Anyone who knew Rebecca Kadaga in the early years of her career would remark at how ironic her initial aversion to relying on a government position as her road to success transformed into a 22-year-long exodus as a National Resistance Movement (NRM) politician. When she opened Kadaga and Company Advocates in 1984 after a stint as legal assistant at Obol Ochola Law Chambers, she seemed set for a life away from government and direct participation in politics. But, the government service she started as the Member of Parliament for Kamuli District in 1989 built up to her current position in the third-highest political office as Uganda's first female Speaker of Parliament.
Madam Speaker
Her landslide victory of 302 votes to Nandala Mafabi's 72 on 19th May 2011 signaled Ugandan MP's readiness to follow her example of putting national interests above party politics. Validation for "the people's speaker" tag came quickly. In April 2012 when Uganda became the first East African country to host the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the world's largest union of 159 national Parliaments, she called on NRM and non-NRM support in showcasing Uganda's positive attributes to the visiting delegates. Read more
http://www.monitor.co.ug/SpecialReports/ugandaat50/Rebecca+Kadaga++A+woman+of+all+political+seasons/-/1370466/1485864/-/882uxg/-/index.html
STOPPING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN REFUGEE SETTLEMENTS IN UGANDA
Recent violence in Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo has forced thousands of people to flee their homes and seek refuge in neighboring Uganda. In the Ugandan settlements where refugees live, violence against women is a growing concern. The American Refugee Committee has been working with partners and refugee communities to address gender-based violence in the settlements since 2008. ARC recently received supplementary funding from Bureau of Population Refugee and Migration (BPRM) to support its efforts in working with communities to address the issue in four refugee settlements: Kyangwali, Kyaka, Nakivale and Rwamwanja. "With the support of BPRM, we have been able to build a-drop-in center, which acts as a safe haven for survivors of gender-based violence who are at risk of further harm," said Ralf Nico Thill, ARC's Country Director for Uganda.
"The safe house provides shelter to survivors during the period they need medical or legal attention—and its proximity to the health unit and police post makes it easy for survivors to access services timely and appropriately." ARC has helped more than 25,000 refugees who fled to Uganda from five countries, including Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, and Kenya. More than 98% of the refugees living in the settlement are from DRC and Sudan. The BPRM funding supports: Training health workers on clinical management of rape survivors (CMRS), Training partners at Kyangwali refugee settlement camp on caring for survivors of gender-based violence, Comprehensive supplies of drugs to treat HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections, and Essential supplies for protection houses in three settlements.
Read more
http://reliefweb.int/report/uganda/stopping-violence-against-women-refugee-settlements-uganda?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ReliefwebUpdates+%28ReliefWeb+-+Latest+Updates%29
WOMAN SUES FIANCÉ OVER WEDDING
When Catherine Kalembe introduced Emma Mutaka to her parents in Kisozi Village, Kamuli District in 2010 as her fiancé, she was sure a wedding would follow shortly to cement their relationship. However, two years later and without a wedding ring, Ms Kalembe has decided to seek legal recourse, dragging her fiancé to court for allegedly failing to wed her. In what many in Iganga have described as a "strange" case, Ms Kalembe, a resident of Nkono Zone in the municipality, says Mr Mutaka, who is the National Agricultural Advisory Services, (Naads) coordinator for Bukanga Sub-county in Luuka District, should pay for failing to marry her.
In the suit, Ms Kalembe says she went an extra mile to facilitate their introduction ceremony and make it "colourful" with a Shs2 million cash injection—and it is just proper that her fiancé—who "had a small income" then, reciprocates a good turn. In her submission to the Iganga Chief Magistrate, Ms Kalembe laments that Saturday December 17, 2011, should have been her lucky day—when she should have walked down the aisle with her heartthrob. Instead, Ms Kalembe says, she nearly dropped dead when Pastor Kasakya of Iganga Deliverance Church, who was to preside over the function, told her Mr Mutaka had halted the wedding "until further notice". Read more
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Woman+sues+fianc++over+wedding/-/688334/1485784/-/i9ooxyz/-/index.html
SCHOOL-HUNGRY KARIMOJONG GIRLS LURED INTO HOUSEKEEPING
A survey carried out by independent NGOs has indicated a rise in child trafficking in Karamoja Sub-region. The vice has been attributed to unscrupulous charities that pose as NGOs offering support to vulnerable children in Karamoja. A survey carried out a year ago by Avocats Sans Frontieres (Layers Without Borders) and Federation of Uganda Women Lawyers on the situation of child trafficking in Teso and Karamoja, established that at least 65 per cent of housemaids in the sub-regions are Karimojong children.
