Linking Scotland & Uganda

LINKING SCOTLAND AND UGANDA

This page tells about the work of The Bird Exchange, Kids In Need and Bridge Builders, three interlocking projects which work to develop links between people and schools in Scotland and Uganda, and support charitable work in Uganda.

Ewan's main partner in this area of work is Robert Ekapu. Co-partner Gailey Turyahebwa sadly died a couple of years ago. Very much missed.

Ewan's other main partner was Charles Mukiibi, former head master of Mengo Muteessa Primary School, now retired.

The material on this page is archival.

Kids In Need [KIN] , Kampala, Uganda

ABOUT ORGANISER JOHN ROBERT EKAPU
I am a social worker by profession and I was also able to complete my Masters in Development Management. I have so far worked with street children for over 10 years. I was involved in withdrawing vulnerable street children and putting them into the Kids In Need [K.I.N] rehabilitation independent centres in Kampla, for both boys and girls. Each centre contained over 50 children and a number of other staff. The rehabilitation of withdrawn children could take over one year, then they were re-integrated into their original families and followed up with alternative assistance/support such as nutrition, education, medication, counseling and skills training among others.

MAINTENANCE OF THEK.I.N.REHABILITATION CENTRES
The two Centres have depended on the donors who provide a number of assistance to the poor children. The Centres from 2007 has been able to access assistance from Mr. Ewan McVicar. He also helped the improvement of the musical skills in children. A quantity of musical equipment was donated and used for recording and training music ex-street children. We publically send our appreciation to him for the great assistance.

The following article was written in May 2005. Since then KIN has lost all the finding detailed in the article, following the world financial crisis. The girls’ shelter has more recently got funding support from The White Fathers, but the boys’ shelter has been forced to change and become a drop-in centre offering support, counselling, food and other practical help. Ewan and Linda McVicar have continued to be the main financial support for the boys’ shelter, funding it from Ewan’s earnings, but advancing age and current British financial cuts have recently much reduced his earned income.

