The Government of Iceland has contributed an additional US$5.5 million to UNICEF to scale up Ugandan government-led programmes aimed at improving critical services for the country’s most vulnerable children, adolescents, and families.
Through two complementary investments, Iceland, a strategic UNICEF partner is supporting national priorities in social protection, education, early childhood development, and sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) systems at both national and sub-national levels.
As part of the collaboration, Iceland and UNICEF signed a new multi-year grant of US$4 million to fund Phase II of the programme “Empowering Adolescent Mothers and Their Children – A Dual Generation Approach”, running from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2029.
The initiative targets adolescent mothers aged 12–19 and their children aged 0–5 years in Kikuube and Kyegegwa districts, addressing challenges such as early pregnancy, school dropout, and child vulnerability.
In addition, Iceland’s Head of Mission Hildigunnur Engilbertsdottir and UNICEF Representative to Uganda Dr. Robin Nandy signed a US$1.5 million agreement for the WASH in institutions exit programme, covering January 2026 to June 2027.
The programme aims to transition towards sustainable, nationally led WASH service delivery in schools and health facilities across five refugee-hosting districts in West Nile—Adjumani, Arua, Madi-Okollo, Terego, and Yumbe—benefiting nearly 140,000 children, women, and community members.
The WASH support will focus on rehabilitating and expanding infrastructure, strengthening operations and maintenance systems, building institutional and community capacity, and promoting market-based sanitation solutions.
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