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.

After years of abuse, 36-year-old Allen Katushabe’s husband abandoned her with their children. At the time, she was pregnant with their youngest child, who is now six months old. The mother of three – a resident of Kisaamabare Cell, Mbaare Sub-county in Isingiro District – is a survivor of domestic violence. She’s nursing wounds after her husband injured her and their baby in a domestic brawl in which she also lost her left hand.

After her husband abandoned them, Katushabe struggled to take care of her children as a single mother. One day, her husband came back home and started from where he had stopped with his habit of abuse.

“When he came back home, he started by asking for food, which he had not provided. I told him that we have no food and ever since he left home, we have been surviving on [handouts from neighbors] and other good Samaritans in the village,” says Katushabe.

Katushabe narrates that this is when he started beating her up. Her children were not spared.

“After beating the children he took them outside then he came back for me with a panga and he started beating me as I was carrying my six-month-baby. I could not help myself; he cut off my right hand with a panga and after injuring me and the baby with severe cuts, he ran away thinking that I had died,” Katushabe shares.

She says her husband had abandoned her and their children for almost a year and even after injuring her he disappeared. She was taken to hospital by neighbours.

We found Katushabe bed ridden at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital where she is admitted with her six-month baby. She tearfully narrated her fears about facing life as a single mother with one hand, yet she was struggling even before the incident.  

Katushabe, who is currently admitted at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital surgical ward with her six-month-old baby, survived with deep cuts on the head and lost her left hand.

“I can’t imagine [life as a disabled single mother]; previously I would dig for people and get food to eat with my children. This has now come to an end because I can no longer dig or do any productive work. The situation has worsened for me,” says Katushabe. 

Police and local leaders in Rwizi region have expressed concern over the increasing number of domestic violence cases in the districts of Mbarara, Isingiro, Rwampara, Ntungamo, Kiruhura, Kazo and Ibanda. Police statistics indicate that the area has registered over 600 cases of domestic violence in the last six months.

The Rwizi regional police have for the last three years been ranked second in the annual police crime report.

According to SP Vela Mwakiire, the Regional Police Officer for Child and Family Protection Unit, Isingiro District tops in the cases followed by Kiruhura and Ibanda.

“Police has embarked on a massive community policing campaign to reduce cases of domestic violence,” says SP Vela. 

Similarly, Halson Kagure, the Public Relations Officer of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, revealed that on a quarterly basis the facility admits about 700 cases related to domestic violence.

“The hospital, in collaboration with other civil society organizations, has embarked on a drive to contain the vice that is wrecking many families.”

He notes that through campaigns like the 16 Days of Activism, they will find a lasting solution to the increasing domestic violence cases that have compromised the guarantee of basic needs to family members, especially children.

Katushabe’s case is just one in several cases of domestic violence in the country. According to the Annual Police Crime Report 2020, 17,664 domestic violence cases were registered, up by 29% from 13,693cases in 2019.

The post Losing her right hand to domestic violence: terror from Katushabe’s marriage appeared first on The Other Voice.

It’s a common societal perception that every woman would wish to marry a perfect man. People with disabilities in particular face prevalent discrimination in relationships. This is not, however, always the case because preferences and attitudes towards relationships are highly individual and vary widely. 

While some individuals have biases about dating someone with disability, many are open to relationships based on compatibility, personality, and shared values rather than physical attributes as the story of Sylvia Kyokusiima and Milton Ninsiima proves. Kyokusiima narrates her relationship journey with Ninsiima, who was born with a physical disability. 

How they met 

Kyokusiima and Ninsiima met in Mbarara. Their meeting was coincidental. One rainy day, Kyokusiima and a friend were heading somewhere but they had to take shelter from a heavy downpour. “When the storm started, one of the gentlemen inside the shop where we were sheltered directed his colleague, whom I guessed to be his brother, to offer us seats,” says Kyokusiima. 

She explains that they watched Television as they waited for the rain to stop. When the rain stopped, Kyokusiima and her friend resumed their journey. “After we had left the shop and moved for about a kilometer, the brother of the gentleman in the shop came running after us; he told me that his brother had told him to go back with the lady who had big eyes.” 

