Feed 1200 children and 400 women in slums

In the wake of Coronavirus the government of Uganda on 18th March announced a number of restrictions and suspension of all public gatherings. This led to the closure of schools, bars, churches, shopping malls and arcades and all non food business operations. This move rendered many people jobless and was worsened by the ban on public transport after Uganda registered her first COVID19 case on 21st March. While most people who were earning wages had no work or income anymore, the children were sent back home from school and they needed to eat. Majority of the caretakers/ parents of the children on our programs have been benefiting from informal work, most of which has been deemed non essential with the recent Covid-19 guidelines. This has made many parents and or caretakers run short of income and savings, making them more vulnerable to starvation and poor health as a result of COVID 19 outbreak. As such, these can hardly feed their families because they have no savings or source of income at their disposal. 

The Government of Uganda embarked on supplying food aid to the very vulnerable families as a measure to minimize the effects of COVID19. However, from the virtual home visits we conducted we learnt that the food is insufficient. This situation has left many families able to afford just one meal a day and some going without a meal for over 24 hours.  It’s upon this background that the organization embarked on a campaign to raise money that can feed an average of 400 families and 1200 children in the slum communities we work with. 

Achievements

1. $1,526 has been raised of the $6,354 goal for the food aid distribution exercise that intended to provide 25 and 10KGs of maize flour and beans respectively to 400 households in the slum communities that we work with.
2. 17 teenage mothers, 49 mothers of children with disability, 60 single mothers including widows and 50 other vulnerable families in our slum community groups have so far received food.
3. A total number 206 of 400 households projected to have at least 1,200 family members have benefited from food aid distribution exercise in the slum communities of Kampala (Mulago, Bwaise, and Makerere Kivulu).
4. 88 families including those with children with disability in Bwaise, a slum which is commonly known for flooding during the rainy seasons were able to get the food care packages. 31 families of children with disability were happy to get the food care packages in Nabweru. 40 more families in Makerere Kivulu and 47 in Mulago including those of children with disability benefited. 

The people were undoubtedly happy with some of them even kneeling down to say thank you. You are so appreciated.

Lessons learnt

There are many families in need of food even those that are not part of the groups.We would have loved to reach as many people as possible but are limited by resources. We call upon you to help us at least reach our target beneficiaries.

Future plans.

1. Reach out to raise more funds to cover the remaining 194 of the initial planned households.
2. Distribute food to the remaining 194 households.
3. Continue sensitizing the community of SOPs such as wearing masks, washing hands with soap and clean water, keeping social distance.
4. Provide the selected households with appropriate low cost handwashing facilities with soap that will be made by women groups. 
5. Provide loans to boost women’s businesses that have been greatly affected by more than 3 months of lockdown.
6. Partner with school administrations and Newspaper companies to procure study materials for school-going children in the slum communities to foster home-schooling. 
7. Provide more sponsorships for boys and girls to continue with education - with increasing economic hardship, many children are likely to drop out of school.
8. Provide psycho-social interventions