Florence Ndagire

Florence Ndagire is a female Ugandan lawyer, who works as a legal researcher and human rights lawyer at the United Nations (UN) based in Geneva, Switzerland. Ndagire, who is totally blind, also serves as the chairperson of the UN Women Regional Group, for Eastern and Southern Africa, comprising twelve countries. She is the first visually impaired person, male or female to qualify and receive licensure as a lawyer in Uganda.

Background and education She was born in Nkokonjeru, Buikwe District in 1984, to Joyce Nabinaka and Francis Kayizi. She was born prematurely at about six months gestation and kept in an incubator at the hospital. When her parents took her home from the hospital, they realized that their new-born was blind. She attended Bishop Wills Primary School in Iganga District. After secondary school, she was admitted to Makerere University in Kampala, to study law. While at Makerere, she was elected to the Guild Representative Council (GRC) to represent students in the Faculty of Law. After obtaining her Bachelor of Laws, from Makerere, she obtained a Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre (LDC), also in Kampala.

In August 2013 until December 2014 she worked as a Human Rights and Fundraising Officer for the non-profit organisation Light of the World , based in the Netherlands, with offices in Uganda. She then worked for ADD International, a non-profit based in the United Kingdom. She worked at their Kampala office, as a senior program officer from February 2015 until October 2016.