Uganda remains among the poorest nations in the world despite reducing its poverty rate. In 1993, 56.4% of the population was below the national poverty line, this decreased to 19.7% by 2013. Although poverty rates overall fell between 1993 and 2016, they rose slightly between 2013 and 2016. In Uganda, nearly 50% of children do not complete primary school and the majority of families rely upon agriculture for their livelihoods. These ongoing challenges are coupled with an extremely large youth population and the largest refugee population in Africa creating a great need for both education and job opportunities. In response, Active Hope is focused on initiatives like: Creating opportunities for farmers to improve their yields and their incomes. Empowering and skilling more youths in self-sustaining disciplines of business Sourcing and providing start up capital to young entrepreneurs Ensuring that as many children can go to and stay in school. In future we consider playing a role in extending mobile banking services into rural farming communities, which help families access loans, deposit savings, and make payments through their mobile phones and independent local bank agents. The SDGs promote sustained economic growth, higher levels of productivity and technological innovation. Encouraging entrepreneurship and job creation are key to this, as are effective measures to eradicate forced labour, slavery and human trafficking. With these targets in mind, the goal is to achieve full and productive employment, and decent work, for all women and men by 2030.

Uganda has made some good progress in achieving the target of universal primary education. The total enrollment rate in rural areas has been growing over the years. There has also been a dramatic increase in literacy rates, and many more girls are in school than ever before. These are all remarkable successes. Progress has also been tough in many rural areas due to high levels of poverty, loss of family household providers and other emergencies. Children from the poorest households are up to four times more likely to be out of school than those of the richest households. Disparities between rural and urban areas also remain high. Achieving inclusive and quality education for all reaffirms the belief that education is one of the most powerful and proven vehicles for sustainable development. This goal ensures that all girls and boys complete free primary and secondary schooling by 2030. It also aims to provide equal access to affordable vocational training, to eliminate gender and wealth disparities, and achieve universal access to a quality higher education. Active Hope is working closely with local communities and partners to provide an inclusive and holistic education for over 5000 children aged between four and fourteen in the various rural areas. Most of these children are the first in their families to attend school. Our approach at Active Hope ensures that all students are supported to learn and develop a range of academic and life skills which will enable them to make choices about their futures. The quality of local secondary school provision in the rural areas is not as good as the urban areas. We are partnering with numerous individuals, charities and organizations improve the quality of local secondary education provision. Active Hope is working closely with numerous secondary schools to improve enrolment, attendance and academic outcomes. In years to come, we aim for these schools to be places which provide high quality learning opportunities for our youths and elderly students to complete their secondary education and gain qualifications and skills to transition to life beyond secondary school. We also look to develop more collaborative partnerships to provide scholarships that can enable more students from less privileged families access university education.

Over the past years the number of people living in extreme poverty has declined dramatically, despite the lasting impact of the post-Uganda turbulent times and now Corvid 19 impact. According to reports Uganda has rich, fertile soil and ample rainfall, and 82 percent of Uganda’s population work in agriculture. Despite these factors, which should lead to a surplus of food, Uganda still struggles with widespread hunger. This small country has a fast-growing population that is expected to reach 100 million by 2050. The effects of the corvid 19 pandemic have only worsened the situation with more families going without food. The Active Hope food basket program is intended to ensure the disadvantaged not only be fed but many homes with be trained on how to participate in sustainable Agriculture for both home consumption and commercial purposes sustainably. Our approach to resolving the food basket is one family at a time. Studies indicate 41% of people live in poverty, and almost half of Uganda’s population is under the age of 15, representing one of the youngest populations in the world. Uganda also hosts the largest refugee population in Africa—more than one million refugees have fled their home countries to seek asylum in Uganda. Over the next decade, agricultural development will be a main priority to help improve outcomes for low-income families. Agriculture will also be an increasingly important industry for youth and refugees to find viable opportunities to earn sustainable livelihoods for themselves.

We believe that good health and good learning go hand in hand. We are developing and working with professionals locally and globally to ensure families access basic health attention. We are working with different health institutions locally and globally to host numerous health camps in different rural areas for medical check us and treatment free for all. Our dream is to make progress against several leading causes of death and disease. Active Hope intends to see Life expectancy increasing dramatically; infant and maternal mortality rates need to go on the decline. Good health is essential to sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda reflects the complexity and interconnectedness of the two. It takes into account widening economic and social inequalities, rapid urbanization, threats to the climate and the environment, the continuing burden of HIV and other infectious diseases, and emerging challenges such as noncommunicable diseases. Universal health coverage will be integral to achieving SDG 3, ending poverty and reducing inequalities. Emerging global health priorities not explicitly included in the SDGs, including antimicrobial resistance, also demand action. Active Hope intends to have more hubs for community health outreach services. There is very limited health infrastructure in many rural and urban areas. Coupled with this, community members have low awareness of their health entitlements and often seek health advice from unqualified individuals. This can lead to the worsening of an undiagnosed condition and further ill health. Our partners and volunteers are enabling us reach more lives with great health care

Access to shelter should and indeed is a basic human right. The housing deficit in Uganda continues to widen despite the numerous property developers as the population continues to grow. The reality is clear – the lack of affordable quality housing compromises people’s health and development opportunities which perpetuates the poverty cycle in Uganda. We encourage more partners to join us as we build more homes for vulnerable groups and make more micro-loans are available to the poorest. Together we will make Uganda a place where everyone has a decent place to live. We also intend to support orphans and their caregivers through the construction of homes with ventilated improved pit latrines, bathing shelters and a rainwater harvesting system. Families are provided with skills training including knowledge of HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health, succession planning, inheritance rights, sanitation and hygiene, malaria prevention.