Salama SHIELD foundation has served in Uganda with honour for 28 years, contributing to improvements in peoples’ health, livelihoods and poverty alleviation schemes. These gains were realized through a community-centered participatory approach harnessing community ideas, existing structures and other resources. The communities have always been willing to contribute to the identification and implementation of relevant, affordable and potentially sustainable solutions addressing their population challenges.

It has been extremely exciting and encouraging to see how the local population that had been in total despair because of a devastating AIDS epidemic regained hope for the future. SSF utilizes an integrated development strategy to support impoverished vulnerable community-based groups of women who borrow money from a revolving community fund to start or strengthen their small family income-generating micro-projects. With the AIDS epidemic less severe than before, the youth regained hope and enthusiasm as they envisaged a bright future ahead.