Ending Hunger In Uganda
Donate to end hunger in Uganda
Approximately 72% of Uganda’s inhabitants are involved in agricultural activities as the country is home to fertile soils, ample rainfall and a number of vital natural resources which have helped Uganda’s economy remain relatively stable; yet approximately 8 million Ugandans still lack access to clean water and around 40% of the population live below the poverty line.
Uganda is a nation with a population of approximately 45 million located in Eastern Africa and bordered by South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Uganda gained independence from Britain in 1962, and was known for extreme instability through much of the 1980s and 1990s – especially under the oppressive dictator Idi Amin. Now, Uganda is much more stable and has gained strength economically, although the increasing oppression of LGBTQI+ people and the long reign of Museveni and his “no-party system” are the cause of some international concern.
Donate to The Hunger Project’s work in Uganda
In Africa, The Hunger Project works to build sustainable community-based programs using the Epicentre Strategy. An epicentre is a dynamic center of community mobilization and action, as well as an actual facility built by community members. Through the Epicentre Strategy 15,000 – 25,000 people are brought together as a cluster of rural villages — giving villages more clout with local government than a single village is likely to have and increasing a community’s ability to collective utilize resources. The epicentre building serves as a focal point where the motivation, energies and leadership of the people converge with the resources of local government and non-governmental organizations. Over an eight-year period, an epicentre addresses hunger and poverty and moves along a path toward sustainable self-reliance, at which point it is able to fund its own activities and no longer requires financial investment from The Hunger Project.
The Hunger Project has been working in Uganda since 1999 and is currently empowering community partners in 11 epicentre areas to end their own hunger and poverty. Through its integrated approach to rural development, the Epicentre Strategy, The Hunger Project is working with community partners to successfully access the basic services needed to lead lives of self-reliance and achieve internationally agreed-upon markers of success, such as the Millennium Development Goals.
Recent Successes in the Wakiso Epicentre
Wakiso Epicentre, Uganda now joins 56 other Self-Reliance Hunger Project Epicentre communities across Africa and is one of 5 Self-Reliant communities in Uganda. The Wakiso Epicentre reached a Self-Reliance score of 86.79% in October of 2021. This was a truly historic milestone for the Wakiso community’s evolution from resignation and despondency to powerful agents of change that are in charge of their own development, setting targets, and measuring their own progress.
Developing leadership skills, capacity, creativity and resourcefulness to continue the work started by The Hunger Project (THP) is an incredible achievement and essential to the sustainability of programs and activities for the end of hunger at Wakiso. THP’s partnership with the 24,611 people of Wakiso has resulted in this incredible transformation to bring about the sustainable end of hunger. Through their journey, the people of Wakiso have completely eliminated severe hunger from the community.
How donating to The Hunger Project helps people in Uganda
In addition to this incredible achievement, we also saw the following:
- 90.85% of households are now living free from moderate hunger
- There has been an 85.85% increase in the proportion of adults accessing financial services since 2017
- There has been a 29.14% decrease in the prevalence of child marriage since 2017
The inspiring progress that has been made by the Wakiso community is a testament to their leadership, resiliency and determination to make sustainable change for their family, neighbours and community.
Donate to end hunger in Uganda and you will be empowering people to end their own hunger, today.