Kids in Need: An NGO Solution
Street children are the worst victims of child labor. These children pick scrap for survival. At times they get none at all.
By Christopher Wakiraza
Kids in Need (KIN) is a nongovernmental organization in Uganda that targets children living on the streets and working in the worst forms of child labor. Through district centers in Kampala, Mbale, and Wakiso, Kids in Need provides street children with shelter, counseling, education, medical care, and basic needs, and reintegrates them into society. Kids in Need can point with pride to some 800 once-suffering children that it has taken off the streets and helped to become productive members of their communities.
Christopher Wakiraza founded Kids in Need in 1996, and he continues as its director.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that there are more than 246 million children engaged in labor in the world. Close to 80 million of them are found in sub-Saharan Africa, including my home country of Uganda. Here, children are found working on plantations and in the informal sector, including the commercial sex trade. For the most part, the child laborers in Uganda's informal sector live on the streets.
Professor Mike Munene of Makerere University in Kampala has estimated that in 1995 Uganda had 10,000 street children. Since then, that number has multiplied owing to such social and economic problems in the country as HIV/AIDS, poverty, and internal strife.
ALI AND SSEMBI
Street children are the worst victims of child labor in Uganda. I did not fully understand this until some time in 1996. I was fresh from college and preparing myself to become a college professor. While I was in Kampala City that year, something dramatic happened.
I saw two shabby young boys throwing stones at a car near a well-known car park. This interested me so much that I decided to trail the children. Not very long after, they stopped under a huge mango tree in the city square where idlers spend time dreaming. In a friendly way, I approached them with a greeting to which one responded and the other angrily turned away.
The friendly boy gently told me that he was called Ali and that the other boy was Ssembi. Both were street children who worked for most of the day and night, only resting when there was no threat on their lives. Their usual day started at 3:00 a.m. and ended several minutes after midnight. Ali sold pineapples for a vendor while Ssembi assisted at a shoeshine stall on one of the streets. The two children met in prison, where they had been many times.
Life on the streets has always been unstable for children. With the little money they make, the street children cannot afford one decent meal a day. That is why they are very often involved in crime. And this earns them mob beatings or a jail term. Not surprisingly, Ali and Ssembi had numerous scars as well as fresh wounds on their bodies.
I left the two children, promising to see them some other time.
Little did I know at that time that Ali and Ssembi would lead to the founding of a program for combating child labor among street children. I was deeply troubled to know that some human beings, especially children, were living a life worse than wild beasts. I kept trying to convince myself to forget about the whole scenario, but to no avail. Some aspirations are deeply rooted in the very heart of the human spirit. I could not escape the demanding obligation.
A few days later, when I came to Kampala for personal business, a taxi driver told me there were two dirty children who came every day to the park looking for a man from Entebbe. According to their description, the driver was convinced it was me they were trying to find. So I told him to tell the children that I would meet them on Friday of that week. Since I had a lot of things to do, I left and kept myself busy. It was when I went to have a meal at midday that my worst nightmare came.
Boys learn carpentry skills in a transition program for street children.
THE LIFE OF A STREET CHILD
I started to make the comparison between my meal and the garbage the two hard-working children would be reduced to eating. Two very distinct worlds appeared to me on that day. I immediately decided to look for the boys at their work places. I found that Ssembi had gone back to prison, and Ali had moved in with a dangerous gang to sell drugs and aviation fuel for sniffing. He had become thin, sick, and very miserable.
To survive, each child in the gang had to work very hard. Some provided sex to adults for food or a pittance; others carried heavy loads, sold drugs, or participated in organized crime.
A child living on the streets is in many ways threatened with death. Many such children develop physical complications related to their dangerous work. They are stunted, have rotten limbs, develop tuberculosis, and get frightening ulcerous wounds as well as such common problems as headaches. As a result, they become apathetic. The worst experience of a street child is to fall sick. There is no care, yet he or she has to survive.
Most street children are unable to communicate properly because of drugs. All of them say they cannot do what they do without the influence of drugs. One of them once told me that, tired, he had carried a heavy load five kilometers for a lady who did not pay. Very hungry and desperate that night, he ate human waste, which he found in a bag in a garbage container.
The difficult experiences of Ali and Ssembi led me to investigate the life of street children in Kampala and to live with them. In the following months, with the help of Ali, I started little by little to make the acquaintance of many other children working on the streets. I discovered that each gang had a specific characteristic and location, called a "depot." Many children in the depots did not want to sleep out in the cold, eat garbage, and do painful and hard work. They were frustrated.
With help from the Jesuit fathers in Kampala, a house for 10 street children was rented. Ten children moved into the house with the paper boxes that they had been sleeping on and the polyethylene bags they had used for covering and warmth while on the streets. And thus was born Kids in Need.
KIDS IN NEED
Kids in Need targets children living and working in the streets in Uganda. The program identifies children actively involved in the worst forms of child labor and those who are very likely to become entrapped. Kids in Need today runs three district centers—in Kampala, Mbale, and Wakiso—to provide street children with counseling, formal and non-formal education, medical care, and basic needs. We also carry out advocacy programs aimed at eliminating the worst forms of child labor as a preventive measure. And we have developed and disseminated posters, t-shirts, booklets, games, and brochures while sensitizing the community in our target areas through training and local mobilization.
Children removed from dangerous forms of child labor are placed temporarily in one of the centers for rehabilitation. Then they become involved in gainful activities before they can be reintegrated into society.
Reintegration can take one of three forms. A child who is very young (age 12 and younger) is often returned to live with his or her family if it is still intact. A child who is older or who cannot stay with his family will most often be placed in foster care with his extended family or with a friend. The last form of reintegration is having a child live on his or her own. In this type of reintegration, a child who is 15 years or older and who has learned a skill is given help in acquiring a job and a simple house—often only one room.
Most of the support for reintegration has come from the International Labor Organization's (ILO) International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC), under funding from the U.S. Department of Labor. Other support for food, school fees, medical care, and salaries is provided by the child-focused Terre des Hommes Holland and the development cooperation agency DKA Austria.
In its almost 10 years of existence, Kids in Need has benefited more than 800 suffering Ugandan children, who have gone on to become productive members of their communities. These 800 represent a happy ending to the Kids in Need story. But with thousands of children living and working on Uganda's streets, much of that story is still to be written.

GAILEY TURYAHEBWA

The material on this page is archival. The current and recent work of K.I.N. is now detailed on the Bridge Builders page above.

