Welcome to ETC of PWD

Enhancing the Capacity of Persons with Disability (ETC of PWD) is a UK registered charity that supports young people with disabilities in Gulu, Northern Uganda: training and education for a sustainable life of dignity and respect.

Our 2025 Funding Appeal is still running and we have two programmes in operation (for updates go to the Project News tab):

Funding Appeal

In October 2025, we launched an appeal to transform the training facilities at GDPU: Major improvements to two classroom spaces, build a safe girls’ dormitory, refurbish Community Hall and Board meeting room, more accessible toilet/washroom facilities and pathways, 15 training place scholarships.

So far, the Community Hall has been entirely remade and is very successful and busy, other works are still in progress. More details about the appeal are here

If you would like to contribute please go to our Donate page or to our crowdfunding appeal

1: VPEP 2: The VPlus Empowerment Project

A Peer Mentor delivering training in Pabbo

VPEP 2 began in June 2026, a developing programme that started in 2018. Please see the ETC Summary Report 2017 -25 for detail on ETC activities and the Past Programmes tab.

VPEP 2 is delivered by Gulu Disabled Persons Union (GDPU), supported by ETC of PWD trustees and private donations.

Click for VPEP 2 summary

The programme includes:

The Revolving Loan scheme supporting new businesses.
Post training support for all 113 VPlus graduates – plus etc@gdpu beneficiaries and, increasingly, their families too.
Strategic support for all the District Unions for Persons with Disability in the Gulu region.
The innovative Peer Mentor programme with 12 well trained young people with disabilities across the region, who now work directly with the District Unions. and liaise with GDPU.

2: Viva Wer Waa

Viva Wer Waa (Wer Waa means ‘Our Song’ in Luo) is a music based vocational training programme. The aim of Viva Wer Waa is to advocate for the rights of people with disabilities in Northern Uganda and to build sustainable livelihoods through the power of music.

Sponsored by Viva La Visa – a UK based specialist visa company for the entertainment industry. It is managed by ETC of PWD and delivered by GDPU.

We are now on Phase 4: Brand Development, please go to the Viva Wer Waa tab under Current Projects for more details. Or follow updates on Project News

Click for Viva Wer Waa course details:

Viva Wer Waa will use videos, songs, performances and stories of their musicians, producers and marketeers in all forms and methods of distribution to empower youth with disabilities.

The current Viva Wer Waa Brand Development course involves:

Support for past VWW trainees with disabilities in writing, recording and performing music and making videos in the studio and live performance via a mentorship programme with well established professionals.
3 x new trainees learning music production skills in the studio.
3 x new trainees learning marketing and promotional skills, particularly online and via social media.
The studio is now open to the wider disabled community and other local and national musicians, it is very busy these days.

Viva Documentary

This documentary, made by the Viva team, shows the impact of their programme on the lives of young musicians with disabilities:

Music Videos

Videos made by trainees are posted on the Viva La Visa You Tube channel here.

Viva La Visa have continued to sponsor this programme into its fifth year and promote the artists in the West. See #vivawerwaa, their Facebook page or their website for more.