By Nganda Kizito
The Ssembatya Foundation heeded President Yoweri Museveni’s call for public support in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. On Monday April 27, the foundation donated food items to the Luwero district Covid-19 task force, to help the underprivileged and vulnerable communities in the area.
Two tons of maize flour, a truck full of charcoal sacks and cassava were handed over to the Luwero Resident District Commissioner Feibe Namulindwa and the Luwero District Chairman, Ronald Ndawula. This followed an initial donation of maize seedlings made to farmers of Makulubita county last week by the Foundation.
Speaking during the hand-over of these items, Namulindwa thanked the Sembatya Foundation for the generosity. In addition, Namulindwa preserved a special praise for its Patron, Honourable Ssembatya Edward Ndawula of Katikamu South Constituency, for initiating this drive.
Ssembatya noted, that these items targeted the elderly community, who at this particular time, are struggling to find what to eat. He added also, that the boda boda riders community was another special interest group. Since public transport was suspended over a month ago, as an intervention to ensure social distancing, boda riders were rendered jobless.
Without any income, sustaining themselves and their families, has proved difficult. So, the Ssembatya Foundation deemed it fit to target them with their latest contribution. With maize flour and cassava, they have food. Yet, with the charcoal, the challenge of energy, to prepare the food, has also been sorted.
Since March 20, Uganda has been in a lock-down, which was induced by the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. This has meant, that a host of citizens have not been able to work, leaving them at risk of no income, to cater for themselves and families.
Under such circumstances, the Ssembatya Foundation food items contribution should be able to save many lives. You see, while the fight against the wide spread of Covid-19 has been successful compared to other countries (Uganda has registered 79 cases, yet 47 have recovered with no deaths), people could easily die from hunger.
In light of that, the Ssembatya Foundation has not just stopped at putting food on the table for thousands of people. Last week, they donated maize seedlings to the residents of Makulubita county in Luwero, as a strategy to prop up planting of more food, as a contingency plan for the future.
While there is a huge tendency among people, to focus on today’s meal, preparing and saving for the future during these tough economic times appears difficult, since peoples’ earnings are small. Many cannot afford to buy seeds for planting now, which could breed a problem of hunger and food scarcity in future, even after the Covid-19 pandemic is defeated in Uganda.
