Setting Up Reconciliation Centre for 500 youth

This month, Uganda Unites continued expanding youth outreach across Arua, Gulu, and Kampala, strengthening our mission to empower young changemakers and build a nationwide movement for peace. In West Nile, our team visited Manibe Public School and All Saints SS Ocibe, where students took part in meaningful discussions on leadership, peacebuilding, and constructive youth participation. Meanwhile, the Central Region team facilitated peace club sessions at Rockhill High School in Kampala, helping students develop values of dialogue, responsibility, and community impact. These engagements continue to reflect the long-term ripple effect of the Global Unites Summit. Leaders like Enid from West Nile returned from the Summit energized and immediately began driving grassroots peace work in their communities, demonstrating how empowered young people can become catalysts for real and lasting change.

Beyond our school programs, our team of staff and volunteers proudly represented Uganda Unites at the YALI Alumni Sports Gala at Makerere University Business School. The event gathered more than 200 young leaders from diverse ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds. It offered far more than friendly competition, sports proved to be a powerful bridge-building tool. Games create a natural environment for teamwork, communication, and trust, allowing participants to connect across differences that often divide communities. This setting gave our volunteers an ideal opportunity to engage other young leaders, strengthen relationships, and model the unity and cooperation we champion through our peacebuilding work.

Throughout the event, our volunteers actively shared the vision and mission of Uganda Unites, introducing many young people to our initiatives for the first time. These conversations became important entry points for continued dialogue, with several participants expressing interest in future collaborations or volunteer opportunities. YALI Alumni have previously supported us through leadership mentorship sessions, and this year’s gathering provided another valuable opportunity to renew and expand that partnership.

As Uganda moves toward the January 2026 general elections, we are intentionally using every available platform—including school engagements, community gatherings, and sporting events—to encourage young people to embrace peaceful participation. The YALI Games offered a timely space to discuss the importance of non-violence, mutual respect, and cross-community cooperation. By reaching youth early and often, we are building momentum toward our goal of ensuring a peaceful electoral season.

We remain deeply grateful to our GlobalGiving donors whose continued support makes this work possible. Your contributions help us connect with young leaders across the country, strengthen community bonds, and build a generation committed to unity and peace.

As Uganda approaches the 2026 General Elections, the urgency to equip young people with the tools and knowledge to navigate digital spaces responsibly has never been greater. In an era where misinformation and disinformation fuel fear, deepen societal divisions, and even incite violence, Uganda Unites, in partnership with Media Challenge Initiative and the American Centre Uganda, launched a series of film-viewing workshops aimed at creating awareness and promoting digital literacy among youth.

In June 2025, Uganda Unites hosted an engaging and interactive workshop titled: “The Role of Misinformation and Disinformation in Election Violence.”

Held at the American Centre in Kampala, the session brought together young people, media practitioners, civic educators, and peacebuilders to explore the complex dynamics between digital falsehoods and electoral violence. This timely intervention sought to empower attendees with fact-checking skills, critical thinking strategies, and a deeper understanding of the power of truth in preserving peace.

As part of the initiative, participants were invited to a special screening of Call 112, a gripping fictional film by acclaimed filmmakers Usama Mukwaya and Hadija Nakanjako. Sponsored by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Uganda, the film dramatizes how quickly misinformation can escalate into dangerous consequences when left unchecked. 

The watch party served as a catalyst for discussion, with viewers reflecting on real-life parallels and how communities can become both victims and vectors of falsehoods. The conversations that followed were deeply insightful and action-oriented.

To conclude the workshop, all participants took a symbolic and personal stand by signing the “Love Facts” Pledge—a public commitment to become ambassadors of truth in their communities. The pledge underscores two critical responsibilities:

• Fact-seeding – Actively sharing accurate, verified information.
• Fact-seeking – Critically questioning sources and verifying facts before sharing.

Because truth is not just a value—it is a tool for peace.

The workshops sparked a renewed sense of responsibility among youth participants. Many expressed a desire to carry this message forward into their schools, communities, and online networks. Uganda Unites, together with our partners, plans to expand this initiative to other regions across the country in the lead-up to the 2026 elections.

We extend our deepest gratitude to our partners, the American Centre Uganda, Media Challenge Initiative, and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Uganda, for their unwavering support. To our donors and well-wishers: thank you for making these critical conversations possible. Your commitment to peacebuilding, youth empowerment, and information integrity is helping shape a more informed, resilient Uganda.

Together, we #LoveFacts.
Together, we choose peace.