The First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports Mrs. Janet Museveni has flagged off food worth 50,000 US dollars donated by Huawei Technologies Uganda for distribution to the people of Karamoja.
The food donation to support the people of Karamoja who are struggling with famine, was pledged by Huawei Technologies Uganda to the First Lady at the beginning of August.
The First Lady flagged off the food distribution on Thursday at a function held at State House Nakasero immediately after the Huawei delegation led by the Vice President of Huawei Southern Africa Region Mr. Zheng Peng (Mars) officially handed it over to her.
The Minister of Karamoja Affairs Dr. Mary Goretti Kitutu and the Minister of State for Karamoja Affairs Agnes Nandutu witnessed the flagging off of the food donation and the distribution to the beneficiaries in Karamoja started on Friday.
Others in the Huawei delegation at the flagging off were the Deputy Managing Director Huawei Technologies Uganda Gao Jian, the Manager Huawei Uganda, Maurice Magembe Lwesanya, and the Spokeswoman Huawei Uganda Mukyala Fouziya Sooma.
Mrs. Janet Museveni thanked Huawei Technologies on behalf of the people of Karamoja for the food donation in this season when everyone knows that they badly need the food. “We are very grateful that you could come in and hold hands with us and we thank you so much for what you have done”, she said.
She also appreciated Huawei for including Masuliita Children’s home in the beneficiaries. She explained that her office, in collaboration with other stakeholders, are trying to get the street children off the streets of Kampala and they are taken to Masuliita where they can be empowered to get some skills to live by and become self-reliant.
The Minister for Karamoja Affairs Hon Mary Goretti Kitutu appreciated the First lady’s endless efforts to help Ugandans especially the vulnerable groups in Karamoja. She said that through the First Lady’s networks, a lot of support is being felt in the Karamoja region.
She appreciated Huawei Technologies’ support and pledged the Ministry of Karamoja Affairs’ total commitment and support to ensure that the food reaches the intended beneficiaries at the grassroots. She said that together with the state minister, they will be in Iriri on Friday to flag off the food distribution in Napak District. “Through our mobilisers on the ground, we will ensure that the intended beneficiaries get these basic needs”, she added.
She also reported that the Ministry of Karamoja Affairs committed to support the exercise of removing street children from the streets of Kampala and has already delivered 100 tons of maize grain to Masuliita Children’s home to help feed the children taken there from the streets. She added that she is also engaging the police in Karamoja to make it impossible for traffickers to ferry more children to the streets of Kampala and other towns.
The Vice President Huawei Southern Africa Region Mr. Zheng Peng (Mars) explained that the consignment includes over 10,000kgs of each various foodstuffs including maize, cassava and wheat flour, over 5,000kgs of rice, 2,000kgs of cooking oil and sugar respectively.
It will be distributed in selected towns in Napak and Moroto Districts and some of it will be taken to Masuliita Children’s Home in Wakiso District to help feed the children who were removed from the streets of Kampala and are now undergoing rehabilitation at Children’s home.
Zheng Peng said that just as Huawei Uganda’s slogan “A Better U for A Better Uganda” they hope that through this donation Huawei will contribute to making the people of Karamoja region better, since they will be getting some food support during the famine disaster.
“Our prayer is for this disaster to completely go away”, he added.
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