One of the key commitments in the Busega Scotland Covid-19 Action Plan is to ‘monitor the availability of food and other supplies in Mayega and Mwanza and ensure the storeroom at the Children’s Centre is well stocked’.
We normally keep up to four months supply at the Children’s Centre and the last bulk food delivery was in February. Acting on advice of our Tanzanian colleagues, we decided to bring forward the next shipment and so have 6 months supply on site. There are worries about price and availability.
We have seen panic buying/stockpiling of food in the UK, despite the unlikely prospect of food shortages. In Tanzania, people really have something to worry about. We would be surprised if any of the children at Mayega had not experienced real hunger. Indeed, two recent arrivals had swollen tummies. A sure sign of malnutrition.
So when the lorry arrived last weekend, we were delivering not only supplies but also comfort to the children that they would not go hungry.