Obviously that was Kyokusiima. And the gentleman in the shop was Milton Ninsiima, who is now her husband.

She was surprised and wondered what a person with disability could want from her. “My whole body got goose pimples, I was asking myself what the disabled man wanted from me,” she adds. Kyokusiima says she shouted at the messenger not to even bother her again.

One day, Kyokusiima and Ninsiima met in the market and shockingly they both looked at each other in a way they never expected. She says Ninsiima offered her money to buy items from the market, which she accepted. The two met on several occasions until Ninsiima won her affection. They have now lived together for over 15 years and they are planning to legalize their marriage soon. They are blessed with three children.

What people say 

In the beginning it wasn’t easy. At some point Kyokusiima contemplated quitting the relationship. Her father-in-law thought she had come to steal their son’s money. “I remember the day his father found me at the shop, he quarreled, saying I was taking money from his son!” 

Most of her relatives and friends also wondered why she would have a relationship with a disabled man. “I remember my aunt and my parents asked me whether that was the only man I could choose,” she states. Kyokusiima paid a deaf ear to people’s opinions. She had found true love. 

Kyokusiima says hers is a normal, happy marriage and as a wife she gets everything that any woman would wish to get. “Much as people make all sorts of comments about us, especially while I am working with my husband on the street, this does not affect me in any way.” 

What they do for a living 

Kyokusiima’s husband is a street preacher in Kampala. Ninsiima has been preaching for over five years and his passion for spreading the Word of God has sustained his family. They earn a living through people’s blessing.  “We have constructed a decent house, bought some cows and goats and we take care of our parents,” Ninsiima explains. 

He now plans to start a business for his wife and enroll his children in better schools.

In a day, Ninsiima says he receives between 70,000 and100,000 Shillings from well wishers. On a bad day, he gets about 50,000 Shillings.

Ninsiima believes what pulls the audience to him is his selection of good gospel music and encouraging words which motivates and gives people hope. “Counselling is something people need but they don’t get it. That’s the opportunity I utilize, to teach the word of God through preaching on the street.” he adds. 

When I asked Milton how he won Kyokusiima’s heart, he just smiled and said that it was God’s grace. “When you trust God, he can do what seems impossible”, adding:  “Yesu nze yankuba repair”, literally meaning Jesus repaired him and took away all his burdens.

Ultimately, successful relationships are built on mutual respect, trust, communication, and compatibility. People with disabilities are just as capable of forming healthy, loving relationships as anyone else, and it’s important to challenge stereotypes and promote inclusivity in all aspects of society, including dating and relationships.

The post Married to a man with disability: A tale of strength and resilience appeared first on The Other Voice.

In 2018, Florence Fabiola Lakica dropped out of school after her parents failed to raise school fees. She was in Senior 3. After her parents told her that she was no longer going to continue with her education, Lakica was left pondering her future.

However, all that changed in 2019, after Acholi Zonal Presidential Industrial Hub, a vocational institute, was set up by the government of Uganda to support disadvantaged youth in the former war-ravaged sub-region. Lakica was one of 200 youth shortlisted to undertake vocational skills training at the institute. When other young women went for hairdressing, tailoring, bakery and horticulture, Lakica chose welding.

“No one told me to train in welding and metal fabrications. I just made up my mind. I said to myself, [I want to become] one of the best welders,” she says.

After six months, Lakica graduated with a certificate in welding and metal fabrications. “My life has changed after I graduated. I now work with Don Logistics Company in Gulu City as one of the two welders recruited by the company.

Lakica can make metallic doors, beds, tables and chairs. “I can make a door in one day. This depends on the design. Some designs are complicated and need a lot of time to make a beautiful door,” she says. “On a good day, I can earn UGX 25,000. Out of the UGX 25,000, I save UGX 15, 000. I spend UGX 10,000 shillings on the basic needs,” she adds.

The mother of two is also taking care of her mother. Her parents are separated.

