25 years of war and destruction, instigated by Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army, left northern Uganda in ruins. No doubt you have heard the stories about child soldiers and ethnic genocide. People that spent years in refugee camps have been resettling villages, finding water, raising crops, and reestablishing communities with local governance. The poverty and challenges seem unending and yet 10 years after the refuge camps were closed, communities are building infrastructure from the ground up, literally.
Aid Africa has been working collaboratively with a variety of local organizations to bring help and hope to the poorest of the poor in Northern Uganda. With a vision to rebuild 1,000 sustainable communities by providing clean water points near villages; efficient, cleaner burning stoves; farming and reforestation support; and other health and household necessities. We’re actively changing the lives of 100,000 Ugandans, and generations of Ugandans to come…forever.
Our Organization
In the Fall of 2006, Aid Africa was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in the US and established a base of operations with charitable status in Gulu, Uganda. Aid Africa is also registered in Uganda as a foreign NGO as described in the NGO Registration Act of 1989. In July of 2013, Aid Africa registered a DBA in California as African Rural Development and Sustainability Organization. Aid Africa is driven by local priorities, employs a local staff and supports about a dozen student volunteers from Gulu University in its efforts.
Our Vision
By 2025, we’ll reach 1,000 rural villages surrounding Gulu (Northern Uganda), serving local needs and substantially improving people’s living conditions, sustainably by:
Building Stoves: We’ll provide efficient cooking stoves for every home.
Planting Trees: We’ll plant 1,000,000 trees to help reforest the region and provide sustenance to families.
Finding Water: We’ll dig, repair, and maintain 3,000 water sources, providing 3 sources of clean water to each village.
Demystifying HIV: We’ll provide HIV testing and counseling services to every village.
Reducing Maternal Mortality: We’ll provide a birthing kit to every pregnant mother.
More About Us
Where We Are Working
While we have served a number of needy Africa communities in the past, our work is now focused in rural villages outside of Gulu – home to more than 1.5 million Acholi people.
Conflict ravaged this region for almost 25 years. And though the war with the LRA has ceased, the humanitarian situation in Northern Uganda remains one of the worst in the world.
Our Ugandan office is located in the city of Gulu. We also sponsor an orphanage in Jinja, located in southern Uganda. Pearls of Africa Orphanage
Who We Are Helping
At its height, 1.6 million people were internally displaced, dispersed among approximately 200 camps throughout the Northern Uganda.
When they returned to their villages, they faced significant challenges in two broad categories: the absence or inadequacy of basic services (including clean water, sanitation, health care and education) and the limited opportunities to rebuild livelihoods.
The population is very young. More than 50 percent are under the age of fifteen. 25 percent of the children have lost one, or both of their parents. A huge number of the women are widows. In total, 80 percent of displaced people in northern Uganda are women and children. Homeless and struggling to survive, many are subjected to sexual violence and other forms of exploitation. They are extremely poor, with limited possibilities for cash income, almost no credit available, and very few receive remittances from relatives. They depend on humanitarian aid. The reduction in humanitarian activities without a corresponding increase in recovery and development programs is threatens the very lives of these vulnerable people.
People that have spent years in refugee camps are now trying to resettle villages, find water, raise crops, and reestablish communities. The poverty and challenges seem unending…but not unsolvable!
Aid Africa is working collaboratively with an army of organizations to bring help and hope to the poorest of the poor in Uganda, with a vision to rebuild 1,000 sustainable communities by providing clean water, stoves, life-saving health care, education, farming and reforestation, and other household necessities. We’re going to change the lives of more than 100,000 Ugandans, and generations of Ugandans to come…forever.
Our Board and Staff
Nancy Bacon, Executive Director: continues the work of Aid Africa, directing the efforts of both a dedicated volunteer team and the Ugandan staff.
Board of Directors: Joshua Farrar (President), Raymond Rodriguez (Treasurer), Christine Kariuki (Secretary), Nancy Bacon, Peter Keller, Irene Keller, Adrian Hightower, Chuck Wojnowski, Nancy Zimmerman-Boord, Katy Corkill, Susan Wood.
Advisors: Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo – Prof. Pete Schwartz, Physics
Our Ugandan staff has an enthusiasm and a heart for their work. They all know they are doing good work on behalf of the extremely poor people they see and serve.
Ken Goyer: Aid Africa’s founder selflessly invested his life and resources in this work until he passed away in 2010.
Our Partners
Rotary International
Aid Africa has partnered with Rotary International and local Rotary clubs (Southtowne Rotary in Eugene, Oregon and Rotary club in East Fresno, California). Their generosity has enabled numerous projects including the purchase of a van to transport mothers and their ailing babies to the hospital.
Aprovecho Research Center
The people at Aprovecho helped develop the original Rocket Stove. Their expertise in stove engineering and methods of testing prototypes enabled us to design a very fuel-efficient stove.
Do you or your organization want to partner with Aid Africa? Contact us today.
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