“Viva! Uganda and Viva! UK have come together as a force for compassion, protection and hope. We invite everyone to stand with us.”
Viva! Uganda is a non-profit organisation promoting compassion and respect for all life – animals and people alike. We deliver impactful coordinated projects across Uganda, from providing nutritious vegan school lunches to running conservation campaigns such as Gorilla Defenders, which helps protect Uganda’s endangered mountain gorillas. Through our major schools programme, Project Kindheart, we inspire the next generation to treat animals with kindness and respect, and our H7: Love Your Heart campaign encourages adults to adopt healthy plant-based eating.
Viva! was founded in the UK in 1994, and subsequently Poland and Uganda, by Juliet Gellatley. We are now a global movement of passionate people working together to create a humane and more sustainable world for people and all animals.
While Viva! Uganda leads its projects across Uganda, Viva! UK helps raise funds, provide resources and inspire support here in the UK. All donations will directly support the work being done on the ground in Uganda.
protecting wildlife
Uganda is home to some of the most wondrous wildlife on the planet. Giraffes, elephants and zebras roam the iconic savannah, being careful to evade the claws of lions, leopards and cheetahs. Magnificent mountain gorillas have found refuge in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and hippos bathe in the rivers of Queen Elizabeth National Park. But as a result of Uganda’s population growth and the intensification of farming animals, the wildlife of the country now finds itself under the threat of extinction.
Gorilla Defenders
In the misty mountains of Uganda, some of the world’s last mountain gorillas are hanging on to survival. Only 1,063 remain. Without the people protecting them every day, they could disappear forever.
HUGO volunteers, gorilla trackers and wildlife rangers are on the front line – monitoring gorillas, reducing conflict, protecting habitats and helping keep these remarkable animals safe. Viva! UK and Viva! Uganda created Gorilla Defenders to support them with the equipment, training, education and public awareness needed to make a real difference.
This is frontline conservation in action — and your support helps power it.
Every penny you give goes directly to Gorilla Defenders. Become a Gorilla Defender today!
empowering children
Viva! Uganda has recognised that the best chance of creating a more compassionate and sustainable future is by inspiring children to care for the animals, the planet and their health. That’s why we are deeply committed to supporting the future decision-makers of Uganda with the resources they need to grow up with kind hearts and healthy bodies.
project kindheart
Project Kindheart is Viva! Uganda’s on-going ambitious school-based initiative, delivered by our expert staff and dedicated volunteers to inspire a kinder, healthier, and more compassionate generation. Through engaging school visits, we educate children and young people about animal welfare, wildlife conservation, environmental protection, and plant-based health.
What began as a small programme in Kabale has rapidly grown into a multi-region initiative reaching schools in Kabale, Kampala, Wakiso, and Jinja. By working closely with teachers and school leaders, Project Kindheart is helping embed compassion, sustainability, and healthy food choices into both school and home life.
Project Kindheart has now become Viva! Uganda’s largest school engagement campaign, so far reaching 17,813 learners across 78 schools — including 32 primary and 46 secondary schools. Alongside this, we have distributed 5,100 exercise books carrying messages of kindness and 450 Kindheart T-shirts to students so they can share their compassion wherever they go.
Good Samaritan Inclusive Primary School
Nestled in Mukono, Good Samaritan Inclusive Primary School is more than just a school — it is a sanctuary of compassion, resilience, and hope. Home to over 50 children living with disabilities, alongside more than 100 children with special needs from the community and 60 children from vulnerable families, the school is a powerful example of what true inclusion looks like. Here, every child belongs.
Through our partnership, Viva! Uganda provides fresh greens, fruits, and plant-based meals to the school — and the impact has been immediate and powerful. Food is not just feeding children — it is transforming their ability to learn, grow and thrive. Children are more alert, more focused, and more engaged in the classroom. It’s a simple but profound reminder that food is medicine.
Viva! Uganda staff and volunteers teach regularly at the school about veganism and how it impacts animals – farmed and wild. The children are taught about the importance of kindness to all animals, in addition to learning about fueling their body with nutritious plant-based food so they can grow into strong, compassionate members of society.
empowering children: past projects
Our successful past projects showcase how Viva! Uganda works with local communities, empowering schools and orphanages by providing them with the supplies and equipment they need to flourish, whether that is healthy school lunches or state-of-the-art computer equipment. We check regularly that the promised provisions arrive; we ensure computer equipment is delivered carefully, installed and used regularly to promote kindness to all animals and an appreciation for the country’s unique wildlife… all while the children are being nourished by and learning about plant-based nutrition.
