Uganda is known as the Pearl of Africa because of its great resources and beautiful countryside. With about 84% of the population identifying themselves as Christians, one might wonder why the country is listed as Monitored by VOM. Despite having a large Christian population, the country faces persecution on several fronts; the Lord's Resistance Army, militant Islam, and tribal witch doctors just to name a few. The country also struggles with the growth of the "prosperity" gospel. It makes one wonder that if persecution was to increase in this country, how many would be willing to give up everything for the sake of following Christ? Let us pray this month that Christians in Uganda would stand strong against everything in this world that is trying to pull them away from Christ, and that they would realize the true value of the kingdom of heaven.
------------------------------------------------------
Uganda
Basic Info:Uganda is a country slightly smaller than Oregon located in East-Central Africa, west of Kenya, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This landlocked region is tropical, fertile, and well watered with many lakes and rivers. It is mostly plateau with a rim of mountains. Some of the country's problems include draining wetlands for agricultural use, deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion, water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria, and widespread poaching. Of the 34,758,809 (July 2013 est.) population, there are many different people groups, such as: Baganda 16.9%, Banyankole 9.5%, Basoga 8.4%, Bakiga 6.9%, Iteso 6.4%, Langi 6.1%, Acholi 4.7%, Bagisu 4.6%, Lugbara 4.2%, Bunyoro 2.7%, other 29.6% (2002 census). English is the official national language, taught in grade schools, used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts. Ganda or Luganda is the most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages, preferred for native language publications in the capital and may be taught in school. There are 45 different languages in the country, including other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili, and Arabic. While only 15.6% of the population is urban, half of the population is below the age of 15 and child labor is at 25%. Uganda has suffered from armed fighting among hostile ethnic groups, rebels, armed gangs, militias, and various government forces that extend across its borders. Ugandan refugees as well as members of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) seek shelter in southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Garamba National Park. LRA forces have also attacked Kenyan villages across the border. There are 30,000 internally displaced persons in northern Uganda because of fighting between government forces and the Lord's Resistance Army. As of 2011, most of the 1.8 million people displaced to IDP camps at the height of the conflict had returned home or resettled, but many had not found durable solutions. These are some of the refugees listed by country of origin:
127,021
(Democratic Republic of Congo); 14,684 (Rwanda); 10,728 (Burundi);
7,910 (Sudan) (2012); 18,253 (Somalia) (2013); 72,035 (South Sudan)
(2014).
Government: When Britain created the boundaries for Uganda, they grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures. Even after independence was achieved in 1962, these differences prevented them from forming a working political community. The dictatorial regime of Idi Amin (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents. Guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Milton Obote (1980-85) claimed at least another 100,000 lives. The rule of Yoweri Museveni since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. A constitutional referendum in 2005 cancelled a 19-year ban on multi-party politics. The unicameral National Assembly has 375 seats: 238 members elected by popular vote, 112 women directly elected, 25 nominated by legally established special interest groups [army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5], and additional ex-officio members may be nominated by the president. The legal system is a mix of English common law and customary law.
Economy: Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, small deposits of copper, gold, and other minerals, and recently discovered oil. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee accounts for the bulk of export revenues. Since 1986, the government - with the support of foreign countries and international agencies - has acted to rehabilitate and stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and export earnings. Since 1990 economic reforms ushered in an era of solid economic growth based on continued investment in infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, lower inflation, better domestic security, and the return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs. Uganda has received about $2 billion in multilateral and bilateral debt relief. In 2007 Uganda received $10 million for a Millennium Challenge Account Threshold Program. The global economic downturn hurt Uganda's exports. However, Uganda's GDP growth has largely recovered due to past reforms and sound management of the downturn. Oil revenues and taxes will become a larger source of government funding as oil comes on line in the next few years. Rising food and fuel prices in 2011 led to protests. Instability in South Sudan is a risk for the Ugandan economy because Uganda''s main export partner is Sudan, and Uganda is a key destination for Sudanese refugees. Unreliable power, high energy costs, inadequate transportation infrastructure, and corruption inhibit economic development and investor confidence. While only 5.4% of the population is unemployed, 24.5% live below the poverty line. The public broadcaster, Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), operates radio and TV networks. Uganda first began licensing privately owned stations in the 1990s and by 2007 there were nearly 150 radio and 35 TV stations, mostly based in and around Kampala. Transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available in Kampala (2007). Mobile cellular service is increasing rapidly (50 per 100 persons), but the number of main lines is still deficient. There is work underway on a national backbone information and communications technology infrastructure. International phone networks and Internet connectivity are provided through satellite and VSAT applications.
Religion: Roman Catholic 41.9%, Protestant 42% (Anglican 35.9%, Pentecostal 4.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.5%), Muslim 12.1%, other 3.1%, none 0.9% (2002 census)
Since the late 1980s, Uganda has come back from the abyss of civil war and economic devastation. The strong evangelical presence of the Church of Uganda and renewal movement in the Catholic Church make Uganda “one of the most truly Christian nations in the world,” according to Operation World. Church attendance is high, and public prayer is common. Crime rates have fallen in the last 20 years, and it is estimated that more than half the population attend evangelically oriented church services. One of Uganda’s ongoing battles is with the cult-like Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), which over the last 20 years has killed more than 120,000 and displaced 2 million people. For the most part, the LRA has been driven out of Uganda, spreading to neighboring South Sudan and the Central African Republic. From this conflict there are 800,000 displaced people, especially in the north that need to be resettled. Children have suffered the most. Thousands were abducted for use as child soldiers or sex slaves. Tens of thousands, fearing abduction, journey every night from their villages to the safety of larger towns – known globally as the “Gulu walk”. The reintegration of former child soldiers into their families and communities is a huge task requiring a great degree of trust and reconciliation. There are many Christian NGOs and ministries working among the victims of this immense suffering. Many Ugandans are deeply scarred psychologically, maimed physically and in great need spiritually. World Vision, Tearfund, MedAir, MAF, Samaritan’s Purse and many other groups offer aid, shelter, counseling, education and vocational training as well as Bible studies and spiritual ministry. Despite this progress, the Church still struggles with numerous divisions and superficial Christianity. The majority of Ugandans identify themselves as Christian, but materialistic attitudes, polygamous practices and non-biblical worldviews – all affecting lifestyle – are common. For many, being “Christian” simply means not being Muslim. In recent years, Islamists have been pouring resources into East Africa, including Uganda, with the objective of driving Christians out. Pastors are sometimes attacked, and one had acid thrown in his face. Muslim converts face persecution and physical torture from family members. VOM is helping to pay medical bills and providing other support. Also, syncretistic practices and false teachings are multiplying even as the Church grows. The lack of biblical and Christian literature in local languages plays a part in this. The prosperity gospel is spreading rapidly. Many of the fastest growing groups have the fewest ordained pastors, the lowest training standards and the fewest accountability structures. The National Fellowship of Born Again Churches plays a crucial role in this area. The Africa Centre for Apologetics Research works to address the challenge of syncretism and cults. Pray that the Holy Spirit might lead Christians into all truth and that all falsehood might be cast aside.
Info compiled from www.persecution.com "Uganda", CIAWorldFactBook "Uganda", Operation World "Uganda"
----------------------------------------------------------
Life in Uganda 40 years on (Nov 2012)
Bizarre foods with Andrew Zimmern (Aug 2013)
Children and Witchdoctors (Dec 2012)
Obama Reacts to Uganda Anti-Gay Bill (Feb 2014)
Ugandan President Signs Anti-Gay Bill (2014)
Uganda President: Being gay not a right (2014)
