The wealthy should pool resources to help the poor
Jun 07, 2011
EDITOR: CNN has been running a very sad story about some strange and unknown disease that is spreading amongst the children of northern Uganda that has been named “the nodding diseaseâ€.
EDITOR: CNN has been running a very sad story about some strange and unknown disease that is spreading amongst the children of northern Uganda that has been named “the nodding diseaseâ€.
This is a disease whereby a child is seen to be nodding off (looking sleepy) even when the child should be fully awake and active. It happens especially when the child is eating.
The other major symptom of the disease is stunted growth. We often see so many cases of horrific diseases being reported daily on in our local media where people are appealing to the public for financial assistance to cover surgery and travel expenses.
I would like to appeal to our wealthy citizens to get together and come up with some sort of fund dedicated to medical research and our financially starved hospitals. All they need to do is put aside a percentage of their earnings devoted to this cause.
Why should we rely on Bill and Melinda Gates to take care of our problems? While the Government and MPs are more interested in dedicating most of the taxpayer’s money to buying military hardware and expensive cars, the wealthy are also busy putting aside money to sponsor politicians during campaigns to win favours from once in office.
Let us develop a culture of selflessness in this country to look after our own and stop leaving the responsibility to outsiders. I challenge groups such as the Kwagalana Group (the only group of individuals I know), to do more humanitarian deeds rather than go around showing off that they are rich.
I know they are under no obligation to share their fortunes, but I think you would be rewarded with more when you give. Melinda and Bill Gates may be philanthropists and willing to offer as much help as they can but we should also take initiative because however rich they may be, they cannot solve all our problems.
If foreigners can have such a soft spot for the wretched of the earth, why can't we strive to help our own?
Brian Mungereza
Kampala
This is a disease whereby a child is seen to be nodding off (looking sleepy) even when the child should be fully awake and active. It happens especially when the child is eating.
The other major symptom of the disease is stunted growth. We often see so many cases of horrific diseases being reported daily on in our local media where people are appealing to the public for financial assistance to cover surgery and travel expenses.
I would like to appeal to our wealthy citizens to get together and come up with some sort of fund dedicated to medical research and our financially starved hospitals. All they need to do is put aside a percentage of their earnings devoted to this cause.
Why should we rely on Bill and Melinda Gates to take care of our problems? While the Government and MPs are more interested in dedicating most of the taxpayer’s money to buying military hardware and expensive cars, the wealthy are also busy putting aside money to sponsor politicians during campaigns to win favours from once in office.
Let us develop a culture of selflessness in this country to look after our own and stop leaving the responsibility to outsiders. I challenge groups such as the Kwagalana Group (the only group of individuals I know), to do more humanitarian deeds rather than go around showing off that they are rich.
I know they are under no obligation to share their fortunes, but I think you would be rewarded with more when you give. Melinda and Bill Gates may be philanthropists and willing to offer as much help as they can but we should also take initiative because however rich they may be, they cannot solve all our problems.
If foreigners can have such a soft spot for the wretched of the earth, why can't we strive to help our own?
Brian Mungereza
Kampala