BUDUDA, Uganda — A three-year community-driven initiative aimed at eliminating child labour in coffee-growing communities has recorded remarkable progress in Bududa District, bringing renewed hope to families living on the slopes of Mount Elgon.
The RESOURCE Project — Raising Economic and Social Security in Agriculture for Child Labour Eradication — implemented by Cordaid in partnership with Global March Against Child Labour and supported by Bread for the World, has officially concluded after significantly improving livelihoods and increasing school retention among vulnerable children.
The project directly supported 300 smallholder farming households and two pilot schools — Bukalasi COU Primary School and Buchunya Primary School — by addressing the major drivers of child labour, including poverty, food insecurity, weak monitoring systems, and limited institutional support.
Baseline findings collected in March 2024 revealed a worrying situation, with 80 percent of surveyed households reporting that at least one school-going child was engaged in coffee plantation work. Out of 303 households surveyed, 563 children were identified as working, with an average age of 12 years. Girls accounted for 53 percent of the affected children.
The findings further showed that the six-to-eight-week overlap between the coffee harvesting season and the third school term often forced many children out of classrooms and into farm work. Across Bududa District, more than 45,000 children remain out of school, largely due to hunger and labour demands on farms.
However, endline surveys conducted among 196 respondents indicate significant improvement. In Bukalasi, 93 percent of respondents reported a noticeable decline in the risk of child labour, reflecting changing attitudes and practices within the community.
Community members who participated in focus group discussions said child labour is increasingly being rejected, with neighbours now reporting cases whenever they occur.
“Child labour is no longer accepted in the community,” participants noted.
The Headteacher of Bukalasi COU Primary School, Waleba Charles, said the project has strengthened accountability and improved school attendance.
“Learners now fear dropping out because child labour monitors will follow up on them,” he said.
The project adopted an integrated Area-Based Approach (ABA), focusing on farmer empowerment, nutrition and school retention, monitoring systems, and institutional partnerships.
Under the farmer empowerment programme, 40 lead farmers — both women and men — were trained in modern agronomy, terracing, organic farming, post-harvest handling, and income diversification. Each trained farmer later transferred the knowledge to at least 10 neighbouring farmers, creating a strong multiplier effect across the community.
Women farmers, in particular, reported improved productivity, with some doubling yields on small plots measuring less than 0.2 hectares.
To improve nutrition and keep children in school, school gardens and feeding programmes were introduced in the two pilot schools, achieving full participation in school feeding initiatives.
Angel, the Head Girl at Buchunya Primary School, said the feeding programme greatly improved concentration and academic performance among learners.
“Before the school feeding programme, I often stayed hungry throughout the day. Now I can stay focused and my academic performance is steadily improving,” she said.
The project also strengthened child protection systems through the training of 47 community and school monitors under the Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMS), enabling early identification and support for vulnerable children.
Institutional collaboration was another major achievement, with a Memorandum of Understanding signed with Bududa District Local Government. Partnerships were also established with Gumutindo and Bushika cooperatives, alongside the Uganda Coffee Development Authority.
Farmers say the interventions introduced under the project are sustainable and will continue benefiting communities even after the project’s closure.
“The farming practices we adopted, such as terracing and organic farming, will continue, and the savings groups formed are still active,” farmers in Bukalasi said.
Namwenya Mereth, a lead farmer from Buchunya, credited the project with improving household income and food security.
“RESOURCE transformed my farm from low yields into a better source of income and food for my family,” she said.
Robert Wamboyo, a coffee and banana farmer, LC1 chairperson, and father of 12 from Butsebangwe in Bukalasi, also benefited from the programme after becoming a Trainer of Trainers. He now earns UGX 20,000 daily from training fellow farmers and expects better harvests in the coming season.
Although 60 percent of households reported a reduction in child labour risks, more than half of respondents acknowledged that some children still work during peak harvest periods, highlighting the need for sustained interventions.
Project leaders, however, described the greatest achievement as the transformation in community attitudes toward child labour.
“Child labour is not just a farming problem, but also a household and community issue. Addressing all the drivers together in one area at the same time has been critical,” project leaders noted.
Uganda produces nearly 10 percent of the world’s coffee, with the crop contributing about 25 percent of the country’s foreign exchange earnings.
Stakeholders say the RESOURCE Project now provides a practical model that can be replicated in other coffee-growing regions to protect children, improve household livelihoods, and keep more children in school.
