Where We Work
We work in Bududa, Manafwa, Mbale and Namasindwa districts in Mbale Region, Eastern Uganda.
Our aim is to help all people in these areas to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals
Mbale is a region of around 1 million people. Around 96,000 live in Mbale town, the rest in rural villages.
Most people in the villages are subsistence farmers, growing their own food, including maize, beans, bananas, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, matooke, millet, onions and carrots. Some are able to grow crops to sell, including coffee. Our healthworkers, motorbike ambulance drivers and self help group members live in these villages.
Mbale Coalition Against Poverty is in Mbale town, and so is the Hospital. The workshop and wildlife education centre are not far away. The NGOs, schools and churches we partner with are spread all across the region – some are in town, some of them are very remote!
Mbale region has a tropical climate with average temperatures of 27-32C and two rainy seasons a year. The first usually comes around early April and the second in July, though with climate change they are becoming less predictable.
The local tribe are called the Bamasaaba (also known as Bagisu) and their people speak Lumasaaba (Lugisu). In Mbale town there are some areas made up of a mix of different tribes who have moved to town, sometimes because of conflicts or droughts. English is the official language of Uganda and the one used in school, but not everyone is able to finish school so not everyone speaks English fluently. Uganda is around 85% Christian and 14% Muslim – some local villages are mostly one or the other.
