According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 15 percent of the world’s population, or estimated 1 billion people, live with disabilities. They are the world’s largest minority. 

Ms Grace Areba is part of the 1 billion people living with disabilities and, although she can see and write, she has a challenge of accessing information because she is deaf.

Removing communication barriers is crucial to improving access to health, education and other obligatory services for people like Areba to achieve their full potential. 

Areba is the fifth born and only child with a disability in her family. She was not born deaf; but became deaf at a tender age. For a long time, she lived in her own world and interaction with the rest of the world was a constant challenge, since her family members and the community had not embraced sign language. 

Areba narrates how she was seen as a cursed child in her own community because of her disability. “I had to attend a public school with normal children despite being a deaf child. I am a Kenyan citizen. I consider myself linguistically and culturally minority. I am deaf by disability and very proud of my disability regardless of what the community or society think/look at. I believe there is no single soul seat here or there that is useless and God has blessed everyone in His own unique way.’’  

To stir change, Areba has decided to advocate for prevention of violence, inclusion, and amplification of the voice of the voiceless, access to equitable information, affirmative development for deaf women and girls. She has made some impacts through advocacy and awareness creation. 

‘’As a deaf woman, my tenancy is not in doubt when many realize the extra work I had to put in, while undertaking my graduate course,’’ she recalls.

Areba was first rejected at university just because she was their first student with a disability, and they claimed lack of reasonable accommodation for students. But this never stopped her pursuit for education and advancement in her career journey. It took the intervention of the deputy dean of students who not only looked at her disability but capacity beyond disability to achieve great academic results. 

In spite of all the hurdles, Areba’s motivation was driven by the capacity to be someone given the chance and it fuels her perseverance to be a better version of herself.  She has excelled in her career and assisted some deaf people to secure employment opportunities because she is an example of possibility. With so many doors closed due to her disability, she chose to use her rich experience to address the inequalities and violations suffered by people with disability, especially the deaf fraternity. 

“Today I am a board of trustee representing the interests of people with disabilities. I believe access to information for all remains pivotal in mainstreaming people with disability needs in health, policy, infrastructure among others,’’ she emphasizes. 

How can the media be inclusive while sharing information? 

To conform to the UN SDG agenda of leaving no one behind, the media can be more diverse by listening and learning from the community that is directly affected by the issues that it would wish to air and/or tell, seek out and look for relevant feedback from diverse sources. 

On how she would encourage PWD’s to break the barriers, Areba says every barrier is meant to be broken, nothing is impossible if one is determined to get what they want in life. “To my fellow women and girls in the rural areas, you are powerful, capable and resilient. You have the ability to achieve anything you set your mind to, and to make a positive impact in the world around you,” she says.

She concludes with the old saying: “A mother who gives birth to triplets does not ask God for an extra nipple’’.  She explains that this saying embodies resilience and adaptability, which are crucial traits in both personal and professional life. So when faced with unexpected challenges, instead of wishing for ideal circumstances, we should channel our energy into finding creative solutions and making the most of our resources. Embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and innovation.

The post Equal access to information crucial for PWDs: Areba, an example of possibility for the deaf appeared first on The Other Voice.

Am extremely happy that Uganda Media Women’s Association, UMWA has engaged us for a two day training. For the first time, I have interacted with journalists from different media houses and also got tips on how to work with them. I have been having a gap between me and the media but after this engagement am going to utilize the media very well.

I have been organizing activities in my constituency for example, giving out bursaries to children, doing general cleanliness and garbage collection, but I have not been inviting the media to cover the events because I used to fear them thinking that they will ask me for money. However, during the interactive discussion, they have told us that they don’t ask for money but rather want to get stories to inform the public. I thank the journalists for being open minded and assuring us that they don’t ask for money to publish our stories. I have got many contacts of journalists from different media houses and am going to start inviting them to all activities.

The training on effective media use has equipped me with knowledge and tips on how to present myself in the media. I had a weakness of going for radio programs and didn’t have knowledge on how to present myself for a Radio or Television program starting from the dress code, sitting posture and how to be audible. The facilitators have informed us that when you are invited for a program, always ask for the topic of discussion and do enough research on the topic before going for the program, time keeping is also very important, arrive at the station at least 30 minutes before the program and meet with the presenter before the program starts. I used to just get excited with being hosted and sometimes I would go without knowing the topic we are going to discuss. I also didn’t know the structure of media houses and how they operate and at times I would get annoyed when a journalist covered us in council but our story didn’t air. Now I know that it’s the editor in charge of what story goes on air and not the reporter, and that a story is dropped by the editor if the content given is not relevant. Therefore am going to be more deliberate, give facts on issues at hand and be available whenever I get a chance to speak to a journalist.

Abalo Irene Okana, Councillor Westland A Municipal Council – Kitgum

The training has been very impactful because as female councilors, we were fearing journalists thinking they are going to intimidate, harass us and report on us negatively but this dialogue has removed all the fear we had and has taught us that we are supposed to work together with the media.

I was once hosted on radio and the experience the first time was not easy, the fear in me was too much I used to think that when you make a mistake you will be arrested, you have to be very careful of what to speak. However, even though the presenter welcomed me well and the environment was friendly I performed poorly because I lacked information on how to get ready for a program. Am glad I have got that today through the training.

I have learnt from the training that culture has affected us more as women and as female leaders than men. We should leave the cultural differences, stand up and uplift the voices of the women we represent and should work hand in hand with the journalists to ensure that our message is sent out to the audience.

I was surprised, I didn’t know that I was a source of information, I would not avail myself for interviews thinking that male councilors were more informed and better than me, but I got to know that I have to work hard and be available all the time with information concerning my constituency so that it can be disseminated through the media.

Am going to start advocating for issues hindering women in my constituency, for example, gender based violence is on a rise and also ensure that I participate in the formulation of policies in the council. This will benefit people in my constituency because am their voice while in the council as we get solutions for the problems as well.

I have got a number of contacts of journalists from different media houses, am going look out for them, instead of waiting for them to reach out me, engage them whenever I have issues to address in my constituency and also be available for an interview after every Council meeting.

This training being the first of its kind in Kitgum, I request Uganda Media Women’s Association to come back at least on a quarterly basis or once a year and provide us with more skills as women leaders because we are really doing badly in terms of utilization of the media and communication skills.

