A pain of a mother who looks after 15 blind members of her family

A pain of a mother who looks after 15 blind members of her family

 By Hope Mafaranga

I have been through a lot, looking after my blind husband, my blind children and blind in-laws is not a joke.  I am just putting on a smile on my face to keep me going. 

These are the words of Celina Tushemereire a mother of six a resident of Numba-Kajumero, in Nyakishenyi Sub County in Rukungiri district says.

Among her six children five are totally blind while one can only see during the night. She is married to blind man, her mother in-law is blind, her two brothers and one sister in laws are blind and also looks after four more children who are blind that are born by brothers in-law.

 She is the only person that sees and is tasked to look after all the 15 blind family members on day to day lives. 

Tushemereire tells a story of pain, agony, disappointments and the sacrifice she has made in ensuring that the family stands by her own.

Patience and Hope 

She got married to Siliversita Musinguzi 19 years ago well knowing that he was blind. She also knew that her mother in- law Mary Federesi was blind too but was hopeful that she will give birth to normal children.

She however later learnt that other relatives of her husband had the same problem but decided to stick around with hope that she will have normal children.

“I knew my husband was blind and I never thought it was genetic because I thought that my mother in law’s blindness was due to old age. So there was no reason to why I could not marry Siliversita. I knew my children won’t be blind as their father and grandmother. 

Oh my God I was so wrong.  Our first child was born blind, the second born, third born too were blind and I was almost giving up. I thought about leaving the three blind children to a blind and father and I changed my mind and stayed,” she said.

Tushemereire says that she planned to not to conceive again but decided to have another chance thinking that maybe she will have a normal child.

“Our fourth child was born normal but lost her sight when she was seven months old. Her eyes become extra white and peel, I rushed her to the hospital when she was declared blind. This is the time I wanted to dump this family and I go elsewhere so that I can get normal children. I thought the family was cursed,” she adds.

To the hospital:

Tushemereire said that she has given up on her, husband, children and in laws health condition and she is now used to live with it.

 She said that she took them to Kisizi hospital but the doctors told her that there was nothing wrong with her family.

“The doctors told me that there are nothing wrong with my family and in fact they advised me to take my children to schools where children with special needs are taught,” she told.

                  Experts take

Dr Freddy Mbumba an ophthalmologist at Ruharo Eye hospital said 80 per cent of blindness can be treated if detected early.  He said that the family could be suffering of a condition known as Glaucoma which he is a genetic issues and nothing can be done about it.“Glaucoma is a permanent condition can this cannot be treated,” he said.

However he was quick to add that the family need to have genetic tests to ascertain if this could be the problem. He said that in Uganda testing genetic issues that are eye related is expensive and few laboratories to carry out this kind of tests.

“One test could be at shs 300,000, we have we have few laboratories to carry out them our which makes it hard to access,” he said.

                   Silversita’s story

Silversita Musinguzi said that the when they had their first child was born blind he thought that she was going to desert him and his family.

“She has been a hero and blessing to our family. I however feel bad  that I am not able to help in raising our children and proving for the as a man,” he said.

                      Blindness is not a crime

Andrew Akankwatsa one of the blind people in the family says that being blind has not stopped from excelling.  Akankwatsa went to St Hellen’s Primary School  and then went to Hornby High School in Kabale and was  among the best students in  last year senior six examination.

“Despite all the challenges that we face especially studying with normal students I managed to get 19 points and I want to be a lawyer,” he said.

Justus Arinaitwe is primary six, Justice Amutuhairwe is primary five while Martin Agaba has joined St. Peter SS Kashekuro. The trio were at St. Hellen’s primary with a small help from Compassion International but the mother had to contribute towards their education.

Sister Vassy Bakuze who teaches special needs children at St Hellens Primary School said that teaching such children is hard and expensive.

 She said that Perkins braillers that is used to type the notes of children with special needs cost Shs 1.8m, braille tylius that they use to write is Shs 20,000, hand frame is Shs 40,000 while white canes are at Shs 40,000 which make it hard for children from needy family like Tushemereire’s.

                     Challenges

Tushemereire says that she is often in debts from different SACCOS where she borrows money to pay fees.

“I spend a lot of money on things the children lose at schools and I have to borrow money every now and then to take care of them. It’s hard.” Tushemereirwe narrated with sorrow in her tone.

