It takes a humanistic heart to save the masses faced by challenging predicaments of life as the case ranged on in the years of 2019-2020.
Uganda in particular has faced a number of uncertainties and calamities that have ravaged the nation, paralyzing the economy and social harmony. In October 2019 and the year that followed, swarms of Desert locusts invaded the country destroying crops and pasture (All green vegetation) on 4/2/2020, government of Uganda released shs 15 Billion UGX to fight locusts and by March 2020 it added 7 Billion UGX more to increase its capacity in this fight.
Shortly after, heavy rains followed bursting the river and lake banks leaving most houses/buildings submerged with loss of lives and destruction of many other properties. Consequently, over 18,500 people were left homeless and about 21 people dead. Lake Victoria itself rose to more than 13.12 meters above its normal water levels.
Kisoro District in South western Uganda was not spared as heavy water run-off (Floods) from Mt. Muhavura and Mgahinga swept houses, crops and animals. This left the already very poor and mercy seeking communities in total quandary.
Then, the Global Monster; Covid-19 that has put the international community on social and economic tension and halt, with its only preventative measure being public seclusion known as “lock-down”. This preventative measure has; beyond repair, affected the livelihood and incomes of most people, making it worse for those who already live in abject poverty.
The government of Uganda then made a passionate appeal to all charity organizations, business firms, parastatal bodies and individuals to pathetically contribute and help in feeding the most hit families and support them with any other essential needs of life.
FOHU Board of Directors sat in May 2020 to make a response to this appeal and resolved that each of them was to personally raise some support, either financially or materially and also go out to fundraise for this noble cause. Thank God that the Board members actually did all what they agreed and promised to do and made their big contributions toward this noble call. Sincere appreciation also goes to those who responded to the fundraising drive of FOHU Board of Directors like Mr. Hanyurwa Sheba of MCDO and Kisoro Vision S.S, the partner school for FOHU.
The raised support was used in buying flour and soap which were distributed to the selected vulnerable communities who were displaced from Mgahinga national park and now living some distance away from this park, and it is specifically those that lost their land which was nationalized to be a national Park.
The program Coordinator, Mr. Dan Munyambabazi also delivered the financial/monetary support contributed by the caring members of the Board of Directors as each of these children was found at his/her home during the COVID-19 Lock down days. Delivering of this monetary support went along with the exercise of guidance and counseling of the FOHU supported children, reminding them of their desired discipline and behavioral characteristics and then, informing their parents of their parental responsibilities and general comfort that was highly required during this trying time of Covid-19 lock down.
It has been pleasure for FOHU to make this considerate gesture and good will at such a trying moment when the principles and measures of controlling the new disease of Corona Virus is by Isolation/lockdown. Consequently, most families that depend on offering their labour to get a meal for the day started starving. (Hand to Mouth Principle). In a resolution of the members of the Board of Directors, the step-in approach was to raise some money and allow the FOHU beneficiary children and their families plan and buy what they felt was more essential in their homes. A more sigh of relief was therefore given to these vulnerable children by FOHU.