Life is not easy and Ugandan children are denied many of the opportunities we expect for our own children here in the UK. Poverty and disease are widespread in Uganda, with poor sanitation, unclean water and inadequate housing. Alternate drought and flooding can cause severe famine. There are high HIV infection rates. Malaria and infectious diseases such as bacterial diarrhoea, typhoid fever and Hepatitis A are common.
Child mortality for under 5 years (2012) was 131 per 1000 live births, improved from 146 in 2005. Life expectancy at birth is now 53 years.
Camp for displaced people.
There has been much political instability over recent years and the Lords Resistance Army rebel group took advantage and abducted thousands of children in northern Uganda. Many were forced to become slaves and commit atrocities, under threat from rebel commanders and soldier and many lives were lost. This caused large numbers of internally displaced people to flee south and seek refuge in the small town of Soroti where our charity works. There is now better political stability and there has been no LRA activity in Uganda since 2006. At the peak of the conflict 1.8 million people were living in camps for internally displaced people (IDP) in northern Uganda. Since 2006 over 80% of the IDPs have left the camps for permanent settlements.
Uganda – situated in East Africa