Girl collecting water. © Giacomo Pirozzi (Panos)
Independence for Uganda in 1962 was followed by a long period of political violence and state failure. The present government under President Museveni has been in power since 1986.
While Uganda has experienced significant economic growth for more than a decade, it remains one of the poorest countries in the world. In addition, northern Uganda has been seriously affected by the 21-year insurgency by the Lord’s Resistance Army, which has led to the displacement of approximately 1.3 million people. In addition, the national prevalence of HIV/AIDs remains a huge and ongoing problem.