Uganda’s population is estimated to be over 43.2 million people, of whom 78% are aged 30 years or less; making Uganda’s population the second youngest in the world.

Furthermore, Uganda has a high child age dependency ratio – 48% (20.8 million) of Ugandans are aged 0-14 years; of whom 51% (10.5 million) are male and 49% (10.3 million) are female.

Consequently, it is upon the shoulders of youth, aged 15-30 years, 30% of Uganda’s population, that the burden mostly lies to earn incomes and to be the providers for millions of Ugandans.

The majority of youth who are burdened to be the providers, moreover, are aged 15-24 years.

• 20%, 8.7 million, of Ugandans are aged 15-24 years; of whom 48% (4.2 million) are male and 52% (4.5 million) are female.
• 26%, 11.3 million, of Ugandans are aged 25-54 years; of whom 46% (5.2 million) are male and 54% (6.1 million) are female.

In addition to providing for the young, those aged 0-14 years, Uganda’s youth also mostly carry the burden of providing for the 5% of Uganda’s population that is aged 55 years and above.

• 3%, 1.3 million, of Ugandans are aged 55-64 years; of whom 46% (579,000) are male and 54% (681 000) are female.
• 2%, 1.0 million, of Ugandans are aged 65 years and above; of whom 43% (440,000) are male and 57% (560,000) are female.

It is thus catastrophic that Uganda’s youth who burden as the providers, are largely unemployed. Case in point, the unemployment rate is 80% for Uganda’s post-secondary school graduates, youth aged 20-25 years.

And so, it is CPAR Uganda’s mission to train and mentor young people to possess an attitude of self-reliance; the requisite will and skill to innovate and to initiate interventions to earn livelihoods and to cause positive change in their respective communities.

We cannot do it alone. We need your help to economically empower disadvantaged youth of Uganda to earn incomes so that they are able to provide food and other basic needs for their respective households; currently under nourished.

It is a travesty that over 53% of households are food poor in our area of operation – Greater Northern Uganda, including: West Nile, Acholi, Lango, Teso, Karamoja and Bukedi.

Please click here to make a donation in support of our youth economic empowerment projects.

Source of statistics in this post @ CIA World Factbook as presented by index mundi