Many families in Uganda are desperately poor and live under the permanent threat of hunger, with around 29% of children believed to be malnourished. Part of the problem is inadequate harvest preparation and storage facilities, with these problems causing the loss of up to 30% of crops. Income from the crops’ sale is therefore reduced and whole families are at risk of both insufficient nutrition and its associated consequences such as maternal and infant mortality, failure to thrive, and impaired physical and mental development.

Act4Africa's Grains for Growth, in partnership with World Food Programme (WFP), provides silos and training on how to store 1000 meals worth of food safely for future use to desperately poor families in Mayuge, Uganda. Through workshops delivered by Act4Africa, people learn how to dry and store their grain effectively and learn simple methods to ensure the grain has reached an optimum level of moisture. These workshops are backed up with simple instruction manuals in the local language. Dry grain is then stored in airtight plastic containers, manufactured by WFP’s approved suppliers. Containers are sealed securely and left sealed for at least one month. This ensures that any insects present in the grain are killed off rather than multiplying and destroying the grain.

Following this training programme, grain losses have been reduced to virtually zero by these simple interventions. The containers are very sturdy and have the potential to be used for around twenty years.

During the Covid pandemic, those who have previously benefited from the WFP training rolled out by Act4Africa have shown greater resilience. They have been able to pull on their grain, properly dried and stored in their silos. In short, these people have better food security which is helping them get through this unprecedented crisis.

"With this silo in place, I have been in position to store my grain in a safe and clean way from rodents and weevils which were previously a havoc before getting this container. I am so grateful for the container, and very happy with the surplus that I intend to sell and complement our household income." - a female participant of Grains for Growth.

WFP have rolled out this programme in several African countries in the last 5 years and it’s been stunningly effective. We have seen for ourselves the effectiveness in this our first pilot programme in Mayuge. We are now seeking funding for containers, and the money to support personnel to deliver training and training materials. Equipping, training and supporting a group of 35 families costs approximately £6000. This cost also includes significant follow up work to ensure the training is properly embedded for the long term.

The World Food Programme and our own experience has shown this effective training and the follow up work changes people’s lives for ever. It provides skills which will bear fruit year after year, long after the trainers have left. If you wish to support this life saving programme please donate here. A donation of £70 will cover the cost of one silo.