Laughing primary schoolgirls in Uganda | VSO
VSO/Ginny Lattul

Uganda

We've worked in Uganda since 1965, building healthy communities, strengthening inclusive education systems, and supporting people to develop sustainable and resilient livelihoods.

149,210

In 2018-19, we reached a total of 149,210 primary actors across our three areas of work.

2,000

The SCOPE project equipped 2,000 young people with market-relevant skills training and qualifications

60,000+

Our health programmes have reached over 60,000 of the most vulnerable people.

Healthy communities

A midwife smiles as she cradles a minutes-old baby wrapped in blankets

We're providing community midwives in rural areas with the essential skills they need to deliver babies safely.

We're supporting mothers, babies and children to access quality care, by generating increased demand for health services, and building the capacity of healthcare professionals to deliver them.

By establishing neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and maternity waiting homes, we’re encouraging women to give birth in clinics and hospitals, so reducing the number of potentially dangerous unattended home births. This is further strengthened by community outreach activities, which encourage people to understand their rights and demand the healthcare they deserve.

Our expert volunteers work within hospitals and health centres, sharing their clinical skills through training, mentoring and on-the-job coaching. In doing so, they’re building the capacity of staff to deliver specialist support to women before, during and after delivery. We’re also supporting auxiliary professionals to improve hospital management, data management and community engagement, so strengthening Uganda’s health system as a whole.

In total, we’ve directly impacted over 60,000 people, with a specific focus on supporting the most excluded populations – including people with disabilities and/or living in hard-to-reach communities.

Inclusive education

A girl in school uniform smiles as she stands up at her desk, surrounded by classmates who are sitting down
VSO/Peter Caton

We're supporting girls across Karamoja to benefit from the quality education they deserve.

Our inclusive education programmes focus on the Karamoja region, where we’re currently active in each of the eight districts. We work to ensure that all children – especially girls and those with special educational needs – have equitable access to high-quality inclusive education, by addressing some of the system-level barriers that can hold young learners back.

Our expert volunteers provide ongoing training and mentoring for teachers and education leaders, supporting them to improve their teaching effectiveness, and strengthening school governance and management.

By equipping teachers with the skills and knowledge they need to adopt child-centred practices, we’re building their capacity to deliver quality teaching – and in turn, improving the learning outcomes of marginalised children across the region.

Resilient livelihoods

Four students dressed in overalls and safety wear gather around a metal box in a metalwork worshop
VSO/George Scott

We're equipping young Ugandans with the technical skills and business acumen they need to thrive in the country's growing formal employment sector.

Uganda’s young population presents a social and economic opportunity – but with youth unemployment rates at around 80%, many young people are missing out on their potential to earn a decent living. We build the capacity of partners to deliver market-relevant training, so equipping young people with the skills, accreditation and confidence they need to benefit from the country’s growing formal economy.

Through a network of Vocational Training Centres, our SCOPE project supported 2,000 participants to gain relevant skills and internationally-recognised qualifications, vastly improving their employability within the oil and gas industry.

Our DYNAMIC project is working to reach 157,000 out-of-school young people, supporting them to secure decent employment or self-employment, with a focus on developing new agribusinesses and microenterprises.

Through our corporate partnership with SAP, expert international volunteers are developing the entrepreneurship skills of 1,700 young Ugandans, while supporting local enterprises to grow and thrive.

Training Uganda's young population

Contact us

We work with a number of partners including the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), IrishAid, EU, UNICEF, USAID, MasterCard Foundation, Greg Dyke and Sue Howes, and Stichting Dioraphte.

If you are interested in supporting our work, or if you have another query, get in touch:

Address: PO Box 2831, Kampala, Uganda

Tel: +256 41426 9655 or +256 41426 7728

Email: vsouganda@vsoint.org

 

Volunteer with us

We are always looking for more skilled specialists, particularly in the area of inclusive education.

Find out more about volunteering with us in Uganda


Stories from Uganda

"I thought life had ended - but life has just begun" - Whycliffe's story

Whycliffe was supported by VSO to attain an internationally-recognised vocational qualification, which has transformed his fortunes. He now employs three other young people and dreams of volunteering to help other youth in his home near Hoima, Uganda.

Schoolgirl or bride? Millions of girls fight for basic rights

More than 130 million girls are out of school. Many dropped out out due to pressure to marry too young, robbing them of their childhoods, their rights and their future. It's not too late to rescue them from a bleak future.

A volunteer's life in Karamoja, Uganda

Marie Moreau from Dublin, who has just returned from volunteering with VSO Ireland as an Inspection Advisor in Uganda, talks about her experience helping to improve and extend the country's education system.

Find out more about our work in:

A smiling young mother lies in a hospital bed and holds her newborn baby on her chest
VSO/Ginny Lattul

Maternal and newborn health

Improving access to quality healthcare for mothers and babies. 

Children using tablet computers on the VSO Malawi Unlocking Talent project

Education system strengthening

Developing inclusive education systems that leave no child behind.

A student watches intently as her instructor demonstrates machinery in a welding and metal workshop

Employment and entrepreneurship

Ensuring that everyone has access to decent employment and market opportunities.