Capital: Kampala
Area: 241,038 km²
Population: 27.3 million (July 2005)
Ethnic groups: Bantu tribes (e.g. the Baganda, Basogo, Bunyoro, and Acholi), Pygmies, Europeans, Asians, and Arabs
Official language(s): English and Swahili
Religion(s): Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous beliefs, and Muslim
Currency: 1 Ugandan shilling = 100 cents
SOS Children's Villages' activities in the country
The initiatives of SOS-Kinderdorf International in Uganda started in 1988 with the signing of a government agreement. The establishment of the SOS Children's Village Kakiri in a small village not far from the capital Kampala was SOS Children's Villages' first project. The location was purposely selected in the Luwero Triangle since this region had been particularly badly hit by the war in 1985. At the same location, SOS Children's Villages also established a kindergarten, a primary and secondary school and a medical centre and thereby makes a positive contribution to the improvement of the living standard of the neighbourhood. In June 1997, after several years of continued efforts, the "SOS Children's Villages of Uganda Trust", was founded. The SOS Children's Village work in Uganda has been under the patronage of Uganda's First Lady, Mrs. Museveni since 1997.
A new government agreement with the Republic of Uganda was signed on 14 March 2002, which guarantees an increased recognition and support of the SOS Children's Village work on the part of the government. The demand for social facilities for orphans is great, not least of all due to the growing Aids pandemic, and consequently more SOS Children's Village Programmes were established in Entebbe and in Fort Portal.
In June 2002 SOS Uganda started an SOS Emergency Relief Programme in Gulu, in order to provide active assistance to displaced children in the north of the country. In the meantime a permanent SOS Children's Village programme carries on helping the children and the needy population in Gulu. In April 2009 construction of a permanent SOS Children’s Village could be completed and the SOS families who had lived for more than six years in temporary buildings, moved into their new homes.
There are Family Strengthening Programmes at all four Ugandan SOS locations including the new one in Fort Portal. These programmes enable children who are at risk of losing the care of their family to grow within a caring family environment. To achieve this, SOS Children’s Villages works directly with families and communities to empower them to effectively protect and care for their children, in cooperation with local authorities and other service providers.
At present there are four SOS Children's Villages, three SOS Youth Facilities, four SOS Kindergartens, one SOS Hermann Gmeiner School, four SOS Social Centres and three SOS Medical Centres in Uganda.
Website of SOS Children's Villages Uganda
(available in English)