Uganda

HI works with refugees with specific needs, such as people with disabilities, older people, single mothers with children or unaccompanied children, facilitating their access to services in the refugee camps. As many of these people have witnessed traumatic events or suffered severe shock, HI provides psychosocial support in the form of individual or group discussion sessions and other mental health services. The teams also train care professionals to meet the needs of these patients. HI implements project outside of refugee settlement to support communities in urban and rural areas (especially people with disabilities, girls and teenagers, survivors of violence…)

In the refugee settlements, where access to healthcare is difficult, HI provides physical rehabilitation services to help people with disabilities increase their autonomy. More specifically, the program provides mobility aids (walking sticks, wheelchairs, etc.) and runs an innovative project to produce prostheses and orthoses using 3D printers. These made-to-measure devices enable people to regain their mobility.

HI also works with refugee children to promote education services and ensure that children with disabilities can attend school. Our teams train teachers in inclusive teaching methods, distribute school materials adapted to the children's needs, and run awareness-raising sessions in the communities. In the West Nile region, HI Uganda is also developing early childhood projects for very young children with disabilities or children at risk of developmental disabilities. These projects involve supporting the children’s parents and relatives and training them in good care and educational practices.

HI is also working in the field of sexual and reproductive health, raising young girls' awareness of their rights and teaching them good menstrual hygiene practices. The teams also train community and health workers to take these issues into account. More broadly, HI is working with other organizations and actors in Uganda, training them in disability issues, thereby helping to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are included in all actions undertaken in the country.

HI is also actively involved in the prevention and response to gender-based violence by strengthening the capacity of secondary schools, health workers, and community actors to address gender-based violence through an inclusive and disability-sensitive approach. Overall, the organization promotes safer learning environments, works to challenge harmful social norms, and supports the development of a sustainable and inclusive model for preventing and responding to gender-based violence.

HI responds to emergencies, especially Ebola outbreak through mental health activities and inclusive health activities.

Lastly, HI aims to reinforce the Assistive Technology sector by increasing access to suitable devices while also building skills and creating employment opportunities within the sector. Through training young people and promoting innovation in Assistive Technology, HI works to open up new economic pathways in a growing and emerging field.

• Number of HI staff: 106
• People directly supported by HI in 2025: 166,133 people 
• People indirectly supported by HI’s actions in 2025: 3,547,078 people 
• Program opened in: 2009