I have realized over the years that sustainable giving is more effective when you involve local leaders and respected persons in the community. To this end, I have over time purposed to actively interact with these categories of people in the two communities I call home; Gayaza (my village) and Luzira where I live.
When Covid19 hit and we privileged persons were buying everything off the shelf, I could tell how this was going to pan out for the less privileged amongst us (this was shortly after the first Presidential Address). I therefore asked my contact person in my village to compile and share a list. First was the sick and elderly persons with no families/support systems, then widows and single parents with meager resources. I also helped the indigent or as locally known the Bakateyamba (those who have no income at all).
With the list (about 40 homes), I donated posho, beans and soap, with a message. The message was to sensitize them about the disease, hand washing, staying home and also the fact that the disease was going to hit hard and they needed to handle the food sparingly because it would be a long run.
I asked the community coordinator together with the LC committee to sensitize the shops on the ‘kyaalo’ to have soap and water available for their clients and to enforce it. I intend to keep replenishing the rations every one month until we are out of the woods.
I also sent a few gloves and masks to the community health center for the health workers there with information about the disease. For Luzira, we live in ‘an affluent’ neighborhood with a small slum right beside us. Interestingly, the community here only communes on a WhatsApp group so the underprivileged are obviously not on there.
I asked our LC1 Chairperson to compile a list of how many homes in the area needed help and also to let me know how we could be of help. There was a laxity on her part. I think the people did finally reach out to her though and she contacted me. I asked again for a list of homes and I was told we have 97 vulnerable homes here (still waiting for the list which I shall verify over time). I have since sent the LC rations of posho, beans and sugar to send to the said homes as we await the government food which is yet to be given in our area.
I tell this story because I feel that we need to go back in time and commune in a neighborly manner; the way we did when I grew up in the 1990s. These times have shown me that while I cannot give the entire nation, I can give to my neighbors and I wish more people would work with the local leaders and trusted community workers to bring about a little oneness with each other.
By: CivSource Africa Team