Town dwellers are lazy and idlers- Kagombe

Town dwellers are lazy and idlers- Kagombe

By Hope Mafaranga

 “People who stay in town and depend on small salaries are lazy and idle. They fear to engage in agriculture because they lack the right vision to see the goodness in farming,” these are the first words Charles Kagombe told me as I arrived at his home in Kitoma village, Nyakayojo Sub-county in Mbarara district.

 How he started

Kagombe becomes popular when his Zana Complex pub and lodge was booming, it was the first happening place in Ruti and people who were heading to Kabale and Rwanda would make a stopover for a cold beer.

Augustine Murebe, one of the locals in the area said: “Zana Complex was a prominent place to an extend that people around used to sell their land and property to come and hang out there,”

Kagombe was a prominent business and most people thought he was doing well because he used to import clothes from India and sell them in Mbarara. He owned multiple business entities that one ever thought could never quite his trading for farming.

 Getting into farming

25 years ago, Kagombe, chose to leave his accounting job at Mbarara district and his other business to engage in farming and decided to put to good use of the 60 acres of land he had inherited from his late father.

“After releasing that our land in Rwampara was fertile, I did not see any reason of wasting my time in the office earning peanuts yet I knew that my fortune and riches where hidden in the soil. I had to get out of comfort zone, get hoe and dig my gold out of that soil. You see the results for yourself,” He said. 

Kagombe now is household name is the circles of agriculture, as soon you mention his names; people will quickly identify him as the man who owns the biggest banana planation in western Uganda. Others will tell him as successful matoke grower in the region.

The father of seven said that agriculture has less risks compared to other business yet the returns are commendable.

“You cannot compare agriculture with other businesses. The risks are fewer and manageable and it’s earning are good. I can never stop farming,” he said.

He explains that he started farming on a 60 acres of land after seeing that people in town were idlers who needed food but those who were in the villages in production of food in large quantities were fewer.

He also bought more 150 acres to keep cows and goats but later abandoned the idea to concentrate on matoke growing.

Other investments / Achievements

 Kagombe planted 20acres of trees and he is targeting to sell them to UMEME and earns big from it. He also planted 10 acres of sugarcanes, built rentals in Kampala and Mbarara, and educated his children and his is living a good life.

“I don’t stress with life, I have achieved the entire basis a man desires and I just chill and play golf during my free time,” he boosts.

Where he gets his labour

Kagombe has also created jobs for the youth. He employs 40 people among them; three are diploma holders in agricultures related field.  He pays them between sh 150,000 to 300,000, gives them accommodation and food.

In pick reason, he hires prisoners to give a hand.

“When work is too much, I hire about 30 prisoners every day to assist. I pay sh 3,000 for each, feed  and transport them , pay the security guards  sh 10,000 who guards while at my farm and they really do a great job,” he said. The workers are headed by his wife Edruyi Kgombe who is the production manager at the firm.

The really money

 Kagombe can proudly say that he earns real money, touches it and feels it.  On weekly basis he gets 600 bunches of matoke from his plantation and sells each at sh 15,000 which earns him 9m weekly.

“I earn real cash. My children are graduates with good jobs, I told them that even if they put together their salaries, it can never add up to what I earn from my matoke. So what is the use of being employed? He asked.

The market

 Among the things that worry Kagombe, marketing his matoke is not among them. He says that he has a ready market because tracks come from Kampala, pack at his home and load matoke. He also has a 24 hours market at Ruti in Mbarara were Lorries come from Kigali and Kampala to buy matoke.

Challenges

 Banana bacteria wilt is a threat. He however has been able to control it.  He has also advocated for a bylaw in his village to curb down the spread of the wilt.

“Banana bacteria wilt is like HIV/AIDS if you don’t protect yourself against it, you will contract it,” he said. He helps his neighbors to treat the wilt and has enabled farmers to by a bylaw in place to punish those that will not treat the bacteria.

Advice

People should choose their main enterprise because if you engage in many, chances are they will miss out in many ways.

 He said that the Runyankore proverb of “Katungye ente n’orutokye having is one proverbs that has tied people in poverty.

“I had 200 cows and a big banana plantation but I could not handle both big projects. I weighed to see what was giving me more money and sacrificed cows for matoke. I am proud that I have made this progress in this farming,” He said.

 He said that many farmers want to eat everything they invest and don’t want to give back and inject in more money in the project.

“If you want to succeed in agriculture, eat 50 percent and put back 50 percent in terms of paying workers and other farm expensive, but if you want to do everything for yourself, you die,” he counsels.