NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN UGANDA A report to the Government of Uganda

PREFACE This is the first draft of a study on the NGO sector commissioned by the Office of the Prime Minister of Uganda. To our knowledge, it is the first study of its kind in the developing world. The idea of a study of the NGO sector in Uganda was first proposed by a group of NGOs during the preparation of the first Poverty Reduction Support Credit (PRSC), the aim of which is to improve public service delivery. Ugandan NGOs consider themselves as service providers and at the time wanted to get a clearer picture of who does what and where. An issues paper was prepared by the NGO sector in which a number of matters were highlighted. In particular, NGOs expressed a desire to find out the major roles played by NGOs in Uganda; their strengths and weaknesses – institutional and otherwise; their working relationships with national and local governments; and the factors that enhance and hinder the growth of this relationship. These issues became part of this study. The idea of undertaking a survey of NGOs in Uganda was subsequently relayed in early 2000 by Ritva Reinikka of the World Bank. A study project was then initiated in collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister of Uganda. Funding for the survey was provided by the Japanese government and the World Bank. After an initial period spent securing funding and identifying suitable local partners in Uganda, a survey of NGOs was undertaken in 2002. Pre-testing of the questionnaire and training of the enumerators took place in February 2002. Verification of the NGO registry and construction of the sampling frame turned out to be more challenging than anticipated and lasted until May. The survey itself was completed in September and initial data entry was completed in November. Data correction and cleaning extended until March 2003. The present draft report was written with a view of informing the policy decision process. A new bill reforming the statute of NGOs is currently under consideration by the Parliament of Uganda. We sincerely hope that this report will assist policy makers and practitioners in their effort to foster the development of the NGO sector in Uganda. SUMMARY This report examines the NGO sector in Uganda. The report is divided into 6 sections. The first explores the conceptual framework including the nature of NGOs and their mode of operation. The next 2 sections define …