Background to Uganda
Background to Uganda
Geography
Population – approx 22 million
Background to Uganda
80% of population live in villages or small trading centres
Kampala is Uganda’s only city
20% of the country consists of lakes (Lake Victoria being the biggest and best known)
Kampala and the south are lush and green (& more developed); in the North it’s much drier and desert-
like
To the East are free-standing volcanic mountains. There are very high mountains along the Western
borders
The source of the Nile is in Uganda
History
Became a British Protectorate in 1894. It was administered by ‘indirect rule’ and had a group of local
leaders who were responsible for implementing British rule who worked closely with the Buganda
kingdom chiefs. They established a system of local government but there was ethnic division (tribal and
religious boundaries) throughout the British rule – Uganda was not really a nation.
Gained independence in 1962
Within 4 years of gaining independence, Uganda experienced the first of a series of political
catastrophes which would lead it into a decline of poverty and violence
In 1966, Obote became president (Uganda People’s Congress – UPC), the Ugandan constitution was
abolished and Idi Amin was the Deputy Army Commander.
In 1971, Idi Amin overthrew President Obote. Mass killings and torture became commonplace.
In1972, Ugandan Asians were given 3 months to leave (90,000 in total). Asians dominated the
commercial sector of Uganda and there was resentment towards them amongst Ugandans. Over the
next few years the economy crumbled; the nation became poorer and public services disintegrated.
In 1978, Uganda invaded Tanzania and war began
In 1979, the Tanzanian army & Ugandan opposition groups took the war into Uganda. Idi Amin flees.
Yusuf Lule became president, followed shortly by Godfrey Binaisa
In 1980, Obote was re-elected as president. There were still horrendous levels of violence against
anyone opposing him
In 1981, Museveni started guerrilla attacks against Obote’s government. His group was known as the
‘National Resistance Movement – NRM’
In 1985, Obote was overthrown
In 1986, the National Resistance Army (NRA) took control of Kampala and Museveni became President.
He promised social, economic and political change. Museveni has been responsible for major changes
– economic reform, improved education (UPE) etc
1996, 2001, Museveni re-elected as President
Since Museveni came into power, Uganda has been relatively stable. However, there is still chronic
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insecurity in the north and west & lack of development in these areas
In 1995, the Lord’s Resistance Army began major attacks in the north targeting innocent civilians (captures
children and young people – approx 20,000). The motive seems to be recruitment for the Sudan Army.
1995-2004, LRA continued carrying out attacks leading to mass murders, destruction and poverty in
Background to Uganda
Northern Uganda. Kitgum and Gulu are major areas of conflict and an ‘out of bounds’ area for tourists since
Spring 2002
Social Issues: HIV/AIDS
Almost 70% of global total of HIV-positive people live in sub-Saharan Africa. It has affected millions of
households and the principal means of transmission is hetrosexual intercourse. AIDS is now the most
common cause of death amongst adults in Africa. Because AIDS tends to be prevalent amongst the
working population (15 – 50 years), it causes poverty and destitution for their families and dependants.
AIDS first appeared in the early 1980s – Uganda was one of the first countries to be hit. The government
was very open about it and responded positively to it – as a result Uganda has seen a massive reduction in
the infection rate. In the early 1990s, HIV infection was estimated to be about 30%. By 1999 had fallen to
12%. Especially dropped amongst young people – from 28% of females under 20 in 1991 to just 6% in
1998. People have changed their attitudes and behaviours. Yet, it is still a huge problem and is having a
devastating effect in Uganda: ½ million children are orphaned by AIDS every year.
Cultural things you need to know!
A mzungu in Uganda gets a lot of attention! White skin means money here – so you have to be careful who
you trust. Take time to get to know people. Try not to get upset being constantly asked for money for school
fees etc – it is part of life and you just have to accept that people are poor here and, culturally speaking, if
somebody is in need they will simply ask for help. You don’t have to say yes! Offer to pray with someone
instead of giving money.
Be careful with security. Always lock the house and gate of your compound. Sometimes it has been for
things to go missing in a house when there are many people around – keep valuables locked up, and don’t
allow people into private bedrooms. Don’t carry large amounts of money around. Don’t walk alone at night.
If you don’t have a Ugandan with you, you should aim to be in your house by nightfall. Even with a
Ugandan you shouldn’t be out late in the evening – aim to be home by 9.30pm at the latest.
