EDUCATION AND JOBS:

Across Africa more young people are being educated & going to university, but there are not enough jobs,so many young people work several jobs and/or become entrepreneurs themselves in order to make ends meet. Meet an important one at right.

HIV/AIDS:

The work the Kingston Grandmother Connection supports in African countries like Uganda is primarily in response to the devastation caused by the HIV/Aids epidemic. According to UN AIDS, the prevalence of HIV in Uganda in 2015 was 7.1 per hundred population. This means about 1.5 million living with the disease and about 28,000 deaths per year. HIV incidence had been declining until 2015, when Uganda had the third highest number of new infections in Africa. The government and other UN funded agencies have had a campaign of “ABC”: Abstinence, monogamy (Be faithful) and Condoms, but there is debate about the effectiveness of this campaign.

Groups which are most affected by HIV/AIDS in Uganda include:

• men who have sex with men, who face stigma and discrimination

• sex workers, who have an HIV prevalence rate of around 35%

• female adolescents and young women, who face sexual violence and lack of access to education

HIV/AIDS treatment medications are available to about 57% of eligible adults and 63% of eligible children.

GORILLAS:

Over 60% of Africa’s mountain gorilla population is found in Uganda where the animals have been subject to poaching, habitat loss due to population expansion, disease and illegal charcoal production particularly in Virunga National Park. What might have been a bleak outlook for this gorilla species just a couple of decades ago has brightened in recent years due to conservation efforts. Recent records indicate their numbers have begun to increase from 620 In 1989 to 880 today. Go mountain gorillas go!!!.

GENDER ISSUES:

Gender awareness and fairness are very important to many people in Uganda.  Here’s a great story: In Uganda, many of the same sports and games that we know are played by the children and young people. A Canadian man, born in Uganda and now living in Ottawa, has developed a very successful basketball program in the community of Kamengo, southwest of Kampala, in order to promote both the sport and fairness and opportunity for all young people. Currently there are approximately 155 girls and boys, as well as young adults registered in the project. Balls, sports gear and shoes are provided as a result of Canadian donations. Bonus! Twenty-six young people have obtained a variety of school scholarships due to their basketball skills! Slam…..dunk!!!