Salongo Kawuki Bwogere abandoned his wife, 35-year-old Faridah Nantumbwe
and his children after she gave birth to the fourth albino child two
years ago. Her told his wife that in their clan they did not produce
albinos, whom he described as a curse.
He also barred his wife from cultivating on their land.
Nantumbwe, now resident in Mugongo, Uganda said she used to live with
her husband at Kirume village Gombolola Kasambya in Mubende district
where they had their children.
She narrated that after they had the fourth child her husband chased her
and vowed to kill her and the children.
"Although he decided to chase me away, Bwogere never provided me
with transport. He just told me to find my way out of his house.
As a non-stipendiary, I had to appeal to people of good heart to bail me
out of my burden of giving birth to albinos. However, through thick and
thin I managed to get enough money for transport to take me to my home
at Mugongo where I now live with my children,"
Despite her ordeal, Nantumbwe has vowed not to abandon her children like
her husband did.
She is currently seeking financial and any other assistance from people
of good will, to raise her children.
"After all they are human beings like other children who are not
albinos".
Faridah gave birth to her first child, Ivan Ssewagudde at the age of 20.
She said she was shocked to see that she had given birth to a 'white'
child and so was her husband, little did she know what lay ahead.
Next came the twins, Allan Wasswa and Amon Kato now aged 8 years. After
she had her fourth child, Joan Kizza Nakabugo, 6, her husband woke up
one morning and told her to immediately leave with her children.
Nantumbwe has become a case of stigma among her in-laws and the
community.
They have branded her unfaithful to her husband else how did she give
birth to albinos?
"When I gave birth to other children of the same colour, it became
worse; people in the community used to gossip about. me all the time.
They considered me to be a curse. It is terrible to have children of
albinism. I am terrified and I fear for them because they might develop
problems as they do not have natural protection from the sun that
affects them so much.
As a single mother I do not have money to provide the necessary feeding
and clothing to protect them as they have tender skins. I need to
monitor them constantly to make sure they do not get sun burnt. Now that
the father of my children abandoned us, I appeal to all people of good
will to come to my rescue because I love my children and I want to raise
them.
They are lovely. I need to feed them properly and take them to school to
have the necessary education, because they have the brains and they are
intelligent. My husband’s family members also branded me a 'mother of
ghosts'. So I have nowhere to turn to other than to people of good will
and to the Government.
Nantumbwe revealed that her in-laws have a history of albinism.
According to her, before her father in-law passed away last year, he had
told her that his elder brother had fathered four albino children.
"He encouraged me and said not to get worried as it was hereditary
in their family."
Unfortunately, he passed on before her husband chased her away.
Nantumbwe currently earns a meagre living from doing peoples’ laundry
and gardening.
"I feel bad my children are not going to school and sometimes we
sleep without a meal or a drink. I call upon President Museveni to come
to my rescue as he has always done with many other people in this
country, because I am in dire need of assistance with my children.
We have nowhere to live decently," she appealed. She is grateful to
those who have assisted.
11-year-old Ssewagudde, the elder of Nantumbwe’s children is also
appealing for help. "Our father abandoned us, because he does not
want even to look at us. We are a curse to him. We pray God to help our
mother so that she provides for us." he said.
Source: New Vision Daily
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