A shero who illuminates education in Kyenjojo, Uganda

Faith Philo Kunihira (C), with the young and old children at Bring Home to the family babies’ home at Kaihura in Kyenjojo District, Uganda. Photo by Felix Basiime

Kunihira enjoys the company of the children at Bring Home baby’s home at Kaihura in Kyenjojo district, Uganda. Photo by Felix Basiime

SATURDAY MONITOR 8/6/2019

https://mobile.monitor.co.ug/A-shero-who-illuminates-education-Kyenjojo/691260-5149110-kd0xeiz/index.html

By Felix Basiime

IN SUMMARY

Heroic act. Faith Philo Kunihira’s love and care for children has been extended to hundreds of children abandoned or abused in Kyenjojo, Kabarole, Kyegegwa, Kamwenge districts, writes Felix Basiime

It is a bright day at Kaihura trading centre, about 40 kms on the new Fort Portal-Kyenjojo road. I see a sign post written on ‘Bringing Hope to the Family’ on the right hand side of the road. As I branch off, shortly after a two-minute-drive, I am already at the children’s centre that is well-fenced with a tall wire mesh.

At the gate, the guard asks me who I want to see. ‘I want to see Kunihira,’ I respond. After registering, he gives me access to the premises. I find many children, boys and girls in the compound, happily playing. This is the baby’s home that has brought hope to many children in the western region. In the office, I find a policeman registering a child who they had earlier in the day rescued from a woman, they found seated in the middle of road, waiting for a car to knock them dead. 

It is a beehive of activity as people are busy slashing, building, sweeping, older children are peeling Irish potatoes for supper, while the senior women are washing clothes, mopping and bathing children.

Moments later, I find Kunihira inside, playing with the youngest children. After exchanging pleasantries, she confesses, “I love children so much. I can spend the whole day playing with them.” 

Faith Philo Kunihira is mothering hundreds of children who have been abandoned or abused in Kyenjojo, Kabarole, Kyegegwa, Kamwenge and Kagadi districts.
Kunihira is the founder and the executive director of Bringing Hope to the Family, an non-governmental organisation based in Kyenjojo District in western Uganda, that offers education, child care centres, has supported health by building two health centre IIIs and connected hard -to -reach places by building bridges, among other services.

Impact
“In the last 19 years, I have educated 265 children who have all obtained degrees. 80 are now at universities,” Kunihira reveals. 

Asked how she sustains this initiative, Kunihira says her tireless efforts and long hours of work keep the babies’ home going. She also noted that she receives support from different donors. 

According to Kunihira, 1,225 vulnerable girls and boys have obtained vocational skills, while 136 others are undertaking vocational studies in different institutions.
“Some of the children I support are in schools like Mandela in Hoima, Kyebambe Girls Senior School in Fort Portal and several other schools. In primary schools, there are 1,650 and 62 (0 to 14 years) are in the babies’ home,” she adds.

Health care
Kunihira says more than 1,600 people living with HIV receive quality health services at Hope Again Medical Centre III and 265 of these are children.

The centre also provides free nutritional supplements. “In July, we are opening a new health centre III at Kanyegamire in Bufunjo Sub- county, Mwenge North in Kyenjojo District. We also focus on water and sanitation. We have constructed three boreholes and 62 shallow wells around Kyenjojo District,” Kunihira explains. 

Community development
Kunihira says her initiative has supported 1,224 households with agricultural inputs, nutrition, mosquito nets, psychosocial support, handled child abuse cases and supported several villages to start up saving groups.

“During our community outreach programmes in 2016, I found that the people of Kanyegamire were cut off from the rest of the district, as the only makeshift bridge had been swept away by floods at Kahombo swamp. I was told that pregnant women would fall in the waters as they sought medical services to Kifuka on foot, about 20 Km away” she says.

“While building a medical facility was ideal, we later found out that constructing the bridge first would save lives. I started soliciting for funds (Shs320 million) and I am glad that the local people will have a new bridge in July this year.” She says she received a lot of support from Duke University in North Carolina, USA.

