"We are feeling badly ever since the lockdown was put in place, we no longer have money to look after our families.'' said one of the Anglican priests, the Rev. Paul Ouma.

But the situation has been reduced after Anglicans in the UK contributed money to buy food for the hundreds of hungry priests.

According to Sight Magazine, the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Uganda the Most Reverend Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu launched the Archbishop of Uganda's Emergency Fund to mobilize food for vulnerable clergy.

Among the friends of the province that Kaziimba reached out to for help was Bishop Vivienne Faull of the English Diocese of Bristol. On 6th October last year, Bishop Vivienne launched an appeal to Christians in the UK diocese to help clergy in Uganda and their families in their time of crisis. The faithful contributed to the fund through their churches or directly through a 'Give A Little' appeal page.

Recently, according to the Diocesan website, Faull wrote to Kaziimba informing him about the money the diocese had collected for Ugandan clergy.

"It is with great joy and delight that I am able to share with you that...we transferred the sum of £33,326 ($46,253.00) to your Archbishop's Emergency Fund which, as was agreed by you, is intended to be used to support vulnerable clergy families, particularly those living in areas of poverty and who are struggling to survive. We pray that this gift of love will be an encouragement to many and a lifeline in times of darkness."

According to the Diocese of Bristol, Archbishop Kaziimba wrote back expressing thanks.

"What a joy it was to receive your letter and the great gift of love and sacrifice from the Christians in the Diocese of Bristol," he reportedly said. "To have initiated such an appeal and brought in such a harvest during these dark days of the Covid-19 pandemic can only be a testimony to the power of the Holy Spirit."

Kaziimba handed over some of the food aid bought using the donation to the beneficiaries in Kampala last week. He stressed that his leadership was aware of the hardships the clergy in the province were going through.

"We are aware that the clergy salaries have been cut down for more than a year because of the lockdown," he said.

In his speech at the event, Balaam Muheebwa, the Acting Provincial Secretary of the Church of Uganda, noted that they decided to give the dioceses cash instead of food items so that they could prioritize the type of food they wanted, making note of Hebrews 13:16: "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God..."

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