Uganda

Uganda is located in East Africa and is known as the "Pearl of Africa" because of its lush jungles, rolling hills and temperate climate. It is located west of Kenya and east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The official language is English, however most Ugandans speak a tribal language as their first language. Even though Uganda lies on the mouth of the Nile River and is home to many natural resources, the Ugandan people remain deeply impoverished. The population of the country is 34.6 million and some of the country’s main exports are fish, coffee, flowers, cotton, tea and gold.

Ugandan cuisine consists of traditional cooking with Arab, English and Asian (particularly Indian) influences. Like the cuisines of most other countries throughout the world, it varies in complexity. Main dishes are usually focused on a sauce or stew of beans, meat or groundnuts. African sweet potato, yam and cassava are eaten frequently. Those who are wealthier normally include white potatoes and rice in their diets. Soybeans are also consumed frequently in Uganda, especially for breakfast.

Tourism in the country of Uganda is focused mainly on the wildlife and the landscape. Some of the main tourist attractions in the country are the animals that reside there. For example, Uganda is one of only the three countries in which it is possible to visit mountain gorillas. The majority of the gorillas live in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which is located in southwestern Uganda. Another major tourist attraction in Uganda is in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The park is located in the Ishasha Sector of Uganda. Lions do not normally climb trees, but for some reason the lions in this area do just that and many tourists come to see this phenomenon.

Development in Uganda

HELP teams have been baving the jungles of Uganda since 2006. In 2010 Uganda received two participant teams in the Kampala region, one in Mukono and on in Lugazi, both smaller towns a few hours from the capital, making Uganda the first in-country expansion in HELP's history. Lugazi is a small town of about 33,000 people. Lugazi is surrounded by sugar cane plantations and many of the inhabitants are poor laborers. Nearby Mukono is also the base for several NGOs and orphanages that HELP International partners with. In 2011 HELP's second Uganda team moved from Mukono to Mbale, a larger town with many shops and businesses slightly farther from the capital than team have been in the past. Just outside of these towns are remote villages that partner with HELP and development initiatives. Projects in Uganda include: HIV/AIDS support group, business training, adobe stoves, square-foot gardening, public health campaigns, support for children with disabilities, eye camps, and more.

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Uganda

Development in Uganda

See HELP in Uganda