Education
Born 49 years ago at Ntutu village in Nantungo Sub -county, Kunihira went to Kaihura Primary School and Madox Secondary School. She holds several certificates in HIV/Aids counselling and computer science and an Advanced diploma in Project Planning and Management. She holds a degree in Business Studies from the Institute of Computer Management in the UK. She holds a Master of Science Business Administration from Roehampton University in the UK. She was recently honoured with a Doctorate in Humanity from Lead Impact University in USA.

Work experience
Kunihira worked at Shell Jinja as an accountant, Uganda Grain Milling Company as an audit assistant, director at the Source Café in Jinja and is founder of the Masterseed Primary School in Jinja.

Today, she is the founder and executive director of ‘Bringing Hope to the Family’, ‘Home Again’, and a medical facility -Hope Again Medical Centre III, ‘High Hope Primary School’, New Hope Vocational institute, Future Hope- a Pregnancy Crisis Centre and runs a Community Development Programme that focuses on infrastructural development in Kyenjojo District.

What others say

Adolf Baguma, 17
Student at Mandela SS in Hoima
Philo Kunihira supported me to go for surgery in Califonia after I was tortured at home in Rugombe in Kyenjojo District, in 2016. When I recovered, she offered me a study bursary. She is a blessing to our village.

Tom Mwebaze, 26, 
Clinical Officer and the officer- in-charge of Hope Again Medical Centre III
I met this lady with a heart of gold after completing Senior Four. She paid my school fees through A- L evel and at Fort Portal School of Clinical Officers. She is a hard working woman, very caring, and a mother.

Grace Kemigisa, 
A farmer
Kunihira is a hero sent from heaven to Kyenjojo. She has supported the vulnerable children and mothers in this region. She is selfless and generous. She always yearns to see people doing better and these are enviable and rare virtues.

4,000 hectares of forest cover restored- UWA

Restored. Part of the restored Kibale National Park. PHOTO BY FELIX BASIIME 

FRIDAY JANUARY 11 2019

https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/4-000-hectares-of-forest-cover-restored-UWA/688334-4929798-tgrha8z/index.html

In Summary

Measures. Authorities have constructed pillars and planted trees on boundaries to limit human activities in the national park

By SCOVIA ATUHAIRE & FELIX BASIIME

KAMWENGE. In a bid to boost biodiversity and tourism in the Rwenzori sub-region, Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has embarked on forests restoration.
In Kibale conservation area, 4,000 out of 10,000 hectares of forest have been restored in Kamwenge District, according to the chief warden of the conservation area, Mr Nelson Guma.
The project that started in 1995 has also seen 2,500 hectares regenerated naturally.
Kibale conservation area covers 766 square kilometres in parts of Kamwenge, Kabarole and Kyenjojo districts.
According to Mr Guma, the restorations will help combat climate change and restore biodiversity.
Kibale conservation area is well known for hosting primates in the whole world with about 13 species. Mr Guma said, the project will also provide habitat for biodiversity.
“So far, the number of elephants has increased as well as chimps and we hope in the near future we shall have plenty of them and more tourists will come,” he said.
With the initiative, Mr Guma said new tree species have increased too. He, however, noted that with increase in biodiversity ,human-wildlife conflict will also increase.

Activities
In a bid to stop wild animals from invading communities, Mr Guma revealed that they have dug trenches to block them from crossing. They have also empowered communities to set up beehives.
Authorities have also constructed pillars and planted trees on boundaries to limit human activities in the park.
In Bundibugyo District, the Resident District Commissioner, Ms Grace Kakwenza, has appealed to the communities to stop destroying the forests .
“We are now experiencing good weather because of the restored forests and once destroyed, the weather pattern will change,” she said:
The Bundibugyo District chairman, Mr Godfrey Mutegeki, has encouraged communities to promote tourism by popularising Semuliki National Park. “It’s a shame to find that people from other places know what is in Semuliki but the local communities do not know,” he said.

