Uganda: LGBTQ+ NGO launches urgent fundraiser to keep office and shelter
The Foaster Foundation in Uganda has launched an urgent fundraiser to help it keep its office and shelter space. The non-profit organisation (NGO) has worked tirelessly to help those living with HIV and AIDS since 2019.
However, after Uganda passed its brutal Anti-Homosexuality Bill earlier this year, LGBTQIA+ people potentially face the death penalty if convicted of “aggravated homosexuality”.
The legislation also imposes life imprisonment for those convicted of having sexual intercourse with someone of the same sex.
Homosexuality is also punishable by up to 20 years in prison and fines. Such laws have put a number of barriers in place for organisations such as the Foaster Foundation, with Human Rights Watch reporting “a notable increase in arbitrary arrests, police abuse and extortion, loss of employment, evictions and homelessness” within just five months of the 2013 Anti-Homosexuality Act passing a decade ago. READ MORE: Anti-Homosexuality Bill: Uganda passes updated version of brutal law “Currently, the Foaster Foundation is facing the loss of their office and shelter space, and we are urgently raising funds to help pay their rent and ensure that the members at Foaster do not lose their home and security,” it explained on its GoFundMe page. “Any additional funds raised will be used to reinvest in their programs including urban farming, a future in-house healthcare clinic, and improvements to their offices and water storage tank to support them in being self-sustaining in such a hostile socio-political environment.” As of 20 September, the organisation had raised only €1,595 (£1,381) of its €6,000 (£5,195) target ahead of its 22 September deadline.
