Parents who adopted children want Uganda's government to fix problems with national identity cards. The current system makes it nearly impossible for kids without known birth parents to obtain official documents. Children from orphanages face major barriers when they turn 18 and try to apply for identification. The forms demand information about biological mothers and fathers that these young people simply cannot provide. This leaves thousands of Ugandans unable to participate fully as citizens.
Andrew Rugasira leads a group called the Adoptive Parents Initiative that fights for these kids. He says the paperwork assumes everyone has traceable biological families. When orphaned children cannot name their birth parents, officials reject their applications immediately. The system creates a dead end for vulnerable young people who already faced abandonment early in life.
Sheila Kawamara adopted children and sees how this problem affects entire communities. Young adults without proper identification struggle to find jobs, marry, and build normal lives. Society often rejects people who cannot prove their family background. Even wealthy and educated individuals face discrimination when they lack known relatives.
Uganda has around 2.5 million children living without proper family care. Only one percent of these kids find adoptive families each year. Barbra Nankya Mutagubya runs Sanyu Babies Home and asks more families to open their doors. She believes children belong with loving parents rather than institutions.
The current identification system punishes children for circumstances beyond their control. Reform advocates push for changes that would recognize adopted families and alternative documentation methods.
Andrew Rugasira leads a group called the Adoptive Parents Initiative that fights for these kids. He says the paperwork assumes everyone has traceable biological families. When orphaned children cannot name their birth parents, officials reject their applications immediately. The system creates a dead end for vulnerable young people who already faced abandonment early in life.
Sheila Kawamara adopted children and sees how this problem affects entire communities. Young adults without proper identification struggle to find jobs, marry, and build normal lives. Society often rejects people who cannot prove their family background. Even wealthy and educated individuals face discrimination when they lack known relatives.
Uganda has around 2.5 million children living without proper family care. Only one percent of these kids find adoptive families each year. Barbra Nankya Mutagubya runs Sanyu Babies Home and asks more families to open their doors. She believes children belong with loving parents rather than institutions.
The current identification system punishes children for circumstances beyond their control. Reform advocates push for changes that would recognize adopted families and alternative documentation methods.
