By Nathan Eyagu

SOROTI CITY – Stewards of Grace Mission Africa is facing growing expectations to translate its community support promises into tangible assistance, with thousands of vulnerable residents in the Teso Sub-region waiting to benefit from its proposed welfare programmes.

The organisation says it has registered 18,750 prospective beneficiaries across Teso as part of a nationwide assessment and verification exercise ahead of rolling out five community-based interventions targeting widows, orphans, elderly persons, vulnerable children, pastors and people with disabilities.

The planned interventions are aimed at improving the livelihoods of disadvantaged communities, with particular emphasis on children's education, household welfare and support for religious leaders.

However, despite the growing expectations among registered residents, the organisation has yet to announce a specific implementation date or disclose the nature and value of assistance each beneficiary is expected to receive.

Speaking during a community engagement in Soroti, Atinge Emmanuel, the organisation's Soroti Chapter Lead Coordinator, said the ongoing nationwide exercise was intended to establish beneficiaries' needs and identify appropriate interventions before implementation.

He said the organisation had received visitors from Hong Kong and China who were expected to support the implementation of the planned programmes.

Atinge assured residents that the organisation was committed to supporting vulnerable communities and was not established to exploit them.

"We have received visitors from Hong Kong and China who are here to support the implementation of the five projects. We want to assure the people that this organisation has not come to steal from them but to support vulnerable communities," he said.

He explained that pastors were also among the targeted beneficiaries, noting that many religious leaders faced economic challenges despite their contribution to society.

The organisation expects support from partners in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

Musisi Constane, the Teso Chapter Lead Ward Coordinator, acknowledged that the organisation had faced criticism and allegations of fraud during its mobilisation activities.

He dismissed the accusations and urged communities to give the organisation an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment through practical interventions.

Musisi also called on residents to put aside tribal differences and embrace unity as a foundation for regional development.

He expressed concern that negative publicity and misinformation had affected the organisation's mobilisation efforts, partly due to previous experiences involving organisations accused of exploiting vulnerable communities in Teso.

Prince Edward Mekemeya, the organisation's Co-Vision Bearer for Africa and leader of the Royal House, said Stewards of Grace Mission Africa was established to improve the welfare of vulnerable people across Uganda.

He outlined several proposed interventions, including Grace Future for Children, which seeks to support disadvantaged children's education, and Gracehold, targeting elderly persons.

Other programmes are intended to support widows, orphans and religious leaders, while the organisation also plans to promote environmental conservation through tree-planting initiatives.

"Our main purpose is to uplift people's welfare, help widows and orphans, support the elderly and give children an opportunity to access education. Our work is to support and improve the welfare of people across the country," Mekemeya said.

He described the ongoing nationwide exercise as a visibility and assessment tour intended to establish community needs before the programmes are rolled out.

For prospective beneficiaries, the proposed interventions offer hope amid persistent economic challenges affecting vulnerable households.

Amoding Sarah, a widow and coordinator in Gweri Sub-county, said she had struggled to provide for her children following the death of her husband.

She attributed some of her challenges to disagreements with her late husband's family, which she said had denied her access to resources following his death.

Amoding expressed hope that the proposed support would help her rebuild her livelihood and provide for her children.

She also said some local coordinators had faced accusations of fraud and threats of arrest amid the controversy surrounding the organisation's activities.

Ajira Agnes, a single mother, said she attended the engagement after learning that an organisation was mobilising support for struggling families.

She said meeting her children's educational needs had remained a major challenge and hoped the initiative would provide some relief.

Another prospective beneficiary, Apolot Christine from Katakwi District, said she was optimistic that the organisation's intervention would address some of the challenges facing her household.

"I have been worried, but today I am seeing hope. I believe we are getting closer to receiving the support," she said.

While the registration exercise has generated optimism among thousands of residents, questions remain about the organisation's implementation timeline, funding arrangements, beneficiary verification process and the actual assistance each registered person will receive.

With 18,750 prospective beneficiaries identified in Teso, the organisation's next challenge will be demonstrating transparency, accountability and the capacity to turn its commitments into measurable improvements in the lives of the communities it seeks to serve.

For the residents who have registered, the real measure of success will not be the number of people mobilised, but the support that eventually reaches those in need.