“What’s happening is people are starving. There’s a panic among the people.”
Our partners in Uganda recently shared an update on the coronavirus … and the picture they painted is grim. Businesses closed. Schools canceled. Markets depleted of food. Church buildings deserted. Empty streets. Empty fields.
“This has brought back the feeling of a war zone in this area,” our Uganda partner said. “The children are associating this with the past that they went through.”
Right now, many children in Uganda are scared. But you can calm their fears by providing critical coronavirus relief. Every dollar you give will be DOUBLED thanks to a matching gift from World Help Board members. That means you can impact 2X as many people!
These fears stem from a civil war that lasted over 25 years in northern Uganda. The radical Lord’s Resistance Army stormed through the villages, killing thousands of people and abducting thousands of small children as child soldiers and brides.
These brutal attacks caused many children to become orphans. Thankfully, hundreds of these kids have found refuge through child sponsorship and homes provided by World Help donors.
But the scars left behind from those horrific days cut deep.
“Some of the kids [in our program] were abducted,” our partner said. “Because of that history, they have been affected psychologically.”
The children remember how quiet the streets and villages were right before an attack. They remember everyone hiding. Staying inside. Praying evil would pass. They remember food shortages and how their simple lives were turned upside down.
Just like the coronavirus.
This pandemic has brought back many of those painful memories. Food is scarce, and once again, people are forced to stay home due to the lockdown. Transportation is stalled. Roads are blocked.
In many ways, this quarantine resembles the war … and it’s causing a lot of panic.
Perhaps you also have felt the strain of the coronavirus. Maybe the grocery store was out of chicken, so you had to go with another meat. Maybe you couldn’t stock up on any more toilet paper this time around. Or maybe you’ve had to find creative ways to keep your kids preoccupied at home all day.
These small inconveniences have disrupted our daily lives. But every day is a struggle just to survive for the orphans in Uganda.
Without parents, many of the older children have had to provide and care for their younger siblings. It’s a burden they shouldn’t have to carry. A burden that’s become even more difficult during this global crisis.
The lockdown keeps them from working. They have no money to buy food, and the prices of hygiene items continue to climb as the supply dwindles.
“They need food,” our partner said. “As precautionary measures, they also need sanitizers and disinfectants.”
These children have had to grow up way too quickly. They’re doing their best to provide for themselves and their siblings, but it’s not enough. They’re tired. They’re starving. And if they don’t receive help soon, many of them will become sick.
Will you help them? By giving to the coronavirus emergency fund, you’ll help provide lifesaving aid like emergency food, clean water, medical care, and more to people around the world. You’ll also help erase World Help’s budget shortfall caused by canceled fundraising events, ensuring we can continue serving families living in some of the world’s most impoverished communities.
Plus, your gift will automatically DOUBLE because of the matching gift. Every $8 you give will now help rescue TWO people!
Your doubled gift has never been more important.
Today, children throughout Uganda and other developing countries are hungry. Many of them are orphans. With no family and no food, they wake up terrified every morning, wondering if they’ll survive this deadly pandemic.
You can give them the reassurance they need. You can bring physical help and spiritual hope to people who need it most during these uncertain times.
“We’d like you to pray that these needs get met,” our partner said. “And how can we do that? It can only be fulfilled by your support.”
Recent stories on our blog
You Won’t Believe What the World Help Family Accomplished in a Month!
Can you believe it’s already almost the end of October? Time . . .
How Do Your Gifts Help People Like Jamila?
Food. One of the greatest needs in Afghanistan since the . . .
This Family Has Been Transforming Lives for Generations
When Cotton and Betsy Verhoeven first heard about World Help, . . .