The training organized by Uganda Media Women’s Association has been so fruitful. I have learnt a lot of things but what has touched me most is that there are many negative perceptions by women leaders on journalists’. For example that we are rude, we don’t give opportunity to women to speak in the media, we are not approachable, always favor the men and ask for money to publish their stories. I admit that some of these perceptions are right, we tend to leave out the women leaders in our interviews because they shy away from us whenever we approach them. Most times they don’t have enough knowledge on the topic being interviewed on which becomes hard for us to include their voices in our stories. However, we don’t ask for money to publish their stories, they just fear the media and have a wrong perception. 

Women leaders need such trainings and engagements to know what they are supposed to do because they seemed not to know that they are a source of information and should also look for the media, they feel that the male councilors are the ones who are supposed to speak to the media which is not true.

In this training, I have learnt that I should give balanced reporting to both men and women. I need to look out for the women leaders, give them space in our different radio programs. For example, at Jambo FM, we have special programs for women where they can air out their views but have not been inviting women leaders, my focus has been women in business. In new stories, I have been focusing on men who are always available but now am going to bring women on board as well. Now that they know what to do, I think they will stop shying away when we invite them now that they have ben empowered by UMWA. 

The training has been a productive one especially the engagement with women leaders. There are some things I didn’t know that women leaders perceive of us as journalists, like the fact that we are impatient, take them for granted, demand for money, we harass them or take them like people with low IQ, among others. I really didn’t know all this but learnt from this training. Am one of the journalists who has been impatient with them but unknowingly, I have been giving them short notices and this is because we work on deadlines, news is timely and if someone is not available at a particular time, you just leave them out not giving them a second chance. However, am going to improve on that.

Actually, I wasn’t aware of our impatience as journalists but now I can relate that I experienced this and got angry with some women leaders. For example, there is a Member of Parliament I gave a notice that I will call her in the morning for a live interview and she confirmed her availability, so when I called the following morning, the phone was off and it was a live call so her electorates complained why an MP would switch off her phone yet she had to speak to them. I called her in the afternoon, she told me how she is a mother, had to prepare children and drop them to school, which I took as excuses because how could I give you time and don’t turn up. But after this training I have realized that I was impatient. I have understood that women have many gender roles that they have to do on top of being a leader and I will give them time and be patient with them. However, there are also sharp ones available anytime you approach them because all of us are brought up differently.

I have also understood that the aspect of culture in this region has had a great impact on women, they have not been given a chance to speak out in public gatherings and decision making while growing up and women leaders are not exceptional but we believe that through these engagements they will learn to speak up and break those culture behaviors.

I have tried to engage many female leaders but they have turned me down, they would always fear speaking up and actually say that some of their structures in leadership don’t allow them to speak to the media much as you try to explain to them what they law says and what their roles and responsibilities are. Some women would say that if my husband hears my voice on the radio that’s going to be trouble, he will think am going to become more popular and other men might take interest in men. This would raise some insecurity on the part of the husband so for the sake of her marriage, she will turn you down.

As an Editor, am going to ensure that very story has to have a female voice either one or two so that they also give their views on the different topics. In our talk shows and call out interviews that we always have at the station, we shall ensure that the women are involved on the panel or interviewed prior for their views to be played in the program.

The training has been so impactful because it has united the media and women leaders in Masaka. I have been facing challenges that whenever I would approach women leaders for an interview, they would shy away, but this training has given them confidence not to fear us anymore but rather work with us. This is going to help us as journalists to be able to get both voices of men and women in our news stories. However, as journalists we have also been discriminating women and people with disabilities by not giving them a platform to air their voices or through stereotyping them that they fear the media but after this training this is going to change because am going to ensure that I get women’s voices without any discrimination.

I have been having a challenge of interviewing women leaders because whenever I would approach them, they would always say that if a male councilor has spoken, that is also their view yet all of us have different views. When the facilitators took ups through the session of gender and culture, I opened my eyes and I was so touched that I have been ignoring the women leaders by not giving them a platform yet I get news from their constituencies. I have been focusing on getting voices from the Mayor, District Chairperson and leaving out the concerned leaders who are the councilors and would be the right sources.

Am going to give a platform to women councilors, I have now got their contacts, so whenever there is an issue, I know that I can contact a woman councilor from Nyendo, Mukungwe, Kabonera or Kimanya etc. This will help me also reach these areas and focus on the issues affecting the people which was not the case before.

I would like to thank Uganda Media Women’s Association for coming to Masaka and engaging us the journalists and the women leaders, I request that you provide more trainings to the media and women leaders since this was the first time for such engagements. 

I have benefited a lot from this training because it hasn’t left me the same, the way I used to perceive women leaders especially Councilors, by not paying attention to them in that even on events when a Member Parliament or District Chairperson speaks, that is it, those are the voices I publish. I have been ignoring them because they are at the local level yet, they are a source of information, have a lot of issues that can be covered by the media but I have been ignoring them. I had lost the principles of journalism. 

I have not been considering councilors to give their own opinion, actually whenever I would do vox pops I would say hear some leaders giving out their views and not mention them because I thought they are not story worthy. Am going to take responsibility, give women leaders a platform, mention their names and the constituencies they represent and give them the respect they deserve.

What has been annoying me about women leaders but has been clarified in this training is that they have been shying away whenever we approach them, they used to say ….I will ask my husband first or say I don’t want to appear in the media, they had a perception that media only publishes negative stories about women leaders. The interactive dialogue has helped us as the media and women leaders create rapport and get solutions to the challenges both of us have been having and we are all happy about the outcome. I had only two contacts of women leaders who have attended this training but I have managed to get more than 20 contacts, now I cannot just by pass a woman leader without engaging them or even them, they cannot fail to contact me when they have issues to air out. We are now brothers and sisters. This has not been there for the 10 years I have practiced journalism.

What has surprised me is that as a man, I thought I was very special, superior and important, actually a person next to God or the god on earth, that without us men nothing can move on in this world. I have always been wondering why when husbands in a home die, the widow runs the family perfectly. However, when a wife dies, it is hard to find a settled family run by the widower. I have got the answer today after the facilitator practically led us through a session on gender and sex roles where I represented the men and realized that the only sex role a man can do and a woman cannot do is impregnating. However, a woman can do all the gender roles even those that are thought to be done by men and on top of that, she has more sex roles as well. I promise from today to respect all the women starting from my wife.

