Angelina lives in Karamoja, Uganda, where food insecurity, climate shocks and tribal conflict have had an impact on livelihoods. Fuelled by God’s vision of a world transformed by love, Tearfund’s local Christian partner Vision Terudo is working with communities like Angelina’s to restore hope and build people’s resilience to climate change.
Uganda has been hit hard by the global hunger crisis of the past few years. High dependence on agriculture – three quarters of Ugandans live in rural areas – means that climate shocks have a serious impact on livelihoods. Drought, flooding and heat waves have contributed to crop failure, land degradation and livestock loss. In the Karamoja region, in the country’s north east, the past few years have also seen an outbreak of violent cattle raiding, which has thankfully now subsided. Vision Terudo is working to provide training, seeds and savings groups to reduce the instances of poverty that often push activities like cattle raiding. Their work also includes education around climate change adaptation, water and sanitation work, and facilitating savings and loans groups.
One of the women in Angelina’s community, Anyakun, says: “Vision Terudo is a program that has really helped us in this community. We adapted the idea of agriculture because they give us seeds. After harvesting, we sell the produce and save some money in the savings group. We also invest part back in our businesses. We lend out some of the money in the savings box and use the interest to feed our families, pay for medical treatment and send the children to school.
“I feel our community is moving towards economic development since now most people are involved in various businesses. Because of the savings, at least every household is trying to do something to earn income.”
Anyakun says the high quality seeds Vision Terudo has provided result in good yields, and much more quickly than the local seeds they’ve previously used.
“We are grateful for Vision Terudo for it has brought about great impact in our community,” she says. “It has changed our lives.”
These people really love God … God is there, that’s why everything is possible.
Moses Loumo, a Vision Terudo staff member who grew up in one of the communities where the organisation is working, says God’s love is visible in the transformations that have happened in these places.
“God helped us by sending Vision Terudo to this community,” he says. “They have taught us how to cook nutritious food for the children; they have taught us how to do backyard gardening to help fight household hunger. I thank God for sending us Vision Terudo to solve very many challenges which our community was facing.”
And another staff member, Margaret, says the love so evidently flows back to God from the community.
“These people really love God … they have opened up their churches and they are praying, and that also helps to change the community. God is there, that’s why everything is possible.”