“I am very happy for this life changing opportunity. After I dropped out of school, life stood still. I never thought I would be able to have a decent job and provide for my family,” Lakica notes.

 “I make tables, chairs and beds, which I later sell to my customers. The money I earn has enabled me to pay school fees for my two children and support close relatives as well. I have also been able to save part of my earnings, “she adds.

Lakica has big plans. She plans to work in the oil pipeline and also set up a welding workshop. “If possible, I want to work in the oil pipeline. My plan is also to set up one of the best workshops in Gulu City. I have already drawn up the budget. I need between UGX10 and UGX15 million to achieve my dream. [This will also] give other girls the opportunity to become self-reliant. I want to empower young women too.

Becoming a welder has changed the life story of Lakica in the last two years. 

In Uganda, more than 70 percent of the population is under 30, and youth unemployment rates are as high as 63 percent. Women, in particular, face two major employability disadvantages, as Uganda has one of the highest school drop-out rates for women in East Africa and one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Samuel Oyet Agwani, the Assistant Hub Manager, Acholi Zonal Industrial Hub, Presidential Youth Skilling said before receiving the skills training, the majority of the young people were desperate. “These young men and women who are now productive in society used to sit home pondering what the future holds for me. But not anymore. Things have changed for the better. This training has [given] them the skills they need to become self-sufficient,” Agwani says.

ABOUT THE HUB

The Industrial Hub located in Komker Village, Unyama Sub-County in Gulu District is one of the 21 zonal industrial hubs constructed in all sub-regions of Uganda by State House with the aim of skilling 12,600 youths every year.

The project is one of the projects run by the president’s office under the Presidential Initiative on Skilling.

The post Considered a ‘Men job’, Welding gives Lakica chance to earn a living appeared first on The Other Voice.

Before Prossy Nakanwagi’s son turned one, she thought he was just a peaceful baby. “[We comforted] ourselves that maybe he’s just taking his time, but as he started walking, he also started having unstoppable walks without getting tired. Then I suspected that something isn’t right with our child,” narrates the mother of four. Nakanwagi, a doctor by profession, got to know that her first baby is autistic at one year and a few months. 

It is often difficult for parents to observe signs of autism in their children. For Nakanwagi, this was their first child; it was, therefore, difficult to suspect that the child might have a problem because they did not have another child to compare behavioral patterns or development milestones with.

 “When we suspected that our son had a problem, we took him to several doctors but many of them didn’t see the problem,” she says.

The National Referral hospital Mulago has departments of different therapies but these units are already overburdened. Most parents get therapy from private practitioners and this comes with a high costs. While getting a proper therapist might be a challenge, Nakanwagi says even getting the service itself is very expensive, especially because it’s a continuous service. Many families can’t afford it. 

Accessibility of schools 

 “When our son was young, he hopped from one school to another, we bought uniforms from many schools, and by the time he was 7 years, we had gone to more than seven schools. And that goes with school fees, registration fees and everything that goes with taking a child to school. So the cost of raising a child with autism is very high: from diagnosis, therapies, and schooling – inclusive of a special diet that is usually recommended by specialists. All these strain a family,” says Nakanwagi.

There are schools that are supposed to address the needs of children with autism but the challenge is that the mild, severe, and moderate cases are mixed together and they end up coping with all the wrongs and rights, which detonates the child. 

The perception of society towards autism also worsens the burden of raising such children, with one parent often left to carry the burden. Stories of men walking out on their spouses are common. But Nakanwagi narrates a case where a mother walked out, leaving the child behind. 

“There are many families that have separated because of a diagnosis of autism,” she notes.

Managing diagnosis

Nakanwagi says early intervention is very vital. There is no curative treatment but with close monitoring, therapy and hard work, there is usually improvement and progress. She advises acquiring as much information as possible so that you are able to address the different needs and challenges that might arise. 

It’s important to simplify their environment. Scheduling or creating a routine helps most children. For instance, autistic children usually want to follow their daily routines of activities. 

It’s also important to be cautious when choosing treatment because some parents get desperate and end up with quack therapists. 

