Many families in Karamoja, Lango and Teso Sub-regions have been ravaged with famine. The people in Teso have reached the extent of harvesting termites and white ants from ant hills to sustain the livelihoods of their families. All this is resulting from the unpredictable weather patterns and the pending drought that is facing the nation.
The situation in Teso
In a story run by the Daily Monitor early this year, statistics indicated that the current famine has affected up to 5 million people all over Uganda. An attempt was made by the parliament to help with the situation by passing a resolution to declare a state of emergency so that aid can be taken to the most affected areas like Eastern and the Northern regions of the country, but there was no progress.
“Food crops have dried up, and there is no food left for our brothers and sisters to eat” says Atuhairwe Macklyne, the face of Miss University Uganda (MUU) 2016/2017. She also adds that the people of Teso have resorted to eating ants, wild fruits and weeds for survival.
Businesses have come to a standstill in Teso. Sustaining livelihood has become very costly.
“It is even said that they are using their national cards to be able to access foods on credit” says Tekitendwa. To afford a meal a day is therefore not a reality to many families. The death toll has surpassed 40 people being killed by the famine in Moroto alone from malnutrition and disease.
Save a life, Save a nation campaign.
The campaign “Save a life, Save a nation” is a drive by the 3 beauty queens, Atuhairwe from Kyambogo University, the 1st Runners Up Tekitendwa Shiela from YMCA, and the 2nd Runners Up Barlow Alice from International University of East Africa who have come up with a solution and are determined to see that famine is not a burden in Kumi, Moroto, Soroti, Kaberamaido, Serere and Amuria.
“This program is temporary relief, an outreach program to raise support for our dear brothers and sisters in the nation who are lacking basic needs.” says Atuhairwe.
It will involve them holding fundraisers through the public, universities, organizations, among other institutions to enable them to raise the supplies like food, medication and clothes, required to make the drive successful.
“We would love to unite together with fellow Ugandans and put smiles on these people faces. We want to donate up to 5000kgs each of posho, rice and beans” says Barlow.
They will then travel to some of the affected areas at the end of July to start the distribution of their collections.
“Our plan is to use the 29th and 30th July to go to some of these districts and distribute what we will have collected” adds Tekitendwa.
They are also conducting research to ascertain which foodstuffs grow best in the current weather. They will be making a couple of partnerships that will help them procure seeds that could be planted to grow in this poor weather condition. Some of the foods they have in mind include beans, egg plants, sweet potatoes and melons which foods can be grown in containers and sacks.
“We call upon fellow Ugandans to join us and take part in this cause and save the lives of our brothers and sisters dying from hunger, thirst and sickness in Teso” says Atuhairwe.
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