Tuesday, 4 February 2025
Saturday, 1 February 2025
THE PLIGHT OF WOMEN & GIRLS TOILING IN KABALE HILLS' QUARRIES
13-YEAR-OLD LINNET WORKS THE QUARRY FOR SURVIVAL
In the heart of Kabale Municipality, a vibrant town in western Uganda, life pulses with the energy of countless tourists drawn to its allure. Yet, hidden beneath this bustling facade lies the quiet suffering of children like 13-year-old Ampire Maria Linnet, whose dreams are overshadowed by the crushing weight of poverty that has stolen her childhood.
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| Linnet & other children who work in the quarry |
Linnet, petite and fragile, seems smaller than the towering piles of stones she works upon. Clad in a brown-stained T-shirt—once bright milk-white—and a tattered, thick skirt, she stands barefoot on the rocky ground, her delicate feet a testament to her struggles. Dust settles on her sunburned skin as she gazes up with wide, searching eyes, her small hands nervously clasped at her chest.
At first
glance, one might think she’s merely waiting for a parent or guardian amidst
the chaos of the quarry. Yet, the heart-breaking truth tells a different story:
this girl, trapped in the same relentless labour that defines her existence,
yearns for something greater.
WORKING THE DUSTY, DEADLY QUARRY
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| Linnet at work in the quarry |
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She is only
able to crack between 5 and 7 basins a day when she is out in the quarry, each
strike echoing with the weight of her dreams. A basin sells for 300 Uganda
shillings, converting her toil into a mere 1800 Uganda shillings every Saturday
during school time—an amount too little against the mountains of responsibility
she shoulders.
Every coin
she earns carries the aching hope of contributing to her schooling, the food
that barely sustains her while at school, and the scattered supplies that never
seem to be enough. As she hands over the meagre money to her family members,
her heart aches with desperation, wishing it could ease their struggles, hoping
against hope that it might bring a glimmer of relief. And yet, as it slips
through her fingers like dust in the wind, those hopes vanish, leaving her
feeling powerless and hollow—a silent testament to a young girl yearning for a
better life, yet surrounded by the harsh reality of circumstances that seem to
swallow her efforts whole. Each day is a battle, and yet the fight in her burns
fiercely beneath the surface.
THE DREAM
BURDENED BY FEAR AND UNCERTAINTY
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| Linnet outside her classroom |
Linnet opens
her heart, whispering her aspirations, revealing a flicker of hope amid her
struggles. “I dream of being a doctor,” she says, her
voice almost breaking. “I want to help
those who can’t afford treatment, but I’m scared my dreams will fade away just
like my brothers’.” The stark contrast between her dreams and
current reality is a poignant reminder of her challenges. Currently, in the
second term of primary five, she has yet to see her report card from the first
term due to the harsh toll of unpaid school dues. “We
still owe 50,000 shillings,” she shares, her expression darkening. “I can’t eat at school because we always
fall behind on feeding fees. I have to walk home for lunch, and sometimes
there’s nothing to eat. On those days, I sit at school with an empty stomach,
waiting for the day to end.” She laments
FILLING THE VACUUM OF A MOTHER
Beneath the weight of her responsibilities lies a profound fear of being pulled away from her education, much like her brothers were. This fear clouds her thoughts like an ever-present storm, made even heavier by her mother's absence. “Mom left home three months back because she and Dad fought,” Linnet laments, trembling as she opens up about her fears. “Now I’m doing all the chores. Before school, I must make meals, fetch water, and keep the house clean.” Her brother, 18-year-old Mbabazi Anthony, works tirelessly in the quarry, yet even his efforts barely scratch the surface of their dire financial situation. In her heart, Linnet longs for a life unburdened by worry, where childhood innocence remains untouched by responsibility. The impact of her family situation on her education is stark, highlighting the urgent need for support
THE TRAP OF DEATH
The quarry is
a perilous place for these children, and Linnet has witnessed heart-wrenching
tragedies unfold before her—like the day a 16-year-old boy lost his life in a
sand pit. That memory sends shivers down her spine, haunting her waking moments
and filling her dreams with nightmares. “I feel so
scared,” she confesses. “Every
time I remember that boy, my body trembles.” This fear doesn't
just linger; it envelops her, intertwining with every aspect of her life.
Yet, amid the
shadows of her current existence, Linnet clings tightly to her dreams, yearning
for a glimmer of hope for herself and her family. She dreams of days free from
hunger, where she can dedicate herself wholeheartedly to learning and
rediscovering the joyful innocence of childhood that feels so far away. She
silently envies other children going to school carefree, their futures seemingly
bright and secure. At the same time, her heart aches for a chance—a chance to
remain in school without the constant threat of being drawn back into the
stone-laden grip of poverty.
THE SOLITARY
PURSUIT OF ACADEMIC ASPIRATIONS
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| Linnet in her classroom |
In her young
heart, an ember of determination burns fiercely. She dreams of breaking the
cycle and lifting her family from despair. Despite the odds stacked against
her, flickering hope keeps her going, urging her to believe that one day, her
dreams of education and a better life can become a reality.