They have also taught us how to write a gender sensitive story and the importance of including both voices of men and women in our stories, how to package the stories, the language we use should not be demeaning any gender. I have not been paying attention to uplifting women’s voices. I have been covering Mayor Namayanja because she is a woman in that position and also the female Member of Parliament and maybe the other stories could be of a woman in a sorry state abandoned by her husband asking for help for the children. Starting from today, I pledge to always have women voices in all my stories in that even after a church session by a Bishop, I will always ensure I get a voice of a woman who has attended the session. I have realized that even on stories that concern women issues like mother kits, I would interview only men, this am not going to do again.

I kindly request UMWA to add more days to such impactful trainings and also make them residential for time keeping among participants.

The dialogue between women leaders and the media has helped me meet the journalists from different media houses who operate in Masaka. I didn’t know the journalists and that’s the reason why my voice and the issues affecting my electorate are missing the media, but also I feared the media even when journalists approached me, I felt like I have nothing to say to them. 

I didn’t know that when you have an event, you can call the media to come for coverage. I thought that they are very expensive and as women leaders, we don’t have that money. Through the engagement, I have realized that we don’t need to pay money to appear in the media. The journalists have told us that they need to work with us because we are a source for content only if we can ably articulate issues affecting or happening in our constituencies.

I have also learnt that as a woman leader, I have to know my electorate, for example, the women, children, youth and elderly, understand issues that affect them and the reliable medium I can use to reach them.  I have also learnt that the importance of doing research and speaking with facts because I will not be taken seriously by the media if I don’t give factual information. Honestly, I have not been doing research.

I have been taking council sessions for granted, not actively participating but I have realized that this is affecting my leadership. After this training am going to start participating actively in council meetings, get contact persons in ever division who can deliver my message and also ensure that I visit the divisions and engage with the electorate to understand the issues affecting them so that I can present them in the council.

I thank Uganda Media Women’s Association for this training and request for more trainings on media use because we are still lagging behind as women leaders at the lower level.  I have never got such a training for all the time I have spent in leadership.

The post Stories of Change from trainings conducted in Kampala, Masaka, and Kitgum in 2023 appeared first on The Other Voice.

A 2023 report by World Health Organization shows that about 287,000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2020 worldwide. Doreen Mbabazi is one of the survivors of maternal complications trauma, and now she wants to save more women.

‘’I am celebrating my 30^th birthday this December and for me it feels like a testament of victory’’.

Mbabazi underwent hysterectomy (removal of the womb) in 2020 at 27 years of age, due to after births complications, but today she wears a vibrant smile of hope for others.

Mbabazi was traditionally married to her husband and they lived a happy life until her Labour day came. Like any other woman ready to deliver, Mbabazi left home excited, hopeful, and ready to push her baby. When time came and she started to push, she was interrupted halfway by the midwife who said she wouldn’t make it, and was being taken for a caesarean. 

Mbabazi recalls this exact moment because it came as a shock to her. She remembers a similar experience in 2018, when she experienced a miscarriage at six months. At nine O’clock in the night, she was operated and heard the doctor’s whisper among themselves that the baby had died. Then she heard another doctor say she is bleeding too much. She remembers her body being so numb and everything hazy except the voices.

‘’When they brought me out I heard someone say to me that I am supposed to sign because this time they were taking me back to remove the uterus.  Someone held my hand and helped me sign. All this I could hear in bits but unconsciously,’’ she retells.

Mbabazi was taken back to the theatre for the second time, and her uterus removed because per the surgeon’s report, her uterus was raptured.

“I went into coma for about three days and when I woke up I realized I was in ICU. During this time my husband had known I was at the hospital and he came. He was the person who told me clearly that I had lost my uterus and when it hit my ears I fainted.’’

 For a woman who had gone to welcome her baby after nine months of waiting, Mbabazi was now battling to save her life amidst losing her womb.

When she regained consciousness, the doctors suggested that she is taken to theatre the third time to remove the mops and cotton.

‘’The doctor encouraged me to be strong but this timely the wounds seemed fresh and the pain was unbearable. My husband left after delivering the news that evening and I was admitted for one week. Then it hit me that I was never going to have a child on my own, so I started wailing while in ICU. The doctors always consoled me saying that I will get children but I need to recover first. During this time the hospital tried as much to reach my husband but he was never available, I don’t know why he was never there but I imagined he was equally shocked,’’ she sadly reveals.

Mbabazi started her recovery journey but all this time her only concern was how to have children again.  She was discharged and briefed by a doctor about how she had lost her uterus, which shouldn’t be a big point of worry because there was a chance at surrogacy. The doctor was optimistic that her husband would support her all the way and she felt relieved.

She was nursed at her parents’ home for a month, until her husband came to take her home.  He promised to take care of me, help me heal and protect me in front of my mother and siblings.

‘’The first two weeks were calm; my husband was supporting me until he started calling his relatives about my situation. This followed with him coming in the wee hours of the night, then he started to declare how he wanted a new woman to marry who could bear him children.  He started [increasingly] drinking, not eating at home and when I tried to talk about it, his response was your stressing me,’’ she recalls.

Mbabazi’s once loving husband was now her issue of worry. He didn’t want friends near her. One day a friend came from far to check on her upon hearing the news of her health but her husband forbid the visit. His conclusion was that friends were teaching her bad habits.  That particular friend got accommodation in a hotel and when Mbabazi visited her husband found out and sent her packing.

‘’He told me to pack my things along with many demeaning words and abuses about how I don’t give birth and have no uterus. I packed immediately because I was scared of what more he could do to me. Several nights while in bed, he would call other women saying he is lonely and needed to marry. This was not new because he had been doing it emphasizing that I need to leave and give space to women who can bear children. We got into the car and started moving around five in the evening, then suddenly he started slapping me saying that he is doing me a favor to stay with a woman with no uterus,’’ Mbabazi pauses as she narrates.

