LIFESTYLE

Hydrocephalus which also known as “water in the brain, “can cause death

By Abalo Irene Otto 9th, March 9, 2012

Opak Rwot Ivan a primary five pupil of Pece Pimary School can not do much of what his fellow colleagues in the class can do because of physical disability.

Opak Rwot has hydrocephalus which is also known as “water in the brain,” a medical condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain.

This may cause increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive enlargement of the head, convulsion, tunnel vision, and mental disability. Hydrocephalus can also cause death but for Opak Rwot, he has lived and now goes to school

Hellen Achan, the Headmistress of Pece Primary School says that she pays special attention to Opak Rwot who has hydrocephalus and is paralyzed in the leg is so passionate about education and cries when his teachers mark him wrong.

Josephine Lamuno,a teacher of Opak Rwot says that he at times comes late though he says nearby at Pece Pawel.Lamuno adds that the pupils are supportive and this encourages Opakwrot to be social and friendly though slow in speech and writing.

CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda located in the city of Mable, in Mbale District, in Uganda’s Eastern Region handles such cases of hydrocephalus and many such children have benefited from to have their children cured.

Gulu receives citrus seedlings under Operation wealth creation programme.

Gulu receives citrus seedlings under Operation wealth creation programme.

By

Abalo Irene Otto

Gulu

Gulu district farmers are to receive 90,428 citrus/ orange seedlings under the operation wealth creation initiative by the government of Uganda.

On Wednesday,the district received the first batch of supplies to be distributed in the sub counties of Bungatira, Patiko and Palaro with each sub county getting 5,000 budded Citrus seedlings for the selected farmers.

According to Col Acoka Francis Ongom, the Zonal Coordinator for the Operation Wealth creation Programme in Northern Uganda, the seedlings will be enough for the farmers since their more supplies and it will be continues during the rainy season.

“The farmers should not worry because the seedlings will be enough. We shall continue to get more supplies and give to the farmers to help them turn away from subsistence farming to commercial.”

Col Acoka say farmers need to observe good agronomic practices as they were taught by the district before the seed are given to them for their own benefit at household levels.

“Practice good agronomic skills that you were taught so that the seedlings do no die. We are giving the seedlings at the onset of the rainy season so that we do not receive complains of seedlings dying because they were given to people late.” Said Col Acoka.

Operation Wealth creation budget was increased from 203 billion last year to 1 trillion this year.

The program aims to distribute seeds to farmers to eradicate poverty such as maize and fruit trees like citrus/ oranges, mangoes and coffee seedlings.

Meanwhile,Gulu municipality is to miss out on Operation wealth creation programme that is meant to elevate farmers from subsistence to commercial agriculture to eradicate poverty at household levels due to mishandling of the seedlings.

Col Francis Acoka Ongom, the Zonal Coordinator for the Operation Wealth creation Programme in Northern Uganda, told our reporter today that they are continuing to give farmers the seedlings but those in the municipality will not get because they do not have were to plant and in most cases when given, such farmers end up selling or they just leave the seedlings that could have been planted by others to dry.

Col Acoka says the seedlings will be given according to the size and number of people in each of the parishes in the district.

The sub-county receives and stores the seedlings before distribution to the individual farmers who will each get at least 122 seedlings for an acre ready for planting.

According to Titi Paul, the Accountant in charge of the district stores, 1,000 citrus out of the 90,428 given to the district will be given to veterans and some selected women groups will also benefit from the programme as long as they are registered with the sub county chiefs.

Today, Bungatira, Patiko and Palaro are receiving 5,000 budded citrus seedlings each for planting this rainy season. A farmer is given the seedlings after inspection and seeing that they have ready garden for planting.

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Allied Saving Society runs with 750 million shillings for clients.

Gulu District Chairman Ojara Martin Mapenduzi castigated the leadership of Allied Corporative Savings and Society for mismanaging their clients’ money exploiting their clients and running away with their money because they did not have capital and professional Human Resource to handle the micro finance institution.

While addressing a press conference on Friday at Northern Uganda Media Club in Gulu town, Mapenduzi revealed that the registered micro finance institution no longer has the capacity to either recover the loans given out to clients or pay those who saved their money with them.

War stated on the institution about five mounts ago on 12 December 2015 when a group of woman refused to leave his office until their 9 million Shillings is given to them which was done after a backing from the district officials.

The top management, Okwera Stephen, Oroma Fiona and a gentleman from Ireland, David Kenan who are co founders without any qualification to run such an institution was found to be in disputes and handling issuing of loans and using the institution resources for personal gains.

Mapendeuzi says he had a meeting with the management of Allied but he was shocked to learn that their bank statement by March 2016 shows only 75,000/= yet clients are demanding 750 million shillings from them as savings.

