REIGNITED HOPE IN KARAMOJA
By WOMEN’S PRO BONO INITIATIVE
The organization joined other civil society actors in providing much needed food relief in the region.
Karamoja, Uganda's most impoverished region, has lately been hit by one of the worst droughts in its history, with a poverty rate of 66% (more than three times the national poverty average). A food crisis or worse is occurring in all nine districts of Karamoja: Abim; Amudat; Kaabong; Karenga; Kotido; Moroto; Nabilatuk; Nakapiripirit; and Napak. It has become more difficult for many families to buy nutritional food, and some farmers have been forced to eat their seed supplies, leaving them with nothing to sow for the upcoming growing season. Karamoja's main source of income, cattle rearing, has been severely impacted by the blistering heat wave that has depleted all natural water sources. Hunger and drought have claimed the lives of almost 900 people.
Several private entities and civil society organizations have stepped up to prevent more lives from being lost and one of them has been the Women’s Pro bono Initiative (WPI). It is a non-profit organization which was formed in 2018 with the purpose of providing free legal services to women who cannot otherwise access free legal representation in Uganda, and they operate with the noble vision of a Uganda free of violence and discrimination against girls.
As daily disheartening reports of the extreme hardships being experienced in the Karamoja region reached the eyes and ears of people in the central region, WPI decided to act by organizing a fundraising drive dubbed 50k4Karamoja running from the 13th to 20th July 2022 with the pledge of doubling every Ugx. 50,000/= contributed for up to 50 people.
The drive was a great success as over Ugx. 6,940,000/= was collected and they distributed 1.7 tonnes of food. In solidarity with the women of Karamoja, they partnered with Nakere Rural Women Activists to select the 100 most vulnerable women and families to distribute the food to. The CEO of WPI, Ms. Primah Kwagala, thanked her organizing team and all the donors who contributed to the cause.
We salute WPI and all the generous people/organizations working to provide for the people of Karamoja!
To find out more about the organization and their work, visit the full articles here: https://womenprobono.org/