RUBIRIZI – The Woman Member of Parliament for Rubirizi District, Hon. Arineitwe Jeniva Nalongo, has urged Christians to abandon hatred, gossip, conflicts and witchcraft in their communities, saying these vices are fueling poverty, disunity and backwardness in families.
She made the call during a thanksgiving mass for Mushumba Catholic Church Women in Ryeru Sub-county, Rubirizi District. The function was organized to raise funds to complete the construction of their church.
Hon. Jeniva said Christians must return to God, live in love, unity and cooperation, and work together to develop their families and communities.
> “Any village that is full of conflicts, hatred and witchcraft can never develop. Instead they remain in suffering. This is the time to forgive one another and unite to develop our villages,” Hon. Jeniva said.
She said it is now time to change mindset and stop the belief that every person who dies has been bewitched, a belief she said has become common and has deeply affected many communities.
“It is time for reconciliation, returning home and working hard to transform our villages, because villages characterized by fights cannot develop, but rather continue to sink into poverty,” she added.
*Youth Urged to Return to God*
Hon. Jeniva urged the youth to return to God, respect their parents, be good citizens, avoid immorality and stop abusing drugs and substances that destroy lives at an early age. She further advised youth to work hard, exhibit good behavior and join government development programs such as Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga and other initiatives to uplift their families.
*Education is Bridge from Poverty to Wealth – Rev Fr Ludigo*
According to Rev. Fr. Adolf Ludigo, Parish Priest of Buhinda Catholic Parish, parents must educate their children if they want to fight poverty and ignorance.
“Education is the bridge that moves a person from poverty to wealth. A family that does not educate its children cannot escape poverty. An educated child is the one who will help his family,” Fr. Ludigo said.
He asked parents to stop believing that a girl child has no value, and instead educate all children equally.
Fr. Ludigo noted that a home with educated children does not engage in useless and immoral acts like theft, witchcraft, gossip and alcohol abuse because an educated home is enlightened, God-fearing and well-planned.
He urged parents to protect their children’s future by providing school requirements, scholastic materials, guidance and encouraging them to stay in school and remain close to God. He also urged parents in Rubirizi to stop marrying off young children at an early age, saying education is foundation for wealth and family dignity.
He thanked parents educating their children despite poverty and prayed that God gives them more strength.
*Educationist Calls for Joint Effort*
Meanwhile, educationist Mr. Byamukama Innocent spoke strongly to learners, teachers and parents about improving quality of education in the district.
He said many parents are no longer participating actively in their children’s education and urged them to return to responsibilities like providing scholastic materials, feeding children, buying uniforms and following up on performance.
“A child who is not followed up both at home and at school cannot perform well,” he noted.
He said teachers must have a heart of love for children, teach with dedication, avoid harassing learners and embrace modern teaching methods under competence-based curriculum. “A teacher is both a father and mother to learners while at school.”
Mr. Byamukama advised learners to start working hard from an early age, avoid immorality, drug abuse and useless activities.
“Laziness in youth is the beginning of a journey into poverty. Education does not uplift just one child, it can uplift the entire family when you are uniting together,” he said.
Story compiled by Hon. Tugume Muzafaru, Senior News Reporter in Rubirizi. For media coverage call 0702269259.
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