Working to provide nutrition outcomes to the children and families in Kabarole District, Uganda
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The Rwenzori Special Needs Foundation (RSNF) is working with children with disabilities and their families in Kyamasongi village, Busoro Sub-county, Kabarole District, Uganda, to improve nutrition, feeding practices, and everyday wellbeing.
With the support of NZ Embassy funding, Anglican Missions and RSNF have established drip-fed demonstration and household garden plots. These plots provide a reliable source of nutritious food, even during dry periods, and are closely connected to feeding rehabilitation and nutrition learning for children with additional needs.
Alongside food production and feeding support, RSNF works with families to form Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs). These groups help caregivers build small savings, manage household costs, and invest in nutrition, healthcare, and other family needs. For families caring for children with disabilities, access to savings and small loans reduces financial pressure and supports more stable, long-term care.
This work reflects RSNF’s long-standing commitment to walking alongside children with disabilities and their families, strengthening local capacity, and supporting healthier futures through community-based solutions.
Partner with us to support children with disabilities and their families through your donation to our Food and Livelihoods Programme.
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Fear, lack of information and stigma around disabilities is very real in Uganda. Often, children don’t receive the treatment required due to lack of funds or knowledge to support them.
Cleft lip and palate is linked to a lack of folic acid (vitamin b) and iron in the diet of their mothers during pregnancy. Access to supplements is difficult in Uganda because of poverty and lack of access to health services (especially in rural areas). This makes cleft lip and palate potentially fatal to infants because it impacts their ability to feed.
Despite the Rwenzori region being one of Uganda’s “food baskets”, many pregnant mothers don’t have access to sufficient nutritional food. This is because of unregulated lands, tribal conflicts, and climate change. Because of this, many children born in this region experience stunted growth which can subsequently result in disability.
Sadly, many children with disabilities (especially in remote areas) are abandoned by their families.
Supporting the day-to-day needs of these children is important. However, it’s vital to tackle the underlying cause of these challenges: inadequate maternal nutrition. RSNF’s Nutrition and Feeding Programme addresses this issue in multiple ways:
In addition to poor maternal diets, another contributing factor to childhood malnutrition and potential disability is the lack of awareness and training among mothers regarding breastfeeding. This project seeks to address this concern by raising awareness and providing essential training to mothers on effective breastfeeding practices and strategies. By addressing both poor maternal nutrition and breastfeeding challenges, RSNF aims to improve the overall health and well-being of mothers and their children, laying a stronger foundation for their future.
The Benji Hartfield Creative Arts Programme is creating a place of colour, expression and belonging for children and young people with disabilities in Western Uganda.
Developed in partnership with the Rwenzori Special Needs Foundation (RSNF), the programme will use painting, clay, music, movement and other sensory activities to help young people express themselves and connect with those around them.
RSNF supports children, young people and families across Western Uganda through therapy, rehabilitation and vocational training. However, some young people—particularly those with severe intellectual disabilities or limited communication—face significant barriers to taking part in structured learning and other activities.
Creativity offers another way in.
A mark made in paint, the feeling of clay between someone’s hands, or a shared rhythm can become a way to communicate without words. These experiences can bring moments of joy, build confidence and create meaningful connections between young people, their caregivers and RSNF staff.
There will be no pressure to create a finished piece of art. Instead, each young person will be supported to explore colour, texture, sound and movement in a way that works for them.
Regular creative sessions will become part of life at the RSNF centre. A visiting art therapist or creative practitioner will work alongside local therapists, care workers and caregivers, helping them develop simple and inclusive activities using affordable, locally available materials.
The programme is designed to build on the skill and care that already exist within RSNF. By equipping local staff and families to lead the sessions themselves—and to continue suitable activities at home—it can grow into a lasting part of the support young people receive.
Over time, the programme aims to encourage greater participation, emotional expression and connection. Above all, it will help create a space where every young person can explore, contribute and be seen.
The programme is named in memory of Benjamin “Benji” Hartfield, a gifted and generous young artist from Wellington, New Zealand.
Benji was a photographer, painter and sculptor whose creativity reached across many different forms. He worked with photography, painting, sculpture, installation and projection, finding beauty and meaning in both everyday life and the deeper questions of existence.
He was also a passionate gardener: someone who enjoyed working with his hands, nurturing living things and seeing what could grow. Friends and family will remember his warmth, his distinctive creative spirit and the sight of him arriving in his iconic white pickup truck.
Benji died unexpectedly in January 2026, aged 26. He was the dearly loved son of Jane and Michael Hartfield, Anglican Missions’ National Director, and the much-loved brother of Olivia. He was an inspiration to his family and to many others, and his faith was an important part of the way he lived.
Naming this programme after Benji feels especially fitting. It brings together so much of what mattered to him: art, imagination, generosity, growth and the belief that every life contains beauty and value.
Through the programme, Benji’s creative spirit will continue to open possibilities for others. Young people who may not always be able to communicate through words will be given space to make, explore and express something of themselves.
It is a living and hopeful way to remember him—through colour, texture, movement, growth and moments of shared joy.
Benji was 26 when he died. A gift of $26 in his memory towards the Food and Livelihoods programme (which supports the Rwenzori Special Needs Foundation) will build greater food security, resilience and independence.
Your gift is a practical way to honour Benji’s life and extend his spirit of creativity, generosity and care to families in Western Uganda.
Donate to the Food and Livelihoods programme which supports this vital work.