Wednesday, 1 December 2021
THE 1990s SILIMU. KAVEERA. MUKENENYA. END INEQUALITIES.END AIDS.END PANDEMICS
By: Nankwanga Eunice Kasirye
The communities had a ghost of death hovering over it, the graveyards were all full of fresh graves, there was that silence of death…the village seemed to tiptoe, lest the spirit of death could be destructed and strike in protest….
It would
start with a rumour in the village, after someone developing a serious fever,
someone getting a pregnancy miscarriage, some couple experiencing a still birth,
someone losing or gaining weight, abrupt death and I remember, even there was a
time, giving birth to twins was another reason to ignite the rumour …and there,
the village tests and diagnose you to be infected with HIV/AIDS.
The
stigmatizing indirect and direct insinuations, loud and silent gossip whispers
begin, pointing winks against you begin…. the world start to narrow around the
victim, the social circles narrow from out, closer to friends starting to avoid
you, until the isolation gets into the family … the myths around HIV AIDS were
too chilling that even your own blood relatives abandon you for own survival.
The Moment a
person became a center of the village diagnostic team, hmmm, the real pain
begins characterized with depression, uncertainty, loss of appetite, loneliness
and isolation, automatically this would translate into low immunity and loss of
weight.
The loss of
weight, the hopelessness, the anxiety that would loom around the person and the
close family members was enough to send anyone close to the coffin and grave pit
….
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| HIV/AIDS patient (photo credit: WHO) |
Someone would start to lose weight slowly but consistently, lose the hair, lips turn out red, eyes protrude out white, shoulders lose the fresh to turn into hanger-like …oooh gosh! A ghost-like figure-is what one would remain
Children
would run away if they met anyone in such a state, grownups would walk at the other
side of the road to avoid close contact….
Families would
label the utensils used by the SICK PERSON, a special make shift house
would sometimes be constructed at the edge of the family compound to house the
sick or additional room on the main house would be put up… some special
exceptional family members, one or two would volunteer to be the caretakers….
of the sick
Happiness
and joy would automatically disappear from that particular family…. the invisible
bells of death would silently and loudly be heard in that particular compound….
Laughter was unheard of, the family members would give up on the sick, they
could seem like on a springboard waiting for a jerk to spring them into wails
and mourning at the death of the sick…. silently and sometimes loudly the
family members would wait for the moment when the sick dies and they regain
their PEACE AND SANITY.
That was SILIMU(slim), KAVEERA (polythene I
haven’t known why it was called so), MUKENENYA(drainer)
Stigma
was the real threat and killer here. I doubt whether most of these sick people were
tested and diagnosed by professional medical doctors before giving up to
HIV/AIDS
The other
chilling moment was when one returned from the city/urban centre sick of
anything, there was that un written conclusion that staying in the city/urban
place was an obvious ticket to being infected by HIV/AIDS
Trust
humanity and beliefs, society had to find a way to go around the stigma, I grew
up in a typical Africa, setting… where we had spirits owning water-wells,
trees, shrubs and persons representing some sort of spirit….
During that
time, my community still practiced spousal inheritance, if a young man lost a
wife, the wife’s family would take it upon themselves to find the widower an
immediate replacement. And if a wife lost a husband, the husband’s family would
immediately find an immediate brother to take on the widow. In some cases,
where no one would take on the widow, the widow often kept the husband’s
compound to take care of the young children despite of her personal desire to
remarry.
Young widows
and widowers were a common sight in the 90s, it was rare for anyone to die of
anything else but HIV AIDS. The old, somehow stopped dying and even when one
died in an accident, somehow a rumour would spill around that the accident just
rushed the victims’ death but somehow he/she was meant to die of HIV/AIDS.
In a
community where spirits still had power, witchcraft was a problem maker and solver… the
families would start up a rumour as well, about their family member, the sick one,
that someone bewitched him/her with a spell instigated from the grave of a
person who died of AIDS.
This meant that
the (Claimed) bewitched person would be infested with a strange disease that presents
the same symptoms as those of a person infected with HIV/AIDS
The
witchcraft rumour would be well circulated to cover up the HIV/AIDS rumour… witchdoctors
would be brought in to treat the
sick or sometimes the sick would be ferried to the Witchdoctors shrines…. spirits
would be invoked to speak; some name would be mentioned …the names would often
be said to be the person who bewitched
the sick
In this
confusion, somehow the sick would regain some hope, after all if it wasn’t HIV/AIDS,
the chance to survive was high…. the sick would slowly regain appetite, improve
immunity and get back with some weight regain…
Here some
young widows would pass and get into relationship with other young men after
all the husbands were assumed to have died of witchcraft.
I think that
is what resulted into a situation where a lot of children were infected during
birth.