If you are staying in a home, remember this is kindly on loan to you, so please treat it with respect. Also, it
is part of the culture here to keep a home very clean and tidy – that means no clutter, especially in the main
living area, and the kitchen should be cleared up after use, without leaving plates lying around. It is
common to take your shoes off when entering a house so be aware of that when you visit somebody. It is
essential to keep the house tidy as unexpected visitors might arrive at any time and you will be
embarrassed when you pay a return visit and see how neat their home is! Always offer guests a hot or cold
drink when they enter your home. It is expected here in Uganda that someone will not enter your house and
leave without taking something to eat or drink, and this rule applies for when you visit others also. You will
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very likely be offered food or a drink, so even if you are not hungry or thirsty, accept at least water or a
snack, as otherwise you may offend.
If you know you are going to preach, give a testimony or a short talk in front of a church, school or similar
Background to Uganda
situation, please dress smartly. Wearing shorts and strappy tops is not appropriate and considered not
respectful in a church setting if you are preaching or part of the congregation, this is very important as your
message will be lost by people not listening and only taking note of the colour of the shorts or the stappy
top you wore.
For girls – please be VERY careful of your relationships and behaviour with Ugandan males. Even if there is
no ulterior motive or romantic intention, it is very common for close friendships to form between female
team members and local males. Ugandan women can be reserved and quiet, and so in comparison, a
Ugandan man might find a confident, fun-loving Mzungu a more appealing alternative for forming a
friendship with. Try not to be too tactile – here, the sexes do not often have close physical contact (even
such as hugging or tickling), and definitely not in public – you will never find people kissing on the streets,
for example:
Some Ugandan youths have spent a lot of time with Mzungus and have come to realise that they
do behave differently and so to hug or hold hands with a white girl won’t be taken in a bad way by that girl.
So you will find some Ugandan youths very tactile and this might lead you to believe it is acceptable to
return showing affection in such ways. What you have to realise is that the rest of the community, and
especially the church and elderly people, will not be used to such overfriendliness and could find it
unchristian or culturally unacceptable for males and females to have open physical contact. Be very
sensitive on this issue, as it is better to be far too reserved than be over-familiar and cause offence. Aim to
be above reproach at all times when in public.
Expect to be shocked by things such as school discipline, poverty levels, acceptable
behaviours, illness; it can all be a lot to cope with
People will ask you for money a lot of the time. Choose very wisely the people to whom you are
willing to lend/give money to. If people ask for your address or phone number, don’t give it unless you are
prepared for constant letters. Don’t ever promise to write to someone unless you can honour the promise.
You will feel like helping everyone but this isn’t possible! Prayerfully consider helping people materially, as
this is not always the best option (but do remember Jesus’ attitude to money!)
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Most important thing of all – ask local people for help when not sure of the best thing to do in a situation. Alternatively
ask your overseers or call Matt. The best way to avoid embarrassing yourself or offending anyone is to ask a friend’s
trusted opinion if you’re not sure what clothes are appropriate, what behaviours are acceptable etc.
Kampala
The capital of Uganda is a bustling place with a fast growing economy. It is also one of the most rapidly
developing cities in Africa. Kampala has retained its traditional charm and remains one of the greenest cities in
Africa. Kampala is the heart of Uganda, the centre of commercial life and the seat of government. Kampala is
built on seven hills. The city centre has wide, quiet avenues lined with flowering trees and large detached
houses behind imposing fences and hedges.
Uganda
Your Placement
UGANDA
Oasis Uganda currently consists of two projects in Kampala – the Bambejja Project and Net2Work as well as Frontline
Global teams which work in partnership with local churches throughout Uganda. Beersheba has recently begun in
the town of Mbale, three hours east of Kampala. At present, there are 30 full-time Ugandan staff, 18 Ugandan
volunteers, 6 International staff and 2 professional placements working for Oasis Uganda.
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Oasis Uganda is directed by Gill Olaaka. The Oasis Uganda office provides the central administration for all the
projects. The Oasis Uganda leadership team consists of the managers of each arm of Oasis’ work – Julius Elora
(Net2Work), Dave Caswell (Beersheba) and Matt Hearn (International placements) – and they meet regularly to plan,
discuss and make decisions regarding the future direction of the work.
