Kampala, 16 December 2021 (TDI): China donated relief food to the UN World Food Program (WFP) of 2 million US dollars’ worth. The donation was made to help feed school children in Karamoja; a semi-arid north-eastern part of Uganda.
The Chinese Ambassador to Uganda, Zhang Lizhong handed over the donation. During the handing-taking over ceremony, he reiterated China’s commitment to supporting the future workforce of Uganda. In that regard, China will endeavor to ensure that the children don’t go hungry or without education.
Chinese Donation: Take-home Rations
The donation will provide a take-home ration. The Chinese Ambassador stated that it is a message for every child of Karamoja that they can stay in school as well as have food. Consequently, the children will become a strong entity for nation-building.
Aside from such donations, China has also been actively helping countries fight the Covid-19 pandemic by providing vaccines to underprivileged countries. China and WFP signed a new agreement in February, to provide over 3,000 metric tons of food assistance of approximately 2 million US dollars to Uganda.
It is expected that the food assistance will benefit more than 120,000 people in 300 schools in the Karamoja region. The Chinese donation is crucial to ensure food security in a region that faces such problems.
The Minister of State in charge of northern Uganda, Grace Kwiyucwiny lauded the Chinese gesture and said that the donation comes at the right time as the government will soon reopen schools.
Chinese Donation facilitates WFP
According to Abdirahman Meygag, WFP representative to Uganda, the Chinese donation has facilitated WFP to stick to achieving its goal of feeding school children even during the pandemic lockdown.
The food that’s provided under the program is procured from local farmers to benefit the local economy as well. Statistics of the WFP show that 98 % of the children of households that received the donation were able to learn better at home along with reducing the expense on food.
With the delivery of food at home, the children get more time to concentrate on their studies instead of wasting time looking for food.
China and Uganda enjoy close mutually advantageous bilateral ties. The two partners cooperate in a wide range of fields including infrastructure development, trade, education, and investment. The two celebrated 59 years of establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Uganda, this year.
