Pastor Jackson Senyonga - Transforming Uganda One Orphan at a Time

Extra Information

More information on diseases and HIV/AIDS from www.savethechildren.org

HIV/AIDS continues to be a significant challenge. Since the epidemic began, some 1 million Ugandans have died. There are an estimated 2.3 million orphans, mostly due to the disease. The country’s health indicators are also among the lowest in sub-Saharan African. Preventable diseases - including prenatal and maternal illnesses, malaria and diarrhea — take a major toll. Close to 18 percent of school-aged children are not enrolled in school and the dropout rate averages 66 percent. Food security is also a major concern. Many families do not have enough food to last through the "hungry season" between harvests, and more than one in four children under age 5 is stunted. In the north, the search for peace continues amidst poverty, the lack of protection for children, scant food and dismal humanitarian conditions.

There are 1.5 million people living in camps for internally displaced persons, of whom 80 percent are women and children with very limited access to land for cultivation, clean water and health and education services.

• Over 14 million of the country's 27 million people are below the age of 15.

• Approximately 6.9 million adults are illiterate.

• 40% of students have malaria at any given time; malaria is a major cause of primary school absenteeism.

• 66% of children drop out of school during their primary and secondary school years.

• Over 56,000 children under age 5 die each year from nutrition-related causes.

• About one-quarter of the population is unable to secure adequate food for all or part of the year.