Decline

The State Minister for Environment, Ms Mary Goretti Kitutu, last year said Uganda’s forest cover has been depleted to eight per cent up from 24 per cent in the 1990s, which she attributed to human encroachment. A 2018 report on Uganda’s forest cover rby the Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (Acode) also indicates that the country’s total forest cover reduced by 27 per cent between 1990 and 2005 and in that period, , total coverage reduced from 4.9 million hectares to 1.8 million hectares.

Security hunt poachers over killing of nine Uganda Kobs

A combined force of Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers and Uganda People’s Defence Forces are searching for suspected poachers believed to have killed nine Uganda Kobs. PHOTO BY FELIX BASIIME 

WEDNESDAY APRIL 10 2019

https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Security-hunt-poachers-over--killing-nine-Uganda-Kobs/688334-5064312-11ygt3f/index.html

In Summary

·         Tooro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve covers part of Ntoroko, Bundibugyo and Kabarole districts and also borders with Lake Albert.

By FELIX BASIIME

NTOROKO. A combined force of Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) rangers and Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) are searching for suspected poachers believed to have killed nine kobs in Tooro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve in Ntoroko District.

The warden-in-charge of Tooro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve, Mr Benon Mugyerwa, on Monday evening confirmed the death of the Uganda Kobs.
“Yes, we found nine heads of the kobs inside Tooro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve last week on Wednesday. The poachers had already taken the meat but we have dispatched a combined force of our rangers from our reserve and other parks together with the UPDF to hunt and arrest these poachers,” Mr Mugyerwa said.

Other poaching incidents
Just mid last month, court in Ntoroko District sentenced four cattle keepers for illegally grazing more than 600 cows in Tooro Semliki Wildlife Reserve.
Mr Deusdedit Twinomugisha, the assistant warden of Community Conservation at Tooro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve, said the cattle keepers have killed all the lions in the reserve because they eat their cows.
“Lions are the key attraction to tourists in the park. Tourists don’t want to see domestic animals in the park and they pay a lot of money to see wild animals, birds and boat cruise events,” he said.
Mr Twinomugisha said the reserve receives between 500 to 700 tourists each year.

Last year, Police in Katwe-Kabatoro in Kasese District held four suspects for allegedly killing lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The 11 lions included three females and eight cubs, which died after suspected poisoning, at Hamukungu Fishing Village in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The management of the reserve continues to suffer challenges that include poaching, illegal grazing, poor road network to the reserve, poor community attitude towards conservation, illegal trafficking of wildlife resources and a high demand of resources from the reserve such as poles, firewood, water and grass.

The reserve
Tooro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve covers part of Ntoroko, Bundibugyo and Kabarole districts and also borders with Lake Albert.
According to UWA, some of the cattle keepers were allowed to graze in the reserve during the ADF war to alert government about the rebel positions but after the insurgency in 1990s, however, the habit of grazing in the reserve continued.

As early as 1913, Tooro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve became significant for tsetse fly control programme and a lion hunting area.
It was established as a Game Reserve in 1926 Under General Notice 546 aiming at the protection of the large population of wild animals of which kobs were dominant. Other games were reedbucks, waterbucks, hartebeests, lions, buffaloes, elephants, hippos and others.

500 cows die as drought wreaks havoc in Ntoroko

Cattle keepers help a cow get on its feet in Rwebisengo Sub-county, Ntoroko District, during drought in 2017. FILE PHOTO 

WEDNESDAY MARCH 27 2019

https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/500-cows-die-drought--Ntoroko-Muzizi-Semliki/688334-5043624-bdiua2z/index.html

By FELIX BASIIME & ALEX ASHABA

Ntoroko- Cattle keepers in Ntoroko District have lost more than 500 head of cattle following drought since January.
Pastoralists and residents trek between 6kms and 10kms daily searching for water from Semliki, Wasa (inside Tooro Semliki Wildlife Reserve), Muzizi and Makondo rivers.

“The place is very dry; we have lost more than 500 cows since January due to lack of pasture and water for our cattle and this has put us in a dangerous situation,” Mr Charles Mujungu Kasoro, the chairperson of Rwebisengo Cattle Keepers Association, said on Monday.
Mr Kasoro said market prices of cows have also reduced since the animals look frail.