Mbabazi’s husband was a man of stature in society, in a big position, educated and very knowledgeable about the laws against domestic violence. This was not the first time he had beaten her. He had done it before while she was eight months pregnant, and in the presence of fellow women.

Friends intervened and her husband apologized but nothing changed after that. He would suggest that a dead person like Mbabazi didn’t deserve to live in his house. 

“After a while we relocated to Kampala as a work obligation and after a few weeks he broke it to me that he cannot take care of me anymore. Hell broke loose for me because I had no job. He had stopped providing food at home but because I was depressed, food was not part of my worries,’’ she recollects.

Like they say ‘’what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’’. Mbabazi started looking for a job and a friend connected her to a cashier role.

‘’I started working and I was delivering but I was extremely traumatized. I would cry in the office; I couldn’t sleep at night for almost two weeks. Then I got the news that my husband had engaged a new woman, and this was the final lap for me. I was so stressed that I couldn’t concentrate and when I asked a colleague for solutions he recommended alcohol specifically VA, and he went ahead to buy me a bottle. But this was not my kind of lifestyle. The following weeks I developed ulcers, my blood pressure shot up and headaches became the order of the day,’’ Mbabazi shakes her head as she narrates.

 In 2022, Mbabazi reconnected with an old friend through Facebook, fortunately his wife was a therapist. She listened to her and scheduled therapy sessions, and this is how her recovery journey started.

The therapist friend introduced her to a program where people share their experiences, and are supported by a community of professionals who have undergone similar experiences.

Mbabazi hugely relates her recovery to friends who supported her both financially emotionally, provided a place to stay and helped her get back on her feet.

‘’These friends I had gone to school with would take turns to cook for me, keep me entertained and even collected money for me to start a new life,’’ she reveals.

Often when people go through trauma, they feel unheard and not understood. This is exactly how Mbabazi felt because even when she sought help from doctors, they didn’t listen much. I asked how someone could have helped her then.

‘’I wish someone listened, it’s all I wanted. Someone to listen to me well and say it’s going to be okay, it’s all I wanted. But everyone seemed to have their own piece of advice.

What is that one thing that you believe made the healing journey quicker?

Talking about my experience has tremendously healed me, imagine now I talk about this and shade no tear. Time heals but sharing heals even faster.

When asked about her plans, Mbabazi smiles widely as if to signal big dreams.

‘’What happened to me was like a calling to purpose, after going through it all my passion now is to help women with my same experiences who are scared to start over. Mbabazi wishes hospitals could provide counselling sessions for couples who experience hysterectomy, to eliminate issues of domestic violence.

Mbabazi started a popcorn making business in Nsambya, which she generates money for her rent and basic essentials. She reveals that every day she saves Ug20,000 after the expenses.  Mbabazi is not ashamed of her small business even though she is a graduate, she confirms she is applying for jobs but she can’t just sit and wait.

‘’As long as a woman is empowered, anything is possible. Many women are scared to leave abusive relationships because they don’t believe they can survive on their own’’, Mbabazi says.

She concludes: “If God makes it possible I would love to help women, who have suffered the same fate even if it is financially, until then I will use my voice’’.

The post I lost my Uterus but found hope for other women appeared first on The Other Voice.

Betty Kwagala, a mother of two, is an advocate of positive people living with a disability. Her story is that of pain, resilience and positivity. Kwagala was born a healthy child; she had no disability. At the age of 11, something unexpected happened. She was returning from school one day and felt sudden, sharp headache and excruciating pain on her legs. She struggled to get home and her parents immediately rushed her to the hospital for medical attention. By then she could no longer stand on her own.

Several tests carried out at did not indicate any sign of polio. After a while, Kwagala says her right leg started losing strength and reduced in shape. She now uses crutches and sometimes wheelchair when she feels fatigued.

Her education

Because of the pain and trauma parents whose children are living with disability go through, Kwagala’s father lost hope and didn’t see any reason for his daughter to continue going to school. He planned to share part of his inheritance with Kwagala as her source of livelihood.

But Kwagala had bigger dreams, she wanted to become a doctor. She stayed out of school for three years and her fate changed when a White priest who visited their home and asked her father why she wasn’t attending school. Her father’s response didn’t satisfy the priest and he offered to pay school fees for Kwagala until she completes her education.

Amidst all the challenges, Kwagala studied and graduated from Makerere University.

Teenage mother

During her senior six vacation, Kwagala conceived and everyone – including some of her family members – were shocked, asking themselves who could have impregnated a ‘lame girl’ like her. “It sounded abnormal for [a person with disability] like me to be loved and impregnated?” she notes, adding: “I remember my dad said that if he gets that man in his hands he’s going to kill him.  I thought of committing suicide three times because of how everyone was [treating me and saying hurtful things about me].”

But as they say, the tenth can’t all hate one, meaning you cannot have all enemies on one side; there is always that one person who will love you amidst the hate of many. The “White Priest” who sponsored her education and her maternal aunt stood by her and encouraged her to give birth and later go back to school as the aunt looks after her child.

One thing Kwagala says she will never forget is the first day she stepped in hospital for antenatal care. She had feared to go for antenatal because of what people would say about her.

“When I reached at the hospital, everyone looked at me, people started whispering to each other, asking what could have happened,” she says. She adds that what helped was her aunt whose presence during the hospital visit was great support and encouragement.

When it was her turn to see the nurse, Kwagala narrates that she extended near the nurse’s table and before everyone, the nurse asked who could have impregnated her: “Were you raped?” Kwagala was then led to the examination room where she was required to climb on a bed to be checked. “I got so frightened and my heart was beating at a high speed.”

When she requested to be supported to get onto the bed given her condition, she was not helped. Instead the nurse rudely asked her: “When you were conceiving this pregnancy, were you on the floor or on the bed?”

 She didn’t offer any service and instead wrote a note on a form saying this young woman with disability is at risk; she needs referral. Kwagala left the health center crestfallen.

The following day she walked from home to a hospital that is a distance of about 5kms.

Kwagala’s experience led to her advocacy work for Women with disabilities who come for antenatal at health centers.

Under her organization, Positive Women with Disability Uganda (POWODU), Kwagala joined hands with TASO to take services to women with disability in slum areas, streets and the islands.

