We welcome you to CARE International in Uganda Annual Report combining Fiscal Years 2016 and 2017. It has been an exceptionally challenging but equally rewarding two years where our humanitarian mandate took over our long term development work as Uganda saw hundreds of refugees from South Sudan cross the border in search of refuge and protection. Despite our heavy attention on the refugee situation, we continued our long term development program from which we also borrowed approaches and models for our humanitarian response. Our financial inclusion, women’s economic empowerment and natural resources governance programs carried on while putting their expertise at the disposal of our growing humanitarian portfolio in search of more gender responsive durable and holistic solutions.

CARE Denmark has secured a Strategic Partnership Agreement with DANIDA that has subsequently led to an agreement between CARE Denmark and CARE Uganda designing a Programme to Strengthen Resilience and Promote Inclusive Governance (STRENPO) for women and youth in vulnerable communities (2018-2021).

Denis Tumwesige used to make his living illegally cutting trees in protected forests in Uganda, until he got arrested. Instead of a jail sentence, the local officials connected him with CARE’s Forest Resources Sector Transparency (FOREST) project, which taught him about the importance of forest conservation. Denis then wrote a song about forests, which is a huge hit, and is routinely played on national radio. The song succeeded in raising awareness of forest policies. Here is what else the project achieved.

CARE Denmark has secured a Strategic Partnership Agreement with DANIDA that has subsequently led to an agreement between CARE Denmark and CARE Uganda designing a Programme to Strengthen Resilience and Promote Inclusive Governance (STRENPO) for women and youth in vulnerable communities (2018-2021).

Climate change is one of the biggest crises facing humanity because it has led to countless natural disasters. It is an issue that will prove most damaging for the countries least able to adapt. Reduced forest cover has led to increase atmospheric GHG. Evidence has it that the chemical building blocks that make plastics so versatile are the same components that might harm people and the environment. And its production and disposal contribute to an array of environmental problems.

She Feeds the World (SFtW) brings together the best of CARE and partners’ approaches into an integrated framework to solve complex problems. This ensures CARE works with partners to scale programs to reach more people. SFtW helps us get solutions to more people in need, faster and more sustainably.

On behalf of the staff of CARE International in Uganda and myself, I cordially welcome you to the first issue of CARE Uganda’s Newsletter, the Paper Crane. It has been a long journey to get here and finally have a product that we are proud of. This Newsletter is a demonstration of some of the work we do and our commitment to ending poverty and domestic violence, especially among women and girls. We have a special focus and unshakeable commitment to women and girls because several studies show that they bear the most negative effects of poverty – socialy, economically and politically.

Alarge and growing body of research has shown how gender inequality undermines health and development and how working with men and boys as well as women and girls to promote gender equality contributes to achieving health and development outcomes (Barker and others, 2010).

Land ownership is critical for women Empowerment: Land is a primary source and crucial asset for households, especially women who primarily depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Ownership and control over land plus control over produce obtained from land use in Northern Ugandan, like most parts of Uganda, is unequal
and disfavours women.

The twenty-year old Kony war had devastating effects on the physical, social, economic and political wellbeing of the people in northern Uganda and more significantly in the health area. Women and girls were mostly affected by the conflict and continue to face enormous challenges accessing sexual reproductive, and maternal and child health care. There is inadequate services compounded by a breakdown in the social fabric and distortion of social norms, entangled with patriarchal society that would otherwise regulate gender equity in the communities.

Compounding the prolbem, men consciously and unconscioulsy impede access to basic services for women and adolescents such as family planning services, HIV testing, participation in maternal health issues and support to infant feeding practices.