The most affected areas are Rwebisengo, Kibuuku, Kanaara and Bweramule sub-counties.
“President Museveni pledged to provide us with safe water from River Muzizi but we have never seen anything and yet every year, we lose our cows to starvation,” Mr Kasoro said.

President Museveni made the promise during the 2016 presidential campaigns.
Mr Timothy Kyamanywa, the district chairperson, said the drought and floods have increased the cost of fighting malaria, especially among children as the drugs are running out.

Mr Meshack Byomuntura, a research officer at Rwenzori Anti-Corruption Coalition, said the situation has been compounded by the incomplete construction of four boreholes in Rwebisengo and Butungama sub-counties.

“The communities have to move to River Semliki to fetch water for animals and domestic use,” Mr Byomuntura said.
“Our findings revealed that there were gaps in the procurement process that has contributed to the delay for construction of boreholes since last year, especially at Budiba, Kiranga and Majumba,” he added.

Government moves to cool locals’ tempers over oil drilling in Queen Elizabeth park

In the spotlight. Queen Elizabeth National Park. Government has explained the process it will take before issuing oil exploration licences for the Ngaji block in the park. PHOTO BY ERIC DOMINIC BUKENYA 

FRIDAY MAY 10 2019

https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Government-moves-cool-tempers-oil-drilling-Queen-Elizabeth-park/688334-5108216-12uqp47/index.html

In Summary

·         Concern. Environmentalists worry they will lose the ecosystem while fishermen fear for their source of livelihood.

By FELIX BASIIME & MISAIRI THEMBO KAHUNGU

KASESE/KANUNGU. The government has explained the process it will take before issuing oil exploration licences for the Ngaji block in the Queen Elizabeth National Park, where surrounding communities and some civil society organisations (CSOs) are trying to put up a spirited defence of the ecosystem.

The Ngaji block is an oil and gas exploration area around Lake Edward, on the side of Kasese and Kanungu.
The area is adjacent to the Virunga National Park in DR Congo. It is a world heritage site and forms part of the same continuous ecosystem.”

Currently, there is a petition raised by environmentalists and fishermen expressing fear for the environment and fishermen losing their source of livelihood.
The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Energy, Mr Robert Kasande, in an interview, however, said it is too early to raise the red flag over the planned exploration.

Mr Kasande said the people raising the petition need to first visit Murchison Falls National Park to confirm any kind of environmental issues the exploration caused on the side of Nwoya District before seeking to block it in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

“It is preliminary for anybody to put such a petition because we have not yet put that area for exploration licensing. If you go to Murchison, you will be able to see that nothing bad happened there,” he said.
Mr Kasande said when the ministry sets out an exploration area for licensing, sensitisation meetings would be held in the affected areas.

Mr Jeconious Musingwire, the south-western regional officer for National Environmental Management Authority (Nema), said: “Geological process of oil normally affects water, but licensing moves in phases, there will be public hearings where there is an issue raised, it will be considered, all stakeholders must be consulted, Nema has to license after a scientific research has been done.”

The activists, who include members of Kasese Youth and Women Clean Energy Clubs and a local CSO, contend that this area is a world heritage site and forms part of same continuous ecosystem.
They said if oil exploitation is carried out, it will affect the ecosystems and render fishermen jobless yet it is uncertain that the oil industry would offer them jobs.

Some of the activists of the CSO are linked to Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO), which has been a champion in advocating community issues, especially in Bunyoro, where oil and gas production is expected in a few years.
Their recent concerns rose after government’s plan to launch the second competitive licensing round for oil blocks, which would include Ngaji oil block, this week.

Cabinet this week approved the licensing of at least nine exploration areas, Ngaji block inclusive.
Ngaji oil block was one of the blocks that were not licensed due to community, CSO and international pressure.

