Viva! Uganda

Viva! Uganda is passionate about advocating for LIFE. Viva! means ‘long live!’ and is a celebratory expression all over the world, meaning “Have a good long life”. And that is what we want for people and animals alike. Of course, for us all to have a good long life, we need a healthy planet!

Viva! Uganda’s call is Be Kind to All Kind.

We explore the consequences of what we eat – on farmed and wild animals, on our planet and on us. 

We help people change their diet to plant-based to be kind to all kind. Viva! supports compassionate education of children, women’s empowerment and the sustainable growing of plant foods.

We campaign against animal cruelty and encourage respect for life. 

Viva! also campaigns to protect our home, planet Earth. And we run projects to help people eat well with delicious plant-based foods.

Viva! was first founded in the UK in 1994, and subsequently in Uganda and Poland, and we are now a movement of people working together for more than 30 years creating a humane and more sustainable world for people and all animals.

Recent projects

  • Gorilla Defenders

    Gorilla Defenders

    Viva! is collaborating with HUGO (Human & Gorilla Conflict Resolution), to supply equipment to the volunteers protecting the critically endangered mountain gorillas in Bwindi National Park.

    Read more…

  • COVCC Orphanage

    COVCC Orphanage

    Viva! has partnered with COVCC in Kalagi to teach children to be kind to all kind, to respect wildlife and about healthy plant-based nutrition.

    Read more…

  • Atlas Vegan School Project

    Atlas Vegan School Project

    Viva! Uganda has started working towards a future in which sustainable, plant-based farming methods are the norm in Uganda with Atlas Community School.

    Read more…

  • Project Kindheart

    Project Kindheart

    Project Kindheart is an ambitious school-based initiative run locally by Viva! Uganda staff and volunteers.

    Read more…

Animals content

two chimpanzees laughing together holding hands

Cheeky Chimpanzees

Did you know?… Chimps, gorillas, bonobos and orangutans all love to make a monkey out of each other! They tickle and poke each other for fun. They also steal from each other just to playfully tease. Their sense of humour shows how smart they are. They also laugh when they are tickled, or when they wrestle and play-chase. Chimpanzees can make silent ‘laugh faces’ just like humans. Read more…

  • Baboon (olive)

    Baboon (olive)

    There are five species of baboons and they all live in Africa – olive, yellow, chacma, Guinea and sacred.

  • Hippopotamus

    Hippopotamus

    There are 115,000-130,000 hippos left in Africa but their numbers are decreasing at a horrifying rate.

  • Rhinoceros (southern white)

    Rhinoceros (southern white)

    In 2005, efforts were made to introduce the southern white rhino to Uganda in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.

  • Zebra (plains)

    Zebra (plains)

    Few animals are more iconic than the black-and-white striped plains zebra.

  • Pangolin (giant)

    Pangolin (giant)

    Pangolins are truly unique animals, and rank among the likes of the duck-billed platypus for their peculiar appearance.

  • Warthog

    Warthog

    Warthogs get their name from three wart-like bumps on their head which are actually fatty lumps that protect them during fights.

Health content

High blood pressure

Love Heart!

“Did you know?… One in four adults in Uganda have high blood pressure (hypertension) but most people are  are unaware of it? If left untreated, high blood pressure increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke. What you eat plays a big part in having high blood pressure. Scientists advise avoiding meat, high fat dairy, and salt. To protect your heart they advise eating lots of:

  • Fruits – eg bananas, oranges, apples, mangos, pineapples etc
  • Vegetables – eg broccoli, kale, spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, squash and corn
  • Wholegrains – eg brown rice, wholewheat bread, millet, barley, buckwheat and quinoa
  • Pulses (peas, all types of beans and lentils) – eg no added salt kidney beans, pinto beans, lentils, black-eyed peas, chickpeas
  • Nuts and seeds – although relatively high in fat, nuts contain the healthier unsaturated fats and a small handful of nuts a day can help protect heart health.

Plant-based diets are linked to lower blood pressure and overall better heart health outcomes compared with animal-based diets. Read more…

  • Yellow fever

    Yellow fever

    Like other B vitamins, thiamine helps release energy from your food and deficiency can lead to many health problems. Find out which foods contain this important B vitamin.

  • Typhoid

    Typhoid

    Like other B vitamins, thiamine helps release energy from your food and deficiency can lead to many health problems. Find out which foods contain this important B vitamin.

  • Tuberculosis

    Tuberculosis

    Like other B vitamins, thiamine helps release energy from your food and deficiency can lead to many health problems. Find out which foods contain this important B vitamin.

  • Stroke

    Stroke

    Like other B vitamins, thiamine helps release energy from your food and deficiency can lead to many health problems. Find out which foods contain this important B vitamin.

  • Rift Valley fever

    Rift Valley fever

    Like other B vitamins, thiamine helps release energy from your food and deficiency can lead to many health problems. Find out which foods contain this important B vitamin.

  • Rabies

    Rabies

    Like other B vitamins, thiamine helps release energy from your food and deficiency can lead to many health problems. Find out which foods contain this important B vitamin.