Oxfam Ireland Core Country: Uganda

Nov 2007: Oxfam Ireland commits extra funding to Uganda Floods

Country Statistics

Population:	30.3 million
Year of Independence:	1962
Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 births):	67.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:	51.8 years
People living with HIV and AIDS:	4.1% / 600,000
Literacy (people aged 15 and over that are literate):	69.9% (2003 est.)
Population below poverty line:	35% (2001 est.)
Currency:	Ugandan Shilling

Map of Uganda

Oxfam Unwrapped in Uganda

Oxfam in Uganda:

Kotido Pastoralist Development Programme:

Kotido district is within the Karamoja region in northeast Uganda bordering Kenya and Sudan. It is home to two main ethnic groups: the Dodoth and the Jie. Karamoja region is semi-arid, with an average rainfall of 500-700mm per annum. The Karimojong people are pastoralist and the keeping of livestock is the principal economic activity. They supplement this by maintaining small gardens and fields of local crops.

Karamoja is characterised by a combination of acute poverty, chronic insecurity, vulnerability to drought, poor infrastructure and basic social services delivery, limited marketing opportunities, natural resource degradation, social and cultural marginalisation, and long-standing dependency on external aid.

Oxfam Ireland is supporting the over 220,000 people in the programme in a number of different ways. Support is provided to Pastoralist Organisations which seek to empower people to realise their rights. Oxfam provides funding to the Dodoth Agro Pastoral Development Organisation which works with local people to assist them to achieve sustainable food and income security through improved animal health, crop development and access to essential services. Support is also provided to the Kotido Peace Initiative to promote peaceful co-existence between different groupings in the region.

Three women's groups are being supported to develop income generating activities that will assist their families including the provision of cereal grinding mills to enable people to make flour based foods.

Oxfam Ireland is also working to ensure lasting peace in the region. Local Government authorities are being resourced to monitor support peace while community groups are trained in the principles of peaceful co-existence.

Oxfam Ireland is also involved in the development of community water action plans, which seeks to provide a sustainable source of water to all people in the district. Technical assistance is provided to determine what kind of water will be provided (borehole, windmill etc). Nine parishes in the district are being provided with bore-hole kits. Training is also provided so that communities can manage their own water resources in the future.

The emphasis of the programme is to assist people to live together in harmony while ensuring that they are capable of developing sustainable livelihoods using the limited natural resources available to them.

For more information on the Development Challenges of the Region see www.eldis.org/pastoralism/karamoja.htm

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