ABOUT UGANDA
Uganda is about the size of Oregon and has 2.4 million orphans. It is one of the youngest countries in the world with 55% of its population under the age of eighteen. Decades of corruption, dictatorship, poverty and disease have created a cycle of war and recovery. This situation is exacerbated by the country being situated in a fragile region that is vulnerable to climatic, economic and conflict-related shocks.
In a recent report released by Transparency International, Uganda tops in corruption among the five countries under the East African community. Followed by Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, and Rwanda. Uganda hosts more than 500,000 refugees and asylum-seekers. About 65% of the refugees are children under the age of 18 and more than half are adolescents. This contributes to the already strained resources.
Poverty, which forces many children to drop out of school and work to support their families, continues to be the leading barrier of education in Uganda. Fees and hidden costs make it inaccessible for many children. Those who are fortunate enough to afford school, are faced with poor quality teaching and teacher absenteeism. A high number of students’ report being abused by a teacher or bullied in school. Despite being banned, corporal punishment is still common. This contributes to the high drop out rates and poor performance.
Location
History of the LRA
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Located in East Africa
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Boardered West by the Congo, North by Sudan, East by Kenya and South by Tanzania and Rwanda.
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Uganda is divided by the equator.
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Uganda engaged in an 18-year battle against the extremist rebel group Lords’ Resistance Army (LRA). The Ugandan government and the LRA signed a permanent cease-fire in February 2008.
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8K-10K children were abducted by the LRA to form an army for Joseph Kony. Boys were turned into child soldiers and forced to kill, sometimes even their family. Abducted girls were turned into sex slaves.
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Ugandan children who left their homes each night, from fear of being abducted by the LRA were called “Night Commuters”. Leaving their homes at sundown, they traveled along the road to Gulu, seeking safety from the rebels.
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1.5 million people were displaced because of fighting and fear that their children would be abducted.
Quick Facts
Uganda is one of the youngest countries in the world with 55% of its population under the age of eighteen.
1 million of the 2.4 million orphans in Uganda, were orphaned due to AIDS.
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Population: 37,579,000
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Population under the age 18 years: 20,774,000.
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24% of the total population are adolescents.
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Life Expectancy: 59 years
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Gross National Income (GNI) Per Capita in US Dollars: $570
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38% of population is below the international poverty line of $1.25 per day.
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An estimated 7.4% of all adults and 3.3% of adolescents have HIV. 1 million out the 2.5 million orphans in Uganda were orphaned due to AIDS.
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Nearly 50% of women between ages 20-49 years were married by the age of eighteen. 15% were married by the age of fifteen.
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58% of women ages 15-19 years old have experienced physical or sexual violence.
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33% of adolescents in Uganda will have a child before the age of eighteen.
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1 in 4 teenage girls are pregnant or have a child.
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2.4 million children are involved in exploitative labour.
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40% of children have experience physical violence.
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38% of children under the age of 5 experience nutrition deprivation. Malnutrition represents the most common form of deprivation in Uganda.
Education
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Youth between ages 15-24 literacy rates: 89.6 % of males and 85.5% of female.
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87% of the 2.4 million orphans in Uganda, attend school.
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9% of primary age children are out-of-school.
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15% of all school age children (6-17 years) never attend school.
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33% of children who start primary school will drop out before completing.
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Primary School Participation
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Net enrolment ratio: 89.8 male / 92.2 female
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Net attendance ratio: 81.3 male / 81.1 female
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Secondary School Participation
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Net enrolment ratio: Unknown
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Net attendance ratio: 16.2 male / 18.7 female
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Only 1 in 5 teachers are qualified to teach English and Math.
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60% of teachers are not even teaching.
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There is only 1 latrine for every 70 students. (nearly double the national standard of 1:40)
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Only 33% of students have access to handwashing facilities.
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About 23% of adolescent girls ages 12-18 drop out of school after they begin menstruating.
* Statistical facts provided by Unicef, Situation Analysis of Children in Uganda 2015 and State of the World's Children 2015 report.
