Originally published in Village Life Magazine, October/November 2006
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As with many countries suffering civil unrest, the incidence of rape in Uganda is extremely high. The 2006 African Child Policy Forum, a UN study, showed that a staggering one in every two Ugandan girls aged between 12 and 20 would be raped. This was the highest figure among the other countries studied: Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. The study also found that only four percent of the crimes were reported. Rachel* is five weeks old. Her mother Esther* is 15. Esther was raped in the Ugandan capital of Kampala while, ironically, staying away from a situation in her hometown of Mbarara that she thought would result in her eventual rape. Finding that she was pregnant, Esther was brought to Wakisa Ministries. Vivian Kityo started Wakisa Ministries after seeing an increasing number of raped and pregnant girls like Esther at the hospital where she worked as a nurse. She knew that many would end up on the streets as there is a strict taboo in Uganda preventing a pregnant and unmarried woman living in the same house as her father, regardless of the circumstance leading to her pregnancy. Without any skills necessary to earn a living and with government assistance being non-existent, Vivian knew many of the girls would end up destitute. 'Once they become pregnant, it's over,' she said. For the next 14 years Vivian ran a crisis pregnancy centre associated with Youth For Christ before heading out on her own and establishing Wakisa Ministries in mid 2005. Incidentally, the name 'Wakisa', Vivian's maiden name, means mercy and kindness in her native Luganda language. ’Ä® In the first 12 months since establishing Wakisa Ministries, Vivian had 60 girls in her care; nearly half of them were raped. At present, Vivian houses up to 15 girls at a time with each girl staying for an average of three months. With the help of a few staff and volunteers from around the world, she feeds them, clothes them and teaches them skills like cooking, weaving and candlemaking so they can hopefully make a living to support themselves and their babies once they leave. She also arranges medical care when needed including getting them to the hospital in time for their delivery. Vivian also acts as an intermediary between the girls and their parents, hopeful of having the girls accepted back into their homes and villages. When unsuccessful, Vivian is usually able to find a distant relative somewhere. 'African families are big and there is usually someone who will take them in,' she said. |
 The sad fact remains that Vivian is turning girls away in droves. 'We need more room for more girls if we are going to help. This is just a drop in the ocean,' she said. 'If we are really going to have an impact we need to move to a bigger, special place.' Vivian is hoping and praying for a simple facility where she can care for up to 50 girls at a time. She also believes that crisis pregnancy centres are desperately needed in every district in Uganda and has recently completed a proposal for what is hoped to be the Lakica Centre in Gulu. (Lakica means the same as Wakisa in the northern Lwo language, spoken throughout the Acholi districts). Seeing her vision realised will be an uphill battle, yet Vivian has a simple philosophy regarding the girls in her care: 'if they are not shown love, they will not know how to teach love.' |
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