About Uganda

Over 85% of Uganda’s population live in rural areas and depend mainly on agriculture.[1] Over 81% of Uganda’s population is under the age of 35; and 47.9% are under the age of 15.[2] With a young and growing population, food shortages and an overflowing primary education system, particularly in war-affected northern Uganda, is inevitable.

Programs to encourage improved nutrition and health, pre and primary learning and progressive agricultural practices are in demand. Children going to school without breakfast and not receiving lunch results in low concentration, malnutrition and can cause brain developmental problems. This is often the norm in rural areas of northern Uganda. How can a child learn properly on an empty belly?

Families in the villages surrounding Gulu are largely dependent on subsistence farming. Their ability to break the cycle of poverty becomes unlikely without health and education assistance for their children. Maternal mortality is persistently high. The infant mortality rate is estimated to be 54 per 1,000 live births.[3]  Access to quality emergency obstetrics care (EmOC) is fundamental to reducing maternal and newborn deaths.

Barriers to accessing health care services in Uganda include:

• financial limitations;

• poor geographic accessibility of health facilities in terms of transport and distance;

• lack of decision making power among women;

• inability to afford the medical supplies that are often compulsory at public health facilities;

• bad attitude of health workers – including neglect and abuse, and

• preference for traditional birth attendants (TBAs).[4]

There are gaps in the availability of essential infrastructure, equipment, supplies, drugs and staff for maternal and neonatal care particularly at health centres (HCs). There is also a need to improve the availability and accessibility of EmOC services, with particular attention to basic EmOC.

The Facts

• Population: 39,032,000[5]

• Average Life Expectancy: 63.3 years[6] 

• Poverty Rate: 38%[7]  

• Stunting Rate: 34%[8] 

• Gross enrolment ratio (GER) in pre-primary education: 11%[9] 

• Net attendance ratio in primary education (NAR): 87%[10]

• Proportion of pupils starting grade 1 who reach grade 5: 25%[11]   

• Net attendance ratio in secondary education: 20%[12] 

The Acholi people, a Luo-speaking ethnic group, live predominantly in the central region of northern Uganda, an area collectively referred to as Acholiland. Traditional cultural forms that facilitate the transmission of knowledge include songs, proverbs and folktales; however, dance is also an important part of the Acholi culture for transferring knowledge between the generations. For example, the Larakaraka, an Acholi courtship dance that granted young men the opportunity to demonstrate their dancing prowess and physical vigor in the hope of securing a marriage partner, is one such dance.

Cultural heritage remains strong in the north and should be respected when educating the young minds of the next generation. In development of the Gulu community and self-sustainable practices, it is critical to understand the Acholi culture and ensure all programs integrate with the traditions and customs of the Acholi people.

Development Needs

Our experience in working in the villages of Gulu Region and liaising with local schools, health centres and members of the community, has enabled us to determine that there is a great need to increase support for education, health and livelihood initiatives.

In particular, critical issues to be addressed include:

1. Primary education assistance to aid students that are ‘falling through the cracks’. i.e. Speed Class which assists students from 7 - 12 years that have never attended school; and assistance for children with learning disabilities.

2. School feeding to ensure good concentration and nutrition for students.

3. A kindergarten and primary school in Ocuka to develop a good foundation for learning in a community that has no school within 5 kilometres (that’s a long walk to school for young children!).

4. Student sponsorships for the children of vulnerable single mother’s and subsistence farming families, so that their children can attend kindergarten, primary, secondary school, college, vocational school and/or university.

5. Extra teachers to ensure smaller class sizes that meet the government legislation of maximum 53 students per class (most government school classes are currently between 60 - 147 students in a 6 x 8 sized classroom).

6. Training courses for teachers to improve their knowledge and skill set.

7. Skill development for single mother’s that have not completed schooling past P7 and desperately struggle alone with their children.

8. A Community Healthcare Facility to ensure proper healthcare; and safe delivery, pre and post natal care for expecting mother’s.

9. Adult Literacy, Numeracy and Computer Classes for members of the community that never had the opportunity to go to school.

10. Industry development projects to generate employment within the community.

The estimated population of Gulu town is 460,090 and covers an area of 3,452 km2. Further population figures for this area include: Gender - 50.5% Females and 49.5% Males; Urbanisation – 65.7% Rural and 34.3% Urban.[13]   

Upon attending one village meeting, Christine, a mother of six, asked us, “My son is in P3 in a government school and cannot speak a word of English. How will he pass P4 exams that are all written in English?”  The rural community understand the importance of education, and in particular, the value of Maths and English. However, it is a government requirement that classes in government village schools are carried out in the local mother-tongue language until the end of P4. Students are then expected to switch to learning all subjects in English. As you can imagine, the failure and drop-out rate at the end of P4 is extremely high in village communities. Furthermore, without passing P7 exams, children are unable to sit S5 and S6 in Uganda (VCE equivalent).

Learning Luo, the mother-tongue language is extremely important. However, there is increased concern in the community that without good English – reading and comprehension, writing and oral - a rural child’s chance of completing primary and secondary education becomes impossible. Rural children should be given the same opportunities as their urban counterparts, and the need to address this is critical.

To break the cycle of poverty, please support the development of vulnerable communities in Gulu.

[1] Rural Farming for Development Uganda - https://ireportug.wordpress.com/about/        
[2] UBOS - http://www.ubos.org/onlinefiles/uploads/ubos/NPHC/2014%20National%20Census%20Main%20Report.pdf - Page 14
[3] Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), ICF International Inc. Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2011. Kampala, Uganda & Calverton, Maryland, USA: UBOS & ICF International Inc; 2012.
[4] Atuyambe L, Mirembe F, Johansson A, Kirumira EK, Faxelid E. Experiences of pregnant adolescents - voices from Wakiso district, Uganda. Afr Health Sci. 2005;5(4):304–9.   Ekirapa-Kiracho E, Waiswa P, Rahman MH, Makumbi F, Kiwanuka N, Okui O, et al. Increasing access to institutional deliveries using demand and supply side incentives: early results from a quasi-experimental study. BMC Int Health Hum Rights. 2011;11 Suppl 1:S11. doi:10.1186/1472-698x-11-s1-s11.
[5] https://data.unicef.org/country/uga/
[6] UBOS - http://www.ubos.org/onlinefiles/uploads/ubos/NPHC/2014%20National%20Census%20Main%20Report.pdf - Page 18
[7] http://www.feedthechildren.org/country/uganda/
[8] Uganda National Panel Survey (UNPS) – Wave III, Kampala, Uganda: Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS)/UN_IME_Dataset_2016
[9] UN_UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)
[10] UGA_DHS_2011, NYHQ Calculations
[11] UN_UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)
[12] UGA_DHS_2011, NYHQ Calculations[13]http://www.citypopulation.de/php/uganda-admin.php?adm2id=005