COMMUNITY RESILIENCE

Dear Donors,

Since our last update, Mbarara Rise Foundation has continued working to empower grassroots LGBTIQ advocates across western Uganda, despite increasingly difficult circumstances. Over the past months, we successfully trained 58 new community advocates in human rights awareness, financial literacy, and practical economic skills like tailoring, poultry farming, and tiling. These advocates are now actively supporting their peers—offering emergency assistance, sharing knowledge, and helping reduce stigma within their localities.

However, the environment remains harsh. Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act continues to put pressure on individuals and organizations alike. Grassroots leaders face heightened security risks, financial instability, and burnout due to limited support. Our capacity-building efforts risk stalling without renewed donor investment to cover training costs, safe space operations, emergency stipends, and legal support for advocates facing persecution.

We remain committed to building a resilient network of local LGBTIQ advocates equipped with leadership, advocacy, and livelihood skills. Yet this work cannot continue at scale without your help. We are urgently seeking additional funding to expand trainings, sustain safe meeting places, and provide essential financial and psychosocial support for frontline advocates.

Your partnership directly strengthens Uganda’s grassroots LGBTIQ movement. When local leaders are equipped, they create lasting impact—building safer, more inclusive communities from the ground up.

Thank you for standing with us.