In the crowded former Uganda Electricity Board quarters of Njeru Municipality, in Buikwe District, a group of young volunteers is quietly restoring dignity to elderly residents who have spent years battling hunger, loneliness and the burden of caring for orphaned grandchildren.
Operating through their Community Based Organisation, Jonam United Forever-Njeru, the youths have become an unexpected safety net for older persons who struggle to find even a single meal a day. Many of the elderly they support are caring for children orphaned by HIV and Aids, while others are themselves living with frailty, chronic illness and the weight of isolation.
According to the group’s chairperson, Mr Edmond Oronya, the initiative emerged after years of witnessing elderly community members slip deeper into poverty, especially those whose adult children have long died.
‘We have seen elders in this community die and be buried without their relatives even knowing whether they were alive or dead. From this background, those of us who are their offspring feel the responsibility to care for them as they once cared for us,’ Mr Oronya said.
What started as scattered personal efforts by individual youths soon became overwhelming, prompting them to form a structured organisation focusing not only on food relief but also long-term empowerment and emotional support.
Local leaders say the crisis is real. Mr Zarayi Moi, the LCI Chairperson of Upper Naava Village, said several elderly people have been left destitute after the deaths of breadwinners.
‘Sometimes my office is overwhelmed by welfare cases involving the elderly. They survive on occasional assistance from neighbours and sympathizers, which is not guaranteed,’ Mr Moi said.
He added that the government’s plan to lower the Social Assistance Grant for Empowerment (SAGE) age from 80 to 65 and increase the monthly stipend to Shs35,000 next financial year would bring some relief. But he emphasised that community involvement remains essential.
‘You cannot know whether an elderly person has eaten or is sick unless you physically visit, and even then you must carry something. With the current economic hardships, even this becomes difficult. I am happy the youths have started restoring hope by providing food,’ he said.
Mr Jimmy Cater, the group’s Secretary for Mobilisation, said the volunteers aim to rebuild compassion and solidarity.
‘We want to redefine ourselves as children of this community and remind others that even small acts of kindness can rebuild broken lives and strengthen community trust,’ he said.
Every Sunday, the youths deliver food to three elderly residents, financed through weekly contributions of Shs2,500. Savings are also used to support members facing serious illness or bereavement.
Among the beneficiaries is 78-year-old Mr Samuel Duku, who struggles with poor eyesight and says he urgently needs glasses to cook for himself. Another is 80-year-old Ms Leoticia Ogweta, who cares for three grandchildren in a fragile mud house the youths are now helping to repair.
The community, largely composed of descendants of migrant workers from West Nile who settled here in the 1950s to 1970s, has long grappled with poverty and a fractured sense of cultural belonging. Today, it is the younger generation leading efforts to rebuild hope.