Faith in Action- Corporal Works of Mercy

In this ministry, we often witness our CARITAS Family’s desire and ability to reach across the world and help someone in desperate need. One such case is a woman named Edith.

Four years ago, Edith’s husband disappeared without a trace, leaving her in a desperate situation: alone, without a source of income, and unable to provide for her four children. Soon after, she was evicted from the small room they used to call home.

Her only recourse was to take her children to live with her mother as she looked for work. Without an education, the only jobs she could find were cleaning compounds or working as a day laborer on a farm. These jobs only gave her enough to keep her children fed, but thankfully CARITAS found sponsors for three of her kids to attend school and receive daily meals, easing Edith’s burden significantly.

Unfortunately, her mother passed away within a year, leaving her without family support. Her siblings then increased her hardship when they decided to sell their mother’s house without her knowledge, leaving Edith and her children homeless. After another period of uncertainty and desperation, she found some relief when a school headmaster, a religious sister, gave her shelter and food in exchange for doing some cleaning work at the school.

Most recently, however, as all the schools shut down during the Covid-19 lockdown, her three sponsored children were no longer fed at school and she was unable to work. Last month, we found her and her children on the brink of starvation in their small room at that school. Thanks to our Special Feeding Program, Alon, our CARITAS Liaison in Uganda, was able to bring them enough food to save their lives! He also enrolled her youngest child in our program and we hope to find a sponsor for him soon.

Edith is praying and hoping for the end of the pandemic so she can provide for her children. For the time being, Alon will continue to bring her family food during the lockdown. This is just one family’s story, but sadly we know of many more families who are suffering with the increased food shortages.  We ask you to please pray for Edith and all those who suffer extreme hunger during this pandemic. We also thank everyone who has donated to make it possible for Alon to help Edith’s family and many others in dire food shortage situations.

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The shortage of food is a common reality in all the locations where we serve. With the help of our ministry collaborators on the ground, CARITAS is dedicated to long-term strategies to tackle this issue.

The Special Feeding Program is a way to fund Food Management and Development. Fish farms, agricultural farms, chickens, and other livestock that lead to local empowerment, self-reliance, and lasting resources for the community.

Please consider being part of this aspect of our ministry: