Archive for category: District Service Commission (DSC)

GULU – A total of 35 former street kids picked from the streets of Gulu City have graduated in various vocational training skills.

The two-year course was sponsored by Favour of God Ministries, a faith-based organization working in the greater northern Uganda and South Sudan.

Mike Sabiiti, the Head of Department of GIFT, the project under which the former street youths were trained in the various vocational training skills says, most times the society castigates the street youths for their behaviors and illegal practices. Sabiiti says, the youths did not choose to end up on the streets but because of life’s challenge and situations.

Sabiiti blames the society for the unending experiences of street children because most of them are reluctant to share the little they have.

According to Sabiti, besides the vocational training skills which include; motor vehicle mechanics, tailoring and designing, hair dressing, fisheries, the youths were also taken through the Bible, daily fellowships, counselling among others to ensure a complete transformation.

Mirriam Ogena, the Human Resource Manager, Favour of God Ministries urged the graduands to concentrate, practice and save money from the knowledge and skills they have attained. They should also focus on building their faith and not go into the temptation of the worldly joys.

Terry Goodman, the Deputy Director, Favour of God Ministries says, the graduands have the choice to chose evil or good. Love and discipline are transformational skills but its only God who transformed them.

Phillip Oketkeny, a Board Member and Ministry Counselor, Favour of God Ministries says, the graduands have been thoroughly healed and transformed, he says they will be key in social transformation and sustainability which is a mission of the Ministry.

Oketkeny says, the spiritual and physical transformation the graduands have attained should manifest in the entire community that they will go into.

Testimony

Silindi Aber Ruth, a graduand says, she had lost hope in education and life in general.

She further says, before joining Favour of God Ministry, she was living in a home where orphans were not valued and supported which forced her to elope with a man at a young age. She was mistreated, beaten for asking even for food to eat.

She was abandoned and when she attempted to find solution by going to her uncle who instead asked for sex before helping her.

According to Aber, she at some point wanted to kill her two children so she can hustle for herself.

She was forced to the street, got employed in a bar where she was introduced to an old woman who introduced her to prostitution and conning money from rich men using charms.

She was taught forgiveness for her relatives and certain of a future in tailoring having learnt it for two years.

Kenneth Akena, a graduand in fisheries says he joined the street aged 12 years because his uncle and other relatives disowned him, asking him to look for his family. Currently he is 31 years old.

Akena recalls having eaten chicken intestines to live, collecting scraps before joining drug abusers and eventually becoming a thug.

“At some point, when we went to steal, all my colleagues ran away and I was arrested and beaten by mob. He only opted out of stealing and joined scrap collecting, but this time in Kampala because there are other older people on the streets in the city.”

Denis Odongpiny, the Resident City Commissioner [RCC] Gulu urged the graduands to be honest, hardworking and determined to succeed as they enter the job world.

Odongpiny says, most times after graduating, most graduands tend to relax and begin complaining of lack of work without looking for work they studied.

“The reason why the Acholi Sub Region was recently ranked the poorest is because most of our youths are lazy yet they make unnecessary demands, less we change that, we will not be able to fight poverty,” Odongpiny says.

The training graduands underwent an examination by the Directorate of Industrial Training.

Already, 200 new street kids have been enrolled for the same program under Favour of God Ministries.

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MASINDI – Farmers neighboring Murchison falls national park in Kiruli sub-county in Masindi district want the government to dig trenches around the villages adjacent to the park to deter elephants from destroying their crops.

They made the call during a meeting between the State Minister for Tourism and Antiquities, Martin Bahinduka Mugarra, the area Member of Parliament, Aled Ronald Akugizibwe, the district leaders and residents of Kitengule village in Kiruli sub-county.

The meeting followed several complaints by the residents over the increasing loitering of stray elephants from the park.

