A monthly report for the month of July 2026

Introduction:

Eastern Uganda remains one of the country's most affected regions when it comes to household poverty. A large share of families in the sub-region survives on subsistence farming, and the majority live below the national poverty line, with limited access to reliable income, healthcare, and education. Agriculture is the backbone of the local economy and the primary source of livelihood for most households, yet unpredictable rainfall, soil exhaustion, and shrinking land sizes caused by population growth and land fragmentation increasingly threaten it.

Compounding these economic pressures are ongoing environmental challenges, many of them driven by human activity. Uncontrolled tree cutting for firewood, charcoal production, and timber has led to widespread deforestation and land degradation across the region. Wetlands are being drained for cultivation, and hillsides are losing their vegetation cover, leaving soils exposed to erosion. These pressures reduce agricultural productivity over time, creating a difficult cycle in which environmental degradation deepens the very poverty that drives communities to over-exploit natural resources in the first place.

Link Hands Uganda works within these communities in Eastern Uganda to address both the human and environmental sides of this cycle, through activities that support livelihoods, restore the environment, and respond to urgent individual needs as they arise. This report summarises the organisation’s activities for July.

Activities of the Month

1.     Voluntary tree planting at two Jinja schools.

In response to ongoing deforestation and land degradation in Eastern Uganda, Link Hands Uganda organized a voluntary tree planting event at Nakabango Lutheran Secondary School and the Lutheran Seminary in Jinja during the month. The activity involved staff, volunteers, teachers, and students working together to plant indigenous tree species chosen for their adaptability to the local climate and their ecological and economic benefits over the long term.

The following tree species were planted:

•     Muvule (Milicia excelsa) — a slow-growing indigenous hardwood valued for timber and its role in restoring native forest cover.

•     Musizi (Maesopsis eminii) — a fast-growing indigenous species useful for soil restoration, shade, and light timber.

•     Pine (pine trees) — planted for woodlot development, future timber supply, and reducing pressure on natural forests.

Beyond adding tree cover, the exercise also served as an environmental education opportunity for the pupils, who were guided on the importance of planting, watering, and protecting young seedlings. Involving schools in the activity was deliberate: it plants the values of environmental stewardship in the next generation while giving the trees a protected, well-supervised space to grow to maturity.

2.     Medical Support for Kasadha Sarah.

During the month, Link Hands Uganda extended medical support to Kasadha Sarah, covering the cost of her medication for backache and tuberculosis. She is one of the women we started with in this program. This assistance forms part of the organisation’s ongoing commitment to responding to urgent, individual welfare needs within the communities it serves, particularly in cases where families are unable to meet basic healthcare costs on their own. The intervention ensured that Sarah received the treatment she needed on time.

3.     Nalufenya Malnutrition Ward.

We continue to partner with Nalufenya Children’s Hospital as we support their malnutrition ward. This month, we supported them with the items needed to make nutritional solutions or supplements for babies so that they recover and become healthy.

Accountability for July

Conclusion:

Link Hands Uganda extends its sincere appreciation to Mr Anders and his dear wife Ingela, whose continued support makes activities like these possible every month. It is this steady, monthly funding that allows the organisation to respond quickly to needs such as Sarah’s medical treatment, and to carry out planned environmental work such as the tree planting exercise in Jinja.

None of these activities is large in scale on their own, but their impact compounds. A handful of trees planted at two schools this month will, over the years, mature into a meaningful stand of forest cover, restoring soil, providing shade, and modelling responsible land stewardship for the children who planted them. Likewise, a single course of medication changes the immediate wellbeing of one individual and her family. Link Hands Uganda remains committed to this approach of small, consistent, carefully-targeted action, in the belief that steady environmental care and sustained community support, repeated month after month, is what ultimately builds lasting change in Eastern Uganda.

“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;  it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” Lamentations 3:25-26

Written by,

Rev. Benard Mwesigwa