Uganda Village Project
Uganda Village ProjectSince 2003, The Uganda Village Project (UVP) has been working with the people of Iganga to promote public health and sustainable development in the rural communities of this marginalized district in southeast Uganda. Our organization represents a network of partnerships bridging disciplines and sectors. As an international nonprofit organization, we work directly with community based organizations (CBOs) and local government to utilize local knowledge and maximize community ownership of public health and development solutions.
Our Vision
We envision a future in which all Ugandan communities will have the means to effectively create and implement their own health and development solutions.
Our Mission
To facilitate community health and well-being in rural Uganda through improved access, education, and prevention.
We strive to uphold this mission in the following ways:
- Working on project development in collaboration with our local non-governmental and governmental partners in Iganga District, as well as the communities involved in the projects
- Advocating for community health and development through networking inside and outside the district, and supporting efforts on the ground by local partners
- Focusing on understanding the epidemiology and etiology of public health problems in Iganga in order to inform and support direct service projects
- Implementing sustainable public health and development programs that have real impact in communities
- Creating culturally-appropriate project design
- Utilizing interdisciplinary long and short term volunteer teams of professionals and students which seek to support on the ground efforts of Uganda Village Project and its partners
- Learning about and experiencing the culture and daily lives of the Ugandan people
- Including in-depth planning, development, and evaluation to ensure outcomes are achieved
Our Goals
Our goals reflect each of our areas of focus, including capacity building, healthcare, and clean water.
- WASH program: Decrease the health burden of diarrheal diseases
- HIV program: To reduce HIV/AIDS incidence
- Malaria program: Reduce the health burden and mortality due to malaria
- Reproductive health program: Ensure sustainable access to effective and comprehensive reproductive and maternal health education and services
- Obstetric Fistula program: Decrease the health burden of Obstetric Fistula
- Village Health Team capacity building program: To provide Village Health Teams with the skills and knowledge to better serve the community members as a health resource in Healthy Villages
The Village Concept Model
The Uganda Village Project was created in February of 2003 as an initiative of the International Federation of Medical Students Associations—USA (IFMSA-USA), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The IFMSA “Village Concept Project” model was designed in collaboration with the World Health Organization in 1986, whereby medical students and professionals partner with a village in a developing country and work to assist this community over time. IFMSA-USA has successfully applied this model to Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Where We Work
With a population approaching 700,000, Iganga District is one of the most densely populated of Uganda. In spite of that fact, Iganga District boasts only one town, Iganga town, which for a long time was the largest in the country without running water or public sewage systems.
Located in the middle of the Busoga region of the Basoga people, Iganga District is one of the more marginalized of the country and as a result it is among the poorest. Lusoga, a Bantu language closely related to the national language, Luganda, is what most people in the region speak. Those who attend formal schooling, particularly secondary school, also learn English as well as formal Luganda.
The rural economy of Iganga depends heavily on maize, potatoes, and sugar cane.