Articles

Kikaramoja - Masese, Jinja

Kikaramoja

Hundreds of displaced children and people that have fled down from Northern Uganda have made the Kikaramoja slum in Jinja their refuge. A large percentage of the children at the C4K Home in Jinja are from the Kikaramoja slum.

The Kikaramoja area, meaning (the slum) is mainly occupied by the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Karamoja area in Northeastern Uganda. Karamoja and Northern Uganda have undergone ongoing insecurity caused by fierce conflict between the Uganda People's Defense Forces (UPDF) and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) resulting in nearly 2 million northerners displaced as well as intertribal conflict and food insecurity.

Some stayed in IDP camps but others choose not to be grouped and fled to urban centers making every effort to blend in with the rest of local population. Unfortunately the people in the ‘Kikaramoja’ area have not been intermingling in with the population of Jinja as they have not been accepted in the community.

The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development report, describes the people in this neighborhood as poor and extremely poor (82% of the population). The majority, are unemployed and scavenge for food, they have no shelter or assets

Government reports described the residents as beggars, scavengers and drifters. Residents who were employed brewed local gin, cultivated other people’s gardens, cut and sold grass and fished to earn a living. The area is a local brewery of the high content alcohol, which causes problems, related to alcohol abuse, risky behavior and related crime.

Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Uganda Participatory Poverty Assessment Process (UPPAP) Masese III Site Report Jinja District (August 2002) (Source)

Uganda has faced many blows in the last three decades with the reign of Idi Amin, internal war, HIV/AIDs, diseases and poverty, all contributing to the devastation.

Tragically people and children die daily in the Kikaramoja area, as there is a lack of pit latrines, safe water, sanitation and as a result of hunger.

A Challenging Experience

On Thursday 22^nd January 2009 a group of us went to Kikaramoja, a slum on the outskirts of Jinja town. We have been working closely over the last year with the local government leaders to assist and identify orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC), widows and specific needs of the community.

Having seen the impoverishment and destitution of this community, I thought I had been geared up for what to expect at Kikaramoja. This was not so, for after spending some few hours there the children showed us the source from where they collect drinking water. The water source was stagnant and exposed to open defecation.

As we were conversing with the local children we saw two young girls walking towards us, carrying their jerry cans. As they timidly approach what they knew as a water supply, they squatted into the mud and started to scoop up muddy water to fill their containers. At that point I was so moved and angered with the injustice of what I had just witnessed.

My heart grieved to see the plight of these children, and as a result of their poverty not only do they have no access to primary education, food, or a shelter, but even the basics of life like safe drinking water, are not within their reach.

This sight should provoke, unsettle and challenge us to act, as no child should suffer or have to face such appalling conditions, especially in today’s world.

Clean water is something many of us take for granted, but over a billion people in the world do not have access to it and over 2 billion people lack basic sanitation. As a result, a child dies every 15 seconds from water-related diseases.

Millennium Development Goal 7 is about access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. This goal brings into focus the limited access to adequate and even basic sanitation of the world’s poorest people.

Poverty is both a cause and a consequence of poor sanitation.

Poor sanitation limits people’s ability to build sustainable livelihoods. When people’s basic needs for sanitation are met, they can address their long-term strategic needs. Equally significant to the health benefits of sanitation are the economic benefits. If you would like more information on how you can contribute to our Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (WaSH) projects please contact us. YOU CAN HELP! Be part of the challenge to help make water and sanitation a reality for all!

By Voula Zacharias, Jan 2009