The Karamojong is a population living in the Karamoja region in the northeastern part of Uganda; this area is on the border with Kenya. Most of the individuals within this population are shepherds and farmers. Moreover, extreme poverty, which is particularly widespread in the region, is one of the factors that in recent years has pushed these people to leave the countryside to seek better living conditions in the cities.
In Kampala, Uganda's capital, many Karamojong children live on the streets or in slums, such as the one in Katwe. Specifically, the Katwe slum is not far from the city centre and is inhabited by about 2,000 people, including 600 children. Sanitary conditions are extremely precarious, and about 30% of the children are HIV positive. Generally, these kids try to survive by asking for alms. Furthermore, they walk the streets of the city because they attempt to collect beans or other products that may fall from the trucks.
It is for them that the Community of Sant'Egidio has started a School of Peace. Hence, the objective is to allow the children of Katwe to study and to help them build a better life away from the streets. The initiative has been welcomed with great enthusiasm by the Karamojong families, who still continue to hope for the future of their children despite the conditions of great poverty.
There are 600 children who live in extreme poverty in the slum located on the outskirts of Kampala
