Tribute to my Friend and Old Boy.

Bye to you Will
counting it Gods’ Will
that you had to leave
and join many that live
with our heavenly father.

Bye bye our friend,
to a venue that we shall have to find
After this time around.
Bye bye OZO - RIP

Keep children out of political fights

On many occasions, the media in Uganda has run stories of demonstrations in which children have been involved. Recently, a woman was shown holding a young baby whilst scuffling with the Police! Apparently, she was a member of a women’s group that was engaged in regular political protests which has had a number of clashes with the Police.

While it is the right of every Ugandan to protest against any social, political or economic issues of concern, innocent children should be protected against any harm that may arise out of such protests. Article 38 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights emphasises the need to protect children from any kind of hostilities.

Children are fragile. Exposing them to such violence affects them both physically and emotionally. While their mothers or guardians may think of using them as human shields, these children are still tender and innocent. They should be left to enjoy their childhood when adults join political debates and rallies.

Lord, if you were to ever work within my means, then you would not be
God..., forgive me for alwz trying to be realistic... Lord

Turinde eby’obuhangwa kurwanisa enjara

EDITA - Abeebembezi b’amahanga g’ensi beine orukiiko omuri New Yorkokwezi oku.Nibiija kuba nibashwijuma ebigyendererwa 8 ebyateirweho ahabwentunguka y’ensi yoona kuhika omugwa 2015 (Millennium development goals).

Ekikyendererwa kya mushanju nikikwata aha kurinda ebyo buhangwa bwensi. Omunsi yoona,ebibira n’ebisharara nibyeyongyera kukyendera, ameizi gemijera na enyanja nigashishwa ebirikuruga omu za fakitore, omwika gw’emotoka hamwe na za fakitore nigweyongyera kushisha enbeho yomumwanya nebindi nkebi.

Omwihanga reyeitu Uganda, ekyitongore kye byobuhangwa ekya NEMA kigyerizeho emirundi mingi kuzibira abagaiga hamwe n’abantu abandi kwonka na okwomesa ebisharara kwonka obumwe tikibasize kuhikiriza ebigyendererwa byakyo ahabwokubura obuhagizi bwa boona.

Okwongyera kusisikara kwo buhangwa bwensi kiresireho empindahinduka y’obwire, obwire bwekyanda bwoyongire kandi enjura ku erikuba yaagire kugwa egwa kubi obundi n’omuyaga ninga n’orubare.

Ebi byombi nibibi ahabihingwa kandi obwo nikimanywaje ngu ebuchweka birikurenga ahari 80 ahari 100 by’Abanyayuganda nibabasibwaho ebyo buhingi. Mbwenu ekyanda kukiri kweyongyera kandi n’enjura yagwa kubi kireetera enjara nk’obwahati amaka maingi okugateine ebyokurya birikumara.

Mbwenushi tukoreki?
Okyokubunza, abebembezi baitu omunsi yoona nibateekwa kwebembeza oky’okuhunduza eby’obuhangwa bw’ensi ebizibuzi byenjara n’endwara byaza kukyendera.

Obwire nk’obu obw’enjura, abantu boona babukozese kubyara emiti.

Gavument yaitu eine amataka maingi. Agamwe amata agarimu ebikomera n’butare bw’aheeru nikibaasika kubyara emiti omu rubaju hakiri ekehingurirza amataka aga.

Amashomero nago gakosezibwe nka ebyo kureberaho. Tikirungi kushanga ngu buri kanya koona akatombekirweho katebwaho sementi.

Ebisharara biridwe. Okuteeta emikuregye, okwombeka omu bisharara, okwosya ebisharara hamwe n’okubyara emiti erikwomesa ebisharara bikyendezibwe.

Mark Mwesiga
Mbarara (ICOBI)

Apael... Help Edson!

...I meet their ties daily and have helped some.

But he is another soul that has touched my heart. Edson scored second grade at a rural UPE primary school. He would have done better save for looking after the neighbors cows for books and Uniform. He showed his Score card to a retired school chaplain who empathized. The elderly chaplain let him stay at his one roomed house with the rest of three boys as they walked to Senior one daily since this year began.

But the retired Chaplain is is now weak, not working any more and has traveled back to live in the village in Kashari.

Edson has to go on studying. He has worked at a bar, hotel, slept in at a taxi park and gone hungry most of this two weeks holiday. Finally he has bought a pair of shoes, a suit case, a mattress, some clothes but the top up for boarding fees is no where. so he moves around each office to find a good Samaritan. most of the officers suggest he lives school to work at their farms, shambas, shops or homes. The reason; he looks to be a serious boy that can be trusted.

