ABOUT ECCA UGANDA

ECCA's founding member, both a survivor and specialist in gender based violence has, since the late 1990's, been concerned about the problem of gender based violence and how it undermines the national development agenda. While working in this field she identified a group of male and female human rights activists and child welfare practitioners with similar interests and founded Empower Children and Communities against Abuse (ECCA) to empower children, men and women to work together against all forms of gender based violence.

Most definitions view Gender Based Violence (GBV) as caused by men on women or girls. Over the years, the interventions developed to address GBV focus on treating its effects and empowering women to fight the problem, forgetting a critical piece in the puzzle; the men.

ECCA, an indigenous non profit organization, views GBV in a much broader sense, defining it as 'All forms of violence that target anyone on the basis of their gender.'

Our Vision

A world free of gender based violence (GBV).

Our Mission

Empower children, men and women, to work together against all forms of gender based violence.

Our Approach  

ECCA's approach draws from its member's personal and professional experiences in GBV and a range of fields. We promote the proactive participation of men in the design and implementation of GBV prevention interventions. These interventions emphasize that the inclusion of men and boys in GBV prevention initiatives will provide more meaningful solutions to a problem deeply engrained in our culture.

ECCA continuously collects evidence on GBV in a gender sensitive and professional way. Since 2001 we have carried out an analysis of the print media on cause, effects, prevalence and trends in GBV. In 2004 we conducted a research in Rakai district, in the south west of Uganda , and found startling statistics and facts on GBV.

ECCA's interventions are set to re-define the way victims, professionals, government, non-government and private for-profit institutions perceive and approach GBV.

Our Nature

ECCA is an indigenous, non-political, not-for-profit, membership organization. Our membership is comprised of male and female human rights activists and child welfare practitioners who are survivors of GBV and bring a wealth of practitioner experience from various fields. ECCA does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender or ethnic origin and is locally registered with Non Governmental Organization Board.

Our Values and Principles

Rights and Responsibilities

We recognize that children, women and men are to be protected from all forms of gender based violence.

Self help

We work with the conviction that all individuals are capable of helping themselves out of negative circumstances, if provided with an empowering environment.

Equal participation

Marginalization of men and boys in gender based violence prevention initiatives makes the world more unsafe for women and girls.

Productivity

Wealth creation and wealth management skills by women at household level are a critical steps in gender based violence prevention.

Integrity

We demonstrate the highest level of integrity in all our interventions with clients, partners, fellow staff and wider community.

Equity

We believe that people irrespective of gender, race or ethnic background, have a right to social justice.

Service above self

In all we do, we aim to serve the best interests of clients and state.