up to speak that day reminded me of something important:

Children are often ready to tell the truth long before adults are ready to hear it.

Our job is to change that.

Every school we visit, every parent we train, and every community leader we equip brings us one step closer to a future where children are believed, protected, and supported when they speak up.

Because child protection is not only about teaching children to find their voice.

It’s about making sure someone is ready to listen when they use it.

At Rescue One More, we are committed to building that culture of protection across Uganda—one school, one family, and one brave voice at a time.

In April 2025, a 14-year-old girl in Kampala was moments away from throwing herself into oncoming traffic when a security officer intervened and rescued her. That moment changed everything.

We’ll call her Clara*.

Clara’s story reflects both the devastating realities facing vulnerable children in Uganda, and the life-saving power of timely intervention, coordinated justice, and long-term care.

A Child in Crisis

Clara had been living alone with her stepfather while her mother was temporarily away due to marital challenges. Her stepfather was sexually abusing her.

When Clara courageously reported the abuse to school authorities, he withdrew her from school, and the abuse continued. Desperate and seeing no way out, Clara ran away and tried to end her life.

Thanks to the quick action of a concerned security officer, Clara was brought to the Central Police Station, where Rescue One More’s Central Community Action Team (C-CAT) was immediately notified.

Rapid Response, Coordinated Protection

Within hours, a Rescue One More social worker arrived to provide support and help conduct a child-friendly interview. Clara disclosed the abuse, and her stepfather was arrested. He later admitted to the crime.

A home assessment determined that returning Clara to her mother’s residence was unsafe. Child Protective Services (known as the Probation & Social Welfare Office in Uganda) referred her to Rescue One More’s safe house, where she received care, counseling, and protection.

This swift, coordinated response is exactly why Community Action Teams matter. When police, child protective services, legal advocates, doctors, and counselors work together, children don’t have to navigate trauma or the justice system alone.

Justice That Brings Safety and Healing

Clara’s case moved quickly through the justice system because it was actively followed and supported.

When the perpetrator applied for bail in the Magistrate’s Court, our C-CATs legal advisor and administrator were there to successfully oppose his release. The judge denied bail after learning the case was being closely monitored.

The case later advanced to Uganda’s High Court. Although the perpetrator sought a plea bargain with a 15-year sentence, our legal advisor and administrator pushed for a sentence that better reflected the severity of the crime. The judge ultimately sentenced him to 22 years in prison—the longest sentence Rescue One More has seen to date.

Because the perpetrator accepted responsibility, Clara was spared the trauma of testifying in court.

Justice, in this case, was not only punitive, it was protective. It ensured Clara’s safety and reinforced that children are believed and valued.

A New Beginning

Today, Clara is emotionally stable and actively engaged in counseling. She participates in mentorship, connects with other children at the shelter, and is no longer living in fear.

Rescue One More has identified extended family members who are prepared to provide Clara with a safe, loving home. As part of the reunification process, our team is providing counseling and psychosocial support to ensure Clara’s long-term well-being.

None of this is possible without supporters who believe that children deserve safety, justice, and the chance to heal. Thank you for standing with vulnerable children like Clara and giving them the chance at the life they deserve.

Name changed to protect identity.

When Jane* first arrived at our safe house a year ago, you may not have guessed she was 14 years old. Having endured unimaginable abuse for as long as she could remember, this tiny, withdrawn girl was suffering from severe trauma on top of incontinence and malnutrition that stunted her growth.

Abandoned by her mother and unable to be cared for by her bedridden father, she lived with a non-relative caretaker who allowed years of abuse by multiple perpetrators. Never having attended school or having the opportunity to interact with other children, she was kept hidden away.

I first met her last summer, shortly after she arrived at the shelter. While the other children flocked to me for hugs, Jane seemed to shrink into shadows, hiding from a world that had shown her only cruelty.

But love changes everything.

By November, Jane surprised me with a warm hug, the first display of affection I’d seen from her. Medical treatment had addressed her incontinence, while counseling and constant encouragement from our staff began healing her wounded spirit. She started interacting with other children, even smiling and laughing.

During my most recent visit (June 2025), Jane was among the first girls at the gate to greet me. No longer hiding, she’d become a “big sister” to newer arrivals. After reading about David and Goliath and chatting with the girls about how to fight our own giants, Jane pulled me aside with tears in her eyes.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “I once had no hope for a future. Now I have big dreams. I feel love for the first time.”

I’m not the one you should be thanking, I thought. This hope, these dreams, this love…it’s all because of God. He delivered you from your enemies just like he delivered David from Goliath. He turned a shepherd boy into a king. I can’t imagine what he has planned for you.

While she has come a long way, the road ahead remains uncertain for Jane. She’s still hesitant about testifying against her abusers for fear that they’ll stop funding her father’s medical care. And, after a year of searching, our social workers still haven’t found a safe and loving family to resettle her with.

But the transformation is undeniable. She’s no longer the withdrawn girl who once hid in shadows. She’s a vibrant young woman who greets visitors with open arms and mentors younger children.

Through supporters like you, we continue providing the love and safety that makes this healing possible, trusting that the same God who delivered David from Goliath and made him king will work mightily in Jane’s life, too.

Thank you for your continued support.

*Name changed for protection

Most mornings, we wake up to messages from our team in Uganda. They are often accompanied by photos of the incredible work they are doing in the field.

Today, one photo stood out to me: a simple, heartfelt message scribbled on a bed in one of our shelters.

I found myself staring at it for a while, deeply moved by its significance.

I can’t help but think that one of the young girls, after finding sanctuary and safety here, left this sweet, unspoken mark of hope. The most beautiful kind of graffiti.

As I looked at that photo, I was reminded of a passage in Matthew 16. It tells of Jesus leading his followers to Caesarea Philippi. Here chaos, rituals, and sacrifices to Pan and other Roman gods took place.

To appease the gods, the sacrifices were thrown into a pit known as the “gates of Hades.” It was here that Jesus told Peter, “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

Sarah and I visited this very site three years ago.

As I stared at the photo of that simple message scribbled on a bed, I couldn’t help but draw a parallel: one little girl, saved from the very gates of Hell, is reminding us that darkness will not prevail.

That is to say, in every child we rescue and in every life we touch, we are witnessing a victory in God’s kingdom.

Because of your support, we can continue building something that can outshine the darkness and overcome evil. 

Thank you for helping us overcome the gates of hell.

Scott Lambie
CEO & Co-Founder, 
Rescue One More

We want to introduce you to the first child we rescued. Meet 9-year-old Flora*. Flora is a fun-loving, precocious, and energetic child. You’d never know from meeting her that she’d experienced a brutal attack.

Right now, children’s lives are in danger. Girls who’ve reported cases of abuse or escaped trafficking are living in fear for their lives.

Girls like 5-year-old Tisha* who was being abused in her home by a family member.

Earlier this month (April 2022), a child rapist was arrested in Mukono, Uganda, a bustling town on the outskirts of the capital city, Kampala. Like a predator, he laid in wait to pounce on the next innocent, defenseless, and vulnerable child who wandered across his path.