He says the CEO, David Kenan fled to Ireland with 150 million, Lira also borrowed 120 million from Gulu branch and Kitgum branch also had a problem and 150 million was borrowed for Gulu but never returned meaning all the 420 million shillings were never accounted for from people’s savings.

He says it is going to be challenging to recover the money since there are district officials citing two forest officers already conniving with the management of Allied but they are being investigated.

Allied did not have any start up fund and poor financial discipline that cropped up leading to the down fall of the micro finance institution.

The police are now hunting for Fiona Oroma the finance manager who is in hiding as investigations continue into alleged mismanagement of People’s money.

ATTIAK TECHNICAL STUDENTS PLEAD GUILTY BEFORE AMURU COURT.

Amuru Resident State Attorney, Ponsiano Okello has postponed the trial of the two students of Attiak Technical School that was supposed to take place today at Amuru Chief Magistrates’ Court for mild damage and assault during a strike that ensued at the institution on the 21st March that forced the school to temporarily shut down their operation.

Labongo Milly, 18 years, the head girl of Atiak Technical School and resident of Gunya Village Okidi Parish in Amuru district together with Ojok Robert a resident of Locor trading Centre Bardege Division, Gulu Municipality and others still at large willfully and unlawfully destroyed property belonging to the institution.

The headmaster of the institution, Mudambo Benson Jackson 53 years also reported being unlawfully assaulted thereby occasioning him actual bodily harm.

The students however pleaded not guilty to charges of assault but guilty to malicious damage.
They are to appear before Amuru Chief Magistrates Court on the 7th April to answer to the charges of damaging school property including; two printers, a laptop, typewriter, windows, office tables, a television set among others.

The students could face up to five years in jail if found guilty since Malicious Damage is contrary to section 335 (1) of the Penal Code Act.

“Any person who wilfully and unlawfully destroys or damages any property commits an offence and is liable, if no other punishment is provided, to imprisonment for five years.”

DEFILEMENT ON RAMPAGE IN AMURU AND GULU DISTRICTS

DEFILEMENT ON RAMPAGE IN AMURU AND GULU DISTRICTS

BY

ABALO IRENE OTTO

GULU

Amuru Chief Magistrates Court has convicted a 22 year old man for aggravated defilement of a minor pupil of 6 years from Otorokume Village in Amuru District when the minor was left under his care.

Court last week heard that Ouma Nelson Mandela the uncle of the victim took her to his hut on the 19th day of November 2015 at Otorokume village in Amuru District and performed a sexual act with the minor.

Medical reports indicated that the 6 year old minor was defiled and Ouma pleaded guilty to the charge of aggravated defilement.

Amuru Chief Magistrates Court heard that Ouma utilized the absence of elders at home and defiled the minor but was suspected when a concerned neighbor realized the girl’s quire behavior that alerted the relatives who reported the case to police and the suspect was arrested.

Aggravated defilement is contrary to section 129 (2) of the Penal Code Act which says “Any person who attempts to have unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of eighteen years commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for eighteen years, with or without corporal punishment.”

Amuru District registers about 7-10 cases of defilement on a daily basis according to a report presented recently by Josephine Apiyo, the Amuru Gender Based Violence Shelter Coordinator in the “Amuru Common Woman manifesto” that highlights the plight of mothers in securing a better future for their girl child.

“Between October to December 2015, 47 cases of defilement were reported but none was prosecuted. This is not a good move to deter culprits from attacking our girls and ruing their education.” Lamented Josphine Apiyo.”

Amuru Resident District Commissioner Bilak Jal Moro recently tasked parents to invest in the education of the girl child and teach them about sex education so that they are not misled by those who want to impregnate or marry them off at an early age.

Meanwhile Gulu district registers at least five cases of defilement in a day according to reports from the Officer in charge of crimes at Gulu Central Police Station.

James Asubu, the OC CID says they register about 150 cases on a monthly basis and 2 in 5 cases reported involve pregnancies in the girls less than eighteen years.

Asubu emphasized that most of the cases are of girls between 14 and 16 and the suspects are between 18 and 25 years of age.

He says consent is not a defense in defilement and urged the complainants not lose interest in such cases when brought before court so that the culprit are brook to book to save the future of the girl child who in most cases are denied access to education after pregnancy.

Asubu accordingly warned parents against specially leaving the girl child to move at night for discos and on market days which makes them vulnerable to plots of the defilers.

“Can’t parents go to the market instead of sending the girls in the night? Market hours here are too late for the girls who have to sometimes move back home alone in the night yet the parents are at home. Are we looking into the future of these young girls?” Wondered Asubu.

Four arrested for trespassing into Gulu High School to access girls.

