In the light of the coronavirus pandemic many Ugandan grandmothers are at serious risk, as are the children they care for. The present lockdown in Uganda could seriously interrupt supply chains of essential drugs to treat TB, HIV and other diseases. In addition, for people living from day to day, reliant on going out into the villages to ‘dig’ to earn a few pence a day, even a few days' lockdown is the difference between poverty and starvation. 

In Uganda, where 60% of the population is below 18 years of age, with an estimated 2 million orphans, many elderly grandmothers take on the responsibility of caring for their grandchildren, sometimes caring for up to 10 children following the deaths of their ‘adult’ children. In a country where those with AIDS or disabilities are often discriminated against, these hard working women have little resources  or assistance from others. For many poorly educated, elderly Ugandan grandmothers their only source of income is to ‘dig’ in the fields of local landowners, despite their advancing years and increasing infirmity.

Medcare is looking for a way to help these very needy families. The Wellspring Children’s Medical Centre, funded by Medcare, continues to care for sick children in the surrounding communities during the pandemic. Medcare wants to assist the very poor served by Wellspring by providing additional funds for the purchase of urgently needed food. This will be distributed to the most vulnerable children and grandparents in the villages, sponsored through Wellspring.

Please spare a thought for the Ugandan grandmothers and their grandchildren. Together we can help in preventing the loss of yet another generation within Ugandan families – the very elderly grandmothers, loved and relied upon by so many young children.

A donation of just £20 will help feed a Ugandan grandmother and her family for a month, food which is essential for these families to survive the pandemic.  

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