Victim assistance action points

• Improve the sustainability, quality, and availability of prosthesis and rehabilitation services, including by enhancing coordination and dedicating the necessary national resources.
• Eliminate barriers to access, including to health and livelihoods, for survivors and other persons with disabilities.
• Closely consult with local survivor organizations in decision making processes.

Victim assistance planning and coordination

International commitments and obligations

Laws and policies

No significant changes to legislation or the implementation of laws and policies were reported in 2017.

Major Developments in 2017–2018

In October 2018, the Republic of Uganda held a national meeting with over 50 disability and victim assistance experts, representatives of relevant ministries, and landmine survivors’ and persons with disabilities’ organizations. The meeting was held with the support of the Mine Ban Treaty Implementation Support Unit, and funded by the European Union, with the aim of initiating the process of revising the national disability policy with a victim assistance inclusive perspective.

Needs assessment

No assessments of the needs of survivors were reported. Data on mine/ERW survivors was not disaggregated among data on other persons with disabilities. However, a data collection tool developed by the MGLSD and Ministry of Health was available and could be updated for use in survey.

In mid-2018, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), in consultation with the MGLSD, began undertaking the Uganda Functional Disability Survey based on the Washington Group Questions on Disability.[3] Data collection on persons with disabilities remained a challenge. The 2014 national census, released by the UBOS in 2016, found that the disability prevalence rate was about 12%.[4]

Medical care and rehabilitation

No improvements were reported and the health and rehabilitation systems remained under-funded and inaccessible due to costs and distances to reach facilities. Quality healthcare remained unaffordable and inaccessible to survivors in many regions, and particularly in remote and rural areas where private health centers were not profitable and limited NGO funding for health services and essential transportation to medical facilities had significantly declined in the period 2014–2017.At times when the health budget cycle meant that the allocated budget was fully spent, stores of medicines were not available.[5]

Overall the 10 Ministry of Health monitored referral rehabilitation centers were inadequately supplied and poorly functioning. The distribution of materials for manufacturing prosthesis and mobility devices though the state system was not adequately reaching all those in need and prostheses were not affordable for the majority of persons with disabilities. It was reported that the state was not providing funding for rehabilitation centers, which are key providers of mobility devices. The Ministry of Health placed disability services under the category of an unfunded priority. Therefore, rehabilitation centers relied on NGO support and international contributions. A change would require attention to the issue by the finance ministry and the allocation of a dedicated rehabilitation budget.[6]

Socio-economic and psychosocial inclusion

No improvements in psychosocial assistance including peer support were reported. The Ugandan Landmine Survivors’ Association (ULSA) implemented livelihood and income-generation activities with the remaining AAR Japan support.[7] A number of survivor groups create and sell regionally specific crafts to generate income based on incentive programs established many years ago. A teacher-training module on disabilities was intruded to the professional education system in 2018.[8]

Cross-cutting

Uganda is receiving and hosting many refugees who are mine survivors, and thus required additional resources to meet their needs.[9] Humanity and Inclusion (HI, formerly Handicap International) relaunched programs in 2017 and worked with refugees with disabilities, most of whom have fled the conflict in South Sudan.[10]

Victim assistance providers and activities