Legal Aid for Children in Northern Uganda War Child Canada's Legal Aid Project in northern Uganda has recently obtained additional funding from the Canadian Government, through the Global Peace and Security Fund (managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs). The funding will allow War Child Canada (WCC) to extend its legal and child rights activities to Lira, Kitgum and Pader. Activities include: training and sensitization on child rights and sexual gender based violence; traditional dispute resolution and mediation; and, advocacy and legal representation of vulnerable groups of children. The project will target local actors in the justice and law and order sectors, as well as communities (including children and youth). The extension of WCC activities will provide capacity building in the areas of child rights, protection and justice and also work towards reintegrating and reconciling vulnerable groups within these areas.

War Child Canada has for the past several years been working in close partnership with the Ugandan Law Society Legal Aid Project (LAP) in Gulu, providing direct legal aid to conflict-affected children and youth. WCC and LAP are also implementing programs that promote - to both children and communities - greater awareness and understanding of children's rights in the context of the ongoing instability in the north. The Legal Aid Project also provides training to local legal structures in Gulu, including the police, probation and welfare officers, and local courts on their roles and responsibilities to protect these rights.

Helping Women Help Themselves in Afghanistan The Afghan Women's Community Support Project is an initiative designed in cooperation with the Afghanistan Women Council (AWC), a local women's community organization. AWC provides women with education, training and the necessary support to become empowered, engaged members of society and, in turn, better the lives of their children. During the first two phases of the project, 200 women completed vocational skills courses, micro-finance training and received loans. Participants from the first two phases have now launched and are running their own small businesses such as tailoring, blanket-making, vending of baked goods and vending of dairy products. They actively participate in Village Organization (VO) meetings where they convene with their peers and AWC staff to discuss the progress of their businesses and to submit their loan payments. Community involvement is also sought as a means of securing the sustainability of the project. Through the life-span of this project, AWC has developed strong relationships with other local and international NGOs thus increasing their capacity.s with other local and international NGOs thus increasing their capacity.s with other local and international NGOs thus increasing their capacity.s with other local and international NGOs thus increasing their capacity.

Women who have participated in the project report an improvement in their physical and psychosocial well-being. Their financial independence is also greatly enhanced. This has positively impacted the role they are able to play within their families and communities.

A recent monitoring and evaluation mission completed by an external consultant confirmed that AWC are implementing an effective project providing important training and services to vulnerable women in Afghanistan. The project has achieved positive results and will have a long-standing impact on the lives of women and their communities.

Hamilton's Westdale Secondary School 'Keeps the Beat' for the Democratic Republic of Congo As part of its domestic outreach program, War Child Canada's annual fundraiser, Keep the Beat, provides youth with the opportunity to make a valuable contribution to the organization's projects just by playing music. For the third year in a row, students and teachers at Westdale Secondary School in Hamilton, Ontario have raised an outstanding amount of funds for War Child Canada. This year's event raised an unprecedented $17,500 and Westdale's grand total over three years has reached $34,000 in support of war-affected children around the world.

As a result of their outstanding efforts, Westdale students have enabled the rehabilitation and reconstruction of two schools destroyed by conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Makobola and Nakiele Primary Schools have been successfully rebuilt and the children who were robbed of their right to education now have the opportunity to return to school. In addition to these schools, War Child Canada has also reconstructed another eight schools in the DRC and continues to identify other schools in the region which were impacted by the conflict.