Kids In Need [KIN] , Kampala, Uganda

BRIDGE BUILDERS

The material on the below page is archival. The current and recent work of K.I.N. is now detailed on the Bridge Builders page above.

Kids In Need [KIN] , Kampala, Uganda

UGANDA CHILDREN’S LIVES

“CHILDREN, CHILDREN, DO YOU KNOW YOUR RIGHTS?

Stand up and fight for your rights”

"Born like frogs float in a pond,

deep like rubbish in the pit, helpless, parentless."

"No food, clothes, school, friends, hopes of recognition."

"AIDS, you killed my father, you killed my mother,

AIDS, whom do you want me to live with?"

"I realised that Education is the key for bright future."

"We are the inhabitants of this world, we are the nation of tomorrow, we are the parents of tomorrow."

Uganda schoolchildren tell about their lives, hopes and fears

Gathered by Gailey Turyahebwa, Robert Ekapu and Charles Mukiibi for The Bird Exchange, 2005 – 2010. Published by Bridge Builders in Uganda and Scotland, May 2010

Bridge Builders is working to create and support direct links between schools in Scotland and Africa. Bridge Builders has grown out of 12 years of exchanges of visual arts and creative writing work between schoolchildren in Scotland and Uganda, organised by the Bird Exchange. In 2007 schools in Kenya and Malawi also became involved in the Bird Exchange, and the Music Exchange project was initiated to create and support a community recording studio for ex-street kids in Kampala to record their own songs. The key Bird Exchange organisers are Ewan McVicar in Scotland and Gailey Turyahebwa in Uganda, the key organisers forBridge Builders and the Music Exchange are Robert Ekapu in Uganda and Ewan McVicar.

STREET CHILDREN ON KAMPALA STREETS

My name is MUKIIBI TONY. I live at Ndeba, a suburb of Kampala. I live with my Aunt. Both my parents died of AIDS, they both died when I was at the age of 9 years. I had nobody to look after me. 1 turned into a street kid living on the streets.

Life on the street is extremely hard. There is no food to eat, no water to drink, no clothes to wear. We could always go to dustbins for food. Garbage was our food. I had turned into a pickpocket. We used to take marijuana to forget our problems. I suffered many injuries as a result of our unwanted behaviours.

Luckily enough one day my Aunt came across me on the street, she broke into tears. She convinced me and took me off the street to her small room she is renting in town. She took me to school, negotiated with the headteacher of the school so that she could pay halfway the normal school fees because that's what she could afford to pay. The headteacher accepted and I am now enjoying the school although I am lacking many school requirements, like exercise books, pens, pencils, uniform etc.

At least I am at school, maybe I might have a bright future. Unfortunately, my Aunt too seems to be infected with the deadly virus HIV, she too might not live long enough from now.

I don't want to go back to the streets of Kampala, life is hard there. There are many street kids in the city centre, many of whom are turning into criminals.

MY COUNTRY'S FUTURE

In ten year's time Uganda will have a new President, new government, MPs, lawyers and political leaders. If those leaders are not peaceful there will be internal war, but I know in Jesus' name the Gospel will be spread all over the world. In ten years I will be a lawyer, due to the studies I am taking. I pray to God to help me pursue what I want. I will be able to serve my God and help others in need.

KAMPALA CITY

My name is Mary Nalule, I am 11 years old, I live in Kampala City at a place called Mengo, I am an Orphan. All my parents died of AIDS. I live in an orphanage.

I am very disturbed by smoking in our City, smokers are ruining our lives with tobacco smoke. At school we have been taught that cigarettes and tobacco contain a very dangerous drug called Nicotine and poison called tar. When you smoke a lot, this tar builds up as a lining in the lungs and can cause disease.

We children are being made to become passive smokers by inhaling smoke from their cigarettes, thus exposing us to danger. Until recently smoking has been done by men but now women too are so much in this bad habit. I have been raised with a mental picture of decency in women. I see them as mothers, mature and dignified figures who shouldn't be involved in such practices.

I, on behalf of many youngsters, urge the Ugandan Parliament to pass a law banning cigarette smoking in all public places. This will enable us to enjoy life in our capital city free of smoke from smokers. What a great City Kampala shall be without smoke from cigarettes!

