Wamukisa, an olive branch to teen mothers

May 01, 2016

“For many months, I slept on the floor which was not cemented with my baby as I had no mattress."

Who doesn't know that much joy can bring tears in some people's eyes?

This happened to 25-year-old Evelyn Nakate who dropped out of school some years back in Primary Seven but currently prides in being the director of Eve Bridal Salon.

"How could I ever think that a poor person like me who doesn't have any qualification to talk about can ever be invited as a special guest at such a function!" she said emotionally.

Indeed the organizers of the function where she was invited needed someone like her - someone with an incredible story which could change other young girls' lives.

After dropping out of school, Nakate worked in different food joints around Kampala and its suburbs where she served katogo. She later became pregnant but unfortunately her boyfriend, a mechanic, denied responsibility and advised her to abort. She declined the idea.

Although she suffered so much, often sleeping on an empty stomach in a small mud and wattle house, Nakate never gave up on life.

"For many months, I slept on the floor which was not cemented with my baby as I had no mattress, not even a blanket!" she said.

And the more the young single mother went through hard times, the more determined she became to lift herself out of her desperately horrible state, somehow.

Around that time, she was part of an unfortunate statistic. Nakate was among the 24% of Ugandan girls aged between 15 and 19 believed to be already mothers or pregnant with their first child, according to the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2011.

This report indicates that teenage pregnancies highly contribute to maternal mortality rates and affects the socio-economic status of both the child and its young mother.

In Uganda more than 6,000 women, especially teen mums, die every year due to pregnancy or childbirth-related problems while many others suffer disabilities or lose their babies. It's also noted that Uganda is among the top six countries with the highest prevalence of early childbearing in the world.

Armed with hope and faith, Nakate, raring to make it in life, was rescued from her shackles of desperation when she received a helping hand from Wamukisa Youth Centre, which is located at Kitala village near Kisubi on the way to Entebbe.

The centre, which opened in 2005 to care for neglected teenage mothers, cared for her and pushed her through with various training in different life skills.

"I worked so hard at all my trainings and it's the reason I managed to come out with flying colours. After being given a second chance I fought vigilantly to kick out the suffering and poverty I had experienced before," she told guests.

The centre's patron, Allen Sekadde (wife to retired Bishop Samuel Sekadde), explained that Wamukisa has a capacity to accommodate 32 young pregnant girls at a time.

The establishment, which has cared for over 500 mothers so far, currently has 17 staff members and 20 babies with 12 young expectant teens.

"We give them care during pregnancy until they deliver and later re-settle them back into their families," said Sekadde. At the centre, "we train these girls in various life skills like tailoring, hairdressing and cookery."

This centre gives out start-up kits to the girls on their graduation day to enable them start their own businesses.

"Don't despair, believe in yourselves and I am sure by working harder you can make it. Use this second chance which has been given to you to improve on your well-being as well as that of your babies," Nakate advised the young pregnant girls.

Having gone through a similar experience, Nakate was invited as an embodiment of hope for the young mothers-to-be.

The event

Because of the good work being done by Wamukisa Youth Centre to care for pregnant young girls, the staff of NSSF-Entebbe branch was took notice.

And as part of their corporate-social responsibility, they came forward and donated ten sewing machines and seven hair driers worth sh6m.

The group led by the NSSF chief investment officer, Gerald Kasaato, who is from main branch, hailed the management of Wamukisa for their charitable work.

"You're doing a tremendous job here by helping these less advantaged girls. It's high time other organizations came up to give a helping hand by donating the necessary equipment to this centre," said Kasaato.

The donation excited the members of board of trustees Fred Hand (chairman), Sharon Moore (secretary), Valerie Duff and Jessie Mcflane.

"It's good news when we witness people from Uganda coming on board to help these girls. Many may think we always have a lot to bring down here from our homes but it's not true," explained Fred Hand from Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, the centre's board of governors (Uganda group), Reverend Canon Jonathan Kisawuzi, thanked the NSSF members for the donation and said it will help them with start-up kits they give out to girls.

Kisawuzi called on parents to stop being too harsh on their daughters when they become pregnant. "We receive them, between the age of 12 and 16, and many of them are too young to understand the situation.

"Give them parental love as we provide skills for them."

Start-up kits

Esther Lugolobi, a counselor at the centre, explained that whenever they re-settle these girls, the centre gives them start-up kits to help them start their own businesses. But it at times becomes a challenge when the centre fails to provide them.

Lugolobi, who was very happy with NSSF's generosity, narrated how  in 2014 when they finally started giving out such items, only three girls got sewing machines out of a class of ten that had graduated that year.

"We could not even afford to provide hairdriers to the three who completed that year. Only one of them was lucky to be sent off with a drier, so what we have today is a memorable occasion," she said.

Good enough, all those who graduated in 2015 were given start-up kits. "With the scarcity of jobs in the country, we don't want them to suffer when they go back home. It's the reason we give them such kits to enable them start their own businesses."

Wamukisa has an examination centre where the girls sit exams from the Directorate of Industrial Training - Lugogo.

 

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