CARE started working in Uganda in 1969. Following decades of internal strife, since the late 1980s Uganda has continued on a steady path of development.

Yet with almost two-thirds of the population living below or just above the poverty line, many challenges remain in the fight to overcome poverty.

Uganda is also vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, such as deforestation, soil erosion and lack of clean water supplies. This places pressure on those small-scale farmers who make up 85 per cent of the country’s workforce. We’re assisting poor families who depend on the land by helping them find and put into practice new and sustainable ways of using the land that they have always relied on.

Fast Facts

Population: 38.32 million
Life expectancy: 55.4 years (54 years male, 56.9 years female) (2016 est.)
Infant mortality: 57.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
Under-5 mortality*: 55 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)
Maternal mortality: 343 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
Adult literacy rate: 78.4% (85.3% male, 71.5% female) (2015 est.)
Access to improved drinking water: 79% (95.5% urban, 75.8% rural)
Access to improved sanitation: 19.1% (28.5% urban, 17.3% rural)
Labour force participation rate (15+)^: (79% male, 76% female) (2014 est.)
Percentage of seats held by women in national parliament^: 34%
GDP per capita: $2,000 (2015 est.)

Source: CIA World Factbook, *UNICEF, ^World Bank

Improving lives through microfinance

Often, the poor cannot access the financial loans or credit that could help improve their lives. Our microfinance projects help the most vulnerable to efficiently save and invest small amounts of money to grow a new business – money that can then be used to buy food and send children to school.

Throughout Uganda, our Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) provide services to over 100,000 people, mainly women. These efforts provide women and girls with vital financial skills to build their businesses, providing training in savings, loans and financial literacy.

Donate now

Support our ongoing work to create a more equal world.

Your donation can help end extreme poverty and give people the means to build a better future for themselves in countries like Uganda.

For those living in extreme poverty, your support brings education and training, healthcare and clean water, nutritious food, and new ways to earn an income. And in times of crisis, you help us deliver emergency relief.

Banner image ©Ami Vitale/CARE