Emmanuel Odama, a scientist with the National Agricultural Research Organization and a member of the 2016 class of Mandela Washington Fellows, introduced President Barack Obama at the close of this year’s Young African Leadership Institute summit in Washington, DC in August. More than 1,000 young leaders from 49 African countries, including 30 Ugandans, attended the six-week fellowship at universities across the United States.
Members of the American bluegrass band Henhouse Prowlers in July performed at Bobi Wine’s Ghetto Youth Center in Kamwokya and learned about local culture and music. The visit was part of a U.S. cultural exchange program that brings American artists overseas to promote cross-cultural understanding and expose local audiences to American music and the arts.
Ten fashion designers pose with their models at the third annual SEED (Skilled Expressive Entrepreneurial Design) Show fashion competition for Uganda’s young up-and-coming fashion designers. The October event featured U.S. Ambassador to Uganda Deborah R. Malac as one of the judges of the numerous outfits, all of which were designed from bark cloth.
The U.S. Embassy in September 2016 sponsored a series of workshops for more than 100 young entrepreneurs to help them develop their skills and business plans. Held at Ntusi Report in Kabale, the participants learned valuable lessons with American entrepreneur Rhett Power.
U.S. Ambassador to Uganda Deborah R. Malac and State Minister of Higher Education John Chrysestom Muyingo in March launched a program to distribute some 1.5 million books to Uganda’s primary schools. The initiative was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s School Health and Reading Program. The books, printed in 12 local languages and English, aim to improve reading outcomes in primary grades.
U.S. Ambassador to Uganda Deborah R. Malac shares a joke with a mother at the Baylor College of Medicine-Uganda Paediatric Center of Excellence in Mulago, Kampala. Ambassador Malac visited Baylor College in honor of World Health Day in April to demonstrate the U.S. Government’s commitment to improving Ugandans’ health. More than a quarter of all HIV-positive children in Uganda receive care from Baylor.
The U.S. Mission, in partnership with Lacel Technologies, in January organized a three-week STEM Uganda Girls Camp for 40 secondary school students to broaden their knowledge in science, technology, engineering and math. During the camp, the girls learned to program computers and developed their own applications
Ugandan members of the Young African Leadership Initiative network organized the #IPledgePeaceUg campaign in January and February prior to the country’s presidential election. The initiative, supported by the U.S. Embassy, helped contribute to decreased violence during the campaign season and educate voters about their roles and responsibilities in ensuring peaceful and transparent elections.
With funding from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) supported the construction of the National Health Laboratory in Butabika. The lab, officially handed over to the Ministry of Health in November, will improve the lives and health of all Ugandans, with improved facilities to test for numerous diseases, including HIV.
Students at St. Balikudembbe Primary School in Kisoga, Mukono district, recite a poem on how to reduce the incidence of new HIV cases among adolescent girls. The recital took place during Ambassador Malac’s December visit to the school to recognize World AIDS Day. St. Balikudembbe participates in the PEPFAR-funded DREAMS program, an initiative reaching more than 300,000 girls and young women in 10 districts in Uganda to help reduce HIV infections in this vulnerable population.
Peace Corps Volunteers dance to a traditional Ugandan song after their August swearing-in ceremony. More than 160 Peace Corps Volunteers now work in Uganda, living with host communities and focusing on projects in agriculture, education, and health.
