I Thought I Understood Hunger. Then I Went to Uganda.

When I was given the chance to travel to Uganda with Feed The Hungry, everything in me said yes. I didn’t stop to think. I didn’t need to. I already supported the organisation through Take Away Hunger Day, and I’d heard the kids’ stories. I thought I understood the impact a daily meal could have.

But I didn’t. Not really. Not until I stood in the middle of a dusty classroom, surrounded by starving children- some holding bowls, others holding scraps of paper or plastic bags- jostling each other and eagerly waiting for lunch. 

We travelled deep into the Kiryandongo refugee settlement, where families who’ve fled the war in South Sudan now live. Getting there meant driving along rutted, dusty roads past roadside stalls with little more than a few bananas or pineapples for sale. As we got closer, things just got poorer and dustier. The homes were smaller. The clothing was more worn. The faces were more lined.

Life there is hard in a way that’s difficult to describe. People survive on less than a dollar a day.

There’s no electricity, no clean water, no safety net. Just survival.

Schools in Uganda look nothing like schools in Australia. There’s no fences, no whiteboards, no computers, and no windows. Just walls, a roof, and rows of wooden benches jam-packed full of kids. The classroom I visited had 162 students crammed in like sardines with just one teacher.

But the kids were desperate to be there. Because school isn’t just about learning, it’s about food. Feed The Hungry provides a hot, nutritious lunch every day, and for many of these children, it’s the only meal they’ll eat.

I was invited to help serve lunch that day. A massive pot of fortified rice and vegetables- known as manna pack- was cooked over an open fire by the school cooks and brought into the classroom. Each child came forward, holding out whatever they had to collect their food.

The lucky ones had enamel or plastic plates or bowls, the kind of thing you might take camping. Others handed me paper torn from an exercise book because they didn’t own a plate. But what broke me were the kids holding thin, crumpled plastic bags. The kind you’d use to pick up after your dog. Reused and dirty, but it was all they had.

But they were just grateful to get lunch at all.

As I crouched beside the pot, scooping food into outstretched hands, I saw how desperate they were. Hungry kids jostled, pushed, squeezed their way forward just to get a scoop of rice. Outside, one child was shoved and dropped his lunch. It was a rugby scrum of starving kids, diving into the dirt, desperately picking grains of rice off the ground and into their mouths

It was one of the most heartbreaking things I’ve ever witnessed.

Back home, if my child dropped food on the floor, I’d sweep it up and throw it away. But this child was starving. And that grubby dropped bowl of rice was all he would get to eat that day.

Later, the teachers told me they see a noticeable difference in the children after lunch. Before they eat, they’re distracted, tired, unable to focus. But after they’ve eaten, they come alive. They have energy and focus to learn. And there’s just enough hope for today.

That one meal changes everything for these children.

Feed The Hungry has been working in Uganda for more than 20 years. They show up every day, partnering with schools, local churches and local leaders to make sure these kids don’t go without. They’re not just filling stomachs. They’re opening doors to education, stability and hope.

As a mum, it broke my heart to realise that while my kids will likely never know true hunger, these children live with it every. single. day. But it also lit a fire in me. Because I saw first-hand that hope can be served one bowl at a time.

You don’t need to get on a plane to make a difference. You just need to care enough to give.

When I came back to Australia, I realised how often I spend $6 without a thought. But knowing the difference that one meal a day makes to these children, I was challenged to increase my support so this vital work can continue. Because no child deserves to go hungry.

Find out how $6 feeds a child for a month through Feed The Hungry and carefully consider if you can make even a single donation. Every little bit helps.