We are a Norwegian voluntary and non-profit organization that supports the Ugandan grassroots organization UPLIFT West Nile. We who are part of VUP see participation as more than a civic duty.
Our story
It all started with…
In 2001, a group of Bahá’ís in Uganda came together to see if they could do something to help achieve the Ugandan government’s goal of reducing illiteracy, in response to the UN Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015). This initiative was the start of UPLIFT Uganda as a Ugandan NGO. The aim was to help poor villagers in the West Nile region to learn to read and write. West Nile was chosen because adult illiteracy was higher there than in the rest of the country. This was particularly true for women.
In the period 2007-2010, UPLIFT Uganda received funding from the Norwegian Bahá’í community, which applied for and received a substantial 3-year project grant from Norad. From its humble beginnings in 2001, with 600 learners completing one year of training, the number rose to 3000. UPLIFT continued to receive financial support until 2012 when “Friends of UPLIFT” was formed as a non-profit organization in Norway. The purpose was to formalize the cooperation with UPLIFT Uganda. Since then, around 1,500 have completed the training each year – which has grown to 30,000 since the start in 2001. Four out of five are women!
UPLIFT West Nile today
After several years, Friends of UPLIFT decided to apply to Norad for renewed project support. However, Norad felt that small non-profit organizations in Norway should join forces with larger organizations and submit a joint application. Therefore, VUP joined FOKUS (Forum for Women and Development Issues), which is Norway’s largest women’s organization. In 2023, after a long, time-consuming process of reorganizing UPLIFT Uganda into UPLIFT West Nile (UWN) and a significant expansion with the women’s health project “UPLIFT Women in West Nile”, our application for funding was approved by Fokus and Norad. We are now embarking on a five-year project (2023 – 2027) with NOK 850,000 in annual funding for UWN.
The new Fokus-funded project will provide training on women’s health for both adult women and younger girls. For five years until 2028, UPLIFT West Nile will train 4,000 women and 1,200 girls each year. The courses combine literacy training with capacity building related to women’s reproductive health and rights. The girls receive important information about sexuality, the female body, etc. They are also offered vaccination against cervical cancer.
We are a small mesh in the global network of aid “from people to people and heart to heart”. And we have set our sights on a small corner of Uganda, where a poor village population has demonstrated a unique ability to make use of external support. It warms the donor’s heart to see that “it works”! We like to think of ourselves as UPLIFT’s extended family.
Graduation
Every year, a very large gathering is held in West Nile. “UPLIFT graduation” has almost become a regional institution. UPLIFT staff, students, family members, local partners, government officials, a large crowd of curious children – and one or more Norwegian participants from Friends of UPLIFT. It has become a tradition for the VUP board to use this opportunity for an annual joint meeting with the UPLIFT board and coordinators, for broad discussion and evaluation of project activities. The day is also the time for UPLIFT’s own Annual Meeting, when many are gathered.
And then it’s time to celebrate – graduating students who can now read and write, prevent malaria, make compost, participate in dialog, etc. and, since 2023 (!) women who have acquired knowledge about their own sexuality, health and rights. The whole thing is a coherent ceremony of dance, music, speeches and ‘dramatic elements’ – not least skits about women and health, where myths are replaced by new knowledge.
Norwegian friends of UPLIFT who take part in this grand celebration will take away a memory for life.
Our organization
Board
– Victoria Thoresen (chairman of the board)
– Gunnar Lange-Nielsen (secretary)
– Kim van Groningen
– Godfrey Sendege
– Bjørn Hubendick
– Michael Vitols (general manager)
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In return, you get to follow a development program that enables the beneficiaries to lift themselves out of poverty.
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