Children in the Kamuli district of Uganda are facing severe malnutrition, many living off only one 8 oz. cup of maize per day.

Iowa State and the College of Agriculture and Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods, ISU-CSRL, has partnered with a local non-governmental organization, Volunteer Efforts for Development Concerns, to combat this problem and improve nutritional education of women and children in Uganda.

The program is based on a needs assessment and works to get emergency aid to infants and children. ISU students can spend a few months working in Kumali with the program.

Eric Nonnecke, senior in human nutrition, said he spent a couple of months last summer working in Kumali for the service-learning project where he worked at a primary school.

While he was there the group helped build things such as a bore hole, which is similar to a well, to bring the people clean water.

Citizens get their drinking water from the Nile, which is unsanitary. The same water is used for baths and washing clothing.

Another major problem the program is working against is that there are young children working – with no breakfast – then going to school, for maybe six hours. There are no school food programs, Nonnecke said.

“The idea is that we’re trying to really increase the school garden work, growing crops that are nutrient dense [and] rich in protein,” Nonnecke said. “Cultivating these crops would supplement a diet at school, and they could take that knowledge and use it at home, so there would be a double benefit.”

Upon returning from the project, Nonnecke said he wanted to share what is happening in Uganda and encourage other students to get involved.

“The project that Eric Nonnecke developed is an outstanding example of one student’s commitment to solving hunger issues. He saw an intolerable but curable problem [child malnutrition] and came back to campus to put his knowledge and commitment to work and to involve others in the campaign,” said David Acker, associate dean of global agricultural programs.

Before going to Africa, Nonnecke said there is always that paradox of donation programs that you see, where maybe 80 cents of every dollar go to help kids in Africa.

All of the money raised goes directly from Iowa State to the people at VEDCO.

“Every dollar is used for its reason and there’s 100 percent feedback on what actually changed,” he said. “Also, you don’t have to have a lot of money to make an impact.”

Nonnecke said he hopes the program is a success and can be expanded.

“I’d like to see it grow like throwing a rock into a pond and seeing the ripples go out,” he said.

The faculty in food science and human nutrition and agriculture have been extremely supportive and helpful in making the program survive. They’re great at promoting student projects, he said.

Acker said he strongly endorses this student-led effort.

“We can and must make a difference in the lives of poor people,” he said.

Nonnecke said he would like to see this project be one that empowers ISU students to be involved in a world issue that deals with poverty and opportunity.

“After going to Africa I can say this is what I want to do, you see the lack of opportunity there – it really sinks in,” he said.