Join the Movement to Protect Childhood & Promote Choice

HACM is a non-discriminative organisation that ensures diversity is realised at all times. We advocate for fairness, equality, and dignity for all people, including persons with disabilities.

We work together as one team — staff, volunteers, partners, and the communities we serve — combining our different skills, experiences, and perspectives. By collaborating openly and supporting one another, we achieve far more for children than any of us could alone.

HACM takes full responsibility for its work and remains accountable and answerable to community stakeholders, donors, and partners during its existence and implementation.

We operate with openness and honesty, ensuring that our decisions and actions are clear to all community stakeholders and partners.

The I Belong to School is a community and school based child protection and education initiative that responds directly to the interconnected challenge that prevents children from accessing, remaining in, and completing education safely.

Through the engagement of both out of school and in schools children and young people in interactive, informative and visioning sessions. We work with girls and boys to prevent and end child marriage and it's associated problems to keep children in schools.

Hands Against Child Marriage recognised that child marriage is linked with other pressing social issues such as poverty, early pregnancy, and child labour, school dropout and harmful social norms among others that often creates cycles of vulnerability. We therefore, work to disrupt these cycles and strengthen child protection, promote child participation and create supportive schools and community environments where girls and boys can stay in school.

Key activities

• Life skills and mentorship
• Trauma Healing circles
• Case Management
• Sports, art and creative learning
• Survivor advocacy
• Body autonomy and age-appropriate information sharing
• Referral and support services
• Education support for vulnerable children
• Hands on skill based training
• Menstrual Health Management
• Community dialogues

My Birthday, Their Future, formerly Birthday for a Cause, is a community initiative by Hands Against Child Marriage (HACM) that transforms personal celebrations into opportunities to support and uplift children. Through this initiative, HACM staff, supporters, and partners celebrate birthdays with children in selected communities, creating meaningful moments that foster care, connection, and wellbeing.

The celebrations bring together children, caregivers, staff, and well-wishers for games, encouragement, and purposeful engagement. Child-friendly sessions on body autonomy, safety, and protection are also conducted to help children build confidence and awareness.

To extend the impact beyond the celebration itself, fundraising campaigns are organized in advance of each event to provide essential support items for children and families. Through collective action, every birthday becomes a meaningful investment in children's future.

The Learning, Networking, and Knowledge Exchange program is designed to strengthen the skills, knowledge, professional growth, and collaboration of young professionals and partners in child protection. Through this initiative, Hands Against Child Marriage (HACM) provides volunteering and internship opportunities that equip young professionals and recent graduates with practical experience, mentorship, and exposure to real-world child protection work. Participants actively engage in program planning and implementation, case management, workshops, trainings, conferences, webinars, and other learning platforms, creating opportunities to build expertise, gain new perspectives, and develop a deeper understanding of emerging issues affecting children and communities.

Through professional engagements, participants are exposed to shared resources, practical tools, and diverse perspectives that enhance learning and professional growth. The program creates opportunities for new knowledge to be introduced and innovative approaches to be explored in addressing child protection challenges. It promotes a culture of continuous learning, unlearning, and relearning, ensuring that both Hands Against Child Marriage staff and participating professionals remain informed, adaptable, and equipped with best practices to respond effectively to the evolving needs of children and communities.

Social Worker & Child Protection Advocate

Founder, Hands Against Child Marriage

Hajarah Namawejje is a dedicated Social Worker and Child Protection Advocate committed to promoting the safety, dignity, and well-being of children and vulnerable communities. With professional experience in the NGO sector, she works at the intersection of social justice, community empowerment, and safeguarding.

At Hands Against Child Marriage (HACM), Hajarah contributes to the design and implementation of community-driven initiatives aimed at preventing child marriage, addressing gender-based violence, and strengthening child protection systems. Her work focuses on tackling the root causes of vulnerability, including harmful social norms, economic challenges, and limited access to education and essential services.

