Badru D. Mulumba
26 June 2004
Kampala — A food shortfall threatens to curtail the World Food Programme Operations leaving thousands going hungry. Pupils, street children, victims of HIV/Aids, orphans, refugees, and war victims in internally displaced persons camps are short of 61 million kilogrammes of food, the WFP announced.
A report, "WFP Feeding the hungry poor in Uganda" availed to The Monitor on Thursday seems to vindicate claims by Parliament's Select Committee on the Humanitarian Crisis in the north and northeast that a food crisis was forcing people to eat rats. MPs tabled the report in Parliament on Wednesday.
WFP's latest figures put the food needs to feed 2.3 million people at 239 million kilogrammes. "Over 1,619,744 people are displaced in 104 camps in Gulu, Kitgum, Pader and Lira districts and 340,505 in Katakwi, Soroti and Kaberamaido districts," says the reports.
"Over 1.6 million displaced people, largely women and children, are dependent on food aid for basic survival," it adds. The 1.6 million IDPs need 180,941 tonnes, 148,249 refugees in West Nile, Masindi, Hoima, Kyenjojo and Mbarara need 18,126 tonnes.
Also, 164,378 street children and orphans in Kampala, Jinja, Mukono, Mbale, Mpigi and Busia, and people affected by Aids in Kampala, Gulu, Kitgum, Hoima and Arua.
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