Uganda, Here We Come!

In November of 2009 John and Cherie Norquay visited Uganda on a missions trip.  They were fascinated with the beauty of the country.  The first night stay was at a first class hotel on Lake Victoria.  “We came in late at night and when we got up in the morning the view and georgraphy reminded us of Hawaii” John said.  That notion changed quickly as they went into the bush for the next week!

Our first morning just outside our 5 star hotel

Uganda is situated on and around the equator in the Southeastern part of Africa.  A majority of the southern border is Lake Victoria - the World’s second largest fresh water lake.  In the west are Mountain Gorillas that can only be found in Uganda.  Uganda is blessed with substantial natural resources including fertile soil regular rainfall and sizeable mineral deposits.  Coffee is the main export.

In the 1970’s the economy was set back decades when Idi Amin Dada and his military took control of the government.  As high school students in America we remember Idi Amin as being one of the most fierce dictators in the world.  Over 300 thousand Ugandans lost their lives to Amin’s regime while he expelled the entrepreneurial Indian population.

After Amin was extricated from his position the country became a democracy.  The current president has been in office since 1986 and proclaims his born again Christian faith.  His wife proclaims the same faith and a daughter even started her own church.  The economy has come a long way since 1986.  President Museveni has placed high importance on entrepreneurial opportunities.  Once he took office he brought back the exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs and restored all their ownership rights.  He has also invested heavily into infrastructure improvements but has had to start from zero.  The Gross Domestic Product per Ugandan Citizen is still only $300 per year.  This is still only half of the sub-saharan average of $600 per year.

We were surprised to learn that very few things are manufactured in Uganda.  This means that any farm equipment or cars must be imported which makes them as expensive in Uganda as they are in America.  This creates a great difficulty for a vast majority of ugandan's who earn an average salary of $300 per year to buy ANYTHING.

The Opportunity

Grow Uganda Vision

Uganda has the same beauty and abundant resources as Hawaii.  What it lacks is the infrastructure for it’s people to thrive.  GrowUganda has a vision to help grow this infrastructure by helping build medical clinics, Schools, Technical Schools, Muli-level parking garages and businesses of various size and scope.  “The Ugandan people are full of joy and are some of the hardest working people I’ve met” John said.

Mission

Our mission is to match resources and talent from America with resources and talent in Uganda.  Together we will educate entrepreneurs as well as skilled workers.  We will help the Ugandan people rise to meet the opportunity by their countries resources and government. 

Last Updated October 29, 2010  Questions:  info@growuganda.org