UPDATE: Aug. 19, 2009 – North and northeastern Uganda continue to experience famine or acute food shortages.

The Compassion Uganda Office is providing food to the hardest-hit registered children and their families.

Children from 12 Compassion-assisted child development centers have been affected. The Uganda office reports that more than 2,500 children and nearly 1,500 of their adult family members in the Lira and Apach districts are suffering from this crisis.

Compassion Uganda is providing each affected registered child with a daily supply of 2.2 pounds of corn flour and 2.2 pounds of beans until the crisis subsides.

Several children in the affected centers can't attend school because they are too weak.

Some Compassion beneficiaries who are HIV positive and on antiretroviral (ART) therapy have had to stop taking their medication because it requires an intake of food.

Compassion Uganda has already distributed emergency food to UG-538 and UG-924, the hardest-hit centers of the 12 affected.

Compassion Uganda is working to distribute emergency food to children in the remaining 10 centers and resupplying those in UG-538 and UG-924.

Please pray for God's provision for our children, staff and families in Uganda. Pray that He would provide rain to grow food for those in need. Also pray for wisdom for our staff members as they address the overwhelming needs.

Compassion Uganda will keep us updated as more information is available.

Compassion International will contact you if your sponsored child has been affected.

Do you have a Twitter Account? Tweet this.

July 23, 2009 - Seventeen districts in north and northeastern Uganda are experiencing famine or acute food shortage.

Prolonged lack of rain leading to poor agricultural yield is the primary cause. Also a low harvest last season and a lack of income-generating activities have prevented caregivers from being able to support their families.

The Ugandan government has already released 20 billion shillings for food relief and reports an additional need for 30 billion shillings to alleviate the situation.

The National Agricultural Advisory Service are distributing the following to affected families:

• free maize
• sorghum seeds
• cassava cuttings
• farming equipment

Sixteen Compassion-assisted child development centers are located within the famine region.

UG-538 is the worst hit, where 10 people have died of starvation in the community. None of them were Compassion-assisted children or their family members.

Also, 97 child development centers are located in the regions experiencing acute food shortage. (This includes indicators such as one meal per day, children dropping out of school, malnutrition and poor health.)

The Uganda Compassion office is monitoring all centers in the affected region and funds are being processed to provide food for affected children and their families.