"The girls are lured from their homes with a promise that they will be taken to school but end up as domestic servants without the knowledge of their parents," the Katakwi district deputy chief, Ms Margaret Ikulot, said. Ms Ikulot said those involved in the business are mainly women who earn a lot from the 'trade'. "The children are traded for mostly food, which is sent back to their families, while some are rented and others sold," Mr Ikulot said. Mid-Eastern Police Spokesperson Juma Hassan Nyene said many of these children are promised education and provided with shelter but instead they are subjected to a lot of domestic work. Read more
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/School+hungry+Karimojong+girls+lured+into+housekeeping/-/688334/1488490/-/12i9chy/-/index.html
WOMAN ARRESTED AT PARLIAMENT FOR ALLEGEDLY TRYING TO BRIBE MP
Police are holding a woman who allegedly tried to bribe a Member of Parliament at the House yesterday. The woman, only identified as Rose, was yesterday arrested and handed to police detectives attached to Parliament after allegedly trying to bribe Eastern Uganda Youth MP Peter Ogwang. According to information given to Daily Monitor by a House police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to speak to speak to the press, the woman, who was wearing a blue and white stripped T-shirt, had come to influence Mr Ogwang to drop evidence he is believed to have implicating senior officials in alleged misappropriation of public funds in the Office of the Prime Minister.
"That woman came in here at around 9am and we were called in to arrest her by the bodyguards of the honourable member who said she had tried to bribe the MP," the officer said. "We have already sent her to the main office in town to continue with investigations," he added. While speaking to the detectives in the presence of journalists, Mr Ogwang said the woman telephoned him on Saturday and asked to meet him over the documents he has implicating officials in the OPM in the on-going investigations. Read more
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Woman+held+for+trying+to+bribe+MP/-/688334/1488486/-/54fb5x/-/index.html
NATIONAL WOMEN'S WEEK 2012
UWONET is pleased to announce the first ever National Women's Week event scheduled for 3rd - 5th October 2012 at Hotel Africana, Kampala. This national event will bring together women, men, institutions, companies and the general public as women of Uganda celebrate their contribution to the country's development in the last 50 years. Several activities are planned to color the event but as well foster networking and deeper reflection on the women's movement in Uganda.
These include among others exhibitions of women's work, award ceremonies, an alliance building conference, parallel dialogues on topical issues, special clinics on cancer screening, family planning, blood donation and legal aid, music, dance and drama performances, movie nights. This will provide space and opportunity for organizations and individuals to dialogue with other actors and show case contribution to changing lives of women in Uganda. Please join us as we promote and celebrate women's accomplishments from across the country. To register for this event please follow this link and fill in the form. Read more https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dG82QzFpN0xYNUhONU1hOE84ZXlmN3c6MQ
A WAR AGAINST MATERNAL, INFANT DEATHS
Health experts in the east, central and southern Africa have called for new innovation approaches to combat high maternal and infant mortality rates. According to the 2010 UN development report, over 860,000 children and 35,000 mothers died due to complications during birth in the mentioned regions that year. "These figures are high and there should be concerted efforts by medical workers and other stakeholders to bring this down," Dr. Olive SentumbwoMugisa, the family health and population advisor at World Health Organization (WHO) said.
She stressed the need to scale up best practices in midwifery education and practices to strengthen health systems in order to improve maternal health outcomes in the region. Sentumbwo was speaking during the opening of the 6th Best Practices Forum at Mount Meru Hotel in Arusha, Tanzania on Tuesday. The forum attracted over 200 delegates from Uganda, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Seychelles, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and the US. Read more
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/634135-a-war-against-maternal-infant-deaths.html
INCREASE COVERAGE OF POSTAL SERVICE FOR BETTER HEALTH AND OTHER SERVICES DELIVERY
The prevalence rate and publicity of HIV/Aids as well as the ongoing efforts to combat it may keep fluctuating. However, that does not or should not make us forget that the scourge is still around. While HIV/Aids does not discriminate between classes and political parties, among others, the burden and toll is huge on the less privileged majority, who no longer die of ignorance about their status, but among other factors, failure to report to their respective service providers for drug refills and not necessarily examination or advanced management. This is mainly due to lack of transport (not the facilities but money to meet the costs). Although TASO and other non-governmental organisations attempted to make physical deliveries of medical supplies to their clients, in addition to general adherence, monitoring and counseling, among others, it was not sustainable in terms of financial and human resource requirements.