Thank God in
the 1990s still, that was the time when scientists were busy in laboratories to
find a solution and there were visible aggressive campaigns against HIV/AIDS
and the political will to fight the virus, …...After a decade of increasing prevalence, the spread of the epidemic
began to wane in the early 1990s. Since 1993, there is evidence of a consistent
decline in HIV prevalence in pregnant women and in other populations under
surveillance. There is some indication, however, that HIV incidence peaked in
the 1980s and that declines in HIV prevalence in the nineties reflect declines
in HIV incidence that occurred during the late 1980s (Low-Beer, 2002).
Friday, 20 March 2020
TRYING SO HARD TO BE RELEVANT WHERE YOU'RE IRRELEVANT
Remove your expectations from people and you will have removed their power to hurt you:If you don't like something, just remove your attention from it, because wherever your attention is...your power is surrendered.
Every one has a life to live, persons with empty lives tend to push their negativity into other people's lives creating an impression of certain standards that must be met for another person's life to qualify...eeeeh if one thinks some standards must be met then let them practice for their own good.
Living by other people's standards is giving up your own life for nothing because most cases the people you intend to impress don't even have your interests on their secondary optional list of priorities.
They don't even notice your struggle to meet up to their expectations because they are busy living their own life.
When you live yourself, you will surely attract the right people who will see you as enough and appreciate you for who you are.
You're under no obligation to do what others expect you to do,Do something because you think it is right and you care.
You don't need others to hold your hand at every step in your life, sometimes you need to move alone, to trust yourself and have your personal appraisal based on your personal standards.
You are likely to mess up sometimes but when you listen to your intuition, your messes will only give you a life time lesson to better yourself.
You need to grow to a level where you allow your self to speak your own truth to yourself, even when all circumstances threaten your Independence.
Start to make your own decisions in situations instead of excuses-learn new things: never settle for mediocrity for fear of challenging yourself above the basic and generic expectations.
It takes a lot of courage to stand alone, but it is worth it, you don't have to be apologetic to be you.
Trying so hard to live up to other people's expectations is a sign of insecurity and shadows your attention from the people who appreciate the true you. #Nankwangainspirations
Comments
SET YOUR LIFE-BAR & BE CLEAR ON YOUR LIMITS
“....If you don’t set a baseline standard for what you will accept in life, you easily slip into behaviors & attitudes & quality of life far below what you deserve...”-Anthony Robbins
One’s life-bar correlate with one's self esteem, if your life bar is so low, with almost no limits, it is just clear you think you don’t deserve the best for your self, your life choices are often affected and clearly translates into low self esteem.
My mother, Kekrine (RIP), Medium sized, not that tall but not short, fleshy with a chocolate skin, used to walk with a force-forward as though she was always edging to wrestle someone, with a deep authoritative voice that could piece through distances- believed in a life so big that only lived in her intuition. She believed and i know she still believes in being unique, setting the life-bar high above the routine and never settling for less. She did not believe in second positions, one has to be the best of who she/he is, there should be no any alternative or plan B in any situation A should always be A, it doesn't matter the situation.
Maama, didn't care how many people believe in her or how many people will cheer her up or how many people say no, all she believed in – is living above the basic and setting own standards.
Maama didnt believe in team work if you’re not teaming up with the champions and to her, champions were not determined by the physical achievements but on an individual Attitude, Maama believed that the right attitude can make you fly even without wings
To Maama, no one is a failure and everyone is responsible for own choices in life, therefore everyone ought to have a life-bar and should be bold enough to spell it out lest someone takes you for granted.
It didn’t matter whether you're privileged or under privileged according to societal dimensions, one must have the Dos and Don't s in every situation.
And that defines you and determine how others relate with you and the world will accept you for who you are.
Raise your standards and the Universe will meet you there” – Danielle LaPorte
Choosing to be a no boundary person, an I don’t care person- a whatever person-:To Maama, is hypocritical, toxic and self-failing.
Every one in life ought to have a limit-a point where you are able to say no, i cannot go below this- in every situation.
With a well set life-bar, the more clear your line of compromise stands out. It doesn't matter at what level of social class you are, you must have a ceiling on what you can take and what you cannot take.
It is important to be real in life, choosing no limit to compromise is living in self denial because generally everyone has a lower limit in life-the difference is the ability to clearly stand out and be clear on what you can and cannot tolerate.
Wake up and become that person, put on the persona. Make the choice that you will be mindful, every moment of the day, that you are a person of high confidence that has high expectations.
Setting a life-bar, is not about what you can afford to buy with money it is about what you can earn with your personality. You don’t need to lower your life-bar to fit in, no no, be clear, whoever doesn't match up to your expectations is not your type and you don't need to apologize for letting go...
Setting your life-bar will give you guidelines of your day to day life, create a personality you will be proud of when you're alone-
Repetition is the mother of mastery. If you want to be a confident person, who has high standards, then act like you are a confident person, who has high standards.
We are the sum of our habits. What you choose to believe about yourself and how you choose to act, is entirely up to you. Pick out your skin, try it on for size and before you know it you will have mastered the art of being the best you possible.
SET YOUR LIFE-BAR & BE CLEAR
#Nankwangainspirations
Monday, 2 December 2019
HE KICKED MY BABY AND WOMB OUT
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| google picture |