Uganda (view map)

Uganda remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Over half of the 30 million people who live their survive on $1.25 a day and the average annual income is just $455 per year.

Poverty is predominant in the north, particularly amongst subsistence farmers who have been badly affected by civil war which has raged since 1986 between Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels and the Ugandan armed forces.

The LRA has been responsible for countless massacres and atrocities during its raids on villages. An estimated 1.46 million people have fled their homes to escape the violence and are now living in temporary camps.

The conflict has seen the abduction of over 25,000 young boys and girls by the LRA. Abductees are forced to become child soldiers and 'wives' of the commanders.

The fear of abductions in northern Uganda led to a phenomenon known as ‘Night Commuters’ which saw children take refuge in secured compounds before sunset and stay during the night before returning home to their families in the morning at sunrise.

The political situation took a positive turn in 2008 with the signing of a cease-fire between the LRA and the Ugandan government. Talks between the two sides are ongoing for a final peace agreement, however thousands of people remain in the camps, too frightened to return to their villages for fear the LRA will attack again.

The development challenges facing Uganda include the resettlement of the internally displaced population, rehabilitation, reintegration and resettlement of former child soldiers and abductees into their communities, establishing local sustainable peace building initiatives, settling conflict over the ownership of land between returnees and current occupants, addressing HIV and AIDS, and promoting agricultural development and disaster management particularly in relation to environmental disasters such as widespread flooding in 2007.

Despite the long-running civil conflict in the north, Uganda has experienced significant economic growth in the last decade with the country’s main exports including coffee, fish products, tea, flowers and cotton. They have also made substantial progress towards achieving a number of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals.

Uganda’s Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP) of 2004 outlined objectives for eliminating poverty and becoming a middle income country in the next twenty years. Around 82% of children were enrolled in primary school in 2007 and positive progress has been made in health with 91% of children under 1 year old being immunised against measles in 2007.

The country has won praise for its vigorous campaign against HIV/AIDS with prevalence of the virus falling from 10% of the population to approximately 6.4% during the last ten years. It is estimated that over 1,000,000 people are living with HIV.

SCIAF has been supporting partners in Uganda since 1981 and works with local organisations at the grass roots level to promote HIV/AIDS reduction, peace and justice, and sustainable livelihoods. At present, SCIAF is working with six partners in Uganda and supplied grants totaling over £155,000 over the period of 2008/2009.