He dug into his personal resources and purchased food items which included 200 kilograms of corn meal (Posho) and several kilograms of beans.
Collecting and gathering news worthy articles in order to provide information and news could be one of his primary roles as a journalist, but Duncan Twesigye chose to venture out of his one of his primary role in society and offered a helping hand and kindness to the elderly people in a community beyond his duty station when the lockdown happened in Uganda.
The amiable and often kind-hearted journalist, commonly known as “Ssalongo” a moniker given to a father of twins, says he was touched by the anguish faced by many elderly people around a community in Isingiro district (Western Uganda) during the lockdown, as many could not afford to feed themselves.
He decided to do something about it.
Twesigye made a investigation of who was most affected by the lockdown. His endeavors showed that the elderly folks were struggling to get even just one meal a day. And what they needed most, was food to survive. He dug into his personal resources and purchased food items which included 200 kilograms of corn meal (Posho) and several kilograms of beans. Which he specifically shared to the vulnerable and elderly in a parish called Kyabahesi in Isingiro District, in Western Uganda. He did not stop at that; he also shared some money to those who missed out on the food.
Besides using personal resources to help, the journalist reported massively on the plight of the vulnerable groups of people around the communities. This inspired other philanthropic acts especially in Kabale District where it was aired on a local radio station (Voice of Kigezi). He has since then, been appealing to his peers in journalism to work together and ensure that they serve the vulnerable communities in more ways other than just the pen and paper.
He pointed them towards the challenges arising from the outbreak of COVID-19 and its impact on the economy and other aspects of life. “If we do this together, we can help many more families using our platform. People are going without food,” he appealed.
The uniqueness and purpose of giving during this crisis period induced by the COVID 19 lockdown has seen different groups of people and individuals develop a strong sense of life purpose which is an important dimension of life. And having the influence to improve the lives of others in order to reinforce our personal values and liveliness helping to underwrite to a better setting of life.
By CivSource Team