Since 2004, the TASO together with POWUDU have given sexual reproductive health services to over 13000 people in the urban districts of Wakiso and Kampala.

“People with disabilities face stigma and discrimination in families and communities, lack transport to health facilities and [they encounter] poor attitude of health workers while seeking healthcare,” Kwagala notes.

Her experience as a teenage mother pushed her to go back to school so that she can advocate for the marginalized groups. In 2001, Kwagala completed her education with a doctorate at Makerere University.

She is also a researcher at Makerere University, and has conducted research on the challenges faced by teenage mothers with disabilities in Uganda.

In her research, Kwagala found out that these mothers face a number of challenges in many countries around the world, Uganda inclusive.

She says these challenges are multiple in teenagers with disability and are not experienced by their peers without disabilities. The challenges are physical, social, and economic.

Increased vulnerability to sexual violence has led to many girls and women with disabilities getting unwanted pregnancies. Children with disabilities face numerous challenges, some are raped, including by relatives who take advantage of their vulnerability. This has contributed to the widespread stigma.

Teenage mothers with disabilities are especially exposed to stigma and discrimination, which can make it difficult for them to support themselves and their children. Low self-esteem can have negative consequences for teenage mothers with disabilities, which makes them avoid antenatal services. This can increase the risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth.

These challenges can have a devastating impact on the lives of teenage mothers with disabilities, including isolation, and poor health outcomes for both the mothers and their children.

Physical challenges

Some disabilities can make it difficult for mothers to care for their babies, such as physical impairments that make it difficult to hold a baby or reach their breasts.

Mothers with visual impairments may have difficulty seeing their babies or finding the right position to breastfeed.

Mothers with hearing impairments may have difficulty communicating with their babies or understanding the instructions of healthcare providers.

Social challenges

Mothers with disabilities may face discrimination and stigma from their families, communities, and healthcare providers.

They may be denied access to healthcare services or be given inadequate support.

They may be isolated from other mothers and their babies, which can make it difficult to get the information and support they need.

Economic challenges

Mothers with disabilities are more likely to be poor, which can make it difficult to afford food, clothing, and other necessities for themselves and their babies.

They may also have difficulty finding employment, which can further strain their finances.

Experience of other mothers

Miriam Nalubwama, a mother of two living with a physical disability

She is a market vendor who says she was abandoned by the father of her children because of her physical disability. “Men date us but because of our disability they abandon us and leave us with kids. A number of women take care of their children, pay school fees and when these children have grown up, their fathers come steal our kids from us”.

Florence Nsimbi, a lawyer, who is visually impaired

She says part of the problem is the myth that when you have sex with women with disabilities, you get cured of Aids and perhaps get blessings like getting rich. This, she says, is a common complaint by Women with Albinism.

The post Access to reproductive healthcare a challenge for women with disabilities appeared first on The Other Voice.

As I approached the meeting alley, a call came through and the voice on the other side echoed: “I am the smallest person you have ever met.’’ I laughed at the striking sense of humor, as I approached a tender, soft spoken young woman with an extraordinary zeal to change the world.

Vaolah Amumpaire’s approach to life is a belief in making impossibilities work where no one thinks they can. Although her hands are smooth and her physique slim, she has been part of the many houses and buildings constructed with ease.

Amumpaire is the founder of Wena hardware, Uganda’s first mobile hardware which offers all solutions across the construction chain. I had a conversation with this award winning, budding entrepreneur as captured below.

What inspired you to delve into construction/tech?

Wena is an inspiration of stories of Ugandans abroad that send money to families back home to help them buy construction materials, but the money is never utilized for the intended purpose. I started Wena to help bridge the gap so that people buy directly, and leave an address of where they want the items delivered. However, overtime whenever we sorted one problem people would reach out inquiring on another, that’s how the numerous features were born along the application.

What makes Wena unique?

 Wena hardware is a construction mobile application. Whereas many others offer business solutions, Wena provides access to construction solutions to clients from their convenience online. You can shop both on retail and wholesale, there is a community within the application where people can engage with peers who are constructing, and experiencing the same issues and also professionals to offer guidance. On there you join a community that makes what seemed difficult simple.

What has been your biggest achievement?

For me it’s what people say when they hear about what we do.  That is what excites me. As a business we have won numerous awards including Afro link award in Berlin, the NSSF Hi- innovator program and recently women in fin- tech award organized by FITSPA. The space is very competitive and, for us to stand out as an impactful business is an honor. Wena was also a case study in the Hi-innovator program, which is honestly something we are proud of.

Tell us about the benefits of this journey?

Personally, the achievements are the places I have accessed because of what I started. I have been to State House, had dinner with the US residency, spoke at the UN youth convention and many other things. I don’t take anything for granted.

My last job before Wena, was commercial sales manager at Nyaika Hotel in Fort Portal, so this has been a journey.

What is in stock for the future?

Our latest campaign is to have more women utilize technology to sell their skills and products. We are trying to get more women on board to equip them and immerse them in the benefits of technology.

Why are there few women in tech business?

It goes back to education, women in the past did not appreciate sciences but over the recent years women are taking on these professions. Some women still shy away from social media because they believe it is for beautiful people only, yet it is where the opportunities are.

How can female business leaders inspire other women?

We as leaders have to do things differently, that add value. It is not as easy as it looks to run a business, and as a woman you have to learn so much to be able to overcome the challenges. For women to inspire more people they have to challenge themselves.

What has been your biggest challenge?

For me personally it has been finding the working knowledge to run my nature of business. What is available is mainly transferred knowledge but my opportunities to travel out of Uganda helped me to dream differently.

What are some of those unexpected challenges that deeply affect your kind of business?

Covid-19 affected how we operated; we had just started in Zambia and Kenya. But we took something good out of it, and used it to build internal processes because we were working remotely across countries.

What is that one story that you can’t forget as a founder?

I didn’t have much money to afford the processes when starting, so I learnt everything on job, and at one point I was earning from the things I had learnt. I even started helping other people register their companies at a fee.

Have you had any kind of mentorship as a business founder?

I credit my journey to my uncles Thomas and Simon, every time I asked for help about some assignments they referred me to search on the Internet. It sounded rude but I now appreciate it because every time I searched, I learnt something new.  In addition, I have been to several trainings and boot camps, which have also contributed to the growth of Wena.

