United Ugandans Association of Colorado Togetherness is Our Strength
Colorado Ugandan Community:
The community of Ugandans in the State of Colorado, particularly those living in the Denver metro area got together in 1999 and decided to start an association. It is estimated that there are more than 700 families with attachment to Uganda, either by birth, marriage, etc. It is estimated that 70% of the adults have college degrees with some employed in relatively good positions. Unfortunately, most of those degree holders are not employed in areas of their education/expertise.
The United Ugandans Association of Colorado
Background:
The community of Ugandans in the State of Colorado, particularly those living in the Denver metro area got together in 1999 and decided to start an association “United Ugandan Association” registered as a non-profit corporation in Colorado, with the following goals:
- Provide information to the Ugandan community and assist it in accessing local resources available
- Advocate for the recognition of the contributions and impact made by immigrants to the US, especially from the Ugandan Community
- Provide timely information and/or legal assistance to those facing deportation or other legal issues
- Conduct training sessions in information technology, small business start-ups, cultural, art, and other endeavors
- Increase participation and membership with community organizations with similar goals
- Disseminate education and information related to health, especially HIV/AIDS
- Address social issues that affect women and children, such as domestic abuse, sexual harassment, alcohol, drug abuse, financial deprivation, etc
The above were later revised to reflect the changing needs of the community.
The arrival of internet technology, saw the rise of information powerhouses like …”Google” and later followed by such brands as Facebook, Twitter and Watsapp, facilitated by new innovations like smart phones, wireless networking, etc. It became obvious that our original objective, which was to ..”Provide information to the Ugandan Community and assist the community in accessing local resources”…was outdated and some how irrelevant! While we have tried to keep the original objective in mind, we have re- branded our number one objective. To date, the number one objective of The United Ugandans Association of Colorado is to bring Ugandans and Friends of Uganda living in the State of Colorado together. We can all agree that once Ugandans and Friends of Uganda are together, the dissemination of information is given and easy because of the large Networking pool. Our number one objective is a very simple formula for any immigrant community! We cannot and shall not achieve all the other objectives if we are not together and united. Therefore, below are the modern objectives of the United Ugandans Association of Colorado:
- To bring together Ugandans and Friends of Uganda living in the State of Colorado
- To preserve and promote the Ugandan culture and Traditions
- To encourage Colorado Ugandans, particularly the youths arriving from Uganda to pursue Education on arrival and also embark on a career that will meet the demands of the 21st century
- To encourage Colorado Ugandans and Friends to participate in the American process through; voting, education, wealth building, military service, etc
- To celebrate success stories in the Colorado Ugandan Community; Marriages, Graduations, New borns, Business startups, etc
- To socialize as we celebrate our Ugandan Heritage and Culture through annual functions like; Uganda Independence, Summer Picnic, Christmas Day, American Football, etc
The Colorado Ugandan Community is diverse and continues to grow and this has created a lot of excitement not only in the State of Colorado, but also in the Rocky Mountain Region. The Community has grown from a handful of about 20 Ugandans by the late 1980s to a vibrant Community we are all proud of today. The Ugandan Community has grown so immensely that we can now proudly celebrate over 15 graduations in a calendar year, with Community members graduating in all walks of life. Much as we are excelling in the world of academics, unfortunately, the Colorado Ugandan Business Community continues to lag behind compared to other Africa immigrant groups, particularly the Ethiopians and Somali Communities. As we continue to grow, we should also focus more on supporting the small business start ups by our fellow Ugandans.
Because of our regular functions that promote our Culture and Ugandan Heritage, the Community youths(ages between 4 and 25) are excited and up beat. They have every reason to cheer and feel proud to be part of the Ugandan culture and traditions.
We are very thankful for all the support!
Sincerely,
The United Ugandans Association of Colorado
