Our work in Uganda

Volunteer water pump technician Charles Okana trains villagers on how to repair a pump at a borehole built by AMREF at the Oromo camp for Internally Displaced PeopleThough Uganda’s health services are weak, joint efforts by the Ministry of Health and organisations such as AMREF have in recent years improved overall access to better health for its people. Today, 72% of the population lives within 5km of a health facility – up from 49% five years ago.

Working with district health councils and health care institutions, AMREF is improving the knowledge and skills of local communities and health professionals through training and partnering – targeting community health workers, water committees and technicians, women’s groups and community leaders.

Major health challenges

Communicable diseases such as malaria are the leading cause of death and illness in Uganda, and women and children are worst affected. AIDS causes most adult deaths and is the main reason for falling life expectancy. Today, an estimated 1 million adults (57% of them women) and 187,000 children are HIV positive. HIV also fuels the TB epidemic – 50% of HIV-positive people have TB, and 30% of them will eventually die as a result.

Rural areas have least access to basic health care, safe water and sanitation. This, alongside poor hygiene, creates high rates of diarrhoeal disease and death in children.

Distance and cost also play their part in Uganda’s health crisis – 13% of people do not seek medical attention because they can’t afford it, or can’t reach clinics. Trained health workers are scarce in rural areas – some districts have as little as 26% of the professional medical staff they need.

Districts in the north and east of Uganda are consistently worse off than those in other regions, largely as result of conflict and insecurity.

Nursing assistant Agnes Achola weighs children on immunisation day at the Kitgum Hospital.

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Uganda - key health statistics

  • Each year there are an estimated 66,000 AIDS-related deaths – in 2006 there were 132,500 new infections, 20.6% of them among children because of mother-to-child transmission.
  • 50% of Uganda’s estimated 2.4 million orphans have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS.
  • Each year there are 70,000–110,000 malaria-related deaths.
  • Malnutrition is an underlying cause of around 60% of child deaths.
  • Only 42% of births are supervised by a health professional.
  • Uganda has only 2,209 doctors, 16,221 nurses and 1,702 laboratory technicians – almost a third of health posts are not filled.

History of AMREF in Uganda

AMREF has worked in Uganda since the mid-1980s. During this period we have expanded our activities from delivering health care services to building the capacity and skills of the local health care networks themselves, and undertaking research and lobbying on health issues.

Today we work in ten of the country’s 78 districts – including in camps for people displaced by Uganda’s civil war. AMREF sits on national policy-making bodies and consults with local district authorities, takes part in health care planning and provides guidance on national policy.