Urgent COVID-19 Appeal to Distribute Food “Care Packages”

ROTOM has embarked upon a Food Campaign that will provide basic food items to seniors and their grandchildren. Our goal is to give a CARE PACKAGE to each of the 900 older persons we support for the next 2-3 months to help them cope with the impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown, which has significantly reduced their ability to source food. Each Care Package costs £22 and contains 20 Kilograms (approximately 44 lbs) of Maize flour,10 kilograms (22 lbs) of Beans, 0.5 kilograms (1.1 lbs) of Salt, 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs) of Sugar, a packet of Matches and a bar of Soap. Can you help by donating money to pay for one or more care packages?

8.00% Raised

£176.00 donated of £2,200.00 goal

4 Donors

Campaign has ended

Creator: Austin Awadzi

The Current Situation:

The most intractable problem facing Older Persons in Uganda including those supported by ROTOM is malnutrition. This is caused by lack of enough nutritious food. This has been worsened by the current dilemma of coronavirus (COVID-19). Lack of nutritious food among older persons causes starvation and poor health which can eventually lead to death. Most of the older persons supported by ROTOM depended on subsistence peasant farming for their survival. With old age (average age of ROTOM supported seniors is currently 78 years), many of the seniors are sickly, weak and frail. 56% have visual impairments while 36% have physical disabilities. They are no longer able to participate in this manual and tedious farming. For some who are able to farm, they can only do so little leading to a low food production that limits their access to food to only what they are able to produce. As a result, they either depend on ROTOM, a friend/family member with a job in the city or neighbors.

With the current outbreak of COVID-19 and resultant lockdown, even these neighbors and friends have no income and food to share. The COVID-19 situation has affected everyone. Moreover, for the few older persons whom have children and grandchildren that were able to support with food, those children and grandchildren have lost their jobs due to the nationwide lockdown which has greatly affected their sources of income. This has increased the need for food among ROTOM supported seniors and their families.

A survey recently carried out by ROTOM among 378 ROTOM supported older persons, showed that without ROTOM support, 48% would have one meal or no meal a day. Only 33% would have 2 or 3 meals a day. With the support of ROTOM, the number of those who have at least 2 meals a day, has increased to 90%. Only 10% have 1 meal a day.

ROTOM’s Response:

For older persons to live with dignity, they need to have at least 2 meals per day. To achieve this, ROTOM needs to sustain the current food support to the 48% perc