Our Work

Prevention. Protection.
Advocacy. Response.

An integrated, evidence-informed framework for preventing child vulnerability, protecting children, and driving systems change across Africa.

Prevention

Prevention

An integrated, evidence-informed framework for preventing child vulnerability by strengthening families, promoting mental wellbeing, and mobilising communities. We deliver prevention through five interconnected models operating across the child, family, and community ecosystem.

Family Strengthening

Sustain safe, stable family environments and prevent unnecessary child-family separation. Core interventions include household economic strengthening, positive parenting and caregiver capacity building, targeted case management for at-risk households, and family tracing, reunification, and reintegration support.

LivelihoodsParentingCase Management

Mental Health

Strengthen mental wellbeing and resilience among children, caregivers, and youth. Community-based psychosocial support, trauma-informed care for children and care leavers, mental health literacy and stigma reduction campaigns, and structured referral pathways to specialised services.

MHPSSTrauma CarePeer Groups

Engagement with Expectant Mothers

Prevent child abandonment through early identification and support of vulnerable expectant mothers. Identification and enrolment of at-risk pregnant women, counselling, mentorship, life planning support, and linkages to maternal and child health services.

Pre-birth PreventionMaternal Health

Youth Engagement

Equip young people — especially vulnerable young people — with the skills, values, and economic capacity to transition into independent adulthood and practise responsible pre-parenthood. Life skills training, financial literacy, responsible pre-parenthood education, and youth-led leadership platforms.

Life SkillsEconomic Empowerment

Model Men Initiatives

Promote positive male engagement in child protection, caregiving, and family stability. Mentorship programmes for boys and young men, community dialogues on masculinity, fatherhood, and responsibility, and male champions for child protection and gender equality.

FatherhoodGender Equality
Protection

Protection Models

Safeguarding children, strengthening protective systems, and supporting safe transitions to independent living. UPLUS delivers protection through integrated models that reduce risk, respond to harm, and strengthen long-term safety systems for children, youth, and families.

Socio-Economic Protection Model (SEPM)

Reduce children's exposure to neglect, exploitation, and separation by strengthening household economic security. Cash and in-kind support, livelihoods and income-generating activities, financial inclusion through savings groups and SACCO linkages.

Economic SecuritySACCO

Safeguarding & Child Protection Systems (SCPSM)

Ensure all children are protected from abuse, neglect, exploitation, and harm across all UPLUS programmes and communities. Child safeguarding policies, community-based child protection structures, case identification, referral, and response systems.

SafeguardingChild Rights

Aftercare & Transition Support (ATSM)

Support care leavers and vulnerable youth to transition safely and successfully into independent living. Independent living preparation, transitional housing, education, vocational training and employment pathways, mentorship, counselling, and peer support networks.

Care LeaversVocational Training

ICT & Innovation for Protection (IIPM)

Leverage technology and innovation to enhance child protection, service delivery, and data-driven decision-making. Digital case management systems, mobile platforms for reporting and referrals, digital literacy and safe technology use for youth.

Digital SystemsData-Driven
Advocacy

Advocacy

Driving systems change to advance child protection, youth empowerment, and sustainable, rights-based development. We advance advocacy through evidence-based, youth-informed, and systems-oriented models that influence policy, practice, and societal norms at local, national, and global levels.

Child Care Reform & Systems Strengthening

Promote family-based care systems and strengthen national child protection frameworks to prevent unnecessary institutionalisation. Policy advocacy for deinstitutionalisation, engagement with government ministries, evidence generation from care leaver experiences.

Care ReformPolicy

Child & Youth Rights Advocacy (CYRAM)

Advance the realisation and protection of child and youth rights through awareness, accountability, and policy influence. Rights awareness campaigns, legal and policy advocacy for youth and child rights, strategic partnerships with civil society.

Child RightsAccountability

Sustainability & Systems Resilience (SSRAM)

Promote sustainable, locally driven solutions that ensure long-term impact for children, families, and communities. Advocacy for inclusive social protection and economic policies, climate and resilience-focused community engagement, promotion of sustainable livelihoods.

SustainabilityLocal Ownership

Meaningful Child & Youth Participation (MCYPM)

Ensure children and young people actively influence decisions that affect their lives at all levels. Establishment of child and youth advisory platforms, capacity building for participation and leadership, inclusion of youth in policy dialogues and decision-making spaces.

Youth VoiceParticipation
Emergency Response

Emergency Response

Protecting children, preserving families, and strengthening community resilience during and after crises. Our approach prioritises preventing separation, ensuring safe care, and strengthening resilience in situations of crisis, displacement, and climate-related shocks.

Family Separation Prevention in Emergencies (FSPEM)

Prevent unnecessary separation of children from their families during emergencies and crises. Rapid identification of vulnerable households, emergency cash and basic support, family tracing and reunification services, child protection case management during emergencies.

Family PreservationCrisis Response

Community & Family Crisis Response (CFCRM)

Provide immediate, coordinated support to families and communities affected by social, economic, or humanitarian crises. Rapid needs assessment, psychosocial support for children, youth, and caregivers, community-based protection systems and safe spaces.

HumanitarianPsychosocial

Climate Crisis Response & Resilience (CCRM)

Strengthen resilience of children, families, and communities to climate-related shocks and disasters. Climate risk awareness and preparedness training, community disaster risk reduction planning, support for climate-resilient livelihoods.

Climate ActionResilience

Help Line — Report a Concern

UPLUS operates a safeguarding and protection assurance system to ensure all reported cases are handled in a safe, ethical, and child-sensitive manner, preventing harm and protecting dignity.

🛡️
Safeguarding Framework

Safeguarding protocols, risk screening, survivor-centred response, and confidentiality safeguards aligned with international standards.

📋
Report a Concern

Case assessment and classification, individualised response planning, coordination with service providers and referral networks.

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