THE SAD DAY

I tell you my sad day. I cry when my father died of AIDs. It was very bad occasion for the family. He had been ill for some many days and my mother and my elder brother and I helped him, gave him juice, food, rice, matooke and posho. We take care of him during this sad time. He was not happy, and tell me, go to school, I will be OK. He want me do my homework, but I cry for dad does not want food, he is hungry and sick.

We know that father needed our love and support in his illness, and we tried to play with him, till the last month. Our friends remained as good as they can, and visited us, and gave us food, and bread, sugar and rice. Some of people laugh, some were very unhappy and stay away. We feel bad but we care for my father. We gave him good food to eat, and kept him as healthy as possible.

WAR IN NORTH UGANDA

My name is Gibolo Moses, I am 15 years old. I go to Mengo Muteesa II Memorial Primary School. I am now in P7. I come from North Uganda. All my parents died. They were killed by the rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army headed by Joseph Kony.

The war has been going now for 19 years. I have lived in a war zone since I was born. It has been very hard life. We have been living in camps in Gulu. Raping women, killing, defiling young girls, dying as a result of AIDs are the order of the day in the camps. People in the camps depend on handouts from International Aid Organisations. Life is extremely hard. In spite of protection from Government, some times the rebels manage to infiltrate the camps and burn them to ashes.

One Sunday morning I stealthily boarded a lorry which was travelling to Kampala. Luckily enough I reached Kampala safely. I had never been to Kampala, everything looked strange, I didn't know the language, I didn't have money, I was hungry. I walked around the city for some hours. Luckily enough I came across some very dirty boys and girls around a dustbin. I went to join them, they were all speaking a strange language 'Luganda', except one who was speaking my language. I am Acholi by tribe. He, too, had escaped from the war zone. I too turned into a street kid, life was extremely hard.

One Tuesday morning, some kind people came to us, they found us around a dustbin. They tried to talk to us, they gave us food and water, they gave us clothes. They tried to convince us to leave the street, we refused. They came again the next day. They again brought us food and tried to convince us to leave the street. This time some of us agreed. They took us to an orphanage home by the name of 'Kids in Need'.

They started looking after us well. They gave us clothes, good beddings. Most importantly they took us to school. This year I am completing my primary level. I will sit for my P.L.E in November this year 2005.

Joel Kiggwe, 11 years, P4 Crane School

MY MOTHER LAND

Uganda is a very lovely country enjoyed by everyone who comes in it. Uganda looks nice, and whoever enters it doesn't want to leave it, since because there is peace, liberty, etc. It is God fearing. In our country we enjoy the good climate, practices of agricultural seasons. We have freedom of worship, freedom of choosing leaders, freedom of education and so on.

When I compare Uganda with other countries I see that Uganda is above all. Uganda has a lot of weakness in leadership and commercial trading compared to other countries. Above all I love Uganda, my mother land.

Ivan Zziwa Ssenyunga

TAKING DRUGS

Marijuana is the most dangerous drug taken by most youth today in Uganda. It's grown in plantations as an illegal act, but the government is working tooth and nail to overcome it. The drug is consumed by students in high schools, soldiers, and most of the youth who live in villages without respectable jobs. It can make someone go mad, and also leads to imprisonment and high crime rates.

There are also other drugs like bange, cocaine, kube and also waragi. All have caused a lot of problems, including neglect of family, loss of lives, loss of jobs which leads to a poor standard of living, seven years imprisonment, to mention but a few. Drugs are full of evil, but let's pray to God so that we may overcome.

Esther Nakazibwe, Nambole Secondary School

TEN YEARS TIME

I will be an engineer, due to the studies I am taking. When I grow up I will be responsible to serve in all situations to fulfil God's will as a good Christian.

Sylvia Ndibazza, Student Teacher [year 2]

PROBLEMS FACED BY PEOPLE TAKING ALCOHOL

Divorce is one of the acts common with people taking alcohol, whereby parents fight each other, and one of them decides to leave the home. Many parents are found dead, and children are left lonely. Diseases, such as whooping cough, are also a very great problem. Also, poverty is characterised by people taking drugs. Lastly, but not the least, is the problem of adoption - where both parents are taking alcohol they will neglect their children and some are left without care.

