Japan presses for education of orphans

By Pascal Kwesiga
 
Uganda should increase investment in quality education to produce competent human resource to tackle absolute poverty ravaging the country.

The president of Ashinaga Uganda, an international NGO that provides emotional and educational support to children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, Yoshiomi Tamai said there is need to provide quality education to the less fortunate children to increase the number of players in the economic development.
 
Tamai who hails from Japan started the Ashinaga foundation over 40 years ago to raise funds to support the education of children orphaned by AIDS, accidents and disasters among others in various countries in the world.
 
President Yoweri Museveni in 2003 opened Ashinaga Uganda Rainbow house in Nansana in Wakiso district that is currently home to over 800 orphans.

Speaking at the 5th Makerere Africa lecture series on poverty eradication in Sub-Saharan Africa at the University on Friday, the 77-year old Japanese Philanthropist said increasing educational opportunities for the less fortunate children was key in promoting economic development.
 
He added that orphaned children should be liberated from the chains of poverty through education so as to produce competent and skilled human resource and produce future leaders needed to spearhead economic prosperity.
 
Tamai explained that Ashinaga Uganda was started in the country because of the HIV/AIDS scourge that left high number of orphans who have been deprived of an opportunity to attain quality education and play a role in economic development.
 
Tamai said they have so far identified 15 bright students from the orphans who are now pursuing studies in the leading universities in Japan. One of these students, Rita Nabukenya from Nansana who lost his father in 2006 is pursuing her master degree at Waseda University in Tokyo.
 
He advised that disadvantaged children need to be given opportunities to to attain education in leading institutions of leaning in the world and come back to their home countries to provide competent leadership and contribute to economic development.
 
The state minister for internal affairs who is also Uganda's former ambassador to Japan, James Baba said the two tragic incidents that happened to Tamai- that is the loss of his mother at 15years and the death of his wife five after marrying her inspired him to start Ashinaga foundation to take care of orphaned children.
 
He said the more orphans Uganda can help to attain higher levels of education the quicker the process of achieving equal economic prosperity for all.
The former Makerere University vice chancellor, Prof. Livingstone S. Luboobi noted that there is need for the country to turn orphans from liabilities into assets to fast track economic development.
 
He observed that the story of Tamai who developed generosity to extend a helping hand to orphans due to the tragic circumstances he found himself in ought to be a lesson to Ugandans.
 
Makerere university chancellor, Prof. Mondo Kagonyera the country has suffered major development setbacks due to pervasive corruption.

He observed that in a country with high levels of corruption, only few individuals prosper but the country does not develop.