The need for clean water is especially high in Uganda, as Anna Vikky found out. The 27-year-old from Dusseldorf in Germany, launched her own aid organization 2aid.org in 2009. Now she and 2aid.org are working together with a Ugandan NGO to improve access to water and sanitation in a rural region of Uganda.

It was important to Anna to find a partner project that had a grassroots approach. And her funding has also taken a similar path – she’s raised a large portion of the needed funds via social media.

Listen to the report by Natalie  Muller in Dusseldorf:

Anna Vicky’s parents fled the civil war in Sri Lanka, so she has a special understanding for people in crisis situations (Photo: Falco Peters)

Photographer Falco Peters created this photo series for the 2aid.org website, to convey the group’s work and the need for clean water in Uganda:

Listen to the report by Chiponda Chimbelu:

Listen to the report:

A scene from the documentray film “Call me Kuchu”

Listen to Alex Gitta’s report from Kampala:

Africa’s youngest MP

Adoptive mom in Uganda provides food and love to 13 girls

In 2008, Davis started a non-profit organization called Amazima, which means “truth” in the Lugandan language. With help from donors, Amazima sponsors 400 orphaned or vulnerable children to go to school. It also assists them with food, medication, and school supplies to ease the burden on their parents or relatives and ensure that the children can be raised by Ugandans in Uganda. The job of director supports Davis and her foster daughters in Uganda.

When she’s asked if 13 girls are too many to care for, Davis is adamant that she can handle it and says the courts in Uganda agree. For each girl, a judge has ruled that Davis’ guardianship is in the child’s best interests. Davis still needs to gain legal guardianship of some of the girls, which costs $3,000 in legal fees. She’s authored a book to be released in October, called “Kisses from Katie,” to raise the money.

A child welfare official in Uganda, Caroline Bankusha, says 13 girls in one foster home isn’t ideal, but concedes that so many children in Uganda suffer from poverty and lack of care that exceptions must be made.

While Davis wants to adopt the girls, she’s too young. Under Ugandan law, adoptive parents must be 25 years of age, and at least 21 years older than the child to be adopted.

“I think that’s definitely something that I was made for, and God just designed me that way because he already knew that this is what the plan was for my life, even though I didn’t,” she said.

Check out Katie’s blog here.