Oxfam's work in Uganda in depth

In Uganda, Oxfam's focus is on livelihoods, gender equality, disaster risk reduction, climate change, water and santitation, peacebuilding and governance.

The context

Uganda is faced with diverse challenges. In the north, recent decades have seen communities terrorised by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), forcing hundreds of thou­sands of people from their homes and destroying trade and livelihoods. Pastoralist communities in the northeast have suffered years of neglect and an unfettered flow of arms through the porous borders with Sudan and Kenya. In the lush, mountainous southwest, climate change is posing serious threats to people’s access to water and farmland.

The LRA crisis in the north has recently eased and secu­rity has improved, but this in itself has brought new chal­lenges. Whole swathes of the countryside have been emptied – communities are now starting to return to their homes, but they have little to return to. The villag­es have been neglected for years and people have lit­tle access to basic services. An entire generation has been traumatised by years of abductions and attacks and communities now need support to rebuild their lives.

How Oxfam is helping

Oxfam supports around 230,000 people to rebuild their livelihoods through provision of essential services - such as water and sanitation – and supporting agricultural development and other livelihoods initiatives through provision of agricultural inputs, extension support, trainings and production assets.

In the Karamoja region, Oxfam works to promote the rights of pastoralist communities who suffer from chronic droughts and food insecurity. We have set up water sys­tems, including dams and reservoirs to capture scarce rainwater, and support grain banks so that families are better able to store food for the long dry seasons.

The high prevalence of guns has made traditional cat­tle raids a deadly affair and exacerbated insecurity in the region. The government has implemented a disar­mament programme to remove the guns, but has done little to help young herders find alternative sources of income. Oxfam works with former cattle raiders to train them in skills that help them form peaceful busi­nesses – for example by making environmentally friendly bricks that use up little of the precious wa­ter – and we train veterinarians to vaccinate animals against disease, thus giving them a higher market value.

Villages in the foothills of the Rwenzori mountains in the southwest have long relied on agriculture, fed by the plentiful rainfall and natural water supply from the mountain glaciers. However, the climate is gradually changing, exacerbated by human activity and livestock grazing. The glaciers are melting and major rivers are also shifting course, threatening agricultural livelihoods.

The incidence of tropical diseases such as malaria has also risen in recent years. Oxfam is working with local partners to help communities to apply disasters risks reduction measures as well as to adapt by changing and improving ag­ricultural practices, and to lobby the national government to invest in mitigating the human impact of climate change.

Oxfam believes that fundamental change in Uganda will only come with a shift in government and donor policies. We provide funding and technical expertise to many non-government organisations across Uganda, both to help them implement projects and to support their campaigns on behalf of disadvantaged groups. Oxfam partners have been instrumental in respond­ing to some of the major humanitarian emergencies that have struck Uganda, such as flooding and landslides. Many partners also lobby the national government on a wide range of policies, including gender equality, climate change and conflict resolution.

Violence against women is another core concern in Uganda. Oxfam is part of the We Can cam­paign which works through communities and individu­als to change attitudes towards domestic violence.

 

Last updated: January 2011