About us
Deep roots, and a startup’s energy.
Defender Africa Foundation is a Ugandan non-profit working in Wakiso and Busia districts. We were established in 2018, and relaunched in 2024 as an NGO startup.
Our story
Two dates, one purpose.
- 2018
Established
The foundation was set up and registered in Wakiso and Busia districts with a plain aim: to help women, children and young people who had been left on the margins get an education, stay healthy and earn a decent living.
- 2024
Relaunched as an NGO startup
We relaunched with a startup’s habits: lean, hands-on and open to doing things differently. Alongside our programmes we began sharing what we have learned with other small non-profits in Uganda. That became NGO Support.
Our mission
To make sure that marginalised, vulnerable and disadvantaged women, children and young people gain the capacity and ability to sustain good education, health and improved living conditions.
What we hold ourselves to
Four commitments.
Not slogans. These are the things we ask you to check us against.
-
Start with the household
A child’s school year can hang on a mother’s income. So we look at the whole home before deciding where help will actually count.
-
Work with people, not for them
Local groups, leaders and volunteers know their neighbours better than we ever will. We bring what we can and listen to the rest.
-
Say what we know, and what we don’t
We would rather admit a gap than cover it with a confident guess. That goes for our own work and for the people who fund it.
-
Build things that outlast us
A project has succeeded when the people it served can carry on without us in the room.
How we work
Listen first. Then start small.
-
Listen
We begin by asking families and local groups what is getting in the way, in their words.
-
Start small
We try an idea with a few people first, see what happens, and adjust before we grow it.
-
Work through local people
Group leaders, teachers and volunteers carry the work, so it stays when we move on.
-
Check and share
We look honestly at what changed and what didn’t, and we tell our partners both.
Where to verify us
Find us in public listings.
You don’t have to take our word for it. These independent directories list the foundation.
-
Globalhand
Our profile on Globalhand, an international directory of non-profits, lists our focus areas and the kinds of partnership we welcome.
View our profile -
The GBV Prevention Network
We are a listed member of this network of organisations across Africa working to prevent gender-based violence.
See the member page
Come and see how we work.
Whether you fund, partner or just want to ask a question, we would like to hear from you.