News from the Kyangwali refugee community You can help us by making a small donation. Thank you! Please contact us if you can offer assistance.
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Kyangwali Star is the news agency working inside the refugee settlement of Kyangwali, Hoima district, Uganda. It is a print media station founded in 2007, it is bilingual in English and Kiswahili and run entirely by refugees. We are currently looking for a partner NGO to help with logistics, to transfer equipment (phones, laptops) from the EU to Uganda.
14/11/2023
VULNERABLE CRIES FOR SUPPORT IN KYANGWALI
A sixty nine years old Congolese refugee based in Kyangwali refugee settlement cries for support from any organization or well wisher. Tumukunde Jamari, a resident of kyebitaka village of Block 69 told Kyangwali Star that he has no house and that he has gone seven months without receiving a food distribution ratio. He told our reporter that he stays with an orphan, Gisubizo Emmanuel, 15yrs who is also not supported and has by now developed theft activities because of hard condition of life.
Tumukunde fears that since he was once imprisoned, people may end up killing him as already his arm was broken by somebody. He told our reporter that Lydia of UNHCR visited him in November last year and promised help but all in vain. He feels the need to be taken out of Uganda to another country of asylum because he has sought for help at different levels up to Kampala and never received any.
02/01/2023
AMBULANCE DRIVER DIES IN KYANGWALI
A long-serving ambulance driver died in a road accident on 28th December 2022.
Mr. Valentine Semanda was driving an ambulance from Hoima referral hospital to Kyangwali when he overtook a lorry at Buswekera trading center and had a head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle that crashed the ambulance. He died instantly as other passengers survived with some injuries.
His remains were laid to rest on 29th December 2022 in the Kakumiro district. He worked with Action Africa Help (AAH) in Kyangwali and Medical Teams International (MTI) at the time of his death.
19/12/2022
A WOMAN DIES AT KYANGWALI HEALTH CENTER IV.
A woman has died of an unsuccessful maternity operation at Kyangwali health center IV (Kituti). 3/12/2022 at 23.00 hours. Florence Furaha (32yrs) had been sent to the said health center third of December for delivery after she experienced delivery pains. Mr. Bonane Mwiti a resident of Kyebitaka village block 1 told Kyangwali star that his sister died in the labor ward while the newborn baby survived.
He said that the deceased survived the widower and 6 children. The sad incident occurred after the death of Patrick Banyenzaki, (38 yrs) a brother-in-law to the deceased. Patrick fell down the freedom tree at the base camp while trying to catch wild birds for prey. He was rushed to hospital and died on 9/10/2022 at Mulago hospital. His remains were laid to rest on 10/10/2022 at Kyebitaka village block 1 at 5.00 pm. He survived with a widow and 7 children.
11/05/2022
YOBAC DISTRIBUTES RABBITS IN KYANGWALI
About 310 rabbits have been distributed to vulnerable refugees in Kyangwali, Kikuube district on the 12th of February, 2022 by the Youth Organization for Building African Community (YOBAC).
The director of YOBAC told our reporter at his office on the distribution day that they received two hundred seventy-three female and thirty-seven male rabbits from Kitchen Farm Resource Centre located in Kasese municipality. These animals are to be given out to vulnerable refugees registered in the organization.
Mr. Albert Juma (24) a Congolese refugee who is also the founder of the organization said that he started YOBAC on the 5th of September, 2016 to fight for human rights, to stop violence against children, and to reduce violence cases in the community. He said the organization has started a nursery, primary one, two, and three schools in support of children's education.
Mr. Bwambale Eriano, the managing director of Kitchen Farm Resource Centre after delivery said that the rabbit is nutritious and easy to access. He said that a rabbit conceives four months old, the gestation period is one month, and the animal breastfeeds for two months before mating again. He said rabbits shouldn't mate immediately after delivery but should be reared in a clean cage to avoid diseases. Rabbit feeds on maize brand, and kitchen refuses like banana peels, grass, and leaves.
He said that common rabbit disease is foot and mouth which is managed by tetracycline injection. Raising rabbits is a source of income, it helps malnourished children and beautifies the environment.
18/10/2021
LAND DISPUTE IN BUKINDA KYANGWALI
The government of Uganda has stopped building construction in Bukinda area, Kyangwali refugee settlement, Buhaguzi County in the Midwestern region with immediate effect. This was stated by the premier Hon. Robina Nabanja while addressing thousands of people at Bukinda primary school on Saturday, 2nd of October, 2021.
Premier Robina Nabanja said that, it is according to president Museveni`s directive to stop any building activity in Bukinda because of land dispute to be solved. She told office of the prime minister’s settlement commandant, Mr. John Bosco Kugonza to immediately stop construction of structures in places they had demolished permanent buildings of evicted nationals as they wait to hear from the other side of the claim.
