CORONAVIRUS
Helping vulnerable families get through the crisis
Whilst Coronavirus cases in Uganda are lower than many other countries, the government is taking no chances. There is a second nationwide lockdown, with schools closed, shops shut and a curfew in place to keep people home. You can travel on foot or bicycle. Food prices are so high that most people can't afford to buy food.
For the second year, we are helping the most vulnerable of households have basic food supplies to see them through the crisis and until they can provide food for themselves.
The detail
The Covid-19 situation in Uganda continues to develop and not in the right way. It has now reached the villages, which was our biggest worry. In just one village we support 5 people have died.
As in many other countries there is not enough vaccine and people are not being tested. The country is challenged and the poorest are getting poorer.
There is another lockdown, meaning the schools are shut and children have missed a year of education. What is worrying is that the cases are in remote villages and sadly near the communities we are supporting. There is fear and panic as people struggle to understand what is happening, feed their families and work out how to get a facemark to leave their homes.
We initially responded in March 2020 by buying and distributing soap to more than 1,200 families. Then we provided cornflour, beans and salt to the most vulnerable families. Now the situation is deteriorating and there are many more people going hungry. In President Museveni's State of the Nation address he says that food distribution will continue "for the genuine groups", but these are in the big towns and cities where people can't earn money.
There is still no support for farmers or people in the villages, who, he says "just need seeds and low interest money for borrowing and markets for their products". We know that in many cases the farmers have food and are growing enough to feed themselves, their families and some even have surplus that they are giving away.
Seeds for Development actively seeks out the most disadvantaged and have found that 50% of the people in the communities we support are in desperate need.
The vulnerable
Just like everywhere around the world, the most vulnerable are the old, the weak and whose with underlying health issues. In the villages of northern Uganda they do not have the medical infrastructure that we enjoy here. With no money for transport they are unable to travel to see the doctor or buy medicine.
Children need a healthy diet to flourish and protect themselves from preventable diseases such as Malaria. Tragically, we are hearing that people (especially children) are dying of Malaria. Pregnant women are giving birth at home with no support and some have died on the long walk to the hospital.