Catherine Nazzida, Bweyogerere Secondary

TAKING DRUGS

In this process people inhale drugs such as marijuana, enjagu and so on. Many have taken these, and the consequences are dropping out of school, development of metal mind such as rapping, talking abusive words, development of bad acts known as 'the fly', mental problems which will lead some to be laughing where it is not necessary, and so on.

DIRTY TOILETS

Please Ugandans, avoid being dirty with dirty toilets. Parents talk about children who make them dirty. Oh you dirty toilets, stop killing people with diarrhoea, and dysentery, and other diseases. You spray diseases all over the community, and may people get sick. Let us all clean our toilets, and be OK. Every day, smoke in them with banana fibres, and dry grass to kill the smell and flies, and other bad insects that look like maggots. This is the good news. I am Atuhirira Mercy, P6

Catherine Nazzida, Bweyogerere Secondary

MY HOME AREA

I live in Bweyogerere as a town, and Kakujjo as a village. Bweyogerere has a trading centre known as Kasubi, which has many containers, butchers and other businesses. I myself stay not far from a trading centre. It is full of arrogant people who do not have jobs to keep themselves in business, but instead spend their time drinking local alcohol. God, help us to change our local area from doing evil to Godly things.

Jane Kamya, P5 Bweyogerere Primary

HOUSING SITUATION

Housing in Bweyogerere is ashaming. It is nucleated, small house, roofed on one side, and not plastered. They look really unfinished, not attractive. Our room is so small, and I live there with my father, mother and two sisters. At night it is so hot, but I fear to open, to get out for fresh air. I hear people complain that the house is failing to get finished because money has got finished.

So housing is a problem, and there is a need to give money to the people to complete the houses, or at least put doors on rooms.

I am praying that when I grow old, I will get a job and build a big house like that which I saw in Kampala. It will be nice.

Catherine Nazzida, Bweyogerere Secondary

TEASING AT SCHOOL

This is the mistreating of a newcomer at a certain school by the older comers. This is an injustice involving the following problems. Loss of properties in that someone may be teased, failure in academics due to the fear with the students within the school, expulsion from school by the older comers, hatred of the school by the teased student, hatred between the teased student and the one teasing.

VOICE OF AGONY

Ah suffering, suffering comes from nowhere. Oh, Karamojong-warriors brought suffering to me.

My name is Eroku Richard. I am 20 years of age. I started hard life when I was eight years of age. I became a Soroti street kid, when both my parents were killed by Karamojong-warriors in 1987.

All our houses were burnt and I was left an orphan. So, I thought being on street would have been a solution, but there is suffering in life when you are a street kid. Rubbish pits were our source of food and drinks, we fought for food with dogs, we were beaten by policemen. Pick-pocketing was a source of getting money to buy some drugs like marijuana, petrol, oil. This makes me to do things without fear and forget problems. I suffered from many diseases, but no treatment.

Karamojong-warriors, you made me to suffer till uncle Robert came across me one day. He saw the harsh conditions that I was facing, he felt bad. He called me and convinced, brought me food to eat. He mind of myself, he took me to school where he helped me up to senior six. Happiness comes to my heart, because of the help that Uncle Robert offered to me.

Oh, street-kids, we are crowded in all streets of Kampala and other towns in Uganda. Street-kids everywhere, from the age of four years below and above. If you move across the streets of Kampala, Soroti, Mbale and all other towns, tears come out of your eyes.

Ugandans, why all this? Where are we going? What causes all this credo of street-kids? Death of parents, mistreatment by guardians, burning of children's hands, denial of children’s rights like Education. Please Samaritans, come up and make me survive.

HAPPINESS COMES FROM NOWHERE!

My name is Wanyana Irene, eighteen years of age. I became a street-kid when I was twelve years of age in Mukono district, after my parents becoming too hostile and irresponsible.

I am from the family of seven children. After my parents refusing to take me to school, becoming hostile, I saw it difficult to stay with them. I left for street where I spent two years. Then I found it hard because we could sleep without food. I had no clothes to wear, I wanted studies too much.

There I thought of going to my auntie, which I did exactly. When I reached my aunt’s place, I asked her to take me to school, where she responded positively. She took me to private school from primary one to primary seven.

