Uganda: The Pearl of Africa
Uganda, the pearl of Africa, is a landlocked country
approximately the size of the state of Oregon. Located in
East Africa, Uganda is bordered by Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda. Over 35% of the
32,000,000 people that live in Uganda live below the poverty
line. Only eight countries in the world suffer from more
deaths due to HIV/AIDS and almost 1,000,000 people currently
live with this dreaded disease. Over 50% of the population
is 15 years or younger as adults become another HIV/AIDS
statistic.
Disease and poverty not the only burdens Uganda has had to bear. As a British colony, Uganda was created by grouping together different tribal kingdoms whose cultures and political models varied drastically. Once Uganda achieved independence in 1962, these differences prevented Uganda from becoming a unified nation with a unified vision for the future. This inner tensions led to the rise of dictators such as Idi Amin in the 1970's and the return of Milton Obote in the early 1980's. These two dictators combined caused the death of over 400,000 Ugandans. Since 1986, President Yoweri Museveni has brought relative calm to Uganda but the government is still unable to provide its citizens basic services such as water, electricity, accessible healthcare, and quality education. Poverty claims the lives of thousands of Ugandans, and over 40% of the population lives on less than $1 a day.
Informational Documents
Guidance, Counseling, and Youth Development for Africa-UNESCO