Premier Robina Nabanja said structures being erected were only just completed when they heard that she was paying a visit. She said that there is no problem settling in new refugees but that they should be settled in other parts of the settlement where there is still vacant land. In her address, the premier revealed that some of the evicted nationals had property tax cards paid for as back as 1977 and some people were born there as far as 1940. She said she will take the property tax cards for the president’s perusal.
She assigned the resident district commissioner Mr. Tumusime and local council five chairperson Hon. Banura to report any further default to the president’s directive on the disputed area.
The minister for lands, Hon. Judith Nabakoba, who had accompanied the premier on government mission with other ministers, commented that the directive of 2016 and 2018 ordered that land with dispute shouldn’t be put in any use. She said that boundary opening is soon to be done.
Nabakoba told Hon. Esther Divinia Anyakun, the minister for disaster preparedness and refugees to take note of OPM staff members who were using the land where nationals were evicted to cultivate and sell food to the ministry.
Hon. Anyakun promised to check on the Uganda People’s defence forces (UPDF) acquired land within the settlement. She said that there is 2 billion shillings from Development Response to Displacement Impact Project (DRDIP) to be brought back for constructing schools and hospitals in the hosting communities. Concerning the long awaited payment to to***co farmers, she said that they will soon be cashed so long as Continental To***co Corporation signs the contract because it is the only company left to do so.
Hon. Fred Byamukama the minister of works was among others who accompanied the premier as she landed from the government helicopter at Kasonga primary school playground. Present was also Apollo David Kazungu, the commissioner for refugees.
The resident district commissioner (RDC) Kikuube district Mr. Mulandi Tumusime was the program controller during the address of the premier. The local council (LC) 5, Hon. Banura said that a serious action should be taken to the surveyors who made the mistake of laying improper boundary to the settlement land.
19/08/2021
A 74 YR MAN CRIES FOR COMPENSATION AND MEDICATION IN KYANGWALI
A man has been knocked down by a motorcycle. The accident left his right leg broken at Butole parish, Mahamba, Kyangwali Sub County in Kikuube district of midwestern Uganda.
In an interview with our reporter on 10th of August, 2021, Mr. Luka Wafula revealed that it was on the 26th of January, 2021 at 8.00 pm, when the vehicle was coming ahead of him from Butole trading centre to Kobusinge trading centre, near St. John Paul Secondary School. Flashing its headlights directly to his eyes the motorcycle emerged from behind and knocked him down beside the road.
Luka said that it was the firstborn son of the late Kashangaki from Kisanje village, Mahamba parish in the same sub county that was riding the motorcycle that knocked him down. Mr. Wairindi is the chairman of Kisanje village. He said that the motorcycle rider also fell down but got up after a while and carried him to the clinic of Dr. Agaba at Butole trading centre.
Reaching the clinic, Dr. Agaba put Luka on IVs and discharged him after two days with six tablets as continuation for medication. He told Kyangwali Star that the doctor wanted to refer him to Kituti health centre for X-rays, but this plan never materialized as he had no care taker to his property to keep him at the health centre so that he could be admitted.
Luka said that he is worried about his medication, because the motorcycle rider only sent him cooked food twice and then disappeared completely. The leg is still paining and he can’t walk without support sticks. He lost some property while he was at the clinic because his wife is not around. She left for her home for two weeks before the first lockdown. He has no children.
He appeals to government, NGOs and well wishers to support him to get proper medication and compensation following the accident.
29/11/2020
WORLD TOILET DAY CELEBRATIONS IN KYANGWALI
Kyangwali refugees’ settlement in Kikuube district of mid western Uganda has joined the rest of the world in commemoration of the world toilet day on 19th November, 2020.
World toilet day seeks to inspire action to tackle global sanitation crisis and help to achieve sustainable development goal 6 (SDG 6) which promises sanitation for all by 2030.
This year’s theme is focussed on sustainable sanitation and climate change.
World toilet day was founded by Jack Sim on 19th November, 2001 according to Miss Rachael Twine, an official working with HIJRA, the UNHCR operating partner attached to Kyangwali office.
She said this while leading the world toilet day sensitization team on 19th November, 2020 at Kasonga trading centre. Twine told Kyangwali star that the world toilet day proposal was tabled at United Nations (UN) and passed on 19th November, 2013 to raise awareness for billions of people who stay without latrines.
She said that they are working in line with partners in relation to sanitation, water and hygiene including: OXFAM, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Uganda Red cross, CIDI, International Aid Services (IAS) ACF, LWF, CRS, ALIGHT and UNHCR.
18/06/2020
CRY AS OPM TERMINATES DOMESTIC ANIMAL LIVES IN KYANGWALI
Over hundred domestic dogs have been put down in Kyangwali refugees` settlement in Kikuube district after emergence of 28 dog bite cases. OPM protection officer, Mr. Bwenje founded a dog kill squad made of Congolese refugee youth and equipped them to use hoes, long handles, ropes and special made metals for piercing dogs among other weapons. The dog kill squad is escorted by armed police to engage refugee homes that keep dogs.
