Uganda
About our Collective in Uganda
We partner with two collectives in Uganda.
Our beautiful baskets are made by a network of women who weave to earn a living for their families. High unemployment, combined with a civil war in the north and a high incidence of HIV, has left many women in charge of providing for their families. This project helps them do so with dignity.
Our colorful recycled paper beaded necklaces, bracelets and earrings are made by women who have been internally displaced by the civil war and are now living in refugee camps near the capital. Women collect cast off glossy paper such as from magazines or calendars, shred the paper into long strips and wind the strips into tight beads which become individual works of art.
Key Issues facing Women and Children:
- HIV/AIDS
- Domestic and Sexual Violence
- Consequences of prolonged violence by Lord’s Resistance Army
Home to numerous ethnic groups and a variety of peoples, landlocked Uganda has struggled to overcome the legacies of colonialism to establish a growing and more equal civil society. Women in Uganda have been a crucial part of the development process, and in addressing social issues including war, HIV/AIDS and the promise of microfinance institutions.
Additionally, strife between the Lord’s Resistance Army, a militant rebel group, and the Ugandan government continues to plague the northern section of the country. The presence of the LRA has forced many children to become “night commuters,” walking miles from their villages to avoid kidnapping by rebel forces during their sleep. Despite growing international attention regarding these human rights abuses and child soldiers, many children continue to be forced to commit gross acts of violence or sexual acts, resulting in severe physical and psychological damage.
Ugandan women formed powerful social networks to help with the most pressing issues facing women in the country today: HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, land rights violations, and human trafficking. Of the 4.1 percent of citizens that are HIV positive, women disproportionately account for the majority of cases.
Uganda was one of the first African nations to be devastated by the swiftness and magnitude of the pandemic, and initial efforts, such as the Uganda AIDS Commission, to combat the disease have been internationally applauded. Women are held more responsible than men for the prevention of the disease, while simultaneously forced to bear the majority of the consequences and stigma of HIV/AIDS. Women have been essential in the education and organization of projects to bring hope in the fight against HIV. The Uganda Women’s Effort to Save Orphans (UWESCO), for example, has undertaken multiple successfully projects to empower AIDS orphans with life skills. Global Sistergoods applauds these efforts and supports the economic empowerment of Ugandan women.
Country Statistics
- Life expectancy at birth: male 51.66 years, female 53.81 years
- Total fertility rate: 6.77 children born per woman
- Infant mortality rate: 64.82 deaths/ 1,000 live births
- HIV/AIDS prevalence: 5.4%
- Adult literacy rate (age 15 and over can read and write): male 76.8%, female 57.7%
- Per capita income: $1,100
- Population below poverty line: 35%
Further information:
- Women of Uganda Network: http://www.wougnet.org/cms/index.php
- Uganda AIDS Commission: http://www.aidsuganda.org/
- Uganda Women’s Effort to Save Orphans (UWESCO): http://www.uweso.org/modules/pagewrap/
- The Center for Domestic Violence Prevention (CEDOVIP): http://www.raisingvoices.org/cedovip.php