Karamoja Women Umbrella Organisation (KAWUO) is a women’s network that was formed in 2007 in the Karamoja region by grassroot women to build and promote the local women’s participation in democratic governance and leadership, access to justice, economic empowerment and HIV/AIDS prevention. KAWUO enables indigenous women of Karamoja to participate in advocacy, capacity building, networking and partnership.
KAWUO enables trained youth, including young men, to be catalysts for community change in gender norms and child protection, taking the lead in outreach/door to door sensitisation and peer to peer support on child trafficking and child marriage, enabling vigilance, referrals and action in cases of exploitation. KAWUO works with local leaders, elected councillors and elders to enable them to be champions of child protection—identifying and resolving cases—and transforming discriminatory gender norms.