But my aunt cannot pay any more for secondary studies, I am just at home, even my parents are at home doing nothing, they have no way of getting money for my school. Please Donors help build my future.

I prefer music, netball, because my dream was to be a musician if I was to succeed with education but all this dream has failed because of failure of my education.

JACK

My name is Jack. I am just nine years old. I stay with my stepmother. My biological mother died of AIDs a few months ago. My stepmother mistreats me a lot whenever things go wrong. Sometimes she beats me, burns me, ties me. I wish I was not born.

LIFE ON THE STREET IN SOROTI

My name is Emunyu Patrick, when I was thirteen years of age I went on street and started begging, when my father was killed by rebels. Our mother could not able to provide us with needs like food, clothes, education. We are nine in the family, so, our mother found it hard to cater for us. I became a street-kid because I wanted help from the public but my dream of getting helped became a failure, because no one came out to help me. My mother is too old to make me achieve a bright future. However one day, Uncle Robert came across me on the main street of Soroti town, he helped me and counselled me and re-settled me home with my mother, from where he started coming home to counsel me and mummy. Up-to-today I am at home with my mother.

So, I have a feeling to go to school, but I cannot afford school requirements like school–uniform, books, shoes, school fees, pens, among other things. Because I realized that Education is the key for bright future. Therefore, I need help so that I go back to school, because I feel like being like any other people in the world. Help me is my voice of prayer.

From the song AFRICAN CHILDREN

by Joseph Isabirye, Abdalah Nsamba, Frank Iga

Oh, the African children, born like frogs float in a pond

Deep like rubbish in the pit, helpless, parentless

Homeless like a butterfly, we like enjoy our social aspect

Economical and social education, because we are the inhabitants of this world

We are the nation of tomorrow

We are the teachers of tomorrow

We are the doctors of tomorrow

We are the lawyers of tomorrow

We are the parents of tomorrow

We are the leaders of tomorrow

NABASUMBA JUDITH'S STORY

I am 15 years old, a Muganda by tribe, born in Bukakata-Masaka district. We are five in family.

I became a Masaka street kid, when my father refused to take me as his child, and in fact I don’t know my father. Oh fathers why do you dump us, you impregnate our mothers and refuse to take care of us.

My mother says, when I reached 5 years she took me to my father who completely refused me that he has no time for me, that I don’t belong to him, let the mother take care of me.

My mother is a peasant, she cannot pay my school fees, she encourages that I grow up and get married. This touched my heart a lot. I had to leave for the street, as a street kid, but this was not my target. I wanted Education from my childhood as my friends could go to school, I could cry but no way. Then after being on streets for some time, I went back to my mother who however took me to primary school up to primary seven. Then she lacked school fees for secondary Education

However, when I heard about a project called Kids In Need, I planned all ways to go to Kids in Need. I got Uncle Robert and I explained to him, where he counselled me and told me to be in the Centre, my need is to do any course that can help me for future.

So, I am seeking for help from any organization.

We are dumped when we also want to get good future.

I talk this when my eyes are full of tears, help me projects, non-governmental organizations.

Oh parents we need love from you, we need care from you. Take responsibility of your children.

From the song CORRUPTION

by Abdalah, Frank, Robert Ekapu

People are crying, corruption in the world

People are in prison, without a reason

Let's try to help our nations, cause those we elected are betraying us.

The ordinary person now depends on the lies,

That you’re carrying out reconciliation,

Yet those in other parts of the country are suffering.

Good jobs should be given to the vulnerable.

Where should the poor ones eat from?

Where should the disabled eat from?

The more you think, the more problems come your way. Some die accidentally, some die of thought,

Some die of famine/hunger, some commit suicide,

Assume if you had some one you were looking after,

My friend you suffer looking for what to eat, drink and to put on,

Yet prices have been increased.

Please leaders, don’t harass us with your tear gas

Cause we elected you to help us!

What you see, that is not necessary,

Please do not destroy those vast forests used to provide rain.

From the song MWANA WA AFRICA by Jane

The way I see and look at this world!

Children are facing hard and difficult situations

Where by crying for help night and day

There is no hope for them!

Many are homeless, see them on streets.

Many are abandoned

Many have died, burning them, without a reason!