She adds that Pet Therapy is useful because interacting with animals improves social skills and communication. “For our son we introduced rabbits when he was young because we realized rabbits would be more communicative,” she adds. 

A lot of children with autism spectrum disorder have mineral and vitamin deficiencies. Supplementation is therefore crucial. 

Research indicates that the elimination of milk, red meat, sugar, and processed food like fizzy drinks is recommended.

Nakanwagi advises parents to identify parental support groups where they can share experiences, management, and how to cope.

“Mathew the Art Master” is Nakanwagi’s son, who is now 15 and has acquired skills through a trainer after his parents carried out tests and identified what he was able to do. Mathew designs art pieces for sale. 

DATA

According to Uganda’s 2014 census, the national autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence rate was 70/10,000 persons in a population of 44,120,140. The central region leads with a total of 106,749, western with 99,470, eastern with 101,334, and northern region with 80,705, totaling to 388,258. Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.

The post Challenge of raising an autistic child 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.

Madalena Lawino, 100, sits under her dilapidated grass-thatched hut as she watches the sun set. The centenarian lives with her two young grandchildren. They share the same house. In the distance lies the graves of her late husband and two sons. Ms Lawino returned from the camp for internally displaced persons 18 years ago. Since then, she has been struggling to rebuild her life.

“My husband died a few months after we returned to our original village. Shortly, my two sons passed on too. Now, I have to struggle and feed these two grandchildren they left behind,” she says. 

Lawino lives in Lukung Village, Gem Parish, in Lalogi Sub County, Omoro District. She was one of those forced to abandon their villages for IDP camps during the LRA insurgency in Northern Uganda. 

“I am on my own. I don’t receive stipends being provided by the government to older persons. I really don’t know what the problem is yet I provided my National Identity Card to the government officials,” she says. 

Under the Social Assistance Grant for Empowerment (SAGE) programme, at least 200,000 Senior Citizens of 80 years and above are receiving cash support. Each receives 25,000 Shillings every month. The programme is being implemented by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development. 

In Lukung Village, out of about 50 elders who have qualified for SAGE program, only 10 are accessing the fund. Marino Okoya, the Lukung Village Chairperson noted that the majority of the older persons in the area depend on well-wishers for survival. He noted that like any other district in Acholi sub-region, elderly persons in village are grappling with poor nutrition, ill health and lack of social protection.

Lawino, who says she’s now weak, worries that she might never receive the money. She says her knees hurt a lot and she suffers from persistent cough. “This worries me because I fear that one day, I may fail to wake up in the morning,” she says.

Her story is the norm in many rural settings where the elderly can barely survive. In communities like Lawino’s that have endured insurgency with people forced to live in IDP camps, social support systems are largely broken.  

Lawino says she was born in 1924, though she doesn’t remember the precise month and date. At her age, she is the caretaker of her grandchildren, in a situation where people walk long distances to fetch water, gather firewood and work in gardens.   “It is hard to live without money”, she says adding: “I need money to hire labour to cultivate food, repair my house and pay for medical bills. Age has eaten me up. I am too weak to go to the wilderness to cut grass to reconstruct my house.” 

Her four daughters live several kilometres away at their martial homes. They rarely visit her. 

Ms Mary Oywa, a Councilor representing Older Persons at the Gulu District Local Council noted that society has neglected the elderly. “Elderly people are living like dogs. Their condition is appalling. They are being neglected by family members,” she says.

 “As a society, we need to treat elderly persons with dignity. They are a cornerstone of our society. They are our living library. They teach us everything about life and neglecting them is a curse,” she warns.

Among the Acholi people of northern Uganda, the traditional role of an older person is understood as sharing knowledge, advice and wealth, mediating domestic conflicts and guiding and caring for grandchildren. In return, it is believed that they were well-supported and loved by a larger family. 

The relevance and position of older persons has, however, diminished in a modernising cash-driven economy. With urbanisation, a monetary or transactional value has been imposed upon kinship ties, disempowering a majority of older persons who are poor and cannot make economic contributions. 

