Street children receive relief food from Ugandans in UK
Street children in a delightful cheer after receiving relief food donated by the UK Diaspora at Nakivubo Blue Primary School in Kampala yesterday. More than 150 street children were quarantined by KCCA to stop spread of Covid-19. PHOTO BY DAVID LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- While delivering the food at Nakivubo Blue Primary School where a group of 180 street children are housed, Maj Rubahimbya said they chose the street children because they are very vulnerable.
- He said the team in the diaspora will continue to mobilise more resources to support the street children in designated places even after the pandemic.
A total of 298 street children in Kampala yesterday received the first batch of relief food and other items from Ugandan Diaspora in the UK.
The food donations are part of a bigger scheme by the Ugandans in the diaspora who have pledged to support the street children in designated centres during and after the lockdown period.
Under the conditions set by the Ugandans in the UK, the donations were first presented to the national donations committee led by Mary Karooro Okurut at the Prime Minister’s office yesterday but were later directly delivered to the street children by the Uganda Diaspora Country Coordinator retired Maj. Julius Rubahimbya.
“We felt we could do our bit by pooling some financial resources to provide food specifically for the benefit of street children in known gazetted places/shelters. We have therefore as an initial delivery donated over 320 bags of 5kg each of maize flour for the benefit of street kids. Our donation fits the criteria of the conditional donation such that we would like this initial delivery to strictly go towards feeding the street children,” a letter signed by Ms Marion Ndawula on behalf of the UK based Ugandan donors reads in part.
While delivering the food at Nakivubo Blue Primary School where a group of 180 street children are housed, Maj Rubahimbya said they chose the street children because they are very vulnerable. He said the team in the diaspora will continue to mobilise more resources to support the street children in designated places even after the pandemic.
“We have started with this small donation and we are mobilising more resources to support these street children. Where we are right now, there are 180 children and each has received five kilograms of maize flour. Our friends in UK and other countries are continuing with the mobilisation and soon we shall deliver more items,” he said.
Maj Rubahimbya said food items are also being distributed to children at Nitwiriza Counselling Centre in Kivulu-Makerere where 53 children are housed, and Light of Hope International Ministry which hosts 32 children. Other places are Dweling Places in Mutundwe holding 18 girls and Medical Africa International Kisenyi with 15 children.
“We chose these places because these were children who had no support and were only brought to these centres when a lockdown was announced as a result of Covid-19. We are glad to help and apart from the UK donors, Ugandans in other countries have also come on board and are ready to support,” Rubahimbya said.
Kampala, before the lockdown had about 15,000 street children and it is not clear where the majority have gone since.
