UGANDA

UGANDA|

THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THE HEALTH OF THE CHILDREN|

WRITING BY LORNA GEOULD | 

Photo credit: Lorna Genoud, 2015

Lorna, a graduate from the University of Sydney in Public Health, recently spent three months in Africa. She lived and worked in Iganga, Uganda where she met many  children, women and men- and one in particular was two year old Zarika.

This is Zarika. She is a beautiful two year old girl from a small village in the district of Iganga in Uganda. She is cheeky and full of life and loves playing with her friends and being cuddled. Although Zarika is only two, she still faces struggles on a daily basis. She is one of five, her mum still only in her 20s. Her older brothers and sisters take care of her as her mother is too busy with her new baby. Zarika often has to help with the farm work and physical chores required by her mother. Zarika's older siblings do not attend school and it is unlikely that she will. Being a girl in this rural village is challenging, she will most probably be MARRIED OFF and have many children from a young age, just like her mother. Her husband will probably have OTHER WIVES and many children as polygamy is very prevalent in this community. These circumstances will cause Zarika to use her young children for work to survive and will prevent them from attending school just as she has been. The cycle of poverty and a lack of education is likely to continue. 

Lorna will be talking to me in a lot more detail in the coming weeks about her time in Uganda, but for now- here is a short snippet:

Rachel:

I'm actually tearing up from reading 

Thank you for sharing- thank you thank you!

It's something real that I think it will help people relate 

Lorna:

Hahaha don't cry 

She's the best  

Rachel:

She is beautiful 

That village- I can't imagine being there everyday and that being my home…

Lorna:

Yeah it's crazy hey

Look through my photos if you have time

You'll see her, she was my baby

Rachel Blackburn:

Thanks again Lornsie

Lorna:

She told her mum I was her mum haha I used to wash her face everyday and feed her vitamins

Rachel Blackburn:

I remember seeing photos of you and her

       She did???? What did her mum say??

       Did she understand you?

Lorna:

The boys translated for me a lot 

        I miss her so much

Rachel Blackburn:

Who looks after her on a daily basis?

I'm sure you miss her 

Lorna:

She like walks around by herself... goes out in the fields and works

Rachel Blackburn:

But she looks like a baby?

The fields!!!?

Lorna:

She is a baby…

As soon as they can work, they're independent 

Yeah- she worked in the fields 

Rachel Blackburn:

And what does she do for work?

Lorna:

She picks corn with her mum

Rachel Blackburn:

And what else does she do?

Lorna:

Walks to the trading centre 

Rachel Blackburn:

What is that? Where is that?

Lorna:

Haha where people by all their stuff, she walks there

Photo credit: Lorna Genoud, 2015

Life expectancy was for those born in Uganda is 59. In Australia, it’s 84. Zarika is from a small village, the population in 2014 was just over 53, 000. Do you remember KONY 2012? It was the campaign started to find and arrest Joseph Kony of the rebel group, The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), well this group was founded in Northern Uganda. Though thankfully, they have now been driven out by the Ugandan army and are now scattered throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central Africa Republic (CAR) and souther Sudan.  

Are you feeling grateful? You should. Are you feeling guilty? You shouldn't. We cannot change where we are born. But we can change what happens when we are. You should continue to read, learn and educate yourself. Commit to it, because it is people who change the world. 

#tendaystotellme #tellmeaboutuganda