Advancing justice, sustainable livelihoods and dignity in rural and trans-border communities of Westnile
Zoota Initiative for Development works with women, youth and rural communities in West Nile’s rural and borderlands to reduce violence, protect rights and expand access to safe and sustainable livelihoods. We deliver community-led programmes that combine justice and protection, economic empowerment, health and wellbeing, climate action and digital inclusion while engaging local leaders and institutions to address the systems that keep people vulnerable. Through this integrated approach, we help communities build sustainable safety, dignity and opportunities.
Rural and trans-border communities in Westnile and Northern Uganda are caught in fragile and informal systems where unsafe migration, exploitative trade, human rights abuses and violations, and gender-based violence undermine livelihoods, stability and long-term development.
Zoota strengthens justice-based livelihoods and protection systems through integrating GBV prevention, access to justice, safe migration and economic empowerment to reduce violence and exploitation while enabling women and youth to participate in cross-border economies more safely and fairly.
Gender-based violence remains one of the most urgent threats to women and girls in the West Nile borderlands driven by poverty, displacement and economic dependence. Zoota works to prevent violence and support survivors through evidence rights-based advocacy, community dialogues and economic empowerment.
We support women and young people use cross-border trade as a way out of poverty by improving their access to information, providing legal protection, market access and business skills so they can trade safely, grow their businesses and support their families.
Zoota works to protect migrants in the West Nile borderlands from trafficking, exploitation and gender-based violence through community awareness, legal education and survivor-centred support, and strengthened by our 2025 partnership with the International Organization for Migration we help women, children and young people move safely and with dignity across borders.
Many families in rural West Nile lack access to basic health information leading to preventable illness and poor wellbeing. Zoota delivers community-based health education focused on nutrition, hygiene, disease prevention and early care-seeking to bring practical knowledge closer to people.
Environmental degradation, deforestation and waste pollution are already affecting farming, water, health and livelihoods in the West Nile borderlands. Zoota works with communities to make the borderlands greener and cleaner by promoting re-afforestation, waste management and environmentally responsible cross-border trade.
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