COVCC Orphanage
Uganda has an upsettingly high number of orphans, with an estimated 10 per cent of children being cared for in orphanages. A HIV epidemic in combination with a poor and underequipped healthcare system, coupled with widespread poverty and the spread of typhoid and malaria, has led to many children being without families.
COVCC offers quality education, food and guidance to over 400 children who are desperately in need. In partnership with Viva!, COVCC teaches its children to be kind to all kind, to respect wildlife and about healthy plant-based nutrition. Viva! also supplied COVCC with healthy plant-based food for their lunchtime meals so that all the children could access highly nutritious food. Viva! has also supplied the orphanage with £5,000 worth of computer equipment, including multiple desktop computers, laptops, projector and screen.
These children, the future of Uganda, will now leave the orphanage equipped to find work or further study; and ready to change the world and protect the unique and beautiful wildlife of their country.
Atlas Vegan School
Viva! Uganda partnered with Atlas Community School to create a future where sustainable, plant-based farming methods are the norm in Uganda. The local vegan school project, run by Mike Musisi of Luv4All in partnership with Viva! Uganda, teaches the 200 children how to farm sustainably on their four acres of fertile land. The children learn from an inspiring curriculum that includes vegan health, nutrition and animal rights. This is why Viva! Uganda supplied the school with £9,000 worth of fencing to protect the school from closure.
While the children learn how to harvest their own food, they’re also taught about the connection between traditional farming methods and wildlife loss. They learn that animals are fascinating and complex, as emotional as humans, and deserve respect and to live free from exploitation. The next generation of Ugandans are getting ready to help the animals and live in harmony with our world – with wildlife, companion animals and farmed animals.
campaigning for animals
Whether animals are suffering on your doorstep in the UK or on farms and in slaughterhouses in Uganda, together we can all do something to help. Join Viva! UK and Viva! Uganda’s fight against cruelty to farmed animals and help us spread the message to ‘be kind to all kind’ as far as it will reach.
Would you swap?
Viva! Uganda’s groundbreaking “Would You Swap” campaign is touring universities across Uganda. Designed to foster empathy and compassion, it asks the thought-provoking question, “Would you swap places with me?”
Through the use of Virtual Reality (VR), participants are immersed in the intense experiences of suffering animals in various industries, such as factory farming. This VR experience allows them to see, hear and feel the fear and pain that animals endure daily, creating a deep, personal connection and challenging the way people view and treat animals.
The campaign encourages students to take personal responsibility for their choices. It highlights how adopting a plant-based lifestyle is not only about health, but also about reducing animal suffering and making more sustainable choices for the planet. The campaign is inspiring students to shift towards a more compassionate way of living.
Safe Trails: Ensuring Humane Animal Transportation in Uganda
The Safe Trails campaign is a project dedicated to addressing the inhumane practices surrounding the transportation of animals in Uganda. Animals such as pigs, sheep, goats, cattle, and chickens endure appalling conditions during transit. They are often crammed into overcrowded vehicles, tightly bound, and handled with extreme cruelty, leading to severe injuries, infections, and even death. This campaign shines a light on these cruel practices and advocates for humane treatment, aiming to raise public awareness and bring about much-needed change.
Viva! Uganda’s approach includes educational outreach through informative materials and workshops, community engagement to promote humane practices, and collaboration with local communities and transporters. Additionally, we work with government agencies to strengthen the enforcement and advocate for stricter regulations.
The Safe Trails campaign is already making waves, but your support is crucial to continue the fight against inhumane animal transportation practices. Together, we can create a safer and more compassionate world for animals in Uganda.
Powering health
Human health, planetary health and animal exploitation are inextricably linked. That’s why Viva! Uganda is not only educating children about a healthy diet and providing them with nutritious vegan meals at school but also encouraging adults to try plant-based eating, for their health, the planet and the animals.
H7: Can you love your heart for 7 days?
Across Uganda, non-communicable diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease are rising rapidly, now responsible for over a third of all deaths. At the same time, daily diets are shifting. Highly processed foods, fried street meals, and meat-heavy diets are becoming the norm — especially in urban areas like Kampala.
Viva! Uganda is asking Ugandans, will you love your heart and go plant-based for one week? When it comes to heart health, a balanced plant-based diet is the best choice for both prevention and treatment of heart disease.
Fortunately, being vegan in Uganda has never been easier – that’s why we created our H7 meal plan: to show just how simple, delicious, and affordable it can be with local ingredients. We’ve put together a full week of plant-based breakfasts, lunches, and suppers, each with a different recipe every day.