Mr Nicholas Kagongo, one of the activists based in Katwe-Kabatoro Town Council, Kasese District and also a field officer for Kasese National Association of Professional Environmentalist, said:

“The Ministry of Energy should not license out the Ngaji oil block for oil exploration, because the block covers the Uganda side of Lake Edward and parts of Queen Elizabeth National Park that borders directly with the Virunga National Park in DR Congo, the world heritage site and forms part of the same continuous ecosystem.”
He said allowing oil exploration would put Lake Edward and Queen Elizabeth National Park at a risk because an estimated 200,000 fishermen and local communities such as Rwenshama, Katwe, Kisenyi, Kayanja on the Uganda side depend on the lake.

Mr Kagongo said the lake is also a home to several birds species, elephants, crocodiles, lions, buffaloes and hippocampus.
He said: “The oil activities in Queen Elizabeth could damage the ecosystem, the people and wildlife that depends on it, because this part of the park is where unique animals like Toppi and the climbing lions of Ishasha (in Rukungiri) and attract many tourists for game drive, so the oil drilling would directly impact on the fragile ecosystem”.

Mr Kagongo said the tourism potential of the area could harvest lots of money than the non-renewable oil resource.
Mr Joshua Rukundo from Kanungu Disrict, which will also be affected if Ngaji oil block is licensed out, said nearly an entire parish would be affected yet Kanungu has high population pressure.
“If Ngaji oil block is licensed, it will affect the ecosystem. I think the government should find an alternative venture.” Rukundo said.

Mr Edwin Mumbere, the co-ordinator of Coalition of Kasese Women and Youth clean energy clubs, said: “Ngaji oil block serves economic, social, cultural and aesthetic purposes that no amount of money from oil exploitation can replace that from tourism.”
Uganda is signatory to the Paris Climate Change Agreement which among others promotes environmental conservation and addressing climate change.

The Paris Agreement aims to keep global warming below a 2 degree Celsius by the end of the 21st Century and pursue efforts to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius, according to the recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

As well the Paris Agreement text stipulates that developed countries must financially assist developing countries both in terms of adaptation to global warming and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, which requires the expansion of renewable energies.
According to the Wilderness Society, an online publication, there are several ways oil and gas drilling is bad for the environment.

They say oil and gas drilling is a dirty business and has consequences for wild lands and communities. That it disrupts wildlife migration routes and habitats from noise pollution, traffic and fences.

It is characterized by oil spills on land and offshore drilling sites, landscape changes from well pads and roads, oil and gas infrastructure and traffic spoil peaceful settings for visitors, haze, toxic chemicals and dust pollute the air and water.
That machinery, gas flares and light pollution disrupt scenic views and clear night skies and dangerous methane emissions contribute to climate change.

Effects of Oil & Gas 

According to the Wilderness Society, an online publication, there are several ways oil and gas drilling is bad for the environment.
They say oil and gas drilling is a dirty business and has consequences for wild lands and communities. That it disrupts wildlife migration routes and habitats from noise pollution, traffic and fences.

It is characterised by oil spills on land and offshore drilling sites, landscape changes from well pads and roads, oil and gas infrastructure and traffic spoil peaceful settings for visitors, haze, toxic chemicals and dust pollute the air and water.
That machinery, gas flares and light pollution disrupt scenic views and clear night skies and dangerous methane emissions contribute to climate change.

Oil development and production
Uganda’s oil and gas industry is transitioning from exploration and appraisal to development and production.
The components involved at the development and production stage include well pads, pipelines, Central Processing Facilities (CPF) and other infrastructures.

Well pads consist of production wells, injection wells and well fluid. Production wells are wells through which the oil flows to the surface; Injection wells are wells used to pump water into the oil fields to stimulate the oil flow, and; Well fluids are a mixture of oil, gas, water and impurities.

Production pipelines to transport produced oil and gas. Water abstraction and water injection pipelines to transport water. Polymer injection pipeline to transport polymer from the Central Processing Facilities to Oil Wells.

In the CPF, the oil, gas and water in the well fluids will be separated. This is safely done in many places in the world.
Other project infrastructures will include; new field roads, upgraded roads, workers’ camps and operational support bases and other facilities - borrow pits and waste disposal area.