Who is your biggest competitor?

I don’t know anyone in Uganda who is running a construction tech business, but for me that is not a depreciator.  We don’t have that one block competitor because most companies offer general professionals. However, the value chain of construction is what I define as construction tech, but that is not a selling point for us. Also if you don’t have competition it is harder to imagine the first mover advantage or disadvantage.

How would you measure success in terms of users?

The percentage of usage of Ugandans home is 40% and 50% for the Ugandans in the diaspora. The rest of 10% have been one offs and those trying out the app.

What virtue got you here?

I think for me its attitude; you need to have the mind-set that you can do something. As a leader now I understand the power humility carries. Being able to identify that you have wronged your employee, and should say sorry is very crucial.

What is your support system?

My family, you will be shocked to know that my mum is my board chair and it motivates me.

I come from a long line of accomplished women, although they are all in different areas of work, they are equally strong and I am challenged by them.

I give credit to Dr Sarah Bireete because she challenges me to be a strong independent thinker, and to also do good because everything you do, you must account for it.

What is your life after work like?

I have a daughter and an amazing husband.

What would you tell the younger version of you?

Learn more, have an open mind to learning.  Look at learning something new as a reward.

The post Vaolah Amumpaire:  From a sales manager to building Uganda’s first online hardware appeared first on The Other Voice.

In some traditions, once a girl starts menstruating, she is considered ready to start her own home and have children. Many parents in such settings give away their child daughters in marriage if a man is willing to pay bride price. In Omoro District in northern Uganda where child marriage is rampant, a man would pay between 150,000 Shillings and 1.5 million Shillings in bride price, a cow, two goats, a lamp, paraffin, laundry bar soap, bathing soap, matchbox, and a spear.

This practice is not unique to Omoro. It is common in other communities in Acholi sub-region, increasingly drives by poverty and negative cultural beliefs where society regards girls as commodity. The prevalence of child marriage in Omoro District currently stands at 28 percent, according to statistics from the District Probation Department.

Ms Concy Laker is one of the hundreds of girls who have fallen victim to child marriage. In 2017, she was forced to marry a man much older than her. She had to drop out of school. The same year, Laker found herself pregnant. “I found myself pregnant at the age of 17. I was in Primary 7 then. I had to drop out of school,” Laker says.

Laker is now helping 36 child mothers to rebuild their lives. She is the chairperson of Lacankwite Women’s Group. The group started a Village Savings and Loan Association to support their members. Each member can borrow from the savings group and start a business. 

Now at 24, Laker lives with her son in Hima Village, Akidi Sub County in Omoro District. “For child marriage to stop, parents who marry [off] their girls should be prosecuted in the courts of law. This will send warnings to other parents who intend to do the same. From my experience, child marriages put girls at the risk of being abused by their partners. It makes girls less of humans. It’s actually slavery,” she adds.

Child marriage refers to any union between a child under the age of 18 and an adult or another child. Although the legal age of consent to marriage in Uganda is set at 18, getting married formally or informally before this age is a common practice.

According to Ugandan laws children have rights that must be respected and observed. These include; right to life, right to live with their parents, right to education, protection from violence, ill-treatment and discrimination, protection from bad social / cultural practices and any type of work, which directly affects a child’s health and life.

Child rights activists blame the practice that denies young girls the opportunity to achieve their dreams through education on parents who do not see value in educating girls.

In Aremo Sub-county in Omoro District, at least 44 child marriages were dissolved in a period of just five months. Kenneth Odyek, the Aremo Sub-county chairperson said some of the victims of child marriages were as young as 15 years.

Catherine Lamwaka, the Omoro District Woman Member of Parliament (MP), says early marriages are destroying the future of the country. “These young girls being married at a very tender age are mothers of tomorrow. Therefore, if we destroy them today, what kind of future are we going to have as a country? So, protecting girls should be a collective responsibility,” she said.

According to Lamwaka, parents should be at the forefront of ending this harmful practice. “Parents should know that it is their role to protect girls. Unless parents get to know that no one else will provide the best protection, then this generation is wasted,” she adds.

The chairperson Ker Kwaro Lalogi-Puranga, one the cultural institutions in Acholi sub region, Stephen Santo Okello, said in the olden days, under the Acholi custom, a girl would get married at between the age of 15 and 16 years but he acknowledges that this is not acceptable under our legal provisions. 

He warned parents about marrying off underage girls. “Our communities should know that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land. It criminalized any marriage involving a child. So, marrying a girl who is below 18 years old is a crime. I call upon parents to strictly observe the law,” he emphasizes.

The Paramount Chief of Acholi, Rwot David Onen Acana II, echoed the same sentiment.  He described child marriage as a violation of human rights, saying it robs girls of their future. “Such practice is not only against the law but it also denies girls the opportunity to become useful citizens. A girl who becomes a mother at a young age is more vulnerable to intimate partner violence and sexual abuse,” he warns.

Paul Lalobo, the chairperson of Child Protection Committee for Ayomlony village, Labora Sub-county in Omoro District, blames the rampant child marriages in the district on poverty and peer pressure. He said some parents prefer to marry their girls off to rich men to relieve them of the burden of paying school fees. “Some parents think marrying their daughter off would bring them some money and get them out of poverty. They get so desperate that they want to get a quick fix to the problem they are facing as a household,” he notes.

“In one of the three cases I handled, parents married off their 17-year-old girl to a rich man. As child rights activists, we sought help from police so that the groom is arrested and charged accordingly but we failed because money was involved. The parents succeeded in their plans [to marry off] their young daughter. It was a very painful experience for me,” he reveals.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) David Ongom Mudong, the Aswa West Region Police Public Relations Officer, said local council officials and parents are the ones encouraging child marriages. “Unless local council officials and parents stop conniving with the perpetrators, we cannot do much. As police, we are ready to arrest those marrying off underage girls but we can only act if we are tipped off. We cannot be everywhere. Those who have received information that there is a marriage ceremony involving a child as a bride [should] inform the police so that we can act swiftly,” he adds.

