I am from Bwanga. I get up at about 5 a.m. and tak a 20 liter canister to get water. After that I wash myself, say my prayers, then go to school. I don't eat breakfast because I have no time to prepare it. I go home for dinner. On Saturdays and Sundays I have to work in the garden, because I come home too late from school on other days.
Florence Nassuna:
I get up at 6 a.m., wash myself and go to
school. I eat breakfast on the way to save time. I wash my uniform
twice per week. Sometimes I can use soap, sometimes not.
I do my homework after dinner, but my parents complain because of the oil for
the lamp. It's difficult to read late in the day.
Remark:
Because Uganda lies directly on the equator, the sun always rises at 7 in
the morning and sets at seven in the evening.
Florence with her lunchbox
I am 11 years old, my father is named Medi Ssenabukya. I live with my aunt in a two-person family in Kabanga, about 2 kilometers from the school.
I was playing soccer and hurt my foot on a rock. My wounds are being treated with herbs. It's taking a long time.
Rita, Ben's sister, goes to the same school. Her mother has six children: one boy and 5 girls. They earn their living by selling plantains (cooking bananas) and raising pigs.
Plantains (Matooke) are the staple food in Buganda, the largest tribal area of Uganda. But sometimes the dry period is so long that the population has to resort to seasonal vegetables like Cassava or sweet potatoes, which grow poorly in this area. Rita's mother has thought about raising chickens, but the five to six months required before they can be sold is too long for her to go without earnings.
Ben's foot injury
Water is fetched with the canister, Such a barrel is used for washing
I suffered from Malaria a year ago, and the treatment made me sicker: the injection made my leg lame. Sometimes the leg hurts a lot, but sometimes it's ok. My parents are treating me now.
Fatuma Nakintu:
I am 13 years old. I lost my parents when I was
one year and seven months old. My grandparents have been taking care of
me since then. I am the youngest of four.
Cathy Nabanja:
We visited Cathy's mother. She has six children,
of which the three youngest go to Ssenyimba School: Cathy is in
the seventh grade, and the youngest brother is in the "baby
class" (pre-school). The older children were sent to Butende
Primary School.
Cathy's mother brews the traditional beer and weaves baskets to earn money for her children. She also has a few animals: goats and pigs. But the animals have health problems; most of the goats have died recently. She says that the price for goats is quite good lately: about 20,000 Ugandan schillings (10 €) for one. The animal is about 3 years old before it can be sold.
Cathy's mother also tells that there are not many mosquitoes in this area; the children sometimes get sick anyway. She brings them to Kitovu Hospital, one of the largest hostpitals in the area (it's more like a medical ward).
Remark:
Sometimes there is not enough food or no money to bring lunch to school (Kassawa or other
foods).
Writing utensils are frequently lost, because the students don't have
schoolbags in which they can securely place them. For some parents, it is
very difficult to replace lost writing utensils.
When students get sick, the parents often don't have no money for treatment
in a ward. They instead use herbs, whose healing properties are of little
value in most cases. In addition, the few clinics in the area are often
lacking even the most essential medicines.