Covid19 and its woes

In 2020 during the first Ugandan lock down, everybody thought our problems would end when eventually things come back to normal. Did it happen? No there came the second wave that claimed more than 18 people whom I knew personally and interacted with some were my close family members. The tears and the trauma after were immense. Apart from our own families and friends, many people lost their dear ones. Many women were left widows, many men widowers and many children were robbed of either one or both of their parents. The number of deaths kept increasing day by day until it reached a level where hospitals couldn’t contain all the patients. As the Government fought to contain the situation, people also became alert and things gradually started turning to normal although many institutions remained partially closed or fully closed.

2020 and 2021, these 2 years will go down in Ugandan history or should I say the history of the world as the worst years ever! Why am I saying this? My reason for this write up is about the girl children. What’s happening to our girl children? Are parents losing grips on their children? Are children no longer community children? Does the community still care?

As if the deaths and sicknesses tormenting people are not enough there comes Gender Based Violence and violence against women and girls. Violence against children.  The number of cases posted and witnessed on social media keeps on increasing daily. Very many young girls will not be able to live their normal lives ever again and many are missing being children. They have become nursing mothers at a very tender age. Their dreams of being who they want to be in life is shattered.

Recently I was in my village and I witnessed what I have never seen before. In the past there used to be isolated cases of teenage pregnancies but now it’s like an epidemic. I met 3 girls in the same family who were pregnant with the youngest being 14 years old. I heard of parents chasing their daughters away from home and leaving them at the mercy of their relatives or their so called partners in crime the men.

Fathers are abusing their daughters both physically and sexually, some homes with boys and men are abusing these young girls and they can’t speak out for fear of being victimized again and again.

The boy children are also suffering in the hands of people who could have advised them not to do what they do. Recently my mother was admitted in a certain health centre and there was a 14 years old boy brought in for emergency treatment after his manhood was chopped off and scrotum slashed by his own uncle after allegedly being found having sex with his 8 year old cousin sister.

Last year in Lamu in Kenya, a video was circulating where a Father chopped to pieces a man who was found with his 10 year old daughter. In another video a 64 year old man, married with 9 children was arrested by police for using a 10 year old girl in exchange of food for her siblings because she had a sick mother.

Babies are being buried alive or thrown in latrine pits because the girl children can’t help themselves or they are being threatened.

We used to think home was a place where all good values and morals are taught but slowly we are realizing that most parents are not in position to take care of their own children. The children are left on their own and some parents are having their daughters married off because the cost of living has become unbearable.

I once wrote about my journey in education but not all the girls will be as nearly lucky as I was to complete my Master degree. I might not be employed at the moment but my education opened my eyes to see what an ordinary village girl can’t see.

It’s because of what is happening that I and my team decided to fundraise to try and give some of these girls hope. We might not be able to reach every girl but if we can transform from 20 to 30 in a year and walk them through business skills training and ensure they are able to stand on their own and be able to look after themselves and their babies that will make a great sense. I believe their parents will also feel relief and be able to accept them.

Covid19 is here to stay and so we have to learn to live with it without destroying our youth our future. 

I believe both boys and girls need to be taught sex education and there's need to reach down to the grassroots and parents need to be empowered so they can talk to their boys too. 

I believe there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel!

Please anyone willing to support us to achieve our goal can see the link to our GoFund me on Face book

NB:

For introduction purposes I'm the founder of Acre Community Resource Empowerment (ACRE) and currently running a Go Fund me with the hope of raising money to buy sewing machines. The Link is https://www.gofundme.com/f/acre-community-resource-empowerment Please feel free to donate. We shall be very grateful