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Summary: Hundreds of people braved a cold and rainy morning for a corporate charity walk in Kampala last weekend to raise awareness of the plight of children in northern Uganda and lobby support for their educational needs.The fundraiser was initiated by Standard Chartered Bank who identified World Vision as their organisation of choice to implement the construction of a primary school for children affected by the 19-year war.
Over 20 other organisations participated in the walk and together raised money and Gifts-In- Kinds towards the school.
In October, Standard Chartered Bank handed over a very generous cheque to World Vision to construct and furnish a school in Bungatira Sub County in Gulu District which is expected to be operational early next year and cater to 500 children per year.
According to Amos Omoya, World Vision Relief Coordinator in northern Uganda, children from nearly 400 schools in the region have been displaced and most of these children have joined other schools closer to town councils. This has resulted in overcrowding in schools or students studying under trees. The children need uniforms, books, pens, and food to be sustained at schools, and teachers too need to be properly remunerated to do their job well.
Two weeks ago, people in about 40 cities across the globe, including Kampala and Gulu, walked for the children of northern Uganda, to replicate the daily journey by the region’s ‘night commuters’. The Gulu walk showed the world’s solidarity with the suffering children of northern Uganda.
The Standard Chartered-World Vision walk was a similar gesture in identifying with the children of northern Uganda.
By 7am, the parking yard of standard Chartered Bank was filled with an enthusiastic crowd made up of varying cultures and tribes preparing to set off on a seven-kilometre charity walk on the streets of Kampala City.
The steady rain could not hold back the hundreds of walkers. Clad in blue T-shirts and caps with the slogan ‘to support children affected by conflict in northern Uganda’, the energetic and eager walkers readied themselves.
At the sudden blast of drums, trumpets and other musical instruments from the band, the lead walkers – Gulu Local Council 5, Lt. Colonel Walter Ochora, CEO Standard Chartered Bank David Cutting and Ag. World Vision National Director, Fortunate Sewankambo – surged forward and the charity walk began. The procession of walkers rolled into the streets of Kampala, painting the city blue.
At the head of the procession was the band, followed closely by two volunteers carrying a banner that read, ‘World Vision and Standard Chartered Bank in partnership to support ‘children of war’ of northern Uganda’.
Martin, the Master of Ceremonies, ran back and forth, cheering on the crowd and reminding walkers of the cause while at the same time keeping the curious Kampala public informed of the purpose of the walk. “The children affected by the war in northern Uganda do not deserve to suffer the way they do, no child does, and we must put an end to it. It is time we said ‘enough is enough’ and acted. Let’s join hands and together we can make a difference. Even though you may not be walking now, surely you can play a role in ending the human suffering,” he told passers-by.
The message from the guest of Honour, the LC5 Chairman Gulu district, Lt. Colonel Walter Ochora, was loud and clear – he said that instead of pitying the children of northern Uganda, the world would do a better job if it acted in changing their situation.
Ochora also said that the educational needs of the children ought to be refocused on, since many who are willing to study cannot afford to, especially for secondary education. “Hundreds of such children queue daily in front of my office to seek assistance for their education and yet I cannot help all of them. I am very glad World Vision and Standard Chartered Bank have led the way and all of you must follow. Just remember you too were once children,” said Ochora.
World Vision's Fortunate Sewankambo, told the crowds that the war in northern Uganda should be viewed as a national catastrophe that is slowly crippling Uganda as a country.
She said that the nation is losing out greatly on a whole generation of potential workers who have been relegated to a life of unfulfilled dreams due to the rudimentary education they get. “Despite the government UPE policy, only 75 per cent of children in northern Uganda attend school and they do this under trees, makeshift dusty classrooms with no desks and a lack scholastic materials which force many to drop out. Why can’t we as a country give special consideration to these children? Are we being fair when the majority of us live a very luxurious life?”
“I am glad many Ugandans have come up to either say or do something and today you have shown it but lets not stop at this, we must keep the momentum up until every child in northern Uganda is comfortable again,” commented Sewankambo.
The CEO of Standard Chartered Bank told the crowd it was not a day for speeches but action and he was glad many turned up to act. He said his bank had always identified with the marginalised people of the community and it was very unfortunate that the world took years to open their eyes to atrocities being committed on the people of northern Uganda.
“If we had acted earlier we would have saved thousands of children whose dreams have now been shattered. I want each of you to imagine your child living in northern Uganda, having to sleep on streets with hardly anything to eat and being so uncertain of tomorrow because they are unable to attain education, and tell me what you would do. Those are our children and we must do something and it has to be now,” urged Cutting.
Amazingly, at the end of the speeches which ended at exactly 10.30am, the drizzles stopped. The participants walked back to their homes vowing to do more for the children of northern Uganda. “Those people are Ugandans too and we must help them in every way possible,” commented Lisa, one of the walkers.