5 Kids in Uganda Share Their COVID-19 Stories

The pandemic is affecting all of us, but depending on where we live, it’s changing our worlds in different ways – and as with most emergencies, the COVID-19 crisis is hitting children and families already living in poverty the hardest. At ChildFund, we’ve launched our first-ever global emergency response to help kids get through this. Our local partner organizations are safely checking in with kids and their families to see how things are going and what further help is needed. In Uganda, we talked with five kids to find out how COVID-19 is affecting them and their families, and here’s what they told us.

Winnie

Winnie uses the hand-washing facility her family
bought using money from ChildFund.

Winnie, 11, lives in the Kiryandongo District of Uganda.

Before COVID-19 struck, the main source of livelihood for Winnie’s family was subsistence farming and working at a retail shop. Because of heavy rains during the last season, most of the crops were ruined in the garden, and the little harvest they got was sold to pay for her and her siblings’ school fees.

“We did not have much food stored, and my father does not make much anymore from the shop due to the lockdown,” Winnie says. “We used the money from ChildFund to buy a jerrycan and soap for washing our hands regularly, and the remaining money we used to buy food.”

Augustine

Augustine sits with his mom and little sister, preparing some silver
fish which the family bought with support from ChildFund.

Augustine, 15, lives in the Kyankwanzi District of Uganda. He says his family learned about how to prevent coronavirus from a radio station.

“We harvested little food from the previous season due to a lot of sunshine which dried up the crops. However, we have some potatoes, bananas and greens that we are eating as we plant maize and beans for the next season.

“My mother received money from ChildFund, and this has helped us a lot in changing our meals. We bought 10 kilograms of maize flour and 5 kilograms of silver fish, so we alternate with potatoes and vegetables.”

Morris

Morris washes his hands outside his house with materials
his family bought with support from ChildFund.

Morris, 8, lives in Kiboga, Uganda, with his mother and his siblings.

“Before the lockdown, my mother used to go door to door washing clothes for people. After washing, she would come home with food, but now she tells us she does not have money. She only gives us tea,” Morris says.

“Mummy told us to only play at home and that we could get Corona[virus] if we went to play with other children. Mummy used the money she received from ChildFund to buy maize flour, sugar and soap.”

Joyce

Joyce washes her hands with soap her family
bought with support from ChildFund.

Joyce, 17, lives in the Kyankwanzi District of Uganda. Her family was living off her mother’s income from a bartending job, but they lost this income when bars closed following the presidential directive to stop mass gatherings during the COVID-19 crisis.

“We have been eating the little food we had stored sparingly by having one meal a day,” Joyce says. “With the money received from ChildFund, we bought more food and soap, since we must wash our hands frequently. My biggest fear is performing badly in school. I heard that some lessons will be conducted on television, but we do not have one at home. Movement restrictions have also affected us greatly. If we need to go to the health center, we have to walk a very long distance since public transport vehicles and motorcycles are not moving.”

Margaret

Margaret stands with some bags of food and cooking materials
that her family bought with support from ChildFund.

Margaret, 5, lives with her grandmother and siblings in the Masindi District of Uganda.

The family are small-scale farmers. Margaret’s grandmother plants food crops for them to eat, but last season, due to the heavy rains, most of the crops rotted in the garden, so there was little harvest. This meant the family struggled to eat regular meals.

“We are grateful to ChildFund for the support. My grandmother used the money to buy maize flour and saucepans, since the ones we had had worn out.”

You Can Help Minimize the Impacts of COVID-19 on Children in Poverty

Margaret, Joyce, Morris, Augustine and Winnie are still struggling, but with support from their families, communities and ChildFund, they’re surviving this crisis. If you’re able to contribute to help us continue to be there for kids during this time of unprecedented need, please consider sponsoring a child during COVID-19 or giving a monthly gift that will help kids when they need it most during this crisis. Your kindness is what will bring us all through this.