WHERE WE WORK
Northern Uganda
Northern Uganda has lived through decades of violence, displacement and neglect. From 1986 to 2006, a brutal conflict with the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) forced more than 1.8 million people into camps for internally displaced people. For twenty years families were unable to farm, earn a living or live with dignity. Communities were torn apart, and generations of children grew up knowing only poverty and fear.
During those years social systems collapsed. Knowledge stopped being passed from one generation to the next, land ownership was lost, and access to education and healthcare disappeared. When peace came and the camps finally disbanded, people went home to empty land and broken livelihoods. They had to start again with nothing.
Today, life is calmer but still extremely hard. Many people in northern Uganda continue to face hunger, poverty and the lasting effects of war. The most vulnerable - the elderly, children and women - are often left behind. Limited investment, poor infrastructure and unpredictable weather keep families trapped in a cycle of hardship.
In 2008, Seeds for Development Founder Alison Hall met a group of farmers still living in the camps. That moment was the beginning of everything. From those early meetings grew a charity rooted in trust, partnership and hope.
Today, Seeds for Development works with seven villages across northern Uganda to help communities rebuild from within.
We focus on food security, early education and the tools people need to shape their own futures.
Parabongo
Parabongo is the first place Alison visited in northern Uganda in 2008.
On that trip she met these women and couldn't walk away after giving her word that we would support them.
Today we support farming projects, 2 nursery schools and a group of war surivors called The LRA Survivors. We are helping them build a Peace and Learning Centre.
Otici
Otici is the village the furthest away from Gulu. It used to take hours and hours to get there and we still get stuck in the mud on a regular basis.
The people of Otici are an inspiration. They work so hard and are so determined to lift themselves out of poverty. They have built a nursery school - it is called St Peters and lead the way with the coffee growing project that we started 12 years ago. This is Simon who co-ordinates our projects and drives the community forwards.
Koro
We met the child mothers in 2011.
They were abducted during the war, raped and had babies. They either escaped or were rescued from the rebels but when they got home they were rejected by their families.
They found each other and formed this group to support one another.
Since 2011 we have provided the girls with seeds, sewing machines, taught them the skills to make paper beads and helped them set up a very successful football team.
When we go to Uganda we buy beads, bags and other crafts from the child mothers, bring them back to the UK and sell them to raise funds for our projects.
Lamin Lawino
This group was set up by two of the original child mothers who used to walk for hours to attend meetings.
We have helped them build this nursery school and will help them finish it.
There are many old and vulnerable people here and we are linking the young and fit with the old and weak in return for bean seeds!
At school we contribute towards paying the teachers and making sure the children receive a cup of hot porridge every day.
Thanks to Iain Patton and our friends at UP! they have a lovely toilet block. And thanks to the amazing charity Drop in the Bucket they have a borehole and no longer have to walk several kilometres to fetch water.
Putuke
Putuke is near Kitgum and one of the villages that Forgotten People's Projects supports.
They have recently built a new nursery school to replace the grass thatched mud building, which was destroyed every year by fire, wind or rain.
It took more than 2 years to build during COVID. We coordinated the budget via Whatsapp messages with lots of patience and budget calculating.
We also support farmers with seeds and provide emergency support with medical expenses.
Nge Kidi
Nge Kidi is near Kitgum and one of the villages that Forgotten People's Projects supports.
We met them in 2014 and have supported them since then by providing them with seeds and helping the nursery school with a monthly contribution that pays for 2 teachers and the cook.
We also make sure that every child at the school receives a cup of hot porridge every day.
Paibwor
Paibwor is near Kitgum and one of the villages that Forgotten People's Projects supports.
We provide them with seeds and helping the nursery school with a monthly contribution that helps pay 2 teachers. We also make sure that every child at the school receives a cup of hot porridge every day.
Here is Doreen the school cook, very proud in her new apron. At the moment they prepare the porridge on a fire outside. The goal is build a school kitchen, but first we need to build the toilets and finish the building.
And here is Sam, teaching the children in a partly finished classroom.
