On the 22nd day of October 2025, Zoota Initiative for Development was recognised as the “Most Innovative Organisation in Solving Community Challenges in Northern Uganda” by the United Nations Office in Uganda and the SDG Secretariat at the Office of the Prime Minister of Uganda. The award was given in recognition of Zoota’s outstanding impact and innovation in addressing complex social, economic and human rights challenges in rural, underserved and marginalised cross-border communities.

Through our integrated work on gender equality, livelihoods, health, climate justice and digital inclusion, Zoota has demonstrated how locally led solutions can advance the Sustainable Development Goals in some of the most hard-to-reach communities in Northern Uganda.

A key driver of this recognition was our STEMES Project which is currently skilling 150 teenage mothers and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence through a combination of entrepreneurship, vocational training alongside it, psychosocial support, SRHR education and the innovative use of digital and technological tools for income generation and employability. The STEMES Project was highlighted as the outstanding project in the region for its ability to break cycles of poverty and violence by equipping survivors with income-generating skills and economic independence.

This recognition affirms our role as a leading grassroots organisation delivering innovative and high-impact and scalable solutions for some of the most vulnerable communities in Northern Uganda.

Written by;

Alesi Majorine, Executive Director