Uganda in Strict Lockdown as COVID-19 Hits the Country Again: Consequences for Poverty are Incalculable

Klik hier om deze post in het Nederlands te lezen.

Following a new wave of COVID-19 infections, which currently affects all Uganda, President Museveni has on 18 June announced the second, strict lockdown for the country during 42 days, with immediate effect. With millions of people still not having overcome the economic and social impact of last year’s lockdown on their lives, the consequences of this second lockdown for the already so poor population will be incalculable. Medical treatment is too expensive if at all available, for COVID testing has to be paid, schools and institutes are closed again, passenger transport is almost impossible, etc, etc…

Apart from the problems and panic that COVID-19 causes a day spent without an opportunity to work and make a little bit of money automatically means a day without food for complete families, and those who cannot pay the rent for their poor little houses will be kicked out by the landlords…sadly, that is the situation in Uganda, a developing country that completely lacks any kind of social security system and where the people are completely on their own. Following last year’s lockdown the country has fallen back an estimated 10 to 15 years in its development.

As a direct result of the current situation, poverty among Ugandans will now once more increase enormously. With Uganda even having the youngest population in the world (the average age is not even 16 years) it simply means that millions of young, innocent children are the victim. Many are at risk of dying as a result of hunger.

As the team of HWMCO-Nederland & NICA Foundation we want to offer emergency food again to the most vulnerable in our working area, being extremely poor and sometimes even landless widows and abandoned women who have children to care for, and the Batwa groups that we have been supporting since March 2020.

We will provide them packages that contain dry and long-lasting foods, such as beans, maize flour and groundnuts; we will also include soap to enable them to wash their hands frequently as advised. Depending on donations, we can repeat this.

With all transport in the Lake Bunyonyi area going over water and with people told to stay at home as much as possible, we will use one of our motorboats to deliver the packages, whereby we will make sure to carry out any operation with permission of and in cooperation with the local authorities.

Please support us in helping the above mentioned, most vulnerable groups at Lake Bunyonyi
survive this crisis by making a donation today.

There are several options to donate:

– Using the PayPal donation button on our website,
or transferring manually through PayPal using hwmco-nederland@outlook.com

– Transferring the amount to our Dutch bank account in the name of Stichting HWMCO-Nederland,
using IBAN code NL56 INGB 0007 7485 36;
if you donate from outside Europe, also the BIC code INGNL2A will be required.

– If you are donating from Uganda or a surrounding country,
you may use our Ugandan bank account in the name of Nicky’s Care for Africa Foundation,
using no. 1045201062094 (Equity Bank Kabale).

It cannot be emphasized enough that, since we are a small private foundation with very short lines,
100% of donations directly goes to those who need our help.

Every donation, no matter how small, will as always be highly appreciated.

HWMCO-Nederland & NiCA Foundation
‘We Fight Poverty by Bringing Development.’

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