Our Vision
Communities in Uganda and Chongqing connected through friendship, compassion and opportunity, with vulnerable people empowered to live healthier, safer and more dignified lives.
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About the Association
A humanitarian and development-oriented organisation turning friendship between Chongqing, China and Uganda into practical service to communities.
ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION
Who we are
Chongqing–Uganda Friendship Association is a humanitarian and development-oriented organisation established to turn the friendship between the people of Chongqing, China and Uganda into practical service to communities.
The Association was incorporated in Uganda as a company limited by guarantee on 7 May 2026.
We bring together individuals, charities, businesses, medical institutions, universities, government agencies and well-wishers from Uganda and Chongqing around practical humanitarian and community-development work. We are not established simply to organise ceremonies or exchanges — we want the relationship between Chongqing and Uganda to produce visible, lasting benefits for ordinary people.
Humanitarian & development-oriented
Our Mission
To mobilise people, partnerships, knowledge and resources between Uganda and Chongqing to address practical humanitarian needs, strengthen communities and create sustainable opportunities in health, education, livelihoods and social development.
Our Story
Founder Max Lee first came to Uganda on 4 May 2005 during the Pakwach Road project. After more than 21 years, Uganda became part of his life journey, personal growth and family story — and the human foundation for this Association.
OUR PURPOSE
What we stand for
Humanity
People come before projects. Every person deserves dignity, care and an opportunity to improve his or her life.
Practical Service
We prefer meaningful action over impressive language. Our work should solve identifiable problems communities can see and use.
Integrity
Resources entrusted to the Association must be handled responsibly, transparently and for their intended purpose.
Partnership
No single organisation can address every need. We work with communities, institutions, hospitals, schools, businesses and development partners.
Opportunity
Humanitarian support should not stop at temporary relief. Wherever possible, it should help people become stronger, more skilled and less dependent.
Mutual Respect
Our work is based on genuine friendship between Chinese and Ugandan people, with respect for the culture, dignity and contribution of both sides.
THE HUMANITARIAN BRIDGE
The Chongqing–Uganda Humanitarian Bridge
What makes this Association different is the relationship it has built between two very different but complementary places.
Uganda
Communities with significant needs in health, education, employment, water, agriculture and household livelihoods.
Chongqing
Strong hospitals, universities, vocational institutions, manufacturers, medical suppliers, technology companies, charitable individuals and businesses with the capacity to contribute knowledge, equipment, expertise and resources.
Our role is to connect those two realities responsibly.
Watch: a glimpse of Chongqing, our partner city in China.
PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE FRIENDSHIP
Humanitarian cooperation is strongest when people understand one another.
We continue to promote cultural and people-to-people relations between Uganda and Chongqing through:
Cultural exchanges Youth programmes School partnerships Volunteer opportunities Charitable events Language and cultural learning Educational exchanges Community visits
We want a young Chinese student to understand Uganda beyond photographs.
We want a Ugandan student to understand China beyond imported products.
And we want relationships built through the Association to continue long after an event or delegation has ended.
HOW WE WORK
A practical project cycle
Our project cycle begins with listening — identifying needs with communities, verifying them, building the right partnership, implementing responsibly, following up and measuring what changed.
Identify the Need
We work with communities and relevant institutions to understand the actual problem.
Verify
We assess whether the need is genuine, what has already been attempted and what intervention is most appropriate.
Build the Right Partnership
Some problems require money. Others require equipment, expertise, training or institutional cooperation.
Implement Responsibly
Activities have clear responsibilities, budgets and intended beneficiaries.
Follow Up
We do not disappear after a donation or launch ceremony.
Measure What Changed
We measure outcomes such as children supported, patients reached, households earning income, water systems functioning or people completing training.
WHO WE SERVE
Who we serve
Our programmes give particular attention to:
Vulnerable children and young people
Low-income households
Women and girls facing economic disadvantage
Rural and underserved communities
Persons affected by emergencies
Smallholder farmers
Unemployed and under-skilled young people
Schools serving disadvantaged communities
Health facilities serving populations with limited access to care
Beneficiaries will be selected on the basis of genuine need rather than personal relationships, nationality, religion or political affiliation.
RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS
Responsible Business and Community Development
The Association recognises that business can also be a force for humanitarian and social good.
Chinese companies have played an important role in Uganda’s infrastructure, manufacturing and commercial development. As more companies build long-term operations in Uganda, there is also an opportunity to strengthen their relationships with the communities around them.
The Association helps the Chongqing Uganda business community identify credible community needs and develop practical corporate social responsibility support programmes.
Our objective is not simply to obtain donations from companies. It is to help partners invest in community interventions that are useful, properly implemented and accountable.
GOVERNANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Governance and Accountability
Chongqing–Uganda Friendship Association Limited intends to build its humanitarian work on responsible governance, financial accountability and transparent project management. As the organisation develops, its governance and operational systems will support:
Responsible use of donor funds
Appropriate financial controls
Documented project approvals
Beneficiary verification
Monitoring and reporting
Safeguarding of vulnerable persons
Conflict-of-interest management
Proper accountability to partners and communities
Credibility will be built not by what we say about ourselves, but by how we handle responsibility.
OUR FOUNDER
Max Lee
Max Lee has lived and worked in Uganda since 2005 — first arriving on 4 May 2005 during the Pakwach Road project. His experience has covered teaching, engineering, infrastructure development and business, but his reflections after 21 years in Uganda emphasise something deeper: the importance of human relationships, kindness, loyalty, resilience and creating opportunities for other people. He has stated his determination to continue serving Uganda and contributing positively to the country that has become an important part of his life and family story. The Chongqing–Uganda Friendship Association is intended to give that commitment a wider and more lasting institutional form.
Our Founder
Max Lee has lived and worked in Uganda since 2005.
Governance
Responsible governance, financial accountability and transparent project management.
Members & Well-Wishers
Individuals, charities, businesses and institutions who share our humanitarian values.
LOOKING AHEAD
Looking Ahead
We are a young organisation, and we do not want to pretend that we can solve every problem. Our aim is to start with projects we can manage well, build trustworthy partnerships and demonstrate impact.
One successful medical partnership is better than ten unsigned agreements.
One water system that still works years later is better than several ceremonial launches.
A livelihood programme that enables families to earn their own income is better than repeated distributions that leave the underlying problem unchanged.
“A genuine friendship between Uganda and Chongqing should ultimately be judged not only by meetings held or photographs taken, but by the people whose lives became better because that friendship existed.”
That is the kind of Association we intend to build.
Be part of a friendship that serves people.
Members, volunteers, partners and supporters all have a place in the Association.