Uganda
The Republic of Uganda is a landlocked country situated in East Africa and bordered by six countries as well as a substantial area of Lake Victoria. It has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils and largely untapped reserves of both crude oil and natural gas. Agriculture accounts for most of Uganda’s economy.
Turbulent times followed Uganda’s independence from Britain in 1962. After a brief period of peace and relative prosperity; the administration of Idi Amin was especially traumatic. The current government of Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, has overseen relative peace and stability in most of the country -- although northern Uganda has seen a protracted conflict between rebels and government. |
| Children of War For more than 20 years in northern Uganda, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has been fighting the government. The war has created a humanitarian disaster, leaving generations of children in crisis.
LRA leader Joseph Kony created his army primarily through the violent abduction and forced enlistment of children. Nearly 25,000 children have been kidnapped by the LRA and forced to be laborers, frontline soldiers, and -- in the case of girls -- sexual slaves.
A significant number of children escaped LRA captivity or have been rescued by the Ugandan army. But they are traumatized and lack the social, educational and livelihood skills necessary to reintegrate themselves into their families and communities.
These children are frequently mistrusted or hated by their communities for what they have done, or are perceived to have done, while with the LRA. World Vision’s Children of War Centres receive and counsel former child soldiers. The Children of War Centers provide formerly abducted children with: HIV and AIDS education
Food
Medical treatment
Psychosocial counseling Vocational training
Spiritual nurture
The centres also facilitate a smooth reunion of children with their families. More than 15,000 children and adults have passed through the centres.
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Uganda has been hit particularly hard by HIV and AIDS, discovered on the shores of Lake Victoria during the early 1980s as it spread rapidly among the urban population. However, thanks to an aggressive multi-sectoral country-wide response, HIV infection rates as high as 30 percent are now significantly lower, around 5 percent.The country is now seen as a model for responding to the HIV and AIDS pandemic.
Despite this progress, HIV and AIDS has left more than one million children orphaned to AIDS and an estimated one million lives lost.
About 80% of Uganda’s population works in agriculture and subsistence farming, which are vulnerable to frequent and prolonged droughts.
World Vision in Uganda World Vision started working in Uganda in 1986, responding to the emergency needs of communities in the Luwero Triangle, the main theatre of a just concluded guerrilla war. In 1990, World Vision expanded its programming in response to the country’s then-soaring HIV and AIDs infection rate.
World Vision now operates in 37 of Uganda’s 80 districts, with 46 child-focused and community-based Area Development Programmes (ADPs) as well as 65 short-term projects which together reach a population of nearly 10 million people.
Through this work, World Vision helping communities and families in Uganda to become less impoverished and more self-reliant. These activities include:
• Promoting and replicating local responses to HIV and AIDS, supporting community-based support networks for people living with HIV and AIDS; and mobilizing local communities and churches towards positive actions on HIV and AIDS.
• helping farming families to increase their crop production, with training in improved techniques like organic farming, row cropping and soil and water conservation;
• improving community access to basic healthcare services, training and supporting local health workers, and promoting immunisation campaigns, better nutrition, hygiene and sanitation.
• supporting increased community access to education, vocational training and adult literacy classes, through the building and rehabilitation of classrooms, and the provision of school materials, uniforms and school fees.
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