How Can the Uganda End Homelessness?
On any given night in the Uganda half a million people are homeless. Some of them sleep in shelters, others on the streets; roughly one-quarter are children.
So far, almost 10% of homes in Uganda have been burnt and destroyed especially in northern part of the country, leaving hundreds of people, including younger children ending up on streets.
For the years have been in Uganda, have seen a lot of homeless people and what annoys me is that these people also tend to be younger or older, most of them are often women who suddenly found themselves abandoned or unemployed. A week ago there was a lady i met on a street around Kampala town and she narrated to me her painful experience of unsucessful relationship full of battering that almost led to her death ( some including kids leaving their homes due to uncertain reason) all in all disparities (amongst children and women since they are the highly affected) and neglegence from responsible parties
Uganda's street children: 'The police beat us with canes. We live badly'
Children in Kisoro, Uganda. Young homeless people are vulnerable to abuse at the hands of police, according to Human Rights Watch.
“[The policemen] take money from us. If you do not have money they beat you so much…. Last week on Saturday, police came in the night and beat me when I was sleeping with three other children. The policeman beat me on the thighs with a rubber whip. He then hit my knees with a baton. He beat me until I gave him 1,000 shillings (US$0.40) and left me.”
—13-year-old boy living two years on the streets from Lira, December 2013
I always see homeless children with bruises and swollen legs. "One aims at the ankles of the children and the elbows: they hit the ankles to the extent that a child cannot walk properly , I recall one of my friends in high school who lived with his grandmother until she died. His uncles moved into her house and threw him out. He told me when when i once met him on the street that he was beaten many times by the-police.
And it seems to me that the government of Uganda has failed to to protect homeless children against this kind of behavior done by the police. “Ugandan Police should be guiding and helping these homeless creatures instead of beating them up or throwing them in police jails with adults,
Today I come out as a voice for the voiceless, calling upon stakeholders,responsible parties and even the personalities involved to come together to combat this "illness" that is eating up our generation as we are watching it come to pass, let us save today from tomorrow for who knows tomorrow might be my family or relative undergoing through such a situation, in other words no one deserves this terrible nightmare of waking up in the middle of streets.
I know some may barely have the access to read this but all in all I urge my fellow Ugandan Steemians to preach the gospel of parity for all and more compassion for the needy.
Ask yourself what if it was me or my family or a relative involved what would you wish to be done to save a soul. I believe if you are human you will be kind enough to show compassion not only in monetary terms but in prayer, free will of advice for in doing so you will be saving the nation.
I'd love to hear from you guys on how to end this illness in our country in the comment section below.
cheers,