Meanwhile, Stella Kijange Lajuri, a lawyer and human rights activist in northern Uganda, noted that local leaders and child marriage victims have a big role to play in ending the practice.  “Once a child has been defiled, it is incumbent upon the child or the family or the community to report that case or offence to the police. But in our communities, cases are rarely reported to police. What hinders reporting of cases is one: the long distance from where the offence has been committed. Secondly, in between [the time] the offence has been committed and reporting to police, the evidence is lost. This makes it very difficult for prosecution to adduce evidence and make watertight cases,” she says.

She also noted that cases of child marriage usually happens in rural areas where majority of the people are poor. As a result, such communities are unable to provide fuel for police to go and effect arrest as well as pay 20,000 Shillings to the medical personnel to fill police form 3A. While police should ideally be facilitated to their work without burdening victims of crimes, requests by police for facilitation to do their work remains widespread, a practice that greatly hampers the search for justice by those unable to facilitate the process.

SIDE BAR

In 2022, the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development said one in four children in Uganda is married off before they are 18 years. The National Planning Authority data, which was released in 2021, showed that Uganda loses 1. 6 trillion Shillings annually in tackling issues of harmful cultural practices, including child marriage. According to a report by the UN children’s agency Unicef, the prevalence of child marriages is highest in Northern Uganda at 59 percent, followed by Western region (58 percent), Eastern region (52 percent), East central (52 percent), West Nile (50 percent), Central (41 percent), South west (37 percent), and lowest in Kampala (21 percent).

The post Child marriage: When parents trade young girls for money, gifts appeared first on The Other Voice.

Domestic violence can have far-reaching effects on victims beyond the physical pain. For women, it has the potential to damage mothering so severely that it may have long-term effects on both the mother and the child. When women realize their children are suffering, they often place the blame on themselves, which can erode their confidence in their capacity to be parents.

Mothers who experience frequent abuses and insults begin to doubt their own competence, abilities, and self-worth. Men who are abusive may also make explicit criticisms of their partner’s parenting abilities, which further harms the victim.

Annet Asasira, 35, is a single mother whose daughter is suffering from Spina Bifida. The mother of three, a resident of Bwenkoma B village, Mwizi Sub-county in Mbarara District, ran away from her home after her husband started violating her on a daily basis. Asasira says that the abuse started after she gave birth to her second child, who was born with Spina Bifida.

She narrates her ordeal: “When I gave birth to my second born, [my husband and I] were on good terms but after [he realized] that our daughter has Spina Bifida, everything turned [upside down]. He ran away from his responsibilities; I faced domestic violence that was unbearable.”

 She explains that she endured domestic violence on a daily basis until she reached a point when she could not bear it anymore. She had to leave her husband for the sake of her safety and that of their children.

“At some point I had nothing and I requested him to give me some plot of land so that I could build a house for my children [but] he refused. All he did was beating me up until I was left unconscious and his father took me to the hospital. I was bedridden for some time, his relatives hated me and my sick child, I faced a lot of stigma,” she explains.

She adds: “When I decided to report the issue to the local leader, he advised me to abandon my children and run away. I decided not to leave my children behind. I rented a house where I stayed with all my children,” she says.

Asasira left her marriage due to the domestic violence plus stigma but she is still facing similar challenges even after she left. She has currently failed to pay her rent for three months and her child faces stigma. The child reports being constantly abused in the neighbourhood and subjected to stigma.

Opinion leaders in Mbarara have noted that there has been a lot of domestic violence and divorce cases as a result of couples getting a child with Spina Bifida. Reports show that the rate of separation in families with a child with disabilities may be as high as 87%. 

When a child is born with Spina Bifida, at times there are increased cases of domestic violence. Often, the child is abandoned by either the mother or the father or is stigmatized by the extended family and community.

According to Dr Aron Ndyowaawe, a therapist working with Organized Useful Rehabilitation Services [OURS] program at Ruharo Mission Hospital, most patients he handles come with one parent.

“So many families look at a child born with this disease as a curse and in most cases the mother is blamed and because of that problems related to domestic and gender based violence arise. There are cases when women report such cases to their local council leaders but they hardly get help from there,” he says.

He adds that domestic violence further exposes the children trapped in such homes to harmful effects of domestic violence. 

Dr Ndyowaawe adds that such children get many complications and they will need long-term services. If the child is abandoned, there are high chances of that child getting other complications, which can compromise their health further.

ABOUT SPINA BIFIDA

Spina bifida is a condition that affects the spine and is usually apparent at birth. It is a type of neural tube defect (NTD).

Spina bifida can happen anywhere along the spine if the neural tube does not close all the way. When the neural tube doesn’t close all the way, the backbone that protects the spinal cord doesn’t form and close as it should. This often results in damage to the spinal cord and nerves.

Spina bifida might cause physical and intellectual disabilities that range from mild to severe. The severity depends on:

The size and location of the opening in the spine.

Whether part of the spinal cord and nerves are affected.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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After the government announced the Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020, nearly 20,000 girls who were forced out of school in Acholi sub-region ended up becoming mothers at a young age. When the restrictions were eased, many of these young mothers were unable to return to school.

Ms Jane Ataro, 24, is one of them. She opted for skills training instead of going for Higher School Certificate (HSC) because she had a lot of responsibilities as a new mother. Her initial dream was to become a teacher but that did not work out.

“I sat for my UCE (Uganda Certificate of Education) in 2019. However, I could not go further with my studies since [I had] become pregnant. With a baby on the way and lack of school fees, I could not return to school.

 “Becoming a mother [compelled me] to sell peanut butter in the local market to make ends meet. However, I was not making enough money. I used to earn just 10,000 Shillings a week,” she says.

This has since changed. In March 2022, Ms Ataro and other young mothers received skills training in soap making, which has improved her income. She now earns about 18,000 Shillings per day, selling between three and six bars of soap at 3,000 Shillings each.

Nancy Adokorach, 22, is another beneficiary. As a mother of a 2-year-old son, she says the skills training has rescued her from a very difficult life. “My husband is unemployed; I am the sole breadwinner. You know how hard it is to provide single handedly for your family, considering the high cost of living,” Adokorach says.

She dropped out of school in 2019 just before Covid-19 struck the country after her parents failed to raise school fees. “I thought of starting a pancake making business but I did not have capital. Then an opportunity came when the Gulu Youth Conference (GYCO) asked me and dozens of other young mothers in our village if we were willing to receive skills in liquid soap, shampoo and tie-and-die making. I embraced the [opportunity] with both hands,” she says.

