Over the last several months, ActionAid Uganda has endured attacks by external forces aimed at halting operations and undermining work in communities across the country. What began as a siege on our offices last year on Sept. 20 followed with the freezing of our bank accounts on Oct. 6, and intermittent disruptions to ActionAid Uganda’s work in the field.

ActionAid Uganda and three of its partner organizations were raided by Ugandan Police back by government warrants in September 2017. Raids saw office equipment and possessions confiscated. These attacks have caused immense disruption to our operations. The confiscation of possessions, seemingly inconclusive investigations, freezing of accounts, and halting of activities in the field have cost us program implementation work and distracted us from our mission.

Despite setbacks we have persevered to turn crisis into opportunity, defending our right to be and de-escalating the situation on five fronts.

  1. Political: ActionAid Uganda submitted all that was demanded of us and reached out to donor allies and individuals familiar with the Ugandan state who helped us access offices ordinarily out of reach.
  2. Financial: We found creative ways of keeping the office open, financing our basic program activities, staff salaries, and meeting most supplier obligations.
  3. Communications and public relations: We kept actively engaged with mainstream media and had a measured presence on social accounts.
  4. Legal: A prominent legal team familiar with the political landscape prepared a strong case, directly challenging the actions of the Financial Intelligence Authority and Standard Chartered Bank.
  5. Learning: After four turbulent months we’ve emerged stronger with an increased understanding of how to operate in the current landscape.

Read the full article about ActionAid Uganda by Arthur Larok at Devex.