Churches and affiliated NGOs in Uganda are rapidly adapting to the withdrawal of long-standing funding from the United States Agency for International Development. For decades, these organizations relied heavily on international aid from the U.S., U.K., and European Union to run feeding programs, support clergy families, and build schools and hospitals. Until last year, USAID was a major conduit for American assistance, but the termination of its operations under the Trump administration arrived while many churches and NGOs were still recovering from the financial strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, the news was dismissed as routine politics, but its consequences have become increasingly evident, stalling numerous projects and forcing organizations to innovate or risk collapse.
During the pandemic, Ugandan clergy embraced strategies such as online preaching, digital tithing, and farming to survive. Now, they are applying similar creativity to sustain programs for vulnerable children, women, and refugees. Across the country, churches and NGOs are organizing charity runs, Thanksgiving events, harvest celebrations, fundraising dinners, and land development campaigns. While these efforts raise far less than previous foreign grants, they reflect a growing sense of local responsibility and community involvement.
Caritas Uganda, the Catholic Church’s development arm, has turned to local fundraising to support its programs. Its recent campaign aimed to raise UGX 600 million (about $171,396) to assist 300 vulnerable children. Bishop Serverus Jjumba of Masaka Diocese acknowledged that while the contributions from 10,000 local Christians fall short of previous foreign grants, the effort underscores a commitment to local resource mobilization. Similarly, the Anglican Church of Uganda has overhauled its financial strategies to rely on local fundraising, investing in infrastructure, farming, and savings and credit cooperatives to sustain its ministries.
Individual institutions are also innovating to address funding gaps. Sanyu Babies’ Home in Kampala, caring for roughly 50 abandoned infants each year, has diversified its income through solar power and agricultural projects. These measures have lowered electricity costs, reduced daily expenses, and protected the environment, demonstrating practical solutions to the challenges posed by the loss of international aid. Middle Cross Primary School in western Uganda has also shifted toward local fundraising, while parishioners in eastern Uganda’s Soroti Diocese have turned to brick-making and community-led events to rebuild a church damaged by strong winds, highlighting grassroots resilience.
Despite the significant reduction in foreign support, Ugandan faith-based organizations continue to find innovative ways to sustain essential programs, demonstrating both resilience and a commitment to local self-reliance in the face of global funding challenges.
