Uganda

Refugees in Uganda: Safety is my new home

"Yes, I feel at home here in Uganda. Despite the challanges I face in my daily life here. I am doing well and most of all I feel safe. Peace makes it easy for me to feel at home," says Mary Night.

Read the stories of two young women who left their homes in South Sudan in search of safety and found it in Uganda.

Asio Rebecca, 27: "I almost gave up"

In Uganda, children with disabilities are mostly hidden away. Stigma around disability often lead to people regarding them as “God's punishment”. Many mothers are abandoned by their husbands and sometimes even disowned by their families. Asio Rebecca, 27, tells us how she and her daughter Faith arrived at the self-help centre Suubi Lyaffe (translated: Our hope) in Kampala and how her life and that of her daughter Faith has since changed.

Planting trees for a better future in Uganda

Julius Kijali, Project Manager and afforestation expert at Malteser International in Uganda speaks about the importance of protecting natural resources for people and the environment.

"Planting trees is important" - Lillian's story

Lillian Candiru was born and raised in the north of Uganda. 33 years ago, the local landscape looked quite different: "In the past, there were many trees in the area, but people have felled more and more trees in recent years. They used the wood to build their simple houses and as fuel in cooking. For a long time, many more trees were felled than were replanted," says Lillian Candiru.

Eco-friendly construction is bringing hope to refugees and youths in Uganda

Uganda is home to some 1.3 million refugees. The arrival of refugees has had a strong impact on the environment and the labor market of the country. A high demand for construction timber and firewood for new settlements has resulted in massive environmental degradation as millions of trees have been cut down. The influx could also worsen the situation of youth unemployment and put pressure on an already poor social infrastructure, threatening social cohesion and future economic growth in the country. With our partner Impact Building Solutions Foundation, a Ugandan social entreprise, we are providing zero-carbon building alternatives while creating job and training opportunities. 

Uganda: Eco-friendly classrooms in Rhino camp

In the face of a changing climate, the importance of sustainable building practices cannot be overstated. In partnership with Impact Building Solutions Foundation (IBSF), a social enterprise working to produce sustainable alternatives in construction, Malteser International recently completed the construction of a carbon-neutral high school building in the Rhino refugee settlement in northern Uganda.

Tumalu's story

A brutal civil war has forced more than a million people from South Sudan to seek refuge in neighbouring Uganda since 2013. Many have witnessed and experienced violence of all sorts. In the midst of this crisis, 25-year-old Tumalu picks her way into the future. 

Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel in Rhino Camp

German Foreign Minister Sigmar visits Malteser International's project in Rhino Camp, northern Uganda. The refugee settlement is currently home to over 200,000 refugees, mostly from South Sudan.
Malteser International provides clean drinking water for the refugees in the settlement, and also implements hygiene measures to reduce the spread of sickness.