KARAMOJA, Uganda (UGNEWSLINE)-Compassion International Uganda has mobilised Shs6.7 billion to provide emergency food assistance to more than 11,000 households affected by severe hunger in the Karamoja sub-region.
The intervention, worth Shs6.743 billion, targets 11,306 vulnerable households with children across the region, where prolonged drought and poor harvests have left thousands of families struggling to access food.
The food crisis has forced some communities to resort to eating wild fruits, while others reportedly collect residues from locally brewed alcohol to feed their children, raising concerns about malnutrition and the deteriorating health of vulnerable families.
The food distribution exercise was launched in Nongereku Village, Nakapelimoro Town Board in Kotido District, where beneficiaries are receiving essential food supplies, including maize flour, beans and salt.
Speaking during the launch, Stella Situma, the Partnerships Manager at Compassion International Uganda, said the organisation mobilised the funds within four months through the generosity of its sponsors, donors and Pentecostal churches across the world.
Situma said the food would be distributed in two phases to 11,047 households under 34 projects spread across the Karamoja sub-region.
“This effort has been possible through the extraordinary generosity of Compassion International sponsors and donors around the world. The Shs6.7 billion was mobilised in a short time,” Situma said.
She explained that the organisation has chosen to distribute the food through churches that have previously partnered with it in implementing community development programmes, in order to ensure that assistance reaches the intended beneficiaries.
Under the first distribution, each beneficiary household is receiving 55 kilogrammes of maize flour, commonly known as posho, and 14 kilogrammes of beans, alongside salt.
Rev. Desmy Amadi of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church, who is coordinating the distribution, said the same food assistance would be provided again after two weeks.
He said the intervention would help families survive the immediate food crisis but warned that Karamoja needs sustainable solutions to address recurring hunger.
“Each member of this community has received 55 kilogrammes of posho and 14 kilogrammes of beans and salt. After two weeks, we shall provide the same intervention. This is a relief intervention, but in the long term, Karamoja needs water to support food production. Today, we have saved lives,” Amadi said.
The intervention comes amid growing calls from local leaders for government and development partners to invest in irrigation and modern agricultural systems to address the region’s recurring food shortages.
Kotido District Woman Member of Parliament Nuria Hasfa Teko said emergency food assistance is necessary to save lives but called for long-term investments in water infrastructure and agricultural machinery to enable communities to produce enough food.
“People are dying and starving because there is no food. We need both emergency and long-term solutions. We need water for production so that people can grow adequate food. We also need agricultural machinery to support extensive agriculture,” Teko said.
She thanked Compassion International Uganda for responding to the crisis but stressed that communities needed sustainable agricultural support to reduce their dependence on food relief.
Kotido District councillor Peter Lomilo said the hunger situation has become increasingly worrying, particularly for children, many of whom were suffering from malnutrition.
He said the lack of food had also exposed families to unsafe feeding practices as they struggled to survive.
“There is a lot of hunger, and people have resorted to eating wild fruits. Others are getting residues from locally brewed alcohol to give children. As a result, many people are sick, with children suffering from malnutrition. People are sick, but it is because they have no food,” Lomilo said.
Kotido District Chairperson Lotee Paul Komo welcomed the intervention, saying it would provide temporary relief to families struggling with food shortages.
He said the food assistance was expected to sustain the affected households for approximately two months.
“I must thank Compassion International for standing with the people of Kotido through providing this food relief. This food will be enough to support them for the next two months,” Komo said.
Meanwhile, Compassion International Uganda National Director Emmanuel Ahimbisbwe said the mobilisation of more than Shs6.7 billion within four months demonstrated the commitment of donors to supporting vulnerable communities during humanitarian emergencies.
He said the intervention was not only intended to provide food but also to protect children, preserve family dignity and prevent vulnerable households from falling into further hardship.
The emergency food relief builds on Compassion Uganda’s Karamoja Integrated Resilience Action Plan (KIRAP), which seeks to strengthen the ability of households and communities to withstand future shocks.
Under the second phase of KIRAP, the organisation secured an additional Shs2.67 billion, with approximately 24,000 children, young people, caregivers, church members and other community members expected to benefit.
The first phase covered four Frontline Church Partners, while the second phase, officially launched on September 9, 2026, expanded the programme to include two additional church partners.
Established in Uganda in 1980, Compassion International Uganda is a Christian child-development organisation working through more than 480 Frontline Church Partners across the country. Its programmes focus on education, healthcare, child protection, discipleship and livelihood strengthening.
