About us

Our Story

The African Food and Peace Foundation (AFPF) is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1981 to support community-led development initiatives that empower individuals and communities to become architects of their own future.

Our Vision

A world where every individual in rural communities can lead a life of freedom, health, wealth, happiness, and dignity.

Our Mission

To provide financial and strategic resources to support sustainable development and education in rural Uganda. For over 40 years, we have partnered with URDT, a secular organization run by local Ugandans who are true innovators.

Our history

Years of Journey

Our History In 1987, Silvana Franco Veltkamp partnered with Mwalimu Musheshe and Ephrem Rutaboba to found the Uganda Rural Development and Training programme. Silvana connected Ephrem and Mwalimu with Robert Fritz, who contributed the Visionary Approach that is still being taught and widely used in now over 22 Districts and 2 Refugee Settlements in western Uganda.

The Problem We Saw Many development efforts focus on solving immediate needs without addressing the underlying causes of poverty, inequality, and limited opportunity.

AFPF supports approaches that help communities create sustainable solutions from within.

We founded URDT in 1987 to address the missing link in development programmes, the merger of: truly functional education; consciousness and conscience raising; skills training; rural development interventions with the intent of empowering marginalized people living in rural communities in Uganda.

OUR APPROACHES TO DEVELOPMENT

The Creative Process Encouraging innovation and community-driven solutions.
Visionary Helping communities define and realize their own future.
Partnerships Working hand-in-hand with local organizations for shared vision and impact.
Structural & Systems Thinking Using the gap between “what is” and “what’s possible” as a catalyst for transformation. Addressing root causes rather than symptoms.

OUR DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS IN AFRICA

Awakening the Sleeping Genius

Uganda Rural Development and Training Programme

URDT was founded to address the missing link in development programmes, the merger of: truly functional education; consciousness and conscience raising; skills training; rural development interventions with the intent of empowering marginalized people living in rural communities in Uganda.

African Rural University for Women

African Rural University (ARU) was Established by URDT in the year 2006. African Rural University graduates begin leading community projects across Uganda with measurable rural impact outcomes. 2011 The first cohort of students is admitted to begin studies in rural transformation and leadership training.

Uganda Rural Development and Training Institute

Uganda Rural Development and Training Institute (URDT-I), established in 1993, provides vocational skills and youth leadership development through a Visionary Approach, empowering young men and women to become responsible, entrepreneurial citizens who contribute to national development.

Food Security

The Back Home Project promotes food security by empowering households to practice sustainable agriculture, increase food production, and achieve self-reliance. It builds resilient families capable of meeting their daily nutritional needs.

Girls Education

URDT Girls’ Schools uses the 2 generation approach whereby students and their parents learn together, develop a shared vision for their home, analyze their current situation, apply systems thinking, team learning, plan together and learn new skills.

Kagadi Kibaale Community Radio

This is the first truly community radio station in Uganda based in Kagadi Town Council of Kagadi district mid-western Uganda. KKCR is a product of the partnership between the communities in Greater Kibaale

1981

AFPF Founded

1987

URDT Founded

1990s

Expansion of partnerships

2000s

URDT Girls School Founded

2010s

ARU expansion

Today

Millions of lives reached