Hundreds of vulnerable residents in Napak District have received hot meals from humanitarian organisation SHANITA as the hunger crisis continues to affect communities across the Karamoja sub-region.
The organisation served cooked posho and beans to more than 300 vulnerable people in Kawtakou Village, including pregnant women, children and elderly residents.
For many beneficiaries, it was the first hot meal they had received in weeks after prolonged drought left households struggling to access food.
The intervention comes as communities across Karamoja continue to face severe food shortages, with government and humanitarian agencies scaling up emergency assistance to prevent further suffering.
Speaking during the food distribution exercise, SHANITA Chief Executive Officer Lior Sperandeo said that although the organisation’s primary focus in Karamoja is supporting education through scholarships, the worsening hunger situation compelled it to respond.
“Our core mission in Karamoja is supporting education through scholarships, but we could not fold our hands and watch people die of hunger. That is why we decided to provide emergency food to the most vulnerable members of the community,” Sperandeo said.
SHANITA’s emergency response team prepared and served the meals directly to residents, ensuring that children, expectant mothers and elderly people were given priority.
The intervention complements the Government of Uganda’s ongoing emergency food relief programme, which aims to support nearly 314,000 households across the drought-affected Karamoja sub-region with maize flour and beans.
Community members welcomed the support, saying the hot meals had provided immediate relief to families that had gone for days with little or no food.
“We are thankful to SHANITA for bringing food to our community,” said Jimmy Akobo, a Kawtakou Village councillor.
Humanitarian agencies have continued to appeal for additional support, warning that sustained interventions will be required until communities recover from the prolonged drought and regain the ability to produce their own food.
