Life is not easy and Ugandan children are denied many of the opportunities we expect for our own children here in the UK. Poverty and disease are widespread in Uganda, with poor sanitation, unclean water and inadequate housing. Alternate drought and flooding can cause severe famine. There are high HIV infection rates. Malaria and infectious diseases such as Cholera are common and occur more frequently since the breakdown of health systems during the Amin regime in the 1970s. Average life expectancy is 47 years - child mortality 1 in 10.

There has been much political instability over recent years and the Lords Resistance Army rebel group took advantage and abducted thousands of children in northern Uganda. Many were forced to become slaves and commit atrocities, under threat from rebel commanders and soldiers. This caused large numbers of internally displaced people to flee south and seek refuge in the small town of Soroti where are charity works. There is now better political stability and LRA incursions are now less common but large numbers of people are still too frightened to return home, and Soroti struggles to cope with this influx of displaced people.