Life as a refugee was already hard | World Vision International Aller au contenu principal

Life as a refugee was already hard. Then the pandemic hit. 

How COVID-19 has made an
already difficult life nearly impossible
for refugees in Uganda.

#MoreThanAMeal

Parents stand in line at food distribution site in Uganda

Life was already difficult for South Sudanese refugees living in Uganda. When the global pandemic hit, things went from difficult  to impossible. Our staff are on the ground working to spread awareness about the problems refugees face and the solutions needed to bridge the gap during this historic time. 

Here are four problems refugees are facing today because of COVID-19 and the ways that we can help them through. 

1. Food supplies have been cut almost in half.  

At the start of the pandemic, weekly food supplies were cut almost in half. South Sudanese refugees in Uganda were just barely getting by as it was. Now, they fear for their children's health and worry about starvation. 

2. There are no jobs available. 

As a result of this, refugees are no longer able to supplement food supplies by buying additional food needed for a balanced diet.  

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3. Refugees are running low on hope. 

Many parents wonder if they made the right choices for their children. Leaving South Sudan was a matter of life and death, but now they fear starvation as refugees and are wondering if they had a better chance of survival back home.  

4. Parents are unable to provide a balanced diet for children. 

Ulcers and stomach aches are common for refugees who live off of limited supplies and an unbalanced diet. Without jobs they’re unable to provide the variety of foods required to keep their children healthy and happy. 

Short-term food assistance is a good start and will help refugees survive but a prolonged shutdown requires long-term solutions.

We are working to empower communities with coping strategies to survive the pandemic and teach them agricultural skills to use in their post-pandemic future.


By uniting to share our love of food, we can work together to tackle hunger and ensure access to nutritious food for all people, regardless of where they live.

Learn more at www.wvi.org/more-than-a-meal


Hunger is solvable if we all work together



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