Malnutrition among children in the Karamoja sub-region remains one of the major concerns for local authorities.
The situation has been made even more complicated by recent severe droughts, which affected crop production, and the consequent increase in the poverty level, which now stands at 72%.
With this situation in mind, a team of European Union Ambassadors is currently in the region to access the impact of EU-funded programmes that are meant to improve the livelihoods of Karamoja’s people.
These programmes are mostly implemented through agencies like World Food Programme and UNICEF.
At Namalu Health centre in Nakapiripirit, children below the age of two receive nutritious foods to improve their diet.
With this support, the number of acutely malnourished children has reduced from about 700 in May to 391 by November 2017.
During their meeting with local leaders, the EU Ambassadors called for greater efforts towards curbing environmental degradation, reducing the number of school dropouts and putting an end to certain traditional practices.
Meanwhile, the chairpersons of the seven districts in Karamoja called on the donors to directly channel development funds through local governments to avoid misuse from the central government.
Next year the European Union is expected to release over 80 million dollars through the Karamoja Development Partner Group.