Uganda
Beersheba Net2Work Bambejja International placements
Child Support
Regional Training Programme
Centre Professional Placements Teams (Frontline Global),
tailored and taster teams)
Uganda
Resettlement
New Life Church Programme
eAcademy
Skills Training
Open Bible Church Programme
eAcademy
Family Empowerment
Programme
Naguru Remand Home
Oasis Uganda Projects
THE BAMBEJJA PROJECT
Bambejja is one of Oasis’ projects which specifically reaches out to destitute girls in three of Kampala’s biggest
slums – Kyebando, Kalerwe and Mulago. Many of these girls have experienced neglect, abuse and traumatic
situations, and feel unworthy and unloved. The name ‘Bambejja’ is the Luganda word for ‘Princesses’ and reflects the
aim to transform the girls’ view of themselves so that they gain understanding of their value and worth.
Through a range of specially designed programmes, from ‘catch-up’ schooling to life skills training, HIV/AIDS
interventions, music, drama and job skills training, Bambejja works with over 140 girls in this community, ranging in
age from 5 to 20. Staff support them to grow into well-equipped and independent young women by helping them to
develop physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually.
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Teams help out at Bambejja some weekends, but it is NOT the focus of your Team’s placement.
Home, and Half Way There
Your Placement
Although 88% of the girls in the core Bambejja programme are partial or complete orphans, most of them are able to
live in family settings in the community with extended family members or guardians. Oasis believes that, in most
cases, family care is preferred to institutional care and so they focus on working with the families and carers, training
them in key areas such as basic healthcare, small business skills and parenting skills, so they are empowered to be
able to take care of the children at home.
However, for some girls, the family home is no longer a safe place - they may have faced abuse or been utterly
abandoned and rejected. For these girls, Oasis aims to resettle them with loving foster families, in the meantime
caring for them in a small, family-style Halfway Home. At the Halfway Home, they receive counselling to enable them
to deal with past issues and prepare for new lives with foster families.
Fifteen-year old Sarah* was one such girl. Sarah joined Bambejja when she was living with her elderly grandfather.
Sadly, her grandfather died soon after, leaving Sarah alone. She had no knowledge of her parents and thought
they were dead. She was accepted into the Halfway Home, where she flourished in confidence and grew to love
school, setting her heart on becoming a lawyer. Bambejja began the process of tracing extended family to try to
find a suitable foster home for Sarah and discovered that she did in fact have a father living in Uganda, who was
happy to accept her into his family. She has settled in well to her new home and loves her school there. Of course
it’s not all plain sailing starting to live with a father you didn’t realise existed a year before, but Bambejja is
supporting Sarah and her father through the process.
Net2Work
Steven* is 18 and lost his parents when he was still young. Consequently he, like many others like him, never
completed his secondary education. With no formal qualifications and no-one to support him or invest in his future,
life for Steven looked bleak.
Steven is exactly the kind of young person that Oasis’ Net2Work offers hope to, training them in IT and job skills in a
caring and supportive environment and equipping them to find relevant employment. It’s amazing how much a
young person, who has previously felt at the bottom of the pile, can achieve when someone helps them to realise their
skills and capabilities. Over half of Net2Work graduates are now in full-time work and a quarter have gone back to
school.
“Oasis Uganda are helping to change the lives of disadvantaged people, poor people in the community like me, by
offering them good computer skills, and other training skills to raise them to become better people in their
communities. Please may God bless them to continue helping other disadvantaged people like me.” -Steven
Dave Caswell is an International Staff Placement who is leading the project, with Jess Foy as assistant project
manager and in partnership with pastors from the church. The local staff employed include a teacher, caretaker and
cook.
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International Placements
Frontline Global Teams
Frontline Global Teams come to Uganda for six month periods throughout the year. ‘Taster Teams’ and Tailored
Your Placement
Teams come for shorter periods, between a week and a month, usually in the summer months.
Frontline Global Teams are linked with local churches throughout Uganda and are involved in a variety of work
supporting the church and local community. The kinds of activities the teams are involved in include running kids
clubs, leading youth discipleship courses at schools, praying with AIDS victims and teaching conversational English
classes.
Taster Teams support the work of Oasis Projects in Uganda through activities such as practical building projects and
running kids’ camps. Tailored Teams are pre-formed groups, such as churches, who come to get a taste of mission
and see and experience Oasis Uganda projects, these can also be groups of professionals.
Professional placements
Professional placements have supported the development of Oasis Uganda in various ways and have included two
teachers, a physiotherapist, an accountant, a fundraiser, HR manager, artist/designer and football coach. One of the
major aims for Oasis Uganda is to train up and hand over to local leadership and therefore any international staff or
professional placements will be taken on with for a very specific purpose based on their professional skills and
experience. Their job description will emphasise training, developing and empowering local staff in their roles.
What you will be doing
Orientation
Your placement in Uganda will begin with orientation. You will be given information about Uganda, more details about
the placements and activities, as well as meeting some local helpers and leaders. During this time you will learn
about Ugandan culture, history, religion and language training and be prepared for the next five months. It will also
be a time for focusing on God and His plan for your mission. You will stay in the guesthouse in simple but comfortable
accommodation.
In Uganda you will work in separate teams, each based with a church or Christian project in and around Kampala.
Details of both current placements are below; we will tell you which team you will be in at the Training week, and you
will be able to read the previous team’s report of the placement to get an idea of the details!
Teams meet up at least once a week for a day of theological training in Kampala at a Bible College, and can also
meet up on their days off.
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Below are outlines of the placements and the
activities that the current teams have been involved
in. It is likely that your team will be involved in
similar activities. However, each year the focus of
Your Placement
the teams is slightly different depending on the
current needs of the placements and the gifts,
skills and interests that the teams have to offer.
1.) Kasangati
This placement is about 40mins from central Kampala. It is primarily a teaching placement, with work in both primary
and secondary schools, but not always teaching curriculum subjects. Teams also run kids clubs and Bible studies
with the young people, and have taken part in evangelism trips to rural areas with one of the local churches.
Grace High School is private, and is under the leadership of Fields of Life, a N. Ireland charity who start
schools/farms etc. in Eastern Uganda. It is a private school, so some children are from wealthy families. However,
some are sponsored. The state schooling system is very poor in Uganda.
The other schools which teams work in are linked to Grace High or to local churches in the area.
The Kasangati team also help out at Bambejja occasionally; painting classrooms and running kids clubs for the girls.
Accommodation
Teams live on-site at Grace, in dormitory-style accommodation, although the girls live with the headmaster’s family.
Building work on a separate team house is ongoing, so this will hopefully be finished by the time the next team arrive.
2.) Bushfire
This placement is about 4 hours from central Kampala, 2 hours outside the town of Jinja. After leaving YWAM, Sam &
Eva Kitalya started up their own organization called Uganda Family Resource Link. Though it has strong ties to YWAM
itself, it is a separate organization. Within UFRL Bush Fire began as a project.
UFRL’s mission statement is:
‚Reconcile family dynamics through counseling, training and resource mobilization to equip families and youth
groups for better spiritual, social and economic growth‛
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Bush Fire started up 4 years ago when Sam & Eva Kitalya bought a plot of land in Bulange sub-county. For a year
they cleared the land and built the first buildings. After some fundraising the first project of Bush Fire began; the
orphanage. Over the next year or two the orphanage grew and now currently has four houses, each with 15 children
and 2 house parents, and another two houses awaiting children.
Your Placement
During those two years of growth, Bush Fire received more funds and around the orphanage built a church, a store
room, a primary school and a clinic. Later on more land was bought and a farm added to the rapidly expanding list of
Bush Fire projects. There is a church onsite.
Also on the hearts of other staff members is for Bush Fire to have a secondary school, vocational training workshop,
bakery, library, CU in local school and a counseling clinic.
Bush Fire has a lot in store for it. With God’s hand firmly on this place many lives will be transformed by its presence.
Also in Uganda nearly all the major NGOs and projects are based in Kampala, Jinja or one of the other towns in
Uganda. The presence in the rural areas is almost zero. So, with Bush Fire firmly based in a rural area (2.5 hours
away from Jinja, the nearest town) it is a great force for good, and truly is a trailblazer.
The Bushfire team spend half the week on-site and half the week at Hope House, which is the Team House about an
hour away. Work-wise, they go out into the surrounding villages to run seminars and workshops with local churches,
as well as preaching. The team also go into schools to run assemblies and lessons, do community evangelism, and
run Sunday School and Bible clubs for the children on-site at Bushfire. They have helped in the worship group at
church and also done some impromptu farming!
Accomodation
Bushfire is a rural placement so accommodation is basic. There are no showers so you have to wash with a bucket,
but the team have very quickly got used to it. The toilets are pit latrines so toilet paper and antibacterial handwash is
vital! The team eat with the staff and children on-site and meals are traditional African food.
Whilst at Hope House there are showers, flushing toilets and a computer for emailing home.
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