Uganda stands as one of the world’s most powerful examples of compassion, hosting nearly two million refugees, the largest population in Africa. Its progressive model allows refugees to live alongside host communities, work, and rebuild their lives with dignity. Today, that model is at risk.

A deepening funding crisis is colliding with rising needs. Every day, families continue to arrive seeking safety, yet the resources to support them are shrinking at an alarming pace. The consequences are no longer theoretical they are real and unfolding now: food rations are being cut, health systems are overwhelmed, malnutrition is rising, and children are leaving school as survival takes precedence over education.

This is not a crisis affecting refugees alone. Uganda’s inclusive approach means that refugees and host communities rely on the same schools, clinics, and water systems. As funding declines, these shared services deteriorate for everyone, placing immense strain on already vulnerable communities and increasing the risk of social tension.

For refugees, the stakes are even higher. Families are being pushed into impossible choices of early marriage, child labour, and unsafe work. Women and girls face escalating risks of exploitation and abuse, while weakened protection systems leave many without safeguards. What begins as a funding gap rapidly escalates into a full-blown protection crisis.

The implications extend beyond Uganda. The Uganda refugee model has long been a global benchmark for dignity, inclusion, and stability. Without sustained investment, it risks becoming unsustainable potentially leading to reduced freedoms for refugees and heightened regional instability.

Now is not the moment for donors and partners to pull back. Humanitarian funding is not charity; it is a strategic investment in stability, security, and our shared humanity. Reductions today will only fuel deeper, more costly crises tomorrow.

Organizations such as AIRD continue to deliver critical services in some of the most challenging environments. But commitment alone cannot fill funding gaps.

Uganda has kept its doors open. The world must now match that commitment.

Because when funding falters, it is not systems that collapse, it is lives.

Sincerely,
Fikru Abebe
CEO, African Initiatives for Relief and Development (AIRD)
www.airdinternational.org