Starving Ugandan village urgently needs food and resources
By Jenna DuffyEditor-in-Chief, The VOICE
While most Americans are worried about their job security, foreclosing on their homes and/or the failing economy they at least know there is Government programs in place that can help keep them afloat until the economic downturn is more stable.
Photo courtesy of Kay Grosso
A poor Ugandan mother clutches her child in the Nawantale village. These two are among the 550 people in desperate need of food.
However, for the people of the Ugandan village Nawantale their primary concern is the lack of rain since November 2008.
When they finally have a good rain it will take the crops three months to grow enough to be harvested. They have no government to rely on to provide aid; these people need enough food to sustain them until Mother Nature decides to be more forgiving.
The Nawantale village is supported by the non-profit organization Uganda Community School Project (UCSP) which started its work in June 2007 when the group, headed by GCC English teacher, Kay Grosso, started a school and other humanitarian services for the poor village.
"Even though we are focused on education and training as our long range reasons for existence, the Project helps the villagers to cope with the ongoing Food Crisis as a major community health issue. We all know that starving children and adults cannot learn," says Grosso.
With the school a thriving success, it's unfortunate for the tribe to be in desperate need of food, especially during these tough times.
Grosso continues, "We have asked our local leaders to canvas the 6,000 villagers to locate the extremely poor in this crisis. We have their results: approximately 550 villagers are beyond resources at this time. We estimate that we can feed these 550 people one meal a day for 12 days with $1,000."
The UCSP hosted a garage sale on campus on April 4 to try to raise money.
Grosso says, "We will begin to offer small classes in about two weeks to generate some money to replenish the Food Bank in the future as we wait for Mother Nature to rain."
To donate please go to www.nawantale.org and visit the Donor Marketplace to see how you can make a difference in another human beings life. Donations can also be sent to 5838 W. Olive #C105-280, Glendale, AZ 85302 and Grosso also accepts donations left in her GCC Main office building 05 – 131(located by Language Arts building).
Please send comments to jduffy@gccvoice.com
