The floods, estimated to have affected about 300,000 people in the eastern Uganda districts of Soroti, Amuria, Katakwi, Kaberamaido, Kumi, Bukedea and Mbale, are a result of continuous heavy rains and the overflow of swamps and rivers.

“The floods destroyed my four gardens of cassava, two gardens of sweet potatoes, one garden of cow peas and one garden of sorghum,” said 35-year-old Justin as he received his relief package. At the height of the floods, water covered the crops for weeks, causing the cassava and sweet potato tubers to rot.

“Feeding is very difficult now,” added Justin, a father of six children. The floodwaters occupied Justine’s grass-thatched hut sending him to sleep at a neighbours’s home. His hut is one of many that will fall because the foundation and the walls have been weakened.

“The floods have caused the closure of some schools, contamination of water sources, damage to houses, collapse of pit-latrines and rising incidence of malaria,” said World Vision programme co-ordinator Tobby Ojok.

World Vision is working alongside other humanitarian agencies to address the needs of those affected by the floods. In partnership with the World Food Programme, World Vision will distribute food to those in need over the next six months.

- additional reporting by Simon Peter Esaku