Food Baskets for Ugandan Families

Each day in the Acholi Quarter of Kampala begins the same way: with a line of children, mugs in hand, waiting for a warm meal.

Through your support, more than 250 children receive hot porridge every morning—often the only meal they can count on that day. What may seem simple is transformative: improved concentration in school, better health, and a reason to show up each day ready to learn.

At the center of this daily effort are women like Dorine.

Meet Dorine

Dorine’s story is one of resilience.

She left school in Primary 6 after losing her father to tuberculosis. Without the means to continue her education, she worked in the fields in northern Uganda before eventually moving to Kampala in 1996. There, she spent nearly 25 years in a stone quarry, breaking rocks by hand—grueling, dangerous work—just to provide for her family.

After her husband left, Dorine became the sole provider for her three children.

Through Project Have Hope, Dorine began making paper bead jewelry, creating a new path forward. With those earnings, she started a small charcoal business from her home—work that provides steadier income and dignity after decades in the quarry.

Today, Dorine plays another critical role:
she helps prepare and serve breakfast each morning.

Her Role in the Breakfast Program

Before the children arrive, Dorine is already at work—cooking large pots of porridge over open flames, ensuring every child is served.

Her role goes beyond food.

• She helps create a safe, consistent routine for children
• She is a trusted presence in the community
• She contributes to a system that supports education, health, and hope

Women like Dorine are not just participants in the program—they are leaders within it.

Impact at a Glance

• 250+ children fed daily
• 1 hot meal = improved attendance and focus in school
• Local women employed to prepare and serve meals
• Community-led solution supporting long-term change

Why It Matters

The breakfast program is often a child’s first step toward a different future.

And it’s powered by women like Dorine—women who have endured hardship, built new livelihoods, and now give back to the next generation.

Looking Ahead

With additional support, we can:

• Expand the number of children served
• Increase food consistency and nutritional value
• Provide more stable income opportunities for the women who run the program

Thank You

Because of you, mornings in the Acholi Quarter begin with nourishment, care, and possibility.

A simple meal. A stronger start. A future in motion.

Each school morning in the Acholi Quarter begins the same way: children arrive carrying empty mugs, lining up patiently, talking and laughing as they wait their turn. For many of them, this will be the first meal of the day.

Through Project Have Hope’s breakfast program, those empty mugs are filled with warm porridge—and something far more lasting than a meal is given in the process.

A reliable breakfast does more than ease hunger. It changes how a child experiences the entire school day. A child who has eaten can concentrate. They can sit through lessons. They can participate. They can learn. Without that first meal, many children struggle to focus, grow tired quickly, or miss school altogether.

The breakfast program exists to remove that barrier.

Every morning, women from the community arrive early to prepare and serve food. They stir large pots, fill mugs, and make sure no child is turned away. It is quiet, faithful work—repeated day after day—but its impact is profound. Because behind every filled mug is a child who now has the chance to learn on a full stomach and a clearer mind.

This program is about more than nutrition. It is about dignity. It is about consistency. It is about creating a dependable routine that tells children: you matter, you are cared for, and your education is important.

Teachers see the difference. Attendance improves. Focus improves. Energy improves. A simple meal at the start of the day creates a ripple effect that carries through classrooms, test scores, and long-term opportunity.

And none of this happens without you.

Your generosity makes these mornings possible. You are the reason porridge is simmering before the school bell rings. You are the reason mugs are filled instead of left empty. You are the reason children can begin their day nourished and ready to learn.

It’s easy to underestimate the power of something as simple as breakfast. But in this community, it is often the difference between merely showing up and truly having a chance to succeed.

Thank you for believing in practical, compassionate solutions. Thank you for investing in children, in education, and in a future built one morning at a time.