THE PLIGHT OF THE GIRL CHILD

It is unfortunate that some men in this generation still defile and rape school going age girls despite the efforts of government, putting good laws and policies to protect the plight of a woman. It is alleged that Mr. Kule William aged 26 years who is still  a “suspect” (according to the police report) loped a girl one miss Muhindo Rossette 15 years of age, a primary six pupil at St. Comboni primary school in Isango sub county. This happened when on a fateful day; Rossette was sent to go to the market by her grandmother M/s Biira Daria to buy supper for the entire family in Kalimanga village- Nyakiyumbu Sub County.

When she was on her way to the market, she encountered a group of four men who harassed and intimidated her to enter a nearby small hut. When she tried to shout, they beat her and Mr. Kule loped her, locked her up in the small hut for four days where she spent four days without food.

Her grandmother reported to the LCI of Bunyiswa Village about the missing granddaughter and they put the announcement on radio messiah and informed her parents Mr. Baluku Alfonse and M/s Ithungu Annah who immediately came to KALI with the help of our community Based Human rights activist M/s Masika Ramathan and the case was handed over to the Bwera police station to continue with the search.

Fortunately enough, on the fourth night, using her life skills, she escaped at around 11:30 pm- and she sneaked out. She reported the matter to the LCI of Bunyiswa village who later took the girl to her grandmother. They arranged for the arrest of the suspect, whom they arrested at 4:00am in the morning and handed him over to Bwera police post for further investigation and a case file was opened with SDREF 07/14/2013 Defilement.

KALI made a follow up where the girl was taken to Bwera Hospital for medical checkup to ascertain the case, medication and counseling to help her overcome the trauma and gain courage to go back to school.

KALI visited the home of the girl in Isango Sub County and the parents expressed the feeling that the suspect might have been released by police. KALI pledged to follow up the case to logical conclusion. It was found out that the case had been transferred to Kasese police post under file number 745/013. When we engaged with the police (O.C CID), he revealed that the suspect was remanded to Mubuku prison and would be brought for 1^st hearing to court on Friday 1^st November 2013.

Masika Scovia- KALI

KALI EMBARKS ON MENTORING AS A WAY TO SAVE THE GIRL CHILD

Despite the efforts of government and Non government agencies to up lift the girl child, girl child education has still suffered some challenges which has led to fewer girls completing the primary level of education (primary school enrolment trends).  Most of the girls lack career guidance, sex education, and life skills which result into tremendous numbers of drop outs, early marriages and early parenthood. The rate at which they are defiled is very alarming! KALI receives at least 2 cases of defilement per week which is worrying the community at large.

This is therefore the reason why KALI is doing an intensive mobilization of communities and doing mentoring in schools to impart life skills to the girls so as to increase the number of girls completing at least the primary school level. During our visit to Kisolholho primary school, girls revealed that male teachers harass them sexually. That some teachers promise some girls in P7 help during the Primary leaving exams while P6 girls are promised promotion to the next class even without considering their academic performance. This generally kills the whole system because children relax and do not concentrate in class. Does this mean that girls are weaker academically compared to their male counterparts? The answer is no because we have got successful women from the same back gound, but the fact is that they are vulnerable at all times.

Can you just imagine that in Kiyonga and Muhindi primary schools girls do not even feel ashamed to say that they do have “boyfriends at that early age-13 to17 years?” They told us this during our visit to their school for mentoring programme to celebrate the day of the girl child. They said that, the main reason is that these boyfriends give them money- between 1000-5000 which they use to buy necessities like disposable pads, knickers, and cosmetics and so on and you can imagine dreams being shuttered because of just 5000 Ugandan shillings!

We found out that parents do not talk to their children about sex education because they tend to ‘fear’ or are shy to speak about this topic or even do not even mind about them. Some senior women teachers also do not mind about the girls’ welfare. Some of these girls just lack the confidence to say NO to sex.

So dear comrades, let us promote the slogan TRUE LOVE WAITS in the schools to instill abstinence and let us keep closer to them both at school and home to support government initiatives of supporting the girl child.

Any drop out should be encouraged to go back to school and complete school because when you educate a woman you educate a Nation compared to males who are family oriented. 
BY
MASIKA SCOVIA
PROGRAMME OFFICER at KALI

Poor attitude of parents in Kamwenge S/C is negatively affecting the enrollment and performance of UPE schools in Kamwenge district.

