Overview and Impact

CARE International in Uganda demonstrated resilience and adaptation during FY2025 (July 2024–June 2025), operating in a challenging environment marked by donor policy shocks, humanitarian pressures, and climate-related disasters. Despite these obstacles, the organisation reached 2,507,781 people with various services (65% women), creating lasting positive change for 1,630,390 individuals. The organisation generated USD 17.12 million in revenue, primarily from grants and donations, and maintained operations across refugee settlements and host communities in Uganda’s West Nile, Northern, Western, and South-Western regions.

Localisation and Partnership Model

A defining achievement of FY2025 was CARE Uganda’s commitment to locally-led development. The organisation channelled 45% of program spending (USD 6.98 million) through 62 local partner organisations, with 38% of that partner funding reaching women-led and women’s rights organisations. This approach aligns with the sector-wide Pledge for Change 2030 and represents a tangible shift of resources, voice, and decision-making power to local actors. The organisation also advanced QuAMPlus, a digital due-diligence platform developed with Uganda National NGO Forum and DENIVA, to streamline partner assessments and strengthen local civil society capacity.

Program Results Across Four Strategic Pillars

CARE Uganda delivered integrated results across its four strategic areas. In Livelihoods & Economic Justice, 1.9 million people gained improved access to food and income, with 60,000 farmers (75% women) trained in climate-smart agriculture and 185,536 women accessing Parish Development Model funds. Under Resilient Futures, over 13,500 people strengthened adaptive capacity through distribution of 813,000 seedlings restoring approximately 17,658 hectares. The Women & Girls pillar reached 251,810 people directly with SRHR and GBV services, achieving a rise in modern contraceptive use among adolescent girls from 15% to 35%. Humanitarian Action directly assisted 101,259 people with protection and food security services during critical influx periods.

Operating Environment and Risk Management

FY2025 was significantly impacted by the January 2025 U.S. foreign assistance pause and USAID stop-work orders, which created severe funding pipeline disruptions across the INGO sector. CARE Uganda responded with strict compliance protocols, accelerated donor diversification toward EU, UN, and World Bank windows, and maintained continuity plans for essential services. Additional challenges included persistent food insecurity affecting 1.9-2.0 million refugees, El Niño-linked floods and landslides, and an evolving regulatory environment requiring compliance with Uganda’s Data Protection and Privacy Act (2019), expanded EFRIS e-invoicing requirements, and beneficial ownership transparency rules.

Sustainability and Forward Strategy

The organisation demonstrated strong environmental stewardship, calculating greenhouse gas emissions across Scopes 1-3 using the GHG Protocol, and integrating climate adaptation into operations. CARE Uganda maintained robust safeguarding systems with 100% staff training coverage and zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. Looking to FY2026, priorities include maintaining localization gains (targeting ≥50% spend through partners), completing digital Partner Portal integration with EFRIS and PDPA controls, scaling climate-smart and carbon-ready livelihoods programs, and scenario-proofing operations against continued donor volatility. The financial statements received an unqualified audit opinion, with the organisation reporting a surplus of USD 541,796 for the year.