Edson is an orphan with a sickly mother who now lives in Rubaya a distant village form Mbarara Town. No relative seams to dream with him. He wants to be a medical Doctor and help such suffering poor people like his mother.

"Perhaps I could even have saved my father..."
He says.

Edson studies at Ngabo Academy of Science & Development in Mbarara-Uganda. He could go to a better school.

Perhaps someone out their can help Edson. I decide to send her to school as I post an a peal to my blog.

Just leave a comment here, I will get to you in case you can help to pay Edson's school fees.

Thank You.

Dear Parents...

On many occasions, the Ugandan media has carried stories of political protests and demonstrations where children have been involved. Recently, one woman was seen holding a young baby in a scuffle with the police during a demonstration.
Apparently, the women-led group of protesters has had a number of clashes with the police in the past. These women’s protests are against the current Electoral Commission and are calling for free and fair elections. The police always engage the protesters, saying they do not follow police procedures for protests.

While it is the right of Ugandans to protest against any social, political or economic issues of concern, children should be protected against any harm that may accrue with such protests.

Article 38 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights emphasizes the need to protect children from any hostilities. Children are fragile; exposing them to such protests and interfaces with physical struggles affects them both physically and emotionally.
While their mothers or guardians would like to use them as shields, these children are still minors. They hence suffer physical harm, nightmares and may be affected to grow timid or in fear.

Every child has a right to their childhood. As the country draws closer to 2011 political season, children should be left to enjoy themselves at home as adults join political debates and rallies. This is because even if they are involved, their participation is minor.

Time will come for them to fully participate in these activities with their full consent.

Deadly bombings!

I just didn't understand the minds of the these bombers' on a world cup final? at a no war front with bombs? when people are anticipating celebration...? So whats the gain? Mukama atukwatse...

African Child

''…………… children were maimed and killed in the 1976 Soweto uprising. Soweto children suffered for the right cause, they protested the inferior quality of education and demanded their right to be taught in their own language. The streets in which they rose are now filled with global representatives brought together by the ever uniting trophy-the soccer world cup.
The strong spirit of these children still reigns in any African child. ''

Children...Inocent Children...!

My work with children has had me listen to their stories. I think every child on this planet has a story. “… in all I think it’s best to plant children than prune adults…’” Don’t you think so?

Parents, be your child’s friend

During School Holidays; Some of the children spend their time watching television while those in villages up country are occupied with domestic chores.
Most parents and guardians leave the housemaids to care for the children. This has exposed some children to continued harassment or mistreatment in many forms but mostly verbal abuse.
Some of the children who are victims choose to hide this truth from the parents or working guardians.
They always fear the consequences in the absence of their parents, who are rare anyway. Some of the children therefore never enjoy their holidays at home. It’s a place of terror.
Some parents in urban areas send children to spend holidays with relatives or friends up country. The reasons for this are numerous, including the promise of food supply in villages. Some of the parents genuinely send the children to their native home so that they can learn about the culture or their mother tongue.
All these are sound reasons but some of the children have fallen prey to abuse because of the absence of attentive guardians.
Instead of ensuring that children sent to them are safe, relatives and distant friends mind their business – some of them do not have children or are elderly grand mothers and fathers with the will to protect the children but physically week to do so.

It is important for parents to be friends with their children. Children have stories and fears to share when befriended. Adults can easily pass advice to children when they are friends and this could easily stop some of the harm that could reach the children

Alcohol consumption increasing poverty among the poor

I read Orumuri every Monday and many stories show there is an increase in domestic violence. Mothers are maiming their husbands because of persistent unresolved conflicts and women have not been spared too.

Fathers have continued to murder their children and even defiling them! Extra-marital affairs are also on the increase. Reports from the Uganda AIDS commission show HIV prevalence is higher in married couples than in other groups.

As a social worker with vulnerable groups of people in rural area, I have found out that too much consumption of alcohol is one of the major causes of those problems.

Redundancy and spending too much time in bars and town centres are also to blame. Whereas the world prices of essential commodities continue to raise, prices for local alcohol remain reasonable. At sh300, one can can get a glass of enguli. With no graduated tax to worry about, and their children in cheap UPE schools, poor people who do casual work can afford this kind of price. When they have spent the little they earn on alcohol, they go home expecting to find food ready even when they have not bought it! The poor women who spend their time and energy digging are put to task to provide food for those who do little. This often results in fighting. Alcoholism has made some men leave their wives to fend for their families single-handed.

These men solely live to work for the bottle, are shabby and malnourished. There is great need to sensitise the rural poor about the effects of excessive drinking. The time bars and other places selling alcohol should be regulated. Alcohol consumption is increasing poverty among the poor.