Uganda links school meals and self reliance
Rank 19 | Food systems | Uganda | SDGs 2, 4, 8
Source publication: 30 September 2026. Clock time not stated by publisher. Evidence status: Contribution confirmed; programme reach planned.
AI-generated representative illustration | multicolour woodblock illustration. Credit: Development Connects | Kallol Saha.
Ireland has contributed €4.5 million to World Food Programme activities in Uganda, WFP said on 30 September. The support spans school meals, smallholder livelihoods, refugee self-reliance and social protection. The funding is confirmed, while the numbers of people to be reached remain programme targets.
WFP says it aims to support 221,000 schoolchildren and 108,000 smallholder farmers. It also plans assistance for 19,200 refugees and host-community members and cash-based social-protection support for 5,100 mothers, children and older people. These are different programme groups and should not be summed as a single unduplicated beneficiary count without evidence about overlap. School meals can support attendance and nutrition; farm support and cash transfers address different barriers to food security.
Case detail
Karamoja is a central setting for the contribution. WFP reported that prolonged drought in 2026 had affected food and livestock production for more than 673,000 people, with 352,000 expected to face crisis levels of hunger between August 2026 and February 2027. The latter figure is an outlook for a defined period. Planned daily meals will cover 284 schools, alongside support to complete Uganda's first national school-feeding policy.
Refugee and host-community activities include financial literacy, business planning, vocational skills and savings groups. These tools are intended to support small businesses and a transition towards self-reliance. They are different from immediate food distributions and should be assessed separately. WFP's contribution announcement does not establish that drought-related losses or refugee funding gaps have been eliminated.
Evidence and delivery status
Uganda hosts more than two million refugees, WFP says. Funding shortages reduced its food-assistance caseload to 663,000 in 2025, with that figure rising to 784,000 in 2026. These existing operational counts are separate from Ireland's new programme targets and do not establish that all refugees' food needs are covered.
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