Uganda July 2020
At the moment, the world over, people are suffering due to the COVID19 pandemic. Some more than others especially in the countries where deaths have been recorded. There are four registered deceased persons in Uganda due to COVID19, though we have over 1000 recorded positive cases so far. At the same time though many more deaths are occurring associated with COVID19, like maternal and infant deaths, limited access to medical care, malnutrition, and the like.
With our community support visits, we are extending a helping hand financially to especially those who are hardest hit so that they can be able to at least afford the basics of life like food. Our major focus is looking at the families that have children in them so that we are able to touch the lives of these children even beyond play.
We recently interviewed our colleague Alban about the current situation in Uganda. Below you can read his story and experience of every day.
What do the people you visit tell you/share with you?
Most of the homes we visit are run by single mothers with more than 3 children, and no steady or formal source of income even before Corona. Now with the closure of business places like markets where they used to sell produce, they don’t have a predictable source of income, but the needs of their families are still there, or even greater. Some of the children have great health needs but the families can not afford to transport them to the government hospital in the City where they can get specialized care.
One single mother is suffering from Cancer herself, so she’s in the hospital often with the kids at home to take care of each other, none beyond the age of 15 years. She has 4 children.
One family has the grandmother taking care of the children.
Another household has an elderly man living by himself.
All the family stories show obvious need, definitely beyond what we can fulfill but all are really happy to have us visit. Most times we leave with prayers of goodwill upon our lives and the work we do from them.
How is it for you to visit these people?
It feels really satisfying being able to do something in this time for another person. At the same time its emotional work when you see how great the need is in the community, as you pass other homes more less in the same situation, but you can’t help everyone. On the whole it’s the kind of work that pays beyond the effort you put in to reach the homes. You feel fully rewarded beyond measure, seeing the happiness it brings to the people you visit. It also feels pretty awesome when the kids in the communities we go through instantly recognize the Tjeko brand and even start singing the Tjeko chant as we go by, it shows us that what we do matters, and has an impact beyond what we able to measure currently.
What would you like to tell people from the outside who are not in this situation or are not aware?
I would say the need is great, and all who are able to, are encouraged and welcome to play a part in meeting it. At the same time, please remember to wash your hands, and observe all the measures in place to fight COVID19.
What do you hope to achieve with this action?
At the least put a smile on the families and the children therein we visit. In the bigger sense of it all just play our part as good neighbors, serve the need where we see it.
Anything you would like to share?
Ya, we all pray the COVID19 pandemic gets resolved soon so we can go back to putting smiles on children’s faces, and filling the streets with laughter the best way we know how as Tjeko, through the power of Play!!!
Will you help?!
What doesn’t seem like much to us can make a big difference to a family in Uganda. By donating € 40, you help a household or a student through this difficult period.
