Uganda is one of the poorest nations in the world, with 37.7% of the population living on less than 80p a day. 56% of the poverty remains deep-rooted in the country’s rural areas, which are home to more than 85 per cent of Ugandans.
Life expectancy and literacy rates are also low.
In Uganda:
50% of the population are under 14 years old
1 in 10 children die before the age of 5 years.
2 million children are orphaned, mainly through AIDS
Thousands of children are born HIV+ve each year (statistics unavailable)
Malaria is the main killer of Ugandan children
720,000 under fives and over 1 million fives and over are reported to have clinical malaria
Without prompt treatment a child may die from malaria within 24 hours
50% children under 4 years of age will die after contracting malaria
There are over 1 million disabled children
Children with AIDS and/or disabilities are often marginalised in their communities.
Poverty results in malnutrition, poor hygiene, inadequate housing, ill health and unaffordable health care. Sickness results in lack of education, poor job records and poverty. Such is the poverty trap.
The children of Uganda rely on those who have much giving to those who have nothing.
Wellspring is based in Kamutuuza, which is 15 miles from the large town of Masaka and 60 miles south of the capital Kampala, the capital of Uganda.
Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa, bordered by Kenya, South Sudan, DR of the Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania. It contains many large lakes, including Lake Victoria, exacerbating problems with mosquitoes and subsequent malaria. As a result of decades of war and corruption Uganda is still one of the poorest countries in the world, with 37.7% living on less than 70p per day. 50% of Uganda’s population of 37 million are under 14 years of age. Thousands of children are born with HIV each year and nearly 2 million are orphaned due to AIDS.