Uganda is far more advanced then one might think. When many westerners envision Africa, they think of those Massai guys with spears in their hands, blankets on their shoulders, and dull looks on their faces. They picture a technologically dead country, useless to anyone except their own people.

Guess what? They’re wrong.

Obviously, Uganda isn’t as technologically advanced as America or China- countries that make literal trillions of dollars off of technological advancement and study. However, Uganda is more than meets the eye.

Phones have taken over. The phone-bored syndrome, as I call it, has infected millions. This syndrome used to be limited to superpowers, countries that were stuffed with phones and devices. Now, even Uganda is affected.

What is phone-bored syndrome? To be blunt, it takes place when you, the bored person in a waiting room, bus station, airport, or any other workplace look around. If you look closely enough, you will see almost every single person on their phones. Five years ago, most of those people would have been talking, laughing, reading, telling jokes, or sleeping. Now, even the 80-year-old grandmother can be found on her phone, scrolling through Facebook.

Phones are not the only changes Uganda has undergone in the last decade. New malls are popping up everywhere, boasting 3-D movie theatres, internet cafes, and even a KFC. The Acacia Mall, located in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, is a massive, five-story affair that includes, but isn’t limited to, a KFC, two internet cafes, two bookstores, a photo store, two cellphone providers, two video game stores, an electronics store, and several clothes stores. When I walk into the massive, acacia-colored building, I feel as if I have stepped into another country.

Where did Uganda go?

On streets that used to hold thousands of small, moped/motorcycles, cars imported from Japan, China, India, and the United States are commonplace. Seeing a 2017 Ford F250 is something normal. Nobody bats an eyelash at a sports car driving by.

Two data providers, MTN and Airtel, battle for customers in a massive business brawl. Signs everywhere boast the advantages of using one provider, while completely roasting the other. In a country with several million phone users, being the most popular provider is important.

Where many people used to cook their own food, now they can have it delivered directly to their homes. Jumia Food and Cafe Javas both deliver via motorcycle and car after receiving careful instructions on their target’s location (many houses in Kampala lack addresses). Hundreds of thousands of coca-colas are created daily, and coffee has taken the country by storm.

Truly, an advanced Africa country. At least, by technical terms.

As Christians, we are taught to look at the heart. So, if we delve a little deeper into Uganda’s state, we see some truly depressing facts.

According to The Joshua Project, there are five unreached people groups, 7.5% of the entire population at over 1 million people. 83.5% identify with Christianity, and 33.83% are Evangelical (2019). However, statistics don’t show everything.

(Note: The Following statistics are estimates. If you believe them to be untrue, contact me here)

50% of all Church members are women, and an additional 25% are children. Men remain a massive unreached people group, as they fall into the same cycle of their role models- addicted to alcohol, sex, and drugs. While the Joshua Project states that only 5.1% of the population practices Ethnic religions, it fails to tell that well over half of all Christians in Uganda practice either a mixture of Christianity and Witchcraft or adhere to a “health, wealth, and prosperity” teaching. Either way, many “Christians” follow false doctrines or watered-down beliefs, thus reducing the quality of the Ugandan church.

As you can see, the spiritual state of Uganda is still lackluster. While many look at outside statistics and believe that Uganda does not need missionaries, only a few truly see the state of Uganda. However, there is hope. God has not forsaken this country. He, in His ultimate wisdom, has provided thousands upon thousands of pastors, churches, ministries, workers, and more in the fight to bring Ugandans to Jesus.

As Christians, we are called to pray. So, I ask for all of your prayers, that God will do a great work in this beautiful country, and that my time here will not be futile. When you pray, don’t forget to pray for the countries that are in desperate need of Him. The countries in the Middle East, Eastern Asia, and southern America all need our prayers. Actually, scratch that. All countries need our prayers. America is not exempt (sorry, USA).

Therefore, brethren, I plead with you- keep the country of Uganda in your prayers. Do something to help someone in Africa. Sponsor a child, support a ministry, do something. And, if you lack financial funds, pray unceasingly that God will do His mighty work in Africa.

I know that was a heavy post, so congratulations for making it this far! You guys are truly special. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my article, and I hope you enjoyed it. If you haven’t already, make sure to click that Follow button, so as to not miss out on any new posts. Thanks, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

 

“Uganda.” The Joshua Project, https://joshuaproject.net/countries/UG

Note: Detailed statistics can be found here.

 

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