The former refugees` welfare council (RWC) chairperson, Mr. Walter Otim, the resident of Nyampindu village, block 3 told our reporter that he was in Kasonga village while the dog kill squad escorted by heavily armed policemen and led by Mr. Bwenje surrounded his home on Friday 12th of June, 2020. Otim’s son was given a rope to tie the dog down so the squad could kill it. Son requested they would wait for authority from his father before proceeding but without delay a gun was fired and the dog was killed.
Mr. Otim said that his children were shocked by this and ran away to hide in the bush. They only returned very late in the night. He said that they fled because of lack of peace and gunshots are making them reflect what happened in their country of origin and thus the community members are now traumatized. He said that further gunshots were heard in other villages including Ngurwe.
Mr. Otim said that he informed the current council chairperson to tell OPM to change its hostile ways of terminating dogs. He had also earlier informed Mr. Bwenje that if there is a problem in the community, the owners of dogs can vaccinate them but Mr. Bwenje said no. Mr. Otim explained that a dog is kept at home for security purpose and is part of the family. He claimed OPM is targeting only domestic dogs and is not taking any action against stray dogs loitering in the settlement.
One refugee said that the first dog bite case occurred in Maratatu village and was caused by the dog from the host community. He said that the activities carried out by the dog kill squad resembles Rwandan genocide as pool of dog blood in houses and homes of refugees leaves big mark of trauma in their lives. Especially children seeing the killing for the first time are traumatized.
Pony Jane who is a female Sudanese refugee said that she stays in Kasonga trading centre and saw Mr. Bwenje break into her enclosed residence with many people surrounding the fence. Bwenje extended to her the ropes and forced her to tie her dog and hand it over to him to kill. She had to get the dog which was lying in its kennel while Bwenje threatened to imprison her should she fail to hand the dog over.
She said that her dog was for domestic security and since they killed it on 10th of June, 2020, her chicken have started to disappear. She said that she was traumatized by the attack of so many people and Mr Bwenje who claimed it was an order from the settlement commandant.
One female refugee who requested not to be named said they picked her dog from the kennel and killed it on 9th of June. She said that she herself now fears to be killed as her crops in the garden have been given away and security situation has been neglected. She only allowed us to take photo of the former dog’s kennel.
The following has also occurred: Kyangwali Star staff member has been detained and hold in custody for six hours without charges on Saturday 13th of June after taking photos of the action and failing to fully comply with a dog surrender order on Tuesday 9th of June. A pup four months of age was killed in the household and another adult dog injured while escaping the scene. There is now fear of reprisal and reoccurrence of the scene by OPM because of the remaining animal.
Vaccination of dogs against rabies should be done on both the host nation and the settlement side since there is no fence between the two communities. There used to be periodic vaccination program of dogs in both communities before the coming of current settlement commandant Jolly Kebirungi. Cost for vaccine is sh. 5000 per dog.
The Kikuube district veterinary officer attached to Kyangwali Sub County, Mr. Julius Obwemi told our reporter on 11th of June, 2020 that he arrived in the settlement immediately after the first dog bite incident ready to vaccinate domestic dogs of refugees but the settlement commandant Jolly Kebirungi stopped him to carry out the exercise. He said that she told him that she had agreed with the community to kill the dogs in the settlement instead. He said that according to the law, only stray dogs can be eliminated and owners should restrain their dogs at home.
Mr. Obwemi said that the commandant should be convinced and if she accepts to lift the denial of dog vaccine services to the community, he is ready to vaccinate all dogs in the settlement. He said that host community dogs shall not be killed. He is currently carrying out a mass vaccination exercise on the national side.
Meanwhile Medical Teams International (MTI) Dr. Livingstone Lumu told our media company in his Kasonga office on 11/06/2020 that they recorded the first dog bite case on 24th of May and there are now total of 28 victims of dog bite with zero death as of writing of this article. He said that condition of the patients is not that bad and they are steadily recovering.
Dr. Livingstone also revealed that they had a challenge of anti-rabies drug lacking initially but it is now procured and all patients are being managed at Kituti health centre IV in the settlement. There are no referral cases and patients are okay, just waiting to complete dose of four injections within a month.
Dr. Livingstone raised call for all dogs to be immunized by their owners and eliminate dogs which cannot be immunized.
UNHCR has many organizations in the settlement but currently none has a veterinary department. Yet the NGO has great interest in livelihoods in which raising livestock is integral. UNHCR partners include OPM, ALIGHT, MTI, AVISI, LWF, Hunger Fighters Uganda, Action Against Hunger, Catholic relief service, NRC, Save the Children, Windle International, Red Cross, AIRD, IOM, CARE and OXFAM.
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02/06/2020
HELPING POOR CHILDREN IN UGANDA DISTRIBUTE FOOD IN KYANGWALI
Poor children and extremely vulnerable families have received