Uganda
 USAID Programs in Uganda: A Photo Essay
The photos presented here offer insights into life in Uganda and show how USAID programs address the problems and needs of real people. [ to the photo essay ]
OVERVIEW
Uganda has achieved many political, economic and social advances under President Yoweri Museveni. Strong economic growth has resulted in lower poverty, reduced rates of HIV/AIDS, and improved education. Regional disparities remain, particularly in the north of the country, which has begun its transition to peace after more than 20 years of conflict. USAID's assistance to Uganda focuses on strengthening the conditions for peaceful development in post-conflict northern Uganda, promoting the institutionalization of multi-party democracy, and addressing key health threats such as malaria and HIV/AIDS, and key development issues such as sound agribusiness practices and biodiversity protection.
PROGRAMS
PEACE AND SECURITY
As northern Uganda makes the transition from conflict to peace, ex-combatants and internally displaced people will need to be reintegrated into communities, the national reconciliation process will need to be advanced, and livelihoods will need to be promoted. USAID supports conflict mitigation by building the capacity of government institutions and civil society organizations, furthering truth and reconciliation, training on human rights, especially on sexual and gender-based violence, and supporting victims of human trafficking. USAID is also funding programs to increase access to land rights and legal assistance, promote community-based peace-building efforts, and assist the government in its dialogue with the Lord's Resistance Army and ex-combatants.
GOVERNING JUSTLY AND DEMOCRATICALLY
To consolidate Uganda's new multi-party system, USAID supports programs that strengthen issue-based caucuses and accountability committees in Parliament, and promote consensus-building activities among elected representatives, political parties, and civil society. USAID works to strengthen political parties and improve the capacity of civil society to advocate on behalf of their constituents, buttress the Electoral Commission, and support a national civic education program in preparation for the 2011 elections.
INVESTING IN PEOPLE: HEALTH
USAID trains community outreach workers in treatment of tuberculosis and malaria, supports immunizations against childhood diseases, provides insecticide-treated bednets to prevent malaria, and improves the quality of and access to family planning services. Uganda is a focus country for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, under which USAID collaborates with government, religious, and community-based institutions to deliver comprehensive prevention, care, and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
INVESTING IN PEOPLE: EDUCATION
To improve the quality of education in Uganda, USAID is supporting the roll-out of the lower primary school thematic curriculum-which calls for teaching according to themes that incorporate all subjects-and trains pre- and in-service teachers on innovative classroom practices. USAID also provides refresher training on HIV/AIDS education for primary teachers, works to increase parental involvement in school management, and supports education polices that will improve learning outcomes. Support is also provided to special programs in early childhood education through the Ministry of Education and the Madrasa network of schools.
ECONOMIC GROWTH
USAID programs focuses on reducing poverty through improved agricultural productivity, dissemination of improved production technologies, development of the rural financial sector, improvement of the dairy market chain, increased food security, and strengthened rural infrastructure. USAID protects biodiversity in the environmentally threatened Albertine Rift and endangered areas of northern Uganda through training in biodiversity monitoring, land use planning, and environmental laws. Programs also increase capacity to manage buffer zones and supports the establishment of key wildlife regulations and community revenue-sharing policies for sustainable use of resources.
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
The United States remains committed to rebuilding northern Uganda by providing humanitarian assistance, including food, shelter, water, sanitation, and relief, to vulnerable people. USAID has established a regional office in the Gulu district to monitor the conditions of our activities and to ensure greater donor and government coordination. In 2008, USAID support for northern Uganda totaled an estimated $138 million.
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