This made me think of how convenient and cost effective it would be if we are to make use of postal services. This would require that every home gets a number and post box complete with names of occupants written on the post boxes for easy identification and mail distribution. In Germany where I observed the system, people do not go to post offices to pick their mails. Mails are delivered direct to their post boxes at their doorsteps and there is a deeply entrenched culture of checking the post box almost twice a day. It takes a maximum of two days for any correspondence to reach its destination (recipient). Read more
http://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Letters/Increase+coverage+of+postal+service+for+better+health+/-/806314/1487556/-/p0w697/-/index.html
EA WOMEN TOP IN USE OF CONTRACEPTIVES
The number of women using contraceptives in East Africa has risen from 12 million in 2008 to 17 million today, according to a continent-wide study. A study done by African Population and Health Research on the population and use of contraceptives in Africa indicates that among the marrieds, the number of women who use modern methods of family planning has also risen from 20 million to 27 million. The United Nations Populations Fund report 2010 puts the population of East Africa at 131 million people. Presenting the report at Speke Resort Munyonyo on Monday, Dr. Estelle Sidze, one of the facilitators, said awareness, education and investment were among the highest contributing factors in the use of modern contraceptives.
This was during a meeting by Africa women parliamentarians to discuss issues of leadership, family planning and reproductive health. "Compared to other regions, East Africa is doing somehow well but more funding is needed to help more women, especially in rural areas, access the contraceptives," she said. According Sidze, despite the improvement, the number of women who need but cannot access modern methods of family planning in East Africa has risen from 19 million in 2008 to 20 million. She noted that lack of contraceptives has led to increased school dropouts, death as a result of complicated pregnancies and increased cases of unsafe abortions. The gender minister, Rukia Nakadama, said: "As women leaders, we must continue to call for investment in women and girls' healthcare and monitor how the money is spent." Read more
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/634610-ea-women-top-in-use-of-contraceptives.html
"NEC NOMINATION FEES WILL PROHIBIT WOMEN"- UGANDA POLITICIAN
Uganda politician, Dr. Miria Matembe has said that the proposed nomination fees by the National Election Commission (NEC) will prohibit women from contesting as Councilors, Mayors or Chairmen and Parliamentarians in the November 17 elections. She described the NEC fees proposals as "unfortunate" noting that by this proposals, "it is obvious that women aspirants would be hardest hit." She noted that women going into politics are mostly faced with financial constraints and that that NEC charges will deliberately disenfranchise women aspirants to give way to those men who are rich. "Politics should not be determined by financial status, it should not be determined by who is rich, it about who is popular and who can deliver," Dr. Matembe stated.
Dr. Matembe was a Member of the Uganda Parliament for 17 years and she is a founding member of the Pan African Parliament and was Chair of the Rules and Disciplinary Committee of the Pan African Parliament. Dr. Matembe was once the Minister of Ethics and Integrity in the Office of the President of Uganda. Dr. Matembe who was in the country this week to train women aspirants for elective leadership positions in the November 17 elections emphasized that the huge amount for nomination announced by NEC "will leave out women completely from the current elective political race". Part of the veteran politician's job in Sierra Leone was to share her experiences as a politician and to motivate and inspire intending women. Read more
http://www.awoko.org/2012/08/24/%E2%80%9Cnec-nomination-fees-will-prohibit-women%E2%80%9D-uganda-politician/
WOMEN WITH DISABILITY ARE NEGLECTED VARIOUSLY - REPORT
A report released this week by National Union of Women with Disabilities of Uganda (NUWODU) reveals that there has been gross abuse of rights for women with disabilities (WWDs) mainly in accessing social services in various centers in the country. The report highlights a 43% of WWDs being neglected by their spouses where as others being rejected in public, children have found difficulties in attaining better education and WWDs are neglected by health workers when they go to access medical care, the highest problem being in receiving better maternal health services.
Speaking at the launch of the report, the fisheries minister, Ruth Nankabirwa who read the speaker of parliament's speech stressed that the challenges faced by PWDs have a great negative impact to national development which now calls for the harmonization of laws to address the special group's needs. Kampala MP for WWDs, Safiyah Nalule Juuko decried the lack of better facilities in labour wards for WWDs to deliver safely. Uganda is an equal opportunities country and has tried to make the voice of every social group count. However, more needs to be done to improve the wellbeing of Women With Disability. Read more
http://www.ugpulse.com/uganda-news/people/women-with-disability-are-neglected-variously-report/26949.aspx
WOMEN WITH DISABILITY DEMAND FOR INVOLVEMENT IN PROCUREMENT
Women with Disabilities have Petitioned Parliament demanding their involvement in the Procurement process in the Health sector and other areas so that PWDS are catered for when seeking for services. Under their Umbrella body National Union of Women with Disabilities of Uganda, while presenting a Petition to the Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, the head of the Delegation Joy Nakyesa said people with disabilities are left out in the decision making and want an upper hand to see that they are brought on board when decision affecting them are being put in place.
