Uganda

ACORD is working in Uganda since 1979, with a commitment to attain peace and reduce mass poverty in the targeted communities. ACORD's response to the challenges of Uganda is firmly based on a belief that people themselves are the agents of change and actors of their own development and therefore their ability to take action on the causes of  poverty is what will transform the nation and Africa's future. ACORD works among vulnerable and marginalised communities in more than 30 districts in West Nile, Western, Central, Eastern and Northern Uganda, responding to problems resulting from the economic, social and political context as well as the influx of refugees from neighbouring countries. Through a combination of practical support and civil society strengthening ACORD is helping to rebuild the livelihoods of vulnerable populations and contribute to sustainable peace in this region.

Ongoing projects

ACORD in Uganda works in partnership with the poor and the marginalized to change conditions undermining social justice through participatory people-centred practical work, research and advocacy. To this end ACORD is implementing programmes focusing on livelihoods, governance, peace-building and HIV/AIDS. ACORD also provide life-saving support to refugees in Uganda.

Click here to read how ACORD is enhancing living conditions for Burundian and Congolese refugees

>> Livelihoods and Governance: Practical support is being provided to vulnerable communities including IDPs and returnees in northern and south west Uganda to secure sustainable livelihoods and food security. Communities are being supported through provision of farm inputs as well as domestic rain water harvesting and sanitation facilities to improve their health and production

Click here to read more about the challenges facing small scale farmers in Isingiro District.

>> Peace-building ACORD is piloting the community social peace and recovery model in Northern Uganda - Read more about our peace-building work here
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>> HIV/AIDS: ACORD is working to enhance the capacity of partner community based and women’s organisations and local NGOs, to raise awareness and provide services to people living with HIV/AIDS and orphaned children. Activities include developing comprehensive plans in collaboration with the government, to address the plight of orphans and vulnerable children, up-scaling domestic rainwater harvesting in South Western Uganda particularly for People Living with HIV and AIDS (PLHA), providing support to music and drama groups, distribution of condoms, distribution of information and education materials, AIDS awareness raising radio talk shows, income generating activities and providing start-up funds for vulnerable families. ACORD also supports local CBO and NGO partners to mainstream HIV and AIDS into their activities

>> Gender equality: ACORD is playing a pivotal role to end the impunity on Sexual Gender Based Violence in countries within Africa’s Great Lakes Region. This includes protecting the rights of women and girls survivors of sexual violence in Northern Uganda; the majority of who are now settling in their original communities from Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) camps. ACORD in Uganda is also improving community justice by strengthening networks of human rights actors and paralegals in Northern Uganda

Where we work

ACORD is operating in areas prone to conflicts or in transition and recovering from conflicts including Adjumani and Moyo districts in West Nile sub-region, Gulu, Amuru, Kitgum and Pader in Acholi sub-region, Kabong and Kotido in Karamoja sub-region in North Uganda. ACORD Uganda also functions in the districts of Isingiro, Mbarara, Kiruhura, Ibanda, Ntungamo, Kabala, Kanungu, Kisoro, Bushenyi, Rukungiri, and recently Rakai in Mbarara region in the Southwest.


View ACORD in Uganda in a larger map

Communities in Uganda tell their stories

"I used to spend 600 shillings daily (equivalent of 20p) to buy two jerricans of water. My children would collect water before school. They would waste a lot of time meant for school work. Today, with the tank on my doorstep, I am able to save this money which I use to buy school supplies for my children and they also make it to school on time," says Jova, a resident of Rukukuru village. She is a widow with three children, living with HIV/AIDS. ACORD recently erected a water harvesting tank near her home to ease the huge efforts required from the community to get potable water. She also asserts that she used to fall sick regularly, ‘every November I would suffer from typhoid and Malaria but since I got this tank I have not fallen sick'. She attributes this to the safe and clean water that she uses and the improved sanitation as a result of the project.

Our partners in Uganda

ACORD received valuable support including from Oxfam Novib, American Jewish World Service, Amnesty International, Brot fuer die Welt, Democratic Governance Facility, ECHO, GEZA, HEKS, HeliozInternational HIV/AIDS alliance, Foundation Open Society Institute, MacArthur Foundation, TPO Uganda, UNFPA and the Ugandan Government through the Ministry of Water and Environment.

