Speeches Shim
Fifteen years ago, Lauben Agaba, a farmer and father of five children, tested positive for HIV at Rushooka Health Center located in the southwestern Ugandan district of Ntungamo. His wife Ruth tested negative; both thought there was no hope for their family.
Karamoja is a magically beautiful, but arid and intensely hot region in northeast Uganda. Slowly recovering from decades of ethnic conflict and instability, it remains the least developed area of the country. Its pastoralist communities are deeply rooted in tribal traditions, with strong gender disparities between men and women. While women rarely make decisions in the family, small but significant changes are starting to sprout, initiated by the women themselves, turning a life of obstacles into potential opportunities.
In Uganda, three out of 1,000 women who give birth die from complications ― often the result of giving birth at home instead of a hospital. Gerversio Muheereze, a farmer in the village of Kayonza in southwestern Uganda, knows firsthand the danger that expectant mothers face. His wife passed away while giving birth to their eighth child at home, but their baby survived. “Soon after my wife’s death, the local health center came to talk to me about what happened and I learned about the importance of antenatal care and getting regular health services for my family,” said Gerversio.
While a teenager in rural Mbale, Sylvia experienced her parents’ divorce. With no secure social support, she lost her teen years to turmoil. “When my parents divorced, it was horrible,” says Sylvia. “Our family broke up. My siblings stayed with different relatives. It was brutal as a teenager trying to find a place in my community.”
Few industries have the power to transform a country in the way that extraction does. The wealth that lies beneath our feet can power industries the world over and unlock massive amounts of capital. In the United States, the gold and oil rushes of the 19th century still resonate today. And just as in every country that has experienced that sort of dynamic, those effects have been positive and negative, and utterly transformative in ways that are almost beyond understanding. As Uganda prepares to deepen its development in the oil and gas sector and other extractives industries, it faces great opportunity and profound responsibility.
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