Former pastoralist, armed warrior excels in sciences
Nov 06, 2007
FROM a pastoralist to an armed warrior to an an educationa activist, Mark Lolim can say life has changed for the better. Lolim is an S5 student of St. Paul’s College in Moroto district.
By Nathan Etengu
FROM a pastoralist to an armed warrior to an an educationa activist, Mark Lolim can say life has changed for the better. Lolim is an S5 student of St. Paul’s College in Moroto district.
When he joined Alternative Basic Education for Karamoja (ABEK) at the age of 13, he fell in love with education. “I have lived the life of a typical Karimojong — looked after cattle, drank milk mixed with cows’ blood and moved with a gun for prestige and cattle raiding,†Lolim says.
Lolim, who now identifies with test tubes, beakers, tripod stands and dissecting kits, recalls walking long distances and staying away from home for several weeks as he herded his father’s animals. His only opportunity to return home often came whenever he was asked to take one of the animals back home in Naitakwai, near Moroto town, for sale whenever his father needed money.
The Karimojong, particularly the Matheniko (an ethnic group in Karimoja) hated formal education. The Karimojong perceived education as an avenue for diverting energetic boys from looking after cattle and protecting them from enemies. One night when Lolim’s uncle tried to take him and three other boys to school by force, he escaped.
“We ganged up in the night and fled back to the kraals. That marked the end of my first attempt to go to school,†Lolim adds. Lolim says the Matheniko were superior to other ethnic groups. “With many guns, we took our cattle to graze at places of our choice,†he says.
Lolim, who wants to be a medical officer, also has the desire to train and become the only Matheniko Catholic priest.
Back at home in Naitakwai near Moroto town, Lolim’s younger brother joined school under the universal primary education programme. One day when Lolim went back home to sell a bull and his brother named some items in English, he realised what he was missing out on school.
About the same time, his brother fell sick and Lolim was asked to look after the goats that his brother was taking care of. For about a month, he took them to graze near Nachele, where the ABEK programme had been launched. He was impressed by the young boys who could write and read English. “On the third day, I decided to join the centre. I continued taking the goats to graze near the centre and watched them as I studied,†Lolim says.
On his first day at school, the teacher wrote Lolim’s name on the blackboard asked him to write it on a slate.
“I would take my goats to graze near the convent and attend baptism instructions before taking the animals back home in the evening,†Lolim says.
His mother encouraged Lolim to sell milk so that he would raise money to buy scholastic materials. In 1999, he joined Naitakwai Primary School for P2, but his friends discouraged from the school and convinced him to join KDA Primary School where they had been allowed to join P3.
His teacher gave him a book, which he failed to read.
“I was sent back to P2, where I studied up to the mid-morning. He adds that the girl who encouraged him to go to class and helped him with his class work dropped out in P4 when she was forced to get married. Thereafter, Lolim joined his friends in P3. He says at the end of the first term, he got 2% in the science exam.
However, the teacher awarded the students who had performed poorly ten marks each, to boost them. But much as he did not perform well in Science, he scored 47% in SST and 61% in Mathematics.
Lolim bought a supplementary reader using the proceeds from the milk and started practising English. “At the end of the second term, I was the third out of 42 pupils. This encouraged me to read harder until the end of year examinations, in which I emerged first,†he adds.
Lolim joined P4 and was always the best student. His teachers advised him to try the P5 and P6 entrance examinations.
“I was the best student in the P5 exams and was fifth in the P6 entrance exams,†Lolim says.
He joined Moroto Municipality Primary School for P6 and scored Aggregate Eight in his Primary Leaving Exams. He then joined the Apostles of Jesus Seminary in Moroto for O’ level and scored Aggregate 18 in six subjects.
A priest was impressed by his performance and took him to Mbale College, where Save The Children pays his tuition. Life has, however, not been rosy for Lolim. “I lack a blanket and mosquito net.
Sometimes I have to share my little pocket money with my siblings in order for them to buy scholastic materials,†he adds.
FROM a pastoralist to an armed warrior to an an educationa activist, Mark Lolim can say life has changed for the better. Lolim is an S5 student of St. Paul’s College in Moroto district.
When he joined Alternative Basic Education for Karamoja (ABEK) at the age of 13, he fell in love with education. “I have lived the life of a typical Karimojong — looked after cattle, drank milk mixed with cows’ blood and moved with a gun for prestige and cattle raiding,†Lolim says.
Lolim, who now identifies with test tubes, beakers, tripod stands and dissecting kits, recalls walking long distances and staying away from home for several weeks as he herded his father’s animals. His only opportunity to return home often came whenever he was asked to take one of the animals back home in Naitakwai, near Moroto town, for sale whenever his father needed money.
The Karimojong, particularly the Matheniko (an ethnic group in Karimoja) hated formal education. The Karimojong perceived education as an avenue for diverting energetic boys from looking after cattle and protecting them from enemies. One night when Lolim’s uncle tried to take him and three other boys to school by force, he escaped.
“We ganged up in the night and fled back to the kraals. That marked the end of my first attempt to go to school,†Lolim adds. Lolim says the Matheniko were superior to other ethnic groups. “With many guns, we took our cattle to graze at places of our choice,†he says.
Lolim, who wants to be a medical officer, also has the desire to train and become the only Matheniko Catholic priest.
Back at home in Naitakwai near Moroto town, Lolim’s younger brother joined school under the universal primary education programme. One day when Lolim went back home to sell a bull and his brother named some items in English, he realised what he was missing out on school.
About the same time, his brother fell sick and Lolim was asked to look after the goats that his brother was taking care of. For about a month, he took them to graze near Nachele, where the ABEK programme had been launched. He was impressed by the young boys who could write and read English. “On the third day, I decided to join the centre. I continued taking the goats to graze near the centre and watched them as I studied,†Lolim says.
On his first day at school, the teacher wrote Lolim’s name on the blackboard asked him to write it on a slate.
“I would take my goats to graze near the convent and attend baptism instructions before taking the animals back home in the evening,†Lolim says.
His mother encouraged Lolim to sell milk so that he would raise money to buy scholastic materials. In 1999, he joined Naitakwai Primary School for P2, but his friends discouraged from the school and convinced him to join KDA Primary School where they had been allowed to join P3.
His teacher gave him a book, which he failed to read.
“I was sent back to P2, where I studied up to the mid-morning. He adds that the girl who encouraged him to go to class and helped him with his class work dropped out in P4 when she was forced to get married. Thereafter, Lolim joined his friends in P3. He says at the end of the first term, he got 2% in the science exam.
However, the teacher awarded the students who had performed poorly ten marks each, to boost them. But much as he did not perform well in Science, he scored 47% in SST and 61% in Mathematics.
Lolim bought a supplementary reader using the proceeds from the milk and started practising English. “At the end of the second term, I was the third out of 42 pupils. This encouraged me to read harder until the end of year examinations, in which I emerged first,†he adds.
Lolim joined P4 and was always the best student. His teachers advised him to try the P5 and P6 entrance examinations.
“I was the best student in the P5 exams and was fifth in the P6 entrance exams,†Lolim says.
He joined Moroto Municipality Primary School for P6 and scored Aggregate Eight in his Primary Leaving Exams. He then joined the Apostles of Jesus Seminary in Moroto for O’ level and scored Aggregate 18 in six subjects.
A priest was impressed by his performance and took him to Mbale College, where Save The Children pays his tuition. Life has, however, not been rosy for Lolim. “I lack a blanket and mosquito net.
Sometimes I have to share my little pocket money with my siblings in order for them to buy scholastic materials,†he adds.