Photos, videos and publications


Attaining to vulnerability to HIV and AIDS in food insecure settings in Sub-Saharan Africa. A synthesis report of Ethiopia, Uganda, Burundi and Mozambique.

english



A status analysis on community vulnerability to HIV & AIDS in food insecure settings: A case of post-conflict areas in Uganda.

english

 

Joining Hands, Integrating Gender and HIV and AIDS. Documents ACORD's experience in implementing Stepping Stones, a participatory, community-centred approach to addressing gender and HIV/AIDS, in Angola, Tanzania and Uganda.
    english   |  français   |  português

HIV and AIDS Workplace Policy: The ACORD Experience in Uganda. The paper outlines the rationale driving the policy development process. It also examines some of the key challenges that have arisen during this process and strategies developed for addressing them.
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Parish Orphans Care Associations - POCAs: A community-based response to HIV/AIDS impact on households in Mbarara, Uganda. Summary of an evaluation of ACORD's support to 18 parish orphans care associations in Isingiro District in south-western Uganda.
    english

Unravelling the Dynamics of HIV related Stigma and Discrimination. Includes case studies from Burundi and Northern Uganda that are part of ACORD's work aimed at promoting sustainable peace and development through supporting peace-building and conflict resolution initiatives, as well as working to alleviate poverty and improve the livelihoods of vulnerable groups.
    english   |  français   |  português

Making the law count: Uganda: an audit of legal practice on sexual violence A review of legal practice on sexual violence in Uganda, looking at: what national laws deal with sexual violence; how judges and other court officials interpret the law; police attitude to sexual violence; and the role of health institutions. The review also makes recommendations for civil society advocacy to improve the response to sexual violence.
    english

A summary is also available of all the 'legal audits' carried out in five countries in the Great Lakes Region:
    english  |  français

Lost Generation. Young People and Conflict in Africa. Contains case studies and oral testimonies from Burundi and Northern Uganda.
    english  |  français

Cycles of Violence. Gender Relations and Armed Conflict. What is the impact of war on gender relations? Can gender relations contribute to conflict. Studies carried out in Angola, Mali, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda discuss these questions, looking at gender roles, identities, ideologies and institutional structures. While gender is a factor in perpetuating violence it is also a factor in rebuilding social relations and peace.
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ACORD Uganda programme overview: Country facts, country priorities, our partners, ACORD in Uganda, project spotlight, 2016 impact in numbers, contact-us, 2-page brief, July 2017
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You can also find more resources on ACORD's work in Uganda on our website.

Photos of ACORD's work in Uganda can be sent upon request. Contact us by e-mail

How you can support communities in Uganda

Financial donations and in-kind support to ACORD's Uganda Area Programme go a long way to improving the livelihoods of vulnerable communities and contributing to social peace and recovery in Northern Uganda. Commitments and ownership by communities themselves to sustain their own facilities ensures that our programmes have a lasting impact on their livelihoods and their development.

Make a donation now! For more information on our work in please sign up to our newsletter, visit your nearest ACORD office or call us.

  • conflict and peacebuilding
  • employment
  • environment
  • food security
  • livelihood
  • maternal health
  • peace
  • refugee
  • refugees and idps
  • resilience
  • sanitation
  • sdgs
  • sexual and reproductive health
  • transitional justice
  • uganda
  • violence against women
  • wash
  • water
  • women
  • youth
  • Also in this section

    ACORD 40 years - 1976-2016



    Defending rights. Promoting justice.
    How we work - The ACORD advantage - Where we work - ACORD's impact by the numbers - How ACORD is creating sustainable change

    See 3-page brief in:

    English
    French

    Contact us in Uganda

    You are welcome to contact the ACORD programme in Uganda:

    •  by email

    •  by post

    PO Box 280
    Kampala
    Uganda

    •  by visit

    Plot 1272, Block 15
    Gaba Road, Kampala

    •  by phone

    +256 414 267 667
    256 414 266 596

    •  by fax

    +256 414 267 669


    Ellen Bajenja
    Country Director for ACORD in Uganda.

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    Why wait until the next food crisis? Improving food reserves strategies in East Africa. A synthesis report from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

    Download report

    CAADP

    Africa can feed itself so what’s going wrong? Watch the video and learn more about CAADP, the continental roadmap to sustainable agriculture
    Read more on ACORD's work in Agriculture and food security.

    Uganda Latest News

    Communities of Atiak, Anaka, Omot,  Adilang, Ongako, Puranga, Palabek Kal, Lokung, Orom and Akwang sub-counties have signed ‘social contracts’ to bring lasting peace in North Uganda. Read more


    A baseline survey report has been published by ACORD in Uganda, titled "Walking the Talk in the Workplace - strengthening and scaling up sustainable internal HIV and AIDS responses for CSO workplaces in Uganda"


    Download report: english