Four people were last night arrested by Patrol police and detained at Gulu Central police station for jumping over the fence of Gulu High school with intention to steal and access the girls’ dormitories after another group had been arrested but released on warning.

Gulu DPC, Maritn Okoyo confirmed the arrests saying that a minor whose name was not revealed because he is a juvenile and three adults, Ocen Peter, Ojara Samuel and Otim Daniel were arrested after deployment at night on reports that they were disturbing peace at the school.

Okoyo says the school administration has always been reporting cases of boys who steal property and make off without being noticed.

He added that the suspects are still being detained at the police station and will be arraigned before court s of law and answer charges of Criminal Trespass.

Soul Muwonge Lubega the Head teacher of Gulu High School declined to give a comment on the arrests saying the suspects are already in the hands of the police.

Embrace developmental projects to improve earning from agriculture, Gulu women advised.

A number of women have testified that the celebration of International Women’s Day that was held worldwide yesterday is an opportunity that many women under look to appreciate the role of women in managing especially the day to day running of the home that heavily depends on them.

Apiyo Nighty, a business woman in Koro Sub County who testified during the celebration of Women’s day at Pece Stadium attributes her success in business to the training and support given to about 150 women by Crested Kits Uganda, an NGO in Gulu.

A returnee woman, Janet Amony, also says she had fears to associate with other people due to stigmatization but after getting training from World Vision she was able to get god counseling and joined business oriented groups that have improved her life through savings.

She advised returnees to embrace every opportunity that comes their way so that they are fully integrated into the community.

Atim Magaret, a single mother of 9 children and 5 orphans says it was her first time to celebrate Women’s day but was glad that the district organized a forum where women from different sub counties encouraged each other with their testimonies in life.

She added that World Vision gave her home a better living after training her in 2012 on agriculture to plant orange sweet potatoes that opened doors for her to pay school fees for her children.

The deputy mayor, Pauline Lukwayi, urged women to consider value additions and improved methods of farming to realize more profits from their hard work.

Gulu women achievers want to walk the talk on women empowerment.

Gulu women achievers have called upon the government to increase funding to women at grass root levels because they have a greater burden to raise their own children and orphans amidst financial and resource constraints.

The call was made yesterday at Pece Stadium during the celebration of the International Women’s day.

Lalam Paska Oketa, the area Councillor one who is also vying for the position of councilor three in Pece Division says women should be supported to be able to overcome their fears and assume positions predominantly for men.

Alice Paklaki, the incumbent Councilor III for Pece Division appealed for support to local women groups especially those in savings and small scale businesses so that they can be able to look after their children and pay school fees.

Pauline Lukwayi, the deputy mayor who represented the mayor, George Labeja at the celebration under the theme, “Women Economic development a vehicle to sustainable development,” congratulated the women for the work they are doing to see that they develop at personal levels and appealed to men to allow their wives work and support the family to avoid instances of domestic violence that in most cases stem from financial constraints in the home.

Lukwayi says the government should also support the education of the girl child which is key to become self reliant in future instead of burdening grand parents with taking care of their children.

Meanwhile Magaret Oringo Obonyo, the District Prisons Commander urged women who are successful to “hold the hand of another woman walking the talk to develop Uganda”.

She adds that “a home without a woman is no home” hence the need to economically empower women to make lasting contribution to the development of the country.

Women determined to crack fundamental barriers to equality and empowerment.

This year’s international Women’s Day celebration yesterday was the first within the new 2030 Agenda according to the UN for sustainable development of women and girls to achieve gender equality and empowerment that includes aims to end discrimination and violence against women.

The national celebration was held at Kolo Independence ground under the theme: “Women Economic Development,a vehicle to sustainable development.”

In Gulu, the event that took place at Pece Stadium was graced by the Resident District Commissioner as the chief guest who urged men to embrace the initiative to enable equal opportunities that will enhance development with the contribution of both men and women.

He appreciated the women for the active participation of women in various developmental activities in business, politics and for standing strong in the family which is the foundation of the nation.
UN Under Secretary and Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo in a speech presented by Northern Uganda UN area Coordinator, Cyriaque Sobtafo, says women individually,and civil society together have called for lasting and trans formative change by 2030.

Sobtafo adds that women and girls are critical to finding sustainable solutions to the challenges of poverty, inequality and the recovery of communities hardest hit by conflicts, disasters and displacement.
He urged local leaders to recognize women leadership to be able to emerge with greater participation in the decision making processes at all levels beginning at home.

The UN world world pledges to build on the commitments that have already been made by about 90 governments ensuring that women’s call for action to “Step It Up for Gender Equality” is realised to crack some of the fundamental barriers to the achievement of gender equality in their countries.

Gulu district Chairman reveals that about 88% of cases reported to the police by the end of 2015 were GBV related which is a threat to economic development.