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
AbleMoJah® Nigeria.
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