Monday, October 3, 2011

Simply Speculation

I have spent 3 months in Uganda. I am still just an amateur on the African scene and inexperienced speculator. I have little to compare Uganda. I acknowledge that my views and observations are just that, my own, and therefore of little importance to much else. I have chosen to share and hopefully not persuade or cause bias for each opinion, each story, has the opposite side and another, perhaps, more refreshing perspective.




Despite the release on life and freedom given to Ugandans once Museveni came to power (unfortunately compared to Obote and Amin), they continue to take their fortunate change of events for granted. There is a lack of pride and structure within the system and within themselves. The streets are dirty and have putrid, stagnant water in their clogged drains and run-off ditches. Their babies, naked, play less than a meter away, in the dirt and trash. Uganda was recently awarded one of the most fertile countries in the world, it also has a number of NGOs working here, and I have to ask,

“What the hell is going on?”

Where and why is the system failing these people?
Why are women continuing to have so many children? Why are there so many orphanages and street children? Where is their government intervention?



Uganda’s leaders have been filling their pockets long enough. What does it take for people to demand their most basic human rights? The quality of education here is substandard to say the least until you get into Kampala. The quality of health here is almost unmentionable. And perhaps, because of my experience in health education and prevention, I have a harsher perspective. These men and women, young girls and young men need health education immediately. The structure here has failed them. I have been told that men measure their wealth against society by how many children they produce. And trust me, I have heard the numbers. One man can have multiple wives, and within that family, I have met people with 10, 16, even 25 brothers and sisters. I met one guy yesterday with 14 brothers and sisters alone, from one mother.



Total fertility rate:

6.69 children born/woman (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 53.24 years

Median age:

total: 15.1 years
male: 15 years
female: 15.1 years (2011 est.)


(updated statistics from the CIA World Factbook)

Uganda is only beaten by Niger. It has the second highest fertility rate in the world. No cause for celebrating. This is an uproar. We need a response from the Ministry of Health, from the government immediately. What measures are we taking to protect our youth? Our women and men? Projected growth of Uganda by the year 2050 is to have around 95 million people. The current population is almost 35 million.

In this negative light, all I can think of to say at this point is,



Good Luck NGOs.