The Republic of Uganda is located in East Africa and lies astride the equator with an estimated area of 241,000 square kilometres. It is a landlocked country bordering Kenya in the east, Tanzania in the south, Rwanda in the southwest, the Democratic Republic of Congo in the west and Sudan in the north. The country is administratively divided into 56 districts.

Uganda has a decentralised system of government but the central government retains the role of making policy, setting standards and supervision of policy implementation.

The economy is predominantly agricultural with the majority of the population dependent on subsistence farming and light agro-based industries.

Uganda faced a period of civil and military unrest in the 1970s and 1980s that resulted in the destruction of the economic and social infrastructure, which seriously affected the growth of the economy and the provision of social services, such as education and health care.

Since 1986, political stability and economic growth have led to significant improvements in the socio-economic status of the country and to the health sector in particular.