Many are starved, lack of parental care,

Even parental carelessness giving birth and abandon them

Abortion is the order of the day

Some scarifies them to obtain wealth

This is how African child suffers.

Let’s get together and fight against child abuse,

We’re the ones to make a brighter future

So let us save the children of Africa for the brighter tomorrow.

HOW MANY TIMES MUST WE DIE OF AIDS?

How many times shall we die of AIDs? ,
How many times shall we see the people go?
How many times shall we keep on shedding our tears?
It’s not about the people that you see,
It’s not about the friends that you have,
It’s about you, just about me abstaining and being faithful on and on

Who wrote this moving song? The song was written by a youth called Ocen Paul. He is 17 years old, from the northern eastern part of Uganda. He is the youngest of a family of five. Through the northern war between the Lord Resistance army and Uganda Government Paul's family were displaced, and found themselves in the capital city, Kampala. Paul became involved in church participation to get something to survive on, and later joined the Hydro-Base group, where he developed an interest in singing the AIDs awareness songs created by Hydro-Base. He was moved to compose the song 'How Many Times' after the death of his best friend of AIDs, and was helped to record it by the Music Exchange project. Paul lives with his brother. He is involved in the Hydro-Base awareness performance, is learning to play guitar, and has proved quick in learning basic recording techniques.

Paul's Problem Paul would like to promote his talent further, mainly in community sensitization songs. This requires some money to help his talent grow further, transportation to go and perform in different areas, food and many other problems.

Who is the girl singer? Paul performs the song with Grace Ochwo, 15 years old. She is from the Japadholo community in eastern Uganda. She is basically a gospel singer and very much involved in church matters, but helps by backing up Hydro-Base members when she is free. She is an orphan staying with her grand mother. She also needs a lot of help in promoting her talent and her survival.

FOOD IN UGANDA

UGANDA CHILDREN WRITE ABOUT HOME AND FOOD

I live at Kakajjo, I am in Primary Five. I wrote about our home. We have hens, a cat a dog and a tank. And we have some plants like cassava, and matooke. Some time dogs or cats are kept in the house. There are two rooms for animals to keep them safe at night.
In our house there are ventilators, windows, doors, a sitting room. In our room is a bed, dress, chirts, books for reading and chairs. In our room there is a chair, tables, cupboard, some mats.
By Namatovu Betty

My home is a very interesting place. It is clean, good and tidy. It consists of domestic animals such as pigs, goats, sheeps, cows, hens and so many others which produce a lot of meat for the income production. We also grow crops such as beans, maize, cassava and so many others.
We stay near a swamp called Kisenyi swamp. In that swamp we grow sugar canes for income production. We also have a dairy farm where we get milk for breakfast and for income production. Every person in our village like our home.
By Kayongo Derrick Muwanguzi

Our home is placed near the main road where we grow crops and keep domestic animals and domestic birds. We grow crops like maize, beans, cassava, sweet potatoes and we keep birds known as chicks and ducks. These birds known as kites always eat the young chicks and lead us to get loss.
We also grow fruits like passion fruits, pawpaw, jack fruits and so many others. By the period they get ripe we always get them from the tree then we eat them after washing them with clean water.
One day when I was coming back home from the well, the kite came and it wanted to take the young chick. The dog saw it adn the dog barked at it then it ran away.
By Asafu Seruga

The goat is a very lazy animal. It produces less milk. It always cries for the kid. It is called a tag bag. But nobody cares for it because it is very lazy. I advise people not to stay with this kind of goat.
By Kulabako Juanita

I like food because I get power. I like mangoes because they are sweet. I like eating tomatoes because they are sweet. I dislike swimming. I like listening to radio news.
By Nakisike Joy Grace

There are so many things that I like and dislike. I like sweets because they are nice. When I eat sweets I feel happy. And also I like mangoes. Mangoes are good fruits because I can get juice from them and when I am hungry I can eat it.
I don’t like pawpaw because they are not sweet. I don’t like paying netball because when I play netball I feel tired. I don’t like digging because when I dig I feel hungry. I don’t like going to school, when I go to school I feel angry.
By Nanatovu Jamila

I like ground nuts, I don’t like oranges but I like bananas. My friend Winnie likes sugar cane.
By Namugeere Justine