For instance in Kyabandara P/S with 307 pupils, 30 pupils dropped out of school this term. 14 girls and 16 boys, some girls got married e.g one by the name of Namudu Babra who was in P.5,  other pupils are just being taken to gardens to cultivate crops by their parents.

Although 850,224/= were released for this school as a UPE fund (implying that the government is playing its role), the number of school drop outs is still high as shown above.

Also only 5 grade ones were scored in PLE last yera2012 out of 21 and only 1 grade 1 in 2011 out of 53 pupils.

If the parents don’t play their role of encouraging their children to attend school, then the number of drop outs will still increase hence failing the achievement of UPE goals in this area.

In addition, the school has 21 children with special needs; that is mental -1, difficult in communication -1, hearing impairment -11, visual impairment-5 and 3 physically handicapped.

Although the government has played its role of proving 1 teacher for special needs Ms.Komugisha Sarah, the parents have not contributed anything as far as providing better sanitary facilities for these vulnerable children which are lacking yet the available latrines used by the whole school are in bad shape and in need of repairs.

There is need to emphasize the role of parents in the education system as so as to work with the duty bearers to achieve a common goal.

By Nabankema Victoria (KALI)

Farmers’ incomes have been improved in Kabambiro Sub County in Kamwenge district due to proper governance of NAADS programs.

KALI is implementing a project on Enhancing Civic Competence on Social Accountability in the Rwenzori Region to empower the citizens to demand social accountability from the civil servants and the elected leaders in regard to service delivery in Education and NAADS.

On the 22^nd of October 2013, KALI carried out a joint monitoring exercise with relevant stake holders in the sub counties of Kamwenge district and realized that farmers in Kabambiro Sub County were appreciating the performance of NAADS in their area.

Total NAADS budget Expected for Kabambiro S/C was 80,632,000/= that is 77,757,026/= as a release from government and 2,874,974/= as co-funding money from farmers.

Fortunately; 77,404,220/= was received that is 76,399,220/= as a release 2012/2013 and 1,065,000/=as co-funding from farmers. 

At the sub county, there is 3 staff that is sub county NAADs coordinator and 2 extension workers. These monitor and advise on NAADS programs accordingly throughout the sub county.

At the parish level, there are CBFs (Community Based Facilitators) who help out with mobilizing groups for trainings, co-funding and monitoring.  Since the sub county has 4 parishes, there are 4 CBFs. The CBFs work hand in hand with the group promoters who are also 4 in number.

Village level approach for farmer mobilization and village procurement committees are used.

Advisory services are handled by agriculture advisory service providers. For instance, 1365 farmers received advisory services in this financial year.

The interventions during the financial year 2012/2013 focused on food security, market orientation and commercializing farmer grants.

The enterprises are selected according to individual villages basing on the durability and yield potential of the enterprise in that particular village.

Beneficiaries are selected through groups. For market orientated and commercializing farmers, they are mobilized to form groups of not more than 15 people.  2 farmers are supported per group. A total of 109 groups were formed and supported during this financial year.

Groups are formed through recruited and trained group promoters and farmers are mobilized to strengthen their groups and form new ones continuously. Registration of these groups is done at all levels from village to sub county at free of charge.

The sub county procured 12, 50% Friesian crosses each costing 750,000/=. 12 market oriented farmers have been supported, 2 farmers have benefited from the  Commercialization farmers grant forinstance; 1 farmer from Kabambiro (Mbonyebyombi Vicent) bought a coffee pulp for coffee wet processing; another farmer (Ndayareba James) from Nyamashegwa bought a sugar cane squeezer for alcohol production.

For food security; the sub county procured 84kg of beans, 2022k of gnuts seed, 616kg of peas, and 220hoes.

Case scenario for Mr.Rugaya Bahunga Franscis a NAADS beneficiary in Kabambiro S/C.

He has been involved in this program for 2 years now and was given 250 banana suckers at the start and now has over 200 banana plants not including their suckers.

In a month, he collects approximately 40 bunches of matooke from his plantation which is on a 8 acre piece of land, he sells each bunch at 5,000/=. This implies that in a month he can earn 200,000/= from bananas. He also sells suckers to other farmers and sells each at500/=.

He has managed through the money got from his plantation to buy 2 cows, 1 motorcycle and a maize shelling machine.

By Nabankema Victoria (KALI)