In this exclusive interview with Feeding Villages, Nakato Feriste, a villager in Nangunga, Uganda, speaks about her daily challenges with food and other basic necessities. Nakato is a married with 3 children, and is currently pregnant with her fourth child. Her husband, the primary bread-winner, is sick with typhoid and unable to work. Therefore, their family is struggling to make ends meet. Nakato states “In terms of food, these days we are not doing so well. We don’t get enough food, especially me since I’m pregnant. I have to struggle to find something to eat for me, my children, and my baby.”
Nakato and her family consume a diet consisting of posho (maize flour) and beans. She admitted that this is the cheapest food available to them. At times, if they can, they will eat cassava. Nakato admits that she knows that as a pregnant woman, she should be eating vegetables, fruits, fish, foods. But, she simply can’t afford such foods.
Her children attend school, but she is unable to send enough money along with her children so they may eat at school. And, even if she did, the food is the same as what her kids receive at home. There is a lack of balance in their diets. Since her husband is not working, they can’t afford to pay for food so her kids don’t eat anything at school. Research shows that lack of nutrition and food in school children are associated with poor school achievement.
Click the video below to watch highlights from our interview with Nakato Feriste.
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