Full of fascinating natural landscapes and the abundance of wildlife, Uganda (officially the Republic of Uganda) is located on the shores of Lake Victoria, in east-central Africa.
Its extension is similar to that of Great Britain and the country’s capital city is the bustling and cosmopolitan Kampala, which is also the economic and financial center of Uganda.
Based in Kitala, close to the shores of Lake Victoria, RWO has managed to reach as many locations as possible throughout the whole country.
In these locations, RWO has implemented a wide range of projects, all aimed at empowering women by providing them with the capacity of making informed choices about their health and sexual life.
Like other countries in the African Great Lakes region, Uganda enjoys a warm tropical climate with average temperatures going from 25 to 29 °C (77 to 86°F).
Although due to its proximity to the equator Uganda’s temperatures tend to be stable and pleasant throughout the whole year, the rainy seasons go from March to May and from September to November. During these months, heavy rains can occasionally cause serious floods.
Although in recent years the country has been showing very promising signs of economic growth and development, many years of political and social instability, widespread corruption and general economic mismanagement have left Uganda among the world’s poorest and least-developed countries.
In a country in which the majority of families rely on agriculture for their livelihoods, poverty is one of the most relevant challenges: according to statistics, almost half of the entire Ugandan population is currently living below the poverty line.
The country is a presidential republic, based on a democratic parliamentary system. The head of State in Uganda is the president.
This is currently Yoweri Museveni, who won against the opposition leader Bobi Wine in the last elections held in January 2021, gaining the right to lead the country for the 6th mandate in a row. As of 2021, Museveni has held power in Uganda for almost 35 years, making him one of the longest-ruling presidents ever.
Uganda is characterized by a high level of religious diversity.
More than 84% of Ugandans are Christians (both Catholic and Anglicans), whereas 14% adhere to Islam, which is the largest minority religion in the country.
Uganda is a multilingual country. Apart from Luganda, English and Swahili, spoken by most millions of people across the country, the languages currently used by the population are more than 40, all falling into four main families: Bantu, Nilotic, Central Sudanic and Kuliak.
Don’t panic, if you want to volunteer, you’ll be fine with just English!
Over the period from 1991 to 2014, the life expectancy at birth in Uganda rose from 46 years to 62 years for males and 50 years to 64 years for females.
In the same period, under-five mortality rate dropped from 187 to 55 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Although Uganda’s progress in keeping low mortality rates for infants are noteworthy, the country is still faced with several health challenges linked to Malaria, Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, which are the leading causes of illness and death in the country.
Approximately 1.2 million people aged 15 to 64 live with HIV in the country (~7% females/ ~4% males).
On top of these health battles, Uganda is facing the COVID-19 crisis. Until June 2021, Uganda has received less than 1 million vaccines doses: only 1,9% of people have received the first dose, while less than 0,1% have received the second one.
Sources: World Health Organization (WHO),
Uganda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA) 2016-2017.
Behind what we tell you, the best way to discover our beautiful controversial country is to come here.
If you have a kind heart and if you feel the boundaries of your city aren’t enough, then start a new adventure and become a resilient volunteer.