Uganda
Our work in Uganda
Global Helping Hands focuses on those living in Uganda’s most remote areas, where little assistance is available. We hope to provide villages with regular food, clean water, and shelter through our volunteer team on the ground.
In the eastern part of Uganda, we are currently working in the districts of Butebo, Buterejja, Kibuku, and Budaka. People are forced to fetch water from unprotected wells, streams, and ponds in these areas due to a lack of safe and sufficient water. Women and young girls frequently spend two hours each way fetching water, which happens two to three times per day. Water-borne diseases such as amoeba, typhoid, and bacillary dysentery are common in the population due to unprotected water sources.
“Blessed is the wealth of the Muslim, from which he gives
to the poor the orphan and the wayfarer”
The Ugandan crisis
People living in Uganda’s rural areas (75 percent) are living in extreme poverty, unable to afford basic necessities such as shelter, education and educational materials, clothing (shoes, uniforms), healthcare, and food. The majority of families have an average of seven children and struggle to make ends meet by working odd jobs. As a result, all of the family’s earnings are spent on basic necessities like food and water.
Undernutrition is common in Uganda, with a third of children aged five and under suffering from stunting. Despite lower fertility rates, Uganda’s annual population growth rate of 3% is among the highest in the world. Uganda’s population of 35 million people is expected to double by 2050, to 100 million.
Uganda’s refugee population has nearly tripled since July 2016, to around 14 million, making it Africa’s largest and third-largest refugee host country. The influx of people is putting a strain on host communities and basic services like housing and healthcare. Uganda now has over 20 million young people, many of whom lack access to good education, health care, and economic opportunities.
Uganda faces significant challenges over the next decade in meeting the growing needs of its population with limited resources due to its growing population.