The Speaker Rebecca Kadaga in her response said a Certificate of Equity from Government should be brought to parliament which will be a basis in taking decision when making laws. She said a focal point in all Ministries should also be established to address issues that affect people with disabilities in the Country. Read more
http://www.ugpulse.com/uganda-news/people/women-with-disability-demand-for-involvement-in-procurement/26977.aspx
MINISTRY DEFENDS CONTRACEPTIVES
The Ministry of Health yesterday ruled out claims that contraceptive campaigns are profit driven, highlighting that they continue to save their role - population control. "The contraceptives on the market are achieving their intended reasons. They control birth, and also allow people to work and plan for their families," Dr Asuman Lukwago, the permanent secretary of the ministry, told Daily Monitor. Mr Lukwago said: "It is true that they have side effects such as weight gain in some people but this does not rule out the fact that contraceptives are useful."
The ministry's position came a few days after Dr Brian Clowes, a researcher with Human Life International, was quoted by Citizen, this newspapers's sister paper in Tanzania, calling for the education of Tanzanians about what he suggested are the deadly health effects of contraceptives, which he called "a new form of colonialism." "Family planning through abortion or the use of contraceptives has caused many women and girls to suffer physically and psychologically. A traditional family planning method such as using a calendar is the only safer means," said Clowes. Read more
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Ministry+defends+contraceptives/-/688334/1487634/-/c28ngxz/-/index.html
RISING HIV INFECTIONS WORRY EXPERTS
Leading HIV/Aids researchers and programme implementers in the country have revealed that unless Uganda implements its national HIV prevention and strategic plans, the war against reversing the spiralling infections is far from over. This revelation was made at a public debate on Thursday, where panelists discussed whether Uganda is moving in the right direction regarding HIV prevention. The debate was part of activities to mark 90 years of Makerere University, which has conducted key HIV research over the years.
Coming right on the heels of the 2011 AIDS Indicator Survey, which shows that prevalence has gone up to 7.3 per cent from 6.4 per cent in 2006, turned out not to be a contest between proponents and opponents but rather a rational look at where the country is standing now and what efforts need to be implemented. According to the Director of the Regional Centre for Quality of Healthcare at Makerere University, Prof. Fred Wabwire- Mangen, who was a proponent, although the recent survey shows some changes in behaviour change, the new infections are worrying and call for new thinking. Read more
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Rising+HIV+infections+worry+experts/-/688334/1487658/-/qwkq0rz/-/index.html
LIFE STYLE
DIARY OF A WORKING MARRIED MOTHER: WHAT A WOMAN GOES THROUGH
I keep telling the Lord, in our nightly conversations, that I am glad he made us women strong, loving and able to endure all things, sometimes too many things. But at times I wonder if it is fair. Some days back, I went to see the gynaecologist as I needed to uhm, have her deal with my reproductive system. The last time the procedure had gone okay. Not this time round. First I was worked on by someone I did not know so it was hard to relax and be comfortable as she kept on urging. It got worse when she kept stating that what she was doing was not working. She tried for all of five minutes which is a very long time. She failed and called fellow medical personnel. They tried and failed and called a third person – who was nicer – but she too still failed. All the while I was on the table like a guinea pig being checked, talked over and tugged.
In the end, I was told the procedure could not go on but I should come back another day when it might be easier. I left thinking, "What just happened?" The personnel had only done their job, but I could not help feeling useless, embarrassed and deflated. I thought of the women who give birth in terrible conditions, or who have to, bare their all in small clinics and hospitals, to people who they do not know, people who shout and are rude to them, people who make nasty comments about their body parts. I thought of women who go through this and then go back home to be beaten, cheated on and abused by their partners.
And yet the next day, week, month or year, they trudge back to the clinic to give birth, get contraception or have the problem fixed. Not just for themselves but so that their children will have a healthy mother and their partner will not make noise about them not doing this or that. Read more
http://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/Full+Woman/Diary+of+a+Working+Married+Mother++What+a+woman+goes+through/-/689842/1486844/-/146wu42/-/index.html
Compiled by Sandra Nassali & Esther Namitala
Public Relations & Communications Department
Action For Development
Email: snassali@acfode.org
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