10 years ago, AFOD was founded by volunteers who saw and felt the need to bring high-impact services close to the hearts of those in greatest need. The founders envisioned bridging the gap between service access and utilization while also fostering socioeconomic transformation in vulnerable and marginalized communities.
A decade ago, the motivation to serve, alleviate poverty and suffering, and improve productivity and quality of life dominated AFOD’s journey. The original foundation of AFOD was laid in Juba, South Sudan, with a regional expansion strategy to Eastern and Central Africa.
Today, as we mark our tenth anniversary, AFOD operates in two countries: Uganda and South Sudan, providing services that improve the lives of many vulnerable communities.
Our interventions cut across the social determinants of health of Integrated health services (Adolescent SRHRs, HIV/AIDS, and MHPSS); Relief and Recovery interventions for refugees through the GFA (General Food Assistance) program (cash/in-kind); Promotion of good nutrition practices through Maternal and Child Health & Nutrition; Livelihood and economic empowerment support for youth and women with a focus on skills for production/productivity, Social protection; Research and Innovation. In research, we collaborate with universities and research institutions such as the Resilient African Network (RAN) of Makerere University Uganda’s Institute of Public Health. We build institutional capacity at all levels to deliver high-quality programs.
For the past 10 years, we have been proud to be a part of the social transformation of our own communities. Our impacts can be seen in knowledge enhancement, skill-building, economic empowerment, disease prevention, and treatment using a people-centered and rights-based approach. Today, AFOD families reflect on these milestones.
This year’s celebration theme is:
“Unite for Mental Health, Leave No One Behind, a Call to Commit,”
This theme was carefully chosen because it resonates with community needs and health minds’ aspirations for social and economic transformation.
Our future aspiration is to make Research and Innovation as a bedrock of our interventions and position ourselves to be a regional and global force to reckon with in facilitating healthy living and development. I salute our gallant founders, staff, and communities for standing with us. This year’s commemoration is unique in the way that, the celebration starts on the 16th of June with a myriad of activities that continue through October where we shall have ground breaking activities to mark the day.
Long live AFOD, our gallant staff, and the AFOD Family. Let the celebrations begin!
Primo Arizi Vunni-Executive Director AFOD Uganda
Primo and team, indeed the work you do has brought smiles to the faces of many people ,please continue to do so and it is all our cardinal duty as human beings to leave the world a better place than we found it.
Gracious ,Shukran Jasilang ,Merci Boucoup , Awadifo and Asante Sana