She believes that effective social work goes beyond direct service delivery it requires advocacy, collaboration, and systems transformation. Hajarah is passionate about engaging communities, empowering young people, and promoting prevention centered approaches that create long-term impact. Through awareness rising, safeguarding efforts, and strategic partnerships, she supports initiatives that ensure children grow up in safe and supportive environments.

Guided by a strong commitment to social change, Hajarah continues to champion inclusive, community led solutions that protect children and promote equity, justice, and opportunity for all.

Trauma Healing Facilitator & Survivor Advocate

Community Development & Social Justice Practitioner

Magumbye Felix is a trauma-informed Community Development and Social Justice practitioner, survivor advocate, and youth leader based in Uganda. A Trauma Healing Facilitator and Survivor Advocate supporting the prevention, healing, and justice responses to childhood sexual violence. Magumbye also has a remarkable experience working with young people, women and children on issues surrounding sexual reproductive health and rights, menstrual hygiene and mental health as a peer educator and staff support in many renowned civil society organisations in Kampala and Bugiri (Uganda). Felix is a survivor of child marriage an experience which robbed him of childhood, it is from this background that motivate him to support, protect and create a safer world for children.

Felix is a certified mental health advocate and trainer through the Nivishe Mental Health Fellowship (Cohort 5) and a Sprout Fellow (Cohort 2.0). He is a generational systems leader whom among others featured in a short film produced by the Global Youth-Led Movement on Ending Violence Against Children, created for the launch of the World Health Organization's first-ever report on the public health impact of corporal punishment of children (August 2025).

Magumbye is a freelancing graphic designer and a young business entrepreneur venturing into cosmetics, fashion and design and small-scale agribusiness farming.

Professional Barber, Social Worker & Entrepreneur

Founder, MMJ Barbershop

Mutumire Muzamiruh is a professional barber, social worker, and entrepreneur, and the founder of MMJ Barbershop. He is deeply committed to driving positive change within communities, with a strong focus on ending child abuse and early marriage. Through his voice, lived experiences, and platforms, Muzamiruh actively educates, mentors, and empowers young people to realize their potential.

His contribution to HACM promotes children's awareness to self-reliance, discipline, and the protection of their rights. He is dedicated to equipping young people with practical skills and knowledge through mentorship, social work and advocacy.

Social Worker & Child Rights Advocate

Project Officer, Hands Against Child Marriage

Mabala Emma is a Social Worker, he leads community-based initiatives aimed at preventing child marriage/childhood sexual violence and promoting the rights of young people. Mabala works closely with community stakeholders to raise awareness, empower vulnerable girls, and advocate for education and child protection.

Emma's role reflects a strongly to social justice, youth empowerment, and creating safe, supportive environments where children and adolescents are given channels to air out their pressing concerns hence changing the narratives about childhood sexual violence.

Communications & Storytelling Specialist

BA, Mass Communication & Journalism — Kampala University

Onjia Racheal is our Communications Associate with expertise in strategic communication, storytelling, content development, media engagement, and public relations. She also works as a Branch Manager at Conversion Feeds Ltd. And holds a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Kampala University.

Through storytelling and writing, she contributes to creating awareness and supporting efforts aimed at ending child marriage and teenage pregnancy while promoting the well-being of young people. Her interests include music, theatre, helping others, and connecting with people through impactful communication. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, hanging out with friends, and reading books.

Community Development Practitioner & SRH Advocate

BA, Community Development & Social Justice

Gimbo Irene is a dedicated community development practitioner passionate about social justice and youth empowerment. With a Bachelor's degree in Community Development and Social Justice, she serves as an Sexual Reproductive Health advocate and peer educator at Hands Against Child Marriage, where she works closely with communities and survivors on case management, trauma awareness and promote the rights and well-being of children and young people.

Her participation in the Transformative Communication in SRHR Alliance trainings strengthened her ability to use communication as a powerful tool for influencing change and improving lives.

Thank you for choosing to support Hands Against Child Marriage. 100% of public donations directly fund our grassroots child protection and survivor-centered programs.

International Giving

We accept transfers/donations through Western Union, MoneyGram, & PayPal — only through the founders (Namawejje Hajarah & Magumbye Felix).