Hunger is a worldwide catastrophe. The global food crisis is real. We are working hard to assure our seniors and families do not go hungry.
The most intractable problem our seniors grapple with in Uganda is malnutrition. This is now an on-going issue caused by lack of enough nutritious food worsened by the economic conditions of COVID-19. Due to this food shortage, starvation and poor health can and eventually even lead to death.
A majority of seniors supported by ROTOM depend on peasant farming for their survival. With older age (average age of ROTOM supported seniors is currently 78 years), many of the seniors are sickly, weak and frail. There are 56% have visual impairments while 36% have physical disabilities. They are also 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 and neighbors.
Over the past couple of years, the COVID-19 pandemics aftermath, food shortages worldwide and less jobs, have left our Uganda neighbors and friends with little to no income and food to share. Moreover, a few of the older persons that still have grandchildren they were able to support, and have most all lost their jobs due to the nationwide lockdown which has greatly affected their sources of incomes. This affect alone has drastically increased the need for food among ROTOM supported seniors and their families.
In a survey performed by ROTOM last year, among 378 ROTOM seniors, it demonstrated that without ROTOM support only 48% would only have one meal or no meal each day. Only 33% would have 2 or 3 meals a day. With our support, the number of seniors who can eat at least 2 meals a day, has increased to 90% over the past 1.5 years.
For our elderly to live with dignity, they need to have at least 2 adequate meals each day. To achieve this, ROTOM needs to sustain the current food support to the 48% percent. ROTOM also needs to increase support to the additional 10% who are having one meal a day to enable them have two meals per day.
During this worldwide food crisis, ROTOM would like to increase its food support from 250 to more than two times that amount. We are therefore embarking on a Food Campaign that will provide basic food items to seniors and their grandchildren.
This end of year campaign in 2022 calls attention to raising funds for food security and packages to ensure our seniors eat a nutritious meal each day. Your Gift today will help meet the needs of a senior like Benaletta (read below). A $30 gift provides enough food supplies for half a month for a senior’s family; a $50 gift will provide a full month’s supply, or a generous gift of $300 provides 6 months’ worth of Senior Food Packages. The food supplies package will contain maize flour, beans, salt, sugar, and hygiene supplies such as lotions and soap.
Left photo caption: two teenagers from The Ascent Church missions’ trip to Ethiopia in November photographed with a senior, previously homeless with mental illness recently accepted into the ROTOM ET program. Right photo: Hawi, our ROTOM ET director escorts Kimberly Hartwell of Ascent Church as they’re preparing packages for seniors in Ethiopia.
We are so very grateful for your support and love for these precious seniors in Uganda and in Ethiopia. At times when we least expect it, you bless us with unexpected gifts; sometimes even before we have the chance to share a need.
Can you bless a Senior with only $30 to ensure they have food today?
