A brutal dictatorship in the 1970s and 20 years of civil strife in the northern part of the country have severely marked Uganda. Most of those displaced by the war have since returned to their home areas, but are facing a social infrastructure in ruins and a lack of means to earn a living. Uganda is struggling with extreme poverty, climate variability, food insecurity, inadequate infrastructure and human rights abuses.
DWS Uganda has been implementing relief and development programs since 1979. The program has expanded and adapted to meet the changing needs of communities across the country. DWS Uganda assists internally placed persons in northern – Kitgum and Pader – and northeastern – Katakwi – districts of the country as they return home and begin rebuilding their lives. In Sembabule district in southern Uganda, it works with people living with HIV and affected by AIDS, and helps slum dwellers in Kampala and Jinja form savings groups.
Current focus areas include:
- Sustainable livelihoods
- Water and sanitation
- Emergency response
- Environment
- HIV and AIDS
HIV and AIDS are key cross-cutting issues addressed in many DWS Uganda projects.
Sustainable Livelihoods
DWS Uganda works with individuals and entire communities to create, maintain and expand livelihoods, laying the foundation for a sustainable future. The program assists families in securing a reliable food supply, and in growing and marketing surplus crops. It also provides opportunities for children and young people to attend school and obtain vocational training.
Water and Sanitation
To ensure reliable community access to clean, safe water, DWS Uganda drills and rehabilitates boreholes and trains users’ committees to manage them. It provides tools for communities to construct latrines, and educates hygiene promoters and village health teams on the importance of good hygiene and sanitation. The program targets community ownership of projects to ensure long-term sustainability.
Emergency Response
DWS Uganda helps communities prepare for human-made and natural disasters, such as drought, flooding and conflict. When an emergency occurs, DWS Uganda moves as rapidly as possible to meet the immediate needs of those most affected. In the longer-term, the program supports rehabilitation efforts to rebuild lives and restore livelihoods.
Environment
DWS Uganda works to raise awareness about good environmental practices to counter the depletion of natural resources, intense land exploitation and a lack of conservation measures. DWS Uganda contributes to desperately needed reforestation efforts through the support of locally managed tree nurseries where community members can obtain seedlings for planting.
HIV and AIDS
A DWS Uganda sub-program in Sembabule focuses on HIV and AIDS, helping to raise awareness, encourage behavior change and build community capacity to combat the epidemic and care for those living with HIV or affected by AIDS. Activities include support for child-headed and one-parent households, health education outreach, income generation, and training for AIDS counselors.
For more information please contact:
Dr Colette Bouka-Coula, Program Officer
Mr Jesse Kamstra, Country Representative
See Also
LWF/DWS Uganda and Burundi Web Site | Department for World Service | DWS Country, Regional and Associate Programs | DWS AIDS Work Reports on Facebook
