World Humanitarian Day: ‘Supporting communities as I was once supported’
Moses faced hunger as a child in Uganda. Now, the humanitarian fights for a future without it.
By Didas Kisembo and Charlotte Bonnet
Moses is the manager of a warehouse in the World Food Programme’s (WFP) Logistics Hub in Gulu in northern Uganda. His day-to-day work involves inspecting food items, maintaining safe storage standards, and coordinating the delivery of lifesaving food and nutrition supplies to thousands of refugees whose lives depend on it.
The secret to success in leading a team of four responsible for the safe storage and efficient distribution of WFP’s food assistance across two regions of Uganda and neighbouring South Sudan is effective teamwork.
“I believe in frequent meetings, even daily ones during high-pressure times. Communication helps everyone align, especially when you are dealing with new systems, high volumes, or logistical stress,” says Moses.
As he walks through the warehouse, once full of food, but now lined with empty pallets, his face grows worried. Up until last year, WFP supported 1.6 million refugees in Uganda with both food and cash assistance. However, in May, funding cuts forced WFP to reduce that number to 663,000.
Meanwhile, the number of people crossing the border into Uganda continues to increase daily. More than 124,000 new arrivals have been registered in Uganda this year alone. Most are fleeing conflict in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan.
Moses is no stranger to displacement. He was a child in the early 1990s when conflict forced his family from their home village of Lamwo, 30 kilometres south of the South Sudanese border. They were supported with food by the Ugandan Red Cross.
“I saw humanitarian workers making great efforts to deliver food to displaced people like us, and it left a lasting impression on me,” says Moses. This sowed the seed for his passion for humanitarian work.
He joined WFP in Uganda in 2000 as a logistician, serving internally displaced people in the north of the country — “supporting communities the way I was once supported,” he says.
The security situation in the early 2000s, during the Kony rebel insurgency, was very challenging. Moses was one of three WFP staff members managing food distributions for over 300,000 people. Then, as now, teamwork was the key.
“The needs were massive, but we had the community helping with loading and offloading food, so we managed.”
His experience helps him relate to those he serves.
“Life wasn’t normal, our only priorities were food, shelter and medicine,” he says referring to his childhood as a displaced person.
However, the food rations Moses and his family received in the 1990s were equivalent to around 20kg per person per month.
Today, things have changed. WFP is the only provider of food assistance in many areas across Uganda and food ration sizes have been drastically reduced due to funding shortfalls. Some refugees are receiving just 3kg per person per month. This typically lasts about six days for a family of five.
“If today’s rations had been given back then, there would have been many deaths,” says Moses.
Smaller rations and fewer refugees receiving food are already increasing food insecurity in Uganda. Malnutrition rates in young children have more than doubled, and quadrupled for pregnant and breastfeeding women, compared to 2024.
While the humanitarian funding situation is deeply concerning, Moses’ humanitarian spirit and dedication to alleviate suffering remain undeterred after 25 years at WFP.
“When you see the food trucks coming into the camps, you see life return.”
WFP urgently requires US$16 million to provide refugees with full food rations in Uganda through 2025.
