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I welcome you to this annual reporton the theme Partnering forImproved Child Well-being.One of World Vision’s aspirationsfor the well-being of children is tosee that they enjoy good health,but over time we have realized thatWorld Vision cannot ensure this onits own. We need to work togetherwith other players, and this is thebasis of the theme for this year’sannual report.Today, around 24,000 children underthe age of five will die around theworld. Their deaths will be causedby malaria, pneumonia, diarrhea,AIDS and complications duringpregnancy and after birth.Two thirds of these deaths arepreventable. There are measuresthat can be taken to avert them,only that these measures arenot being deployed on the scalerequired to tackle the problem. Thisis why World Vision has launchedthe Child Health Now (CHN)campaign, a five-year initiativeaimed at preventing malaria andimproving nutrition among childrenand mothers. This campaign will goFrom the Board Chairmana long way in enabling WVU realizeits aspiration of enabling children toachieve good health.I reiterate that WVU will not beable to improve the health ofchildren in Uganda acting on itsown. Partnerships have becomeincreasingly important in this dayand age, and WVU has partneredwith the Government, otherCivil Society Organisations andthe communities not only for theCHN campaign but also in otherprogrammes. In this financial year,therefore, the organization embracedpartnerships in a more holistic way.Partnerships are importantbecause different entities havedifferent strengths. They can enableorganisations to downplay theirweaknesses and capitalise on thosethings that they do best. Partneringalso facilitates the continuity ofinitiatives in our programme areaswhen WVU transits out and makesmobilisation of people aroundpertinent issues easier. Furthermore,when you partner, you enter andengage in networks, which facilitatesinteraction between experts indifferent areas thus building theircapacity.It is therefore important that webuild the staff’s capacity to work withpartners and also WVU’s capacity toenter into collaborations and subgrantfunds to other players such asCommunity-Based Organisations. Weenvisage that increased investmentsin working with and through bothoperational partnerships at the fieldlevel and strategic partnerships atthe national level will result intoimprovements in children’s welfare.I thank all the partners that wehave worked with for trusting andcollaborating with us. I also thank allour Support Offices, sponsors anddonors without whose diligence andgenerosity WVU would not be ableto reach out to communities to themagnitude it does. In the next financialyear our partnerships will be strongerand more solid as we endeavour tocontribute to the development andwell-being of children, their familiesand communities.Richard Obura OnyangBoard Chairman.Partnerships have become increasingly important in thisday and age, and WVU has partnered with the Government,other Civil Society Organisations and the communitiesiiiAnnual Report 2010