Supporting LGBTQI young people in UGANDA

Led by a small group of particularly homophobic and powerful politicians and religious leaders, Uganda is an extremely unsafe place to be LGBTQI. There are multiple recorded cases of beatings, murders, rapes and other forms of persecution, and of Ugandan police and other government forces ignoring and even encouraging such violence.

Compounding these problems, Ugandan and international NGOs and other organisations that might offer support to and advocacy for LGBTQI Ugandans are themselves harassed, undermined and delegitimised. This means that most LGBT organisations in the country are underground, and many potential allies, such as human rights organisations, are missing in action. LGBTQI activists risk violence and murder. 

In this environment Many Coloured Sky has consulted with LGBT and allied organisations in Uganda to determine and develop activities that provide concrete and comprehensive support to LGBTQI young people who have been forced to flee from their family and community and who have no safe residence and no means of supporting themselves. Our support creates safety and builds genuine opportunities for young people who have experienced rejection, prejudice and violence.

We work via a network of passionate, committed and accountable LGBT and allied partner organisations. To protect their safety we will not publicly name them, but we are pleased and proud to partner with such organisations in their support of LGBTQI people in the most difficult of circumstances.

The LGBTQI young people who we support receive a year of vocational education and training with a choice of vocational streams, a safe and inclusive place to live and all of their material needs, and at the end of that time are supported with apprenticeships and industry connections to transition to an independent life. Crucially, they’ll also be in an LGBTQI-inclusive, safe and culturally sensitive environment and will be building connections and networks with LGBT community. Over and above provision of funding, Many Coloured Sky assists with capacity building and further network development, with program planning and with monitoring and evaluation.