Adokorach now packages liquid soap in 500ml bottles and sells it at 1,000 Shillings. On a good day, she can earn up to 40,000 shillings.

“Lack of capital is a major challenge that has made it hard for my business to grow. Otherwise I would be making much more money than what I am currently [earning]. The materials for making soap are costly,” she adds.

Adokorach dropped out of school in Senior Three at Alliance High School in Gulu City. She says her dream is to go back to school and pursue a certificate in Early Childhood Development.

Jimmy Okettayot, a vocational skills trainer, says if such young mothers are not given skills to make them productive, they would easily end up on the streets. According to Okettyot, some of them became vulnerable after being forced out of their homes by their parents.

“Covid-19 turned homes into a very hostile environment, especially for young girls in Acholi sub-region. To escape such difficult situations at home, girls were forced to start their own families. But that turned out not to be a solution to their problems. They came face-to-face with the harsh reality of life. In the end, they had to look for ways of survival after getting trapped in unplanned marriages,” Okettayot notes.

He adds that girls often bear the burden of providing for the child in situations where the couple is not together.

Ms Harriet Akello, who dropped out in P7, is another beneficiary. She said the empowerment through skills training gave her the opportunity to live a decent life. 

“From making receipt books and [detergent], I can live with dignity. No one will take that away from me. I am able to provide for myself and support others too. If I had 300,000 Shillings, I could have [expanded] my business,” Akello says.

Chris Omony, the Head of Programmes at GYCO says equipping young mothers with vocational skills will not only empower them to become self-sufficient but will restore their dignity. “The only way to change the perception of society [about young mothers] is to give them skills that will make them self-sufficient. In life, self-dependence is one of the greatest assets if you are to be respected,” says Omony.

He adds that an empowered girl or woman can create positive mindset change and she can empower those around her too. GUYCO plans to support young women and girls with seed capital in the future if funding is available.

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Engendering media to achieve equal and sensitive representation of women has been an effort of various interventions from Uganda Media Women’s Association, UMWA. This has included; awareness creation, media monitoring to identify gender gaps, advocacy, capacity strengthening of media on gender issues, mentorships and networking.

These efforts have indeed amounted to improvement in women visibility despite the marginal and slow actualization. The 2020 GMMP report indicates that women visibility has increased to 24% with women as news sources and subjects from 17% in 2010.

The 7% rate is among which, strongly attributed to improved reporting of media with gender sensitivity and responsiveness. The realized skills and change are a result of training sessions that UMWA persistently and consistently empowers journalists with. 

In partnership with the Royal Danish Embassy RDE, UMWA is within this year, strengthening capacity of 210 journalists on gender sensitive reporting from districts of; Kampala, Mbarara, Hoima, Tororo, Masaka, Kitgum and Masindi. 

This one-year project, Media for Gender Equality and Socio Justice: Leaving No One Behind is to improve the portrayal of women in politics, and women at large through promoting gender responsive reporting and contributing to the elimination of stereotypes. 

As one of the project’s output; “Increased knowledge and skills in gender responsive reporting among the target media practitioners”, the project is working with media personnel: practitioners, owners and managers to enhance the capacity of 210 media practitioners from 50 media houses, from the (7) focus districts. 

UMWA has so far conducted trainings for 120 media practitioners, in four (4) districts (Masaka, Tororo, Kitgum and Kampala). The objective of the training is to equip the media practitioners with knowledge and skills in Gender Sensitive Reporting.  

Therefore, through this category, we shine insight into beneficiaries’ experiences and change stories realized from the capacity building UMWA extends on gender and media across the seven focus districts.

Also, experiences of other beneficiaries from the different programming of UMWA and its activities shall be shared too.

The post Engendering newsrooms: Insights into change stories of beneficiaries appeared first on The Other Voice.

Meet Kabali Paul, a Media Practitioner/News Anchor from Mama FM 101.7, presenter of a ‘Health programme’, and a part time media monitoring personnel, now gender champion. 

Kabali reflects that before attending the training for gender media monitors, he did not take reporting responsively a responsibility for all practicing journalists. 

Gender media monitoring in simple terms is research, which is conducted for purposes of generating information and adding on what others have done before. 

“My previous reporting entailed collecting field stories only. Today I have gained skills to fairly and equitably report on men and women. During the monitoring exercise, I realised that media generally reports favourably on men and poorly on women and deliberately stereotyped by media, yet reporting responsively, requires facts, and confirming the statements with figures, hence the need for media monitoring” says Kabali.  

He adds that he has evolved from a journalist aiming at beating the editor’s deadline, to a Gender Sensitive Media Monitoring Champion, who is aware that effective reporting requires conducting research for authenticity. 

Kabali states that as a Gender Media Monitor Champion, he participated in the exercise for updating and aligning the monitoring tools; including the monitoring guide, and coding sheet with the variables to be monitored while implementing UMWA’s Media for Gender Equality and Social Justice Project between 2018-2022. 

“I also participated in the pretesting of the monitoring guide. Media Monitors need facts and figures, which I ably get by collecting and analysing data in a systematic manner. Being part of the monitoring team requires me to put apportion some time to the exercise where I sit quietly and concentrate on the coding exercise for accurate and reliable results.  The exercise requires me to look backwards and in front to get background information and the current status” he further shares.

As a Gender Media Monitoring Ambassador in UMWA, Kabali starts by establishing facts to monitor, including the representation or misrepresentation of men and women. He analyses the smallest details, not part of the coding sheet requirements, and ignored by reporters, yet communicating very loudly about inequalities in media. He also analyses how the pictures/images are depicted/portrayed or placed in the story and whether the picture is showing a different person, whether the picture passport size, medium, or large? Is the picture taken from a distance or a close-up picture? 

“I had never taken interest in this analysis. Today, I use gender lenses to understand, interpret and relate the prominence/implications to the story. Experience has taught me to look for the non-obvious issues” he says. 

Kabali is also a founder of Better man Project, a youth centred community organization focusing on youth empowerment programs with emphasis on Livelihoods & Skills Development and Behaviour Change Communication among others.

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