Data from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) indicate that of the over 41 million people, 1.5 million are older persons. But the figures are projected to hit 5.5 million by 2050.

The post Aging without social protection: Story of 100-year-old Lawino appeared first on The Other Voice.

UMWA is thrilled to welcome you to the third edition of the Other Voice (TOV) E-paper that continues to shade light on gender issues affecting women, PWDs, Children and Youth in Uganda.

In this edition, coverage is particular on challenges faced by women with disability in accessing reproductive health services as many are discriminated and stigmatized across socio-economic levels, the silent trade of children into marriages for money by parents, the journey of raising children with special needs like Dyslexia, women in technology, and other insightful stories.

Reportage is mainly from Kampala, Acholi region and western Uganda with stronger saliency on the very marginalized voices through the stories sourced.

TOV is an analytical and in-depth news platform that aims at enhancing women visibility through increased coverage of women issues that are largely marginalized by mainstream media. It also targets inclusion of women voices in decision making processes in bid of leaving no one behind, towards gender equality and social justice.

With support from the Royal Danish Embassy, we are able to bring you an edition of this developmental and women focused e-paper every two months. We thank you for your valuable and continued readership of every edition brought forth.

Please take a deep dive into this edition’s stories!

The post Just a click and you are with us! appeared first on The Other Voice.

Following the various attributed causes towards the increased rise in gender based violence occurrences, poor economic conditions stands out in a sobering revelation as the real cause associated with the rise of this societal problem.

Gender Based Violence (GBV) is an everyday threat for Ugandan women and girls. The National demographic data from 2020 reveal that 56% of married women aged between 15 – 49 years have reported having suffered physical and sexual violence by male counterparts.

The Ministry of Gender has highlighted a disturbing trend in the major causes of the rise of Gender Based Violence (GBV), shedding a light on the harsh economic conditions on families as the main cause. Startling statistics indicate that at least 56% of women in Uganda have once encountered some form of violence a very distressing situation, attributed to the prevailing tough economic climate. Economic violence on the other hand, takes the form of for example, property damage, and restricting access to financial resources, education or labor market or not complying with economic responsibilities and many others.

According to a Gender report, there is evidence that shows that the leading causes of gender based violence are economic related including; poverty, alcoholism for both men and women, cultural practices like; early marriages mostly for economic gain, bride price, limited counseling and drug abuse among others. Poverty has also strongly been linked to violence in a number of ways. Most scholars as well as lay persons believe that those who live in poverty more frequently engage in acts of violence as a consequence of conditions that they are subjected to.

Peace Mutuzo the State Minister for Gender linked the surge in gender based violence to the turbulent economic times, where men find themselves unable to provide for their families, leading to the heightened tension within households. Despite initiatives like the 16 days of activism aimed at raising awareness about the dangers of GBV, the prevalence of such cases remains distressingly high.

This in turn she says, contributes to a cycle of violence that affects both men and women and for that matter the Ministry of Gender stresses that combating this societal menace requires a concerted effort.

Meanwhile Mifumi a Women’s Rights Organization believes, the violence against women is a result of historically unequal power relations between men and women that are reflected in existing gender relationships in society today. This unequal power often places women in a position of societal disadvantage.

Mifumi too further believes that poor economic factors create patterns of violence and poverty that become self-perpetuating, making it extremely difficult for the victims to extricate themselves. When unemployment and poverty affect men, this can cause them to assert their masculinity through violent means against women.

By the end of March 2023, members of the Gender Based Violence sector working group (SWG) managed to identify 1,526 incidents reported in all the thirteen refugee hosting districts in Uganda. The main types of GBV disclosed by survivors included; psychosocial / emotional abuse (32%), physical assault (24%) and denial of resources (24%).

Therefore, as Uganda grapples with complex interplay between economic challenges and domestic violence, there is a pressing need for a multi-faceted approach to address both the root causes and the immediate consequences of Gender Based Violence (GBV).

The post Rise in gender based violence associated with poor economic conditions. 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.