Africa-Press – Uganda. <\/strong><\/span>Ruth Kugumikiriza, a 45-year-old mother of nine, felt helpless when she received news that a speeding truck had left her son with a fractured leg. There was no partner to turn to as her husband left their marital home a decade ago.<\/p>\nMore devastating was the fact that the single mother could neither read nor write when she attempted to file a case with the police.<\/p>\n
She said that the officers at Kyenzige Police Post in Kagadi \u201cdeliberately kept using English much as I asked to speak to a person who would understand my local dialect.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the offender had been arrested and his truck towed to the police post, one officer made it clear to Ms Kugumikiriza that her case would face challenges with in the next 14 days if she failed to find a lawyer. To get a lawyer, Ms Kugumikiriza needed to hop onto a public service vehicle and brave a nearly two-hour journey from Kagadi to Fort Portal.<\/p>\n
She yielded with reluctance and against her better judgment to leave her hospitalised son and make the journey spanning a little over 100 kilometres. In Fort Portal, she eventually found a lawyer at Legal Aid. Whereas he could benefit from the services of a translator familiar with Ms Kugumikiriza\u2019s local dialect, she could not sigh with relief. The lawyer was persistent in his demand for money and much more.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe man took me to some room and asked for sex,\u201d Ms Kugumikiriza told Saturday Monitor, adding that she had borrowed money from relatives to make the trip to Fort Portal.<\/p>\n
Eventually, the back and forth led to nowhere and surgeons had to amputate the leg of Ms Kugumikiriza\u2019s son. Ms Kugumikiriza, who dropped out of school in Primary Six and was married aged 17, blamed the misfortune of his son on her inability to have a mastery over the English language.<\/p>\n
Clearly, she is not alone. Mary Nakayima, a resident of Keicumu Village in Kyenzige, says she has always missed out on development programmes because she can neither read nor write.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes you can have an idea on a specific matter, but then you get frustrated because you do not know how to speak English,\u201d the Primary Two drop-out told Monitor<\/b> in an interview.<\/p>\n
Beneficiaries <\/b><\/p>\n
Both Ms Kugumikiriza and Ms Nakayima are beneficiaries of a mass adult literacy programme organised by Maisha School, an education facility for the underprivileged under charity organisation Maisha Holistic Africa Foundation in Kagadi.<\/p>\n
Ms Kugumikiriza says the rich benefits of the programme are already manifesting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can now count money, write and read a sales agreement with ease. I have also gained confidence unlike before when anyone would frustrate me with English,\u201d she discloses, adding, \u201cI have self-esteem and freedom to seek for answers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Milly Nassolo Kikomeko, the director-in-charge of Legal, Women and Children Affairs at Maisha Holistic Africa, explains that the programme is meant to equip women\u2014especially single and young mothers\u2014with skills to tackle social challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe course depends on what one wants to learn. It can be reading, writing, and counting,\u201d she told Monitor<\/b>, adding that \u201cit takes two years for a learner to graduate.\u201d<\/p>\n
The programme that commenced in 2020 also comes with other benefits such as mental health support, counselling, farming skills, among others.<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen in Kagadi are given legal advice, counselled to give them hope and self-esteem to deal with social challenges in addition to basic education that ranges from language, mathematics and soon computer [studies] will be introduced,\u201d Ms Kikomeko notes.<\/p>\n
She further reveals that women in Kagadi are deprived of their rights by people who thrive off their illiteracy and ignorance.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the time we have been here, we have learnt we can sustain our families. Now my children also go to school and I am able to fend for them through small projects like smallholder farming, tailoring and poultry,\u201d Ms Kugumikiriza beams.<\/p>\n
Lofty goals<\/b><\/p>\n
The programme has attracted 76 learners most of whom are single mothers and widows. The first batch of finalists comprised 55 women.<\/p>\n
Mr Robert Kikomeko, the founder member and co-director of Maisha, told Monitor<\/b> that the target is to educate 1,000 women by 2030.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not just basic education,\u201d he says, \u201cwe are equipping our society with knowledge to curb land grabbing, domestic violence, among others.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Kikomeko adds that if a woman is able to read and write, they will never indulge in dubious land transactions and hence tackle land grabbing.<\/p>\n
He further explains that the more women are equipped with agricultural skills, the more they use their land and fend for their families.<\/p>\n
At the inauguration of the project in Kyezige in Kagadi, Ms Night Better\u2014a village councillor of Kasokero in Kyenzige Town Council\u2014explained that single mothers need hope to better their life.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are glad that women in our area are getting life skills and adult literacy and this is going to make them more productive,\u201d she told Monitor<\/b>.<\/p>\n
Mr Ivan Bwowe, a lawyer, says education is a human right that everyone must gain access to. He urges the government to consider localising public programmes and access to justice so as to benefit everyone.<\/p>\n
For More News And Analysis About Uganda<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Gabriel Buule & GLORIA IRANKUNDA Africa-Press – Uganda. Ruth Kugumikiriza, a 45-year-old mother of nine, felt helpless when she received news that a speeding truck had left her son with a fractured leg. There was no partner to turn to as her husband left their marital home a decade ago. More devastating was the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":51799,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[233,240,234],"class_list":["post-51800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-uganda","tag-uganda"],"yoast_head":"\n
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