Uganda

Vocational training college

Unlike the south of Uganda, the north has seen very little development due to conflict and instability. But now there is peace and families are beginning to return. They must rebuild houses, public buildings and roads, and develop farmland. There is government money available but a skilled workforce is needed.  Training local people to fill this need will also boost the local economy.

WER is supporting  a vocational training college in Lira, northern Uganda.

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Dental Healthcare

In partnership with All Nations Christian Care (ANCC), WER is providing free dental treatment to people living in IDP (internally displaced persons) camps and villages in northern Uganda. This is enabling large numbers of people who would otherwise be unable to afford dental care to gain access to quality oral health care.

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Secondary School Education

Northern Uganda has been severely affected by more than two decades of conflict. Frequent attacks on villages by the rebel group Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), during which children were often abducted and forcefully recruited as child soldiers, led many people to flee in fear to the harsh conditions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. Many schools were evacuated and the school education of large numbers of children has been interrupted.

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Community Water Provision

Many communities in developing countries do not have access to clean and safe water and, consequently, are exposed to potentially fatal water-borne diseases. WER, in partnership with All Nations Christian Care (ANCC), has provided several water bore holes in the region of Northern Uganda and two in the Jinja area, to the east of Kampala.

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Humanitarian Aid

WER is providing humanitarian aid to people in northern Uganda who have suffered enormously at the hands of rebel activity. Working with All Nations Christian Care (ANCC) and World Response, WER has helped to distribute tents, supplementary food and vital medical supplies to families living in IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps and surrounding villages.

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Uganda

Uganda, often referred to as the 'Pearl of Africa', has one of the fastest growing economies in Africa and has benefited tremendously from significant social development over the past 25 years. During the state-sponsored violence that occurred under the rule of military dictator Idi Amin in the 1970s and Milton Obote in the early 80s, an estimated 500,000 Ugandans were killed and many more foreigners were expelled from the country. Following the inauguration of President Museveni in 1986, the standard of living for many Ugandans has significantly increased.

A pressing issue for the Ugandan government has been establishing peace with the rebel group known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), which has been responsible for massacres and raids across northern Uganda for over twenty years. Led by Joseph Kony, LRA’s violence has forced up to two million people to flee their homes in terror and to seek refuge in cramped and unsanitary camps. Tens of thousands of people have been killed or maimed and an estimated 20,000 children have been abducted and forcibly recruited as slaves or soldiers for the rebel army.

Although recent peace negotiations between LRA and the government have allowed large numbers of displaced to return to their homes, the needs of these people are still very high as many towns and villages have been completely destroyed during the conflict. Basic infrastructure, including safe water supplies and sanitation facilities, is severely lacking in a number of areas, and poverty remains widespread.

While HIV/AIDS is an ongoing developmental challenge for Ugandan people, the government has made great progress in reducing the number of new HIV infections through a vigorous awareness campaign. The HIV/AIDS infection rate has dropped from 30% in the 1990s to under 10% today.

Uganda continues to enjoy a growing tourist industry, with the presence of mountain gorillas and the River Nile attracting large numbers of tourists from across the world to the country each year.

The most recent Human Development Report ranks Uganda at 157 out of 182 countries, with a low human development rating status. The Human Development Index (HDI) value is 0.541 compared to the HDI of the UK, which is 0.946.

WER works in Uganda in partnership with African Health Foundation and All Nations Christian Care (ANCC).