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Edward Sacrifices Himself For His Sisters
by Nigel Marsh
Edward Ruwemba is sixteen. For five years, since his parents died of AIDS, Edward has been the provider for his two younger sisters, Milliose Namuganga, fourteen and Zeolia Namutunzi, thirteen. They live together in the rural community of Kibaale, in Rakai district of southern Uganda.
 “We lost our parents in 1994, and for a year after that we stayed with our older brother. We never had anything, and he left us in 1995 to go to the capital Kampala and make money. We saw him once after that, in 1995.
“He never sends us anything, he never even writes – and nobody else ever assisted us until World Vision came.
“The first person I saw from World Vision was in 1995 – that was the community worker Prophinons Luyiga. He talked to us and gave us advice, and he's been helping us ever since.
“I have to stay home and find food for the family, but I am able to send the girls to school. I used to like school very much, but I had to drop out because there was nobody to keep the home. Milliose is in the fifth year at Kibaale Primary School, and Zeolia is in the sixth year. They are doing well in their classes.
“Both the girls want to be nurses. When we get sick we go for treatment at Kakwuto Dispensary, and that's where they see nurses working.
“School fees are free now, but I would not be able to afford books and uniforms. World Vision helps with that, but I struggle to make sure I provide food. I work for people, digging their land, and they give me food or cash to buy food. When I look at the work I do, though, I don't think they pay me enough – maybe it's because they think I am too young to be paid well, but I do good work.
“The girls go to draw water in the evenings, when they get home from school. If I need more when they are not around I go for it. World Vision has just given me a bicycle, and I will be able to use that to get water. I am also going to look for different work with it, like carrying people's merchandise to the roadside market or carrying passengers into the town center at Ssanje.
“Our biggest problem is food and things like soap – it's always difficult to get money for that. And it's very hard to buy clothes for the girls.
“Our house was built with help from World Vision. Before that we were living in a terrible place. They gave us roofing sheets, cement, doors, windows and the labor. We carried the water for the building, leveled the site, and helped the workers by carrying bricks.
“Last year World Vision helped us to prepare land for growing beans, and they also gave us a banana plantation. Now we have the bicycle, and I am looking forward to getting Clonal Coffee plants. In fact, I have already dug the holes for 50 plants!
“I am grateful for World Vision for helping us get this far, but it's hard to say what the future holds for us. I hope the girls complete their studies and get jobs, and then they might be able to help me in turn.” |
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