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BundiNutrition Fund

Synopsis

This fund was created to address some of the nutritional needs of Bundibugyo, Uganda. Situated near the shared border of the Democratic Republic of Congo, it is a place of turbulence, disease, social disorder, and death. Over the years, World Harvest Missionaries have been providing nutritional assistance to the community in various ways. During wartime, there were food distributions. After the war, seeds and hoes were distributed to assist people in rebuilding of their lives. In the past few years, WHM, in conjunction with World Food Program, has been able to supply HIV affected families, malnourished children and motherless infants with food and milk. The Matiti (Milk) Project has also been started as a way for milk to be sustainably supplied within the villages, through breeding of dairy goats.

The BundiNutrition Fund is currently used to run the following projects:

Matiti Project-Goat milk project

This project employs 2 Ugandan agricultural extension workers. They educate the communities in the value of goat milk in boosting the primarily starchy diet of children. They train dairy goat keepers and provide veterinary assistance. The project also provides dairy goats to HIV infected mothers (to allow rapid weaning after 6 months to prevent the passing on of the virus) and motherless infants (many mothers die in childbirth or of disease). While goats are a part of everyday life in Uganda, the local goats produce only as much milk as their kids need and then dry up. Those bred for their abundant milk supply are a new addition to the district. Goat recipients return the first born female to the program to be distributed to other needy families. It is our hope that the knowledge offered and the offspring of these goats will be a blessing to children for generations to come.

General Milk Supply

WHM in conjunction with the local health center provides milk for special cases. Some children are hospitalized due to their poor nutritional status. (Kwashiorkor/Marasmus). Special milk-based feeds along with medical care are used to revitalize them. Motherless infants under one year are provided with boxed milk (Ultra-Heat Treated) or formula. Some aunts or grandmothers are willing to act as a wet nurse for a child. WHM provides a small food stipend for them. This complements their meager food intake and facilitates relactation and a good milk supply.

Decentralized Feeding Centers

Valparaiso University has awarded WHM a grant to train outlying health centers to evaluate and treat moderately malnourished children. Nutrition education and production of sustainable local food sources are the main goals. We plan to distribute seeds of nutrient-rich foods, with part of the crop being returned to the feeding centers to bless others. We also hope to construct chicken coops to provide eggs for distribution. Finally, we plan to purchase more male dairy goats, placing them in various parts of the district to allow for crossbreeding with local goats.

Donations to this fund will be used in 2 ways:

  • To buy food and milk for children who are malnourished, or at extreme risk due to the death of their mother or to HIV infection.
  • To support community-level changes in nutrition practices through the introduction of dairy goats and through education and outreach.

Quick Facts:

  • $1/day buys milk or baby formula to ensure the survival of a baby whose mother dies in the first few months of his life.
  • $15 buys enough milk to resuscitate a severely malnourished child.
  • $130 buys a dairy goat which can be bred with local goats to improve milk production and provide protein supplementation to children.
  • $500 supports a Ugandan agricultural extension worker for a month, training goat keepers, maintaining the health of imported animals and educating the community about nutrition.

DESIGNATION NUMBER: 12371