Ugandan musician aims to raise £100,000 to save one of first soup kitchens in Uganda. Uganda is home to 48.66 million residents, however, the country faces serious food insecurity despite having major agricultural production. Ugandan musician-dancer, Grace Nakimera, started an organization that directly combats these issues.

People who live with serious food insecurity often eat one small meal and sometimes go days without food. However, the meals they do eat are not nutritious enough to support them. Children suffer the most as they are susceptible to stunted growth, anemia and cognitive delays due to the lack of proper nutrition. Unfortunately, to cope with this suffering, people pull kids from school to save money. They work on farms that do not provide a reliable income. Drought, poverty and disease are factors that plague farms’ potential to flourish. The communities that have support systems, such as local non-government organizations (NGO) help distribute food, but often the demand is far greater than the supply.

Helping to Feed the Streets

Feed the Streets Foundation, founded by Nakimera, is a small organization based in Kampala, Uganda, and it provides shelter to the homeless and hungry. Open every Sunday and Wednesday, they serve food to about 400-500 children and mothers, according to GoFundMe. Her efforts are exceptional considering that the national poverty line is at 20.03% and 42.12% of the population survives with $2.15 a day. Her foundation also administers counseling and rehabilitation that gives people with addiction the help they need.

Grace Nakimera grew up in the same area where her campaign lies. Born in 1985, the artist was introduced to music at a young age, performing at talent shows around her city at 7. With continuous hit singles penetrating the music scene, she became a household name in her home country. Her strong faith in God has allowed her to persevere through her childhood struggles, dealing with where to find her next meal and she has promised to help others in the same situation, according to GoFundMe. As she continues to raise £100,000 to save one of the first soup kitchens in Uganda, she is fulfilling her promise.

Her foundation has aimed to address hunger and malnutrition among the children of Uganda, serving many families. Through its soup kitchen in Uganda, they provide stability and shelter for the homeless and reach out to vulnerable children, ensuring they don’t go hungry. Moreover, they alleviate their general well-being by teaching instrumental skills to develop and sustain a small business. They offer training in baking, farming, mechanics, music and cosmetic care to equip them with helpful and independent prowess.

The Benefits of the Funds

Feed the Streets Foundation aims to use £100,000 to buy a farm and grow its own food, having proper shelter to accommodate the children and bringing in experts to teach people skills useful in their lives (farming, cooking, mechanical skills, etc.). It also hopes to feed up to 1,000 individuals, doubling the number they feed now, according to GoFundMe. The foundation’s current facility is rented and modest, which hinders their goals of expanding the program and serving that number of children. This creates significant challenges due to limited financial resources.

Sustaining a food bank in Uganda has difficult restraints that foundations like Feed The Streets often face. Uganda lacks a strong culture of structured food relief. It relies mainly on external funding, which can be inconsistent and unreliable. Also, NGOs struggle because of the limited government support, forcing them to rely on undiversified funding sources. The rising food cost, high demand and limited infrastructure make it challenging to provide consistent meals and soup kitchens are extremely vulnerable to inflation and food waste. Navigating through this constant struggle, even with projects with a deep community impact, is hard, causing a lack of awareness around food kitchens.

Soup Kitchens in Uganda

One of the first soup kitchens in Uganda is a rare lifeline for families in a city where hunger goes unseen. Its efforts create a defining spotlight on Uganda’s support system and systemic food insecurity, which highlights its major problems. Without its urgent donations and funding, it could be forced to shut down, leaving hundreds of individuals without the help they have come to depend on. Whether it be for food, shelter or overall health improvement, the loss of it could significantly damage them. Nakimera shows that caring enough to act can prove that lasting change doesn’t need to start in a large institution, which is why her work is so important.

– Kassandra Ticas

Kassandra is based in Gardner, MA, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr