Last Sunday, I returned to the spot where I met Jaffari. I had came with glad tidings. Some readers of Jaffari’s story driven by compassion sent me mobile money to help him start his dream business. But he was not there, I stood confused. As I turned to leave, there was a young man in…
Take a stroll, you will find the homeless people of Uganda on main streets, markets, nooks and alleys. During the day, most are invisible. They blend with other kampalans. The homeless of all ages sleep on street verandas at night – children, teenagers, old men and women waiting to die. Those that were are street…
After three years in Luzira prison, Jaffari is back to his spot in the city. Back to homelessness. Back to sleeping under the bare sky. Unsure of where to start from. Prison gave him food and shelter, but the streets give him hope and freedom. The a 23-year-old narrates his story. “ My father run…
Standing at Watoto Church downtown, I saw him, he woke up, stretched himself and I crossed the road and walked towards him. I greeted him in English. He grinned and gave me a ghastly look. It is 7:00 am on a cloudy morning. I am early for a scheduled meeting. I have always wanted to…
“Is it possible that everyone can be connected to the Internet?” I wondered. During the session themed “A positive outlook: Leaving No One Offline’ at the Stockholm Internet Forum, my thoughts wandered to Fudencia, a 70 something year-old widow in my village. She is taking care of her five grand children. Unfortunately, Fudencia cannot read…
To tame an elephant, catch it young or make sure that it is born in captivity, she will never know her power. You will use her in the circus to entertain humans, You will ride on her the safari to see other animals, You will use this elephant as crane for construction projects, and you can use her in…
I hate women. I am subdued at the presence of fellow men and strong women. I shrink at anyone that I think is better than me. I have been a door rug for long. This is my turn. I lay in wait like a lion in the savannah for my prey – the broken, the…
” I have ever made 100 dollars. You know how? Someone hooked me up with a white man at the Sheraton that wanted my services, he was going to pay me well. I was 19 and I was hot. I thought 20,000 shillings maybe. So I put on my best clothes and there I was…
“Everyone knows me as the mama of the prostitutes in this area. I came here in 2000 after the death of my husband. He loved me. He pampered me. We had property together. I lost him to sickness in 1999 shortly after the birth of my son. My Husband’s elder brother had been hitting on…
Think of a Vitz car owner, every three months they will service their car at 100,000 Ugx. A new Pirelli tyre (65/70R14) is about 250,000 Ugx, they will pay without questioning but the same car owner will frown when a dentist tells him that a dental checkup is at 35,000 Shillings. Priorities anyone? Many Ugandans…
This is the story of Kemirembe a 24-year-old sex worker in Bwaise Kimombasa. “When I was 16, a woman picked me from my village in Bushenyi to work as a housemaid. I saw this as an opportunity because I wasn’t going to school. My parents were poor. All I had were the clothes on my…
Out of curiosity, last Saturday, I called a friend, a community mobliser, who had worked in Bwaise Kimombasa for years rehabilitating sex workers and connecting them to health care services and education programmes for their children. He had shared their stories with me but I wanted to hear and see for myself. I wanted to treat…
My view from here✈️
Thoughts to words.
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ― Maya Angelou
Life-Health-Love-Ideas
Everything Is a Story