For many years, residents of five villages; Bagidadi, Kitengule, Ipedi, Kimina and Nyakarongo which are bordering Murchison falls national park have been complaining over the increasing number of elephants that cross from the park and destroy their crops.

“Elephants have brought food insecurity and also caused insecurity in the area. People have resorted to stealing food. Last season, we lost completely because elephants would come in a herds of 30 to 50 elephants,” Deo Opusi said.

Opusi added that the elephants come along with black flies which are dangerous to them, adding that apparently, they can no longer rare pigs due to black flies.

“Whenever pigs are bitten by these black flies they die. We are are always worried,” he added.

He further added that as a community adjacent to the park they no longer benefit from the money sent to the district, noting that instead the money is benefiting less affected communities.

Monica Bagonza, a resident of Nyakarongo village explained that the women are the most affected.

“We get income from farming but currently we are harvesting nothing due to the elephants. Even looking after our families is becoming a challenge. An immediate solution must be found or else we are going to die a miserable way,” said Bagonza.

Musa Bigabwa, a resident of Nyakarongo village asked the Minister to expeditiously handle the issue of putting up an electric wire or a trench along the villages neighboring the park like the way it was done in Kiryandongo district.

“We also want to be compensated for the losses we have incurred. We have lost lives in the process of chasing away the elephants from our gardens. Whenever we lose properties or lives, we write to the relevant offices in vain. For us we shall suffer until when?” Bigabwa asked.

Julius Wabyoona, a resident of Kitengule village explained that some people have been imprisoned for resorting to cutting trees to make charcoal in the park.

“Those people should be pardoned. We need an affirmative action as people of Kiruli Sub County, because what we are going through is so challenging. We have failed to develop ourselves due to these elephants. If a trench can’t be put there, at least an electric wire should be put in place. If nothing is done this situation is likely to get out of hand,” said Wabyoona.

Alex Musumali, the Vice Chairperson LC III, Kiruli Sub County faulted the wardens for not helping them saying that whenever they, they don’t respond in time.

“Sometimes they tell us they have no fuel and yet crops are being destroyed. These people have been good enough. They don’t kill these animals but if the status quo is maintained something bad may happen. What we want is a lasting solution because we have been patient enough,” said Musumali.

Cosmas Byaruhanga, the Masindi district LCV Chairperson, told the Minister that they have been engaging the affected communities to harmoniously stay with the wild animals from the park as government looks for a lasting solution.

“We have written to the relevant offices as far as getting a solution is concerned. My prayer is this meeting yields fruits because people have become poor and poorer due to these elephants. Some of them are grappling with loans in banks and the rate of crime is increasing,” said Byaruhanga.

Byaruhanga proposed that they use the local revenue they get from Uganda wildlife Authority (UWA) to put up a trench.

But in his response Minister Mugarra said, the immediate solution government is going to do is putting up a trench along the villages bordering the park, adding that the money which comes to the district shouldn’t be used because government is going to look for money to establish a trench.

“We are looking at putting a trench as one way of deterring the loitering elephants from going to people’s gardens. I also promise to engage the Ministry of disaster preparedness to have an immediate relief for the affected communities,” he said.

He also explained that government is developing modalities of having a compensation fund for the people in case their crops are affected and also in case lives were lost.

“We expect it to start by January next year. Every money collected, 2 percent of it will go to the compensation fund,” Mugarra noted.

He also warned the district authorities not to divert the money of the trench.

“Give this money to the community members to develop themselves. Don’t divert it. Government is going to put a trench using another money,” explained Mugarra.

Edison Nuwamanya, the Chief Warden, Murchison falls national park re-echoed the minister’s promise of putting the trench saying, they are going to do as it was done in Kiryandongo district.

“Now all elephants come to Masindi because they can no longer cross to Kiryandongo. I am also going to ensure that my rangers are deployed here 24 hrs but not to just come. When we are doing recruitment, we shall ensure that the neighbouring communities are given priority as the minister has asked,” Nuwamanya explained.

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