Lwengo Widows and Orphans Support Organization (LWOSO), is a registered community based non-governmental organization located in Katovu town, Lwengo District, in southwestern Uganda. LWOSO (formally known as WOSO) was established in October of 2012 by committed young leaders from Lwengo District to meet the needs of critically vulnerable children and their families in their community. Lwengo district is in the dry corridor of Uganda and suffers long droughts, as well as being a region very hard hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Many widows and vulnerable children reside in this region. Although education is highly valued throughout Uganda, the 2015 National Forum on the State of the Ugandan Child reports that of the 91% of the children enrolled in primary education, only 32% of these children make it to lower secondary, and only 12% complete the full secondary school cycle, with children from rural regions and girls making up the largest percentage of children out of school.

Since its founding, LWOSO has worked with the community to respond to the pressing needs of the region in the areas of education, health care and deep poverty. Currently LWOSO has four projects to assist in providing education, health. and income-generating opportunities to residents of this region.

  1. A child sponsorship program was established in January, 2013 to assist critically vulnerable children to receive a primary and secondary education. Currently 85 children are sponsored in school through this program.
  2. A micro-credit program was established in 2014 to help women start small businesses to assist their families. To date, over 90 women have benefited from this micro-credit program.
  3. Shepherd High School, a secondary school constructed and operated by LWOSO opened in Lwengo district in 2015. This school was requested by community members who helped level ant hills to make bricks for the first classroom block. Shepherd High School provides a quality secondary education to children in Lwengo and neighboring districts. Currently 520 students are enrolled in the school.
  4. WOSO also incorporates community health projects in all its programs, including HIV/AIDS testing and worming for all sponsored children, community cleanup days, health education content in school programs, and a school health clinic at Shepherd High School which can test for covid, malaria and HIV/AIDS.