The oil blocks in Uganda are in the Albertine rift basin, close to the border with DRC, where commercial oil deposits are estimated by government geologists to total 6 billion barrels. The six blocks are in Ngassa, Tai Tai & Karuka, Mvule, Turaco, Kanywantaba and Ngaji

Ebola vaccination kicks off in Rwenzori Sub-region

Equipped. Vaccination of all health workers against the deadly Ebola disease has kicked off in the Rwenzori Sub- region. FILE PHOTO 

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 13 2018

https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Ebola-vaccination-kicks-off-Rwenzori-Sub-region/688334-4848496-8c5plv/index.html

In Summary

• Vaccination. Health ministry says 2,100 doses of the Ebola vaccine will be administered.
• The Ebola virus belongs to the Filoviridae family (filovirus) and is comprised of five distinct species: Zaïre, Sudan, Côte d’Ivoire, Bundibugyo and Reston.

By Monitor Team

KABAROLE/BUNDIBUGYO. Vaccination of all health workers against the deadly Ebola disease has kicked off in the Rwenzori Sub-region.

This comes as a preventive measure against the disease that has hit neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The exercise is targeting frontline health workers in the five risk districts of Kabarole, Bunyangabu, Kasese, Bundibugyo and Ntoroko.

According to health authorities, the vaccination exercise started last Wednesday in Ntoroko District, one of the high risk border districts in the region.

The Ntoroko District health officer (DHO), Dr Rogers Mugisha, told Daily Monitor yesterday that the vaccination exercise has been moving on smoothly.

“The vaccination is voluntary. Our health workers have responded positively and the exercise is still ongoing,” Dr Mugisha said.

According to the Bundibugyo Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Ms Grace Kakwenza, who is the head of the district Ebola task force, after Ntoroko the exercise will be rolled out to Bundibugyo and Kasese districts.

The Kasese District health officer, Dr Yusuf Baseke, said he expects the vaccination team in his area next week.
In Bunyangabu, the district health officer, Dr Richard Obeti, revealed that they have selected eight health facilities where health workers will be vaccinated.

These include Rwimi Health Centre III, Kibiito Health IV, Rwimi Health Centre III, Kabonero Health Centre III, Kateebwa Health Centre II, Rwagimba Health Centre III, Kibaate Health Centre III, Labya III and Mitandi Health Centre III.

Mr Obeti said they have also trained health workers in the district on how to manage Ebola cases.

A fortnight ago one person from Kasenda Sub-county in Kabarole District was confirmed to have Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic fever and has since been admitted to Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital in an isolation unit.
The Kabarole Ebola task force chairman, Mr Steven Asiimwe, on Monday called for the need to emphasise hand washing in all health facilities.

According to Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, the Health minister, a total of 2,100 doses of the rVSV-Ebola vaccine will be administered to the health workers in the sub-region.
Mr Martin Watsisi, the regional WASH adviser at IRC International water and sanitation centre Uganda, urged officials in-charge of various health centres in Kabarole District to ensure availability of hand washing facilities and soap at their units.

According to Mr Watsisi, there is continued spread of preventable diseases due to inadequate water, soap and hand washing facilities at health centres.

A recent research conducted by the centre in Kabarole District indicates that 89 per cent of the health care workers had knowledge about hand hygiene and infection prevention.
In July 2017, a research centre aimed at equipping medical staff with skills to handle filo virus outbreaks such as hemorrhagic fever, Cueva, Marburg and Ebola was established at Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital.

The centre that is a pilot in the country among others finds treatment solutions on the outbreaks.
The centre was established by Makerere University Walter Reed Project in partnership with the Infectious Disease Institute for clinical research capabilities in Fort Portal.

About ebola
The Ebola virus belongs to the Filoviridae family (filovirus) and is comprised of five distinct species: Zaïre, Sudan, Côte d’Ivoire, Bundibugyo and Reston. According to the World Health Organisation the Ebola virus is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids of infected persons. The incubation period is two to 21 days. Ebola is characterised by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat.

Reporting by Felix Basiime, Alex Ashaba, & Longino Muhindo

editorial@ug.nationmedia.com

Catholic, Anglican churches in joint sanitation campaign

A child washes hands with soap after visiting a pit-latrine in Katonzi Village, Kamwenge District, last week. PHOTO BY SCOVIA ATUHAIRE 

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Catholic-Anglican-churches-joint-sanitation-campaign/688334-4681322-5cvwd2z/index.html

THURSDAY JULY 26 2018

In Summary

·         According to the World Water Atlas, the district has 2,495 domestic water points, which serve a population of 373,888. According to the 2014 census, 47.3 per cent of households in the district collect drinking water from unsafe sources and 2.8 per cent households lack toilet facilities.

By MONITOR TEAM

Kamwenge. The Catholic and Anglican churches in Kamwenge District have teamed up to improve hygiene and sanitation in homes with a key message of washing hands with soap after using the toilet.

As its health tips, the Catholic Church uses the book of Deuteronomy 23:12-13; “Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. As part of your equipment, have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement”.
With this verse, Rev Fr Kayondo says: “The Bible is very clear; each family must have a latrine and if God visits your family and finds that you are unclean, he cannot help”.

Fr Kayondo says after undergoing training by district officials a year ago, he together with other church leaders in small Christian communities started moving house-to-house, educating people about hygiene.
“We divided the parishes into four zones and these parishes are in Buhanda and Kicheche sub-counties in Kitagwenda County. In every zone, we pick one village to work as a model and a small Christian community,” he says.

Fr Kayondo says each village has between 35 and 50 families, which are used to demonstrate and reach others.
“Most of the government programmes have been failing but when the church gets involved, they cannot fail because we have the biggest platform and people believe in us,” he says. Fr Kayondo says residents have been encouraged to embrace the project because it is spiritual and people were urged not to mix washed utensils with dirty ones.
“We make follow-ups to ensure that households are embracing the campaign. However, hand washing coverage is still low. We still need to change people’s mind set,” he says.

Religious leaders are implementing this project in five Catholic and five Anglican parishes in the district.
The Catholic parishes include Kitagwenda, Mahyoro, Kichwamba, Kicheche and Holy Trinity. The Anglican parishes include Ntuntu, Nyakasenyi, Kichwamba, Kibumbi and Nkoma.
Both Churches coordinate their activities to ensure they do not overlap.
Rev Canon Benon Rwabushari of Ntuntu Parish says the Anglican Church has mainly used the Mothers’ Union to promote the campaign.
“We have plans of going to our schools to educate pupils and teachers about hygiene both at school and in their homes,” he says, adding that the fathers’ union will also come on board.

“Our people fall sick because of ignorance. Diseases related to hygiene should not exist,” he observes.
Ms Ketty Bagarukayo, a resident of Katonzi Village, Kicheche Sub-county, says the campaign has already produced results.
“Our children used to suffer from diarrhoea and typhoid but we did not know it was due to poor hygiene. We also used to drink unboiled water,” Bagarukayo says, adding that after the sensitisation, their children no longer fall sick regularly.
Mr Federiko Tumusiime, a resident of Katonzi Village, says their children used to fall sick more often and they were made to believe they were being bewitched.

“Our children were passing out watery stool and we could not think about going to the hospital but would go to the witch doctors,” he says.
Ms Trina Kyomuhendo, a health worker at Kicheche Health Centre III, says the church intervention is paying off.
“Cases related to poor hygiene have reduced because we have taps where patients and health workers wash their hands and we have safe water for drinking,” she says.

Fact file

According to the World Water Atlas, the district has 2,495 domestic water points, which serve a population of 373,888. According to the 2014 census, 47.3 per cent of households in the district collect drinking water from unsafe sources and 2.8 per cent households lack toilet facilities.

Compiled by Scovia Atuhaire, Felix Basiime & Enid Ninsiima

editorial@ug.nationmedia.com