Dear friends,
There is no doubt that COVID-19 is impacting everyone of us. It's shifting people's lives, cancelling our plans, and changing the very way in which we exist. When disasters like a pandemic hit, those living in poverty are always most vulnerable.
What do you do in the face of COVID-19 when you only have enough money for today's meals? How do you provide for your family when your livelihood is wiped overnight because of lock-downs, bans, and closures? Can you social distance when you share a one bedroom house with 6 people?
Unfortunately, the vast majority of Ugandans find themselves in this situation overnight. These are hardworking, generous, and strong people who have fought an uphill battle in a broken system their entire lives.
I want to tell you about a friend of mine, Jennifer. Her story is not unlike many Ugandans. She was born in a village in central Uganda, and moved to Kampala when she was 7. Her Dad passed away when she was a teenager, and as her Mom needed help taking care of her sisters so she could work, Jennifer had to quit school.
Today, Jennifer works full-time at a factory and part-time cleaning houses to care for herself and her daughter, Lucy*. With the arrival of COVID-19, an already tenuous situation has become much worse. Factories are closing, including where Jennifer works. The cost of living is already hard for most families in Kampala; having a bank account is a luxury and stocking up to quarantine sounds like a dream. Now with the virus, the cost of food, medicine, and soap is soaring. Jennifer, along with many others in her community, is not sure where next week's food will come from.
How you can help:
The beauty found in global crises like this is in our ability to come together and share with our neighbors - whether one mile away or 6,000 miles away. To share what we have with those in more dire circumstances. We chose the name Omutaahi because it means neighbor in Gerald’s local language, commonly spoken in western Uganda. And we love the idea that we can be neighbors to one another, no matter the distance, through support and care. Especially in a time like this one.
We want to provide 50 families in Uganda, families just like Jennifer's, with a month's supply of food. Every $100 feeds a family of 4-6 for an entire month. With the help of Jennifer and others, we will identify families who are out of work and in need of immediate relief. We are excited to partner with her to reach hundreds of other families in her community.
But, we need your help. If every family feeds another family, we can actually pull this off. We can actually see no one go hungry during COVID-19. And that is a story we would love to share.
Omutaahi - neighbor
Jennifer and Lucy, Gerald and Jaida
*Pseudonym for protection
There is no doubt that COVID-19 is impacting everyone of us. It's shifting people's lives, cancelling our plans, and changing the very way in which we exist. When disasters like a pandemic hit, those living in poverty are always most vulnerable.
What do you do in the face of COVID-19 when you only have enough money for today's meals? How do you provide for your family when your livelihood is wiped overnight because of lock-downs, bans, and closures? Can you social distance when you share a one bedroom house with 6 people?
Unfortunately, the vast majority of Ugandans find themselves in this situation overnight. These are hardworking, generous, and strong people who have fought an uphill battle in a broken system their entire lives.
I want to tell you about a friend of mine, Jennifer. Her story is not unlike many Ugandans. She was born in a village in central Uganda, and moved to Kampala when she was 7. Her Dad passed away when she was a teenager, and as her Mom needed help taking care of her sisters so she could work, Jennifer had to quit school.
Today, Jennifer works full-time at a factory and part-time cleaning houses to care for herself and her daughter, Lucy*. With the arrival of COVID-19, an already tenuous situation has become much worse. Factories are closing, including where Jennifer works. The cost of living is already hard for most families in Kampala; having a bank account is a luxury and stocking up to quarantine sounds like a dream. Now with the virus, the cost of food, medicine, and soap is soaring. Jennifer, along with many others in her community, is not sure where next week's food will come from.
How you can help:
The beauty found in global crises like this is in our ability to come together and share with our neighbors - whether one mile away or 6,000 miles away. To share what we have with those in more dire circumstances. We chose the name Omutaahi because it means neighbor in Gerald’s local language, commonly spoken in western Uganda. And we love the idea that we can be neighbors to one another, no matter the distance, through support and care. Especially in a time like this one.
We want to provide 50 families in Uganda, families just like Jennifer's, with a month's supply of food. Every $100 feeds a family of 4-6 for an entire month. With the help of Jennifer and others, we will identify families who are out of work and in need of immediate relief. We are excited to partner with her to reach hundreds of other families in her community.
But, we need your help. If every family feeds another family, we can actually pull this off. We can actually see no one go hungry during COVID-19. And that is a story we would love to share.
Omutaahi - neighbor
Jennifer and Lucy, Gerald and Jaida
*Pseudonym for protection