FH

FH (FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY)

Food for the Hungry works in more than 26 developing countries. We provide disaster and emergency relief, and implement sustainable development programs to transform communities physically and spiritually.

Food for the Hungry has been working in Uganda since 1988. One of our first initiatives was the distribution of seeds, blankets and clothing to local prisons. Since then, Food for the Hungry has expanded its work in Uganda to include many long-term projects. And God is faithful to bring growth in all areas of our work. 
Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing more than 80 percent of the work force, with coffee accounting for the bulk of export revenues. Since 1986, the government (with the support of foreign countries and international agencies) has acted to rehabilitate an economy decimated during the regime of Idi Amin and subsequent civil war. 

Meeting needs in Uganda

Child Development 

Funded through child sponsorship, our Child Development program provides disadvantaged and orphaned children in Uganda access to education, health care, skills development, and special activities that help them develop in all areas – physically, mentally, socially, emotionally and spiritually – and help build confidence and develop character. In Uganda, Food for the Hungry helps improve school facilities and construct health clinics for the community. Children receive school materials and parents learn skills in parenting, health and nutrition, and income generating activities. Foundational to this program, and integrated into every activity, are the sharing of biblical principles that help children and families discover their potential as individuals made in the image of a loving God. 

 New Life Center 
The most deplorable aspect of the 20-year conflict between the LRA and the Ugandan government is the abduction of children for use as child soldiers and sex slaves. Children have been abducted and forced to commit atrocities against their own families and communities and serve as soldiers. Young girls are given as “wives” to the rebel commanders. Girls who escape captivity return to their communities as child mothers with children conceived as wives of the LRA rebels. They are often stigmatized and marginalized by the communities when they return. In response, New Life Center (located in Kitgum northern Uganda) provides the following services for child mothers: (a) a safe environment for holistic rehabilitation, (b) biblical and professional counseling for severe depression, (c) literacy classes, (d) vocational training and skills development, and (e) skills acquisition in marketing and income-generating activities.
 
Food Security 
Food for the Hungry works with the Ugandan government and the international community to provide greater access to food in war-torn northern Uganda. To help families increase their income, Food for the Hungry provides agricultural training. One example is vegetable gardening using poly bags to grow vegetables in crowded refugee camps. The crops grown are sold to generate income for the family. Another way Food for the Hungry provides income to households is by employing people to construct latrines. This project helps address sanitation problems and at the same time helps people learn a new skill. 

Water and Sanitation 
As a result of the ongoing conflict between the Ugandan government and the LRA, access to potable water and sanitation facilities is very poor in northern Uganda. Food for the Hungry helps people in refugee camps have access to clean water sources and sanitation facilities. They also learn environmental and personal hygiene practices. 

 HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care 
Food for the Hungry implements a multi-faceted compassionate Christian response to HIV/AIDS through the “Bringing Hope” project that operates in five African nations: Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Mozambique. Bringing Hope is giving hope to people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in the districts of Kumi and Kitgum. Most people in Kitgum were displaced by the war and live in refugee camps where the rate of HIV is high. This program provides (a) home-based care to people living with HIV/AIDS and to orphans and vulnerable children, (b) training in abstinence and faithfulness in marriage to reduce transmission of the virus, (c) mobilization of communities and churches to provide physical and emotional help to those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and to erase the stigma associated with the disease, (d) training youth peer educators in churches, and primary and secondary schools to create awareness of how to avoid HIV/AIDS, and (e) medical support, food, clothes, and scholastic materials to orphans and other vulnerable children.

 Go ED. Program 
The Go ED program is a way to engage the young generation and develop them to become able responders to God’s call to end physical and spiritual poverty worldwide. Through Go ED, college students in America can study for one semester in an impoverished country such as Uganda and engage in a new culture while earning college credits. Students receive valuable field experience that is life-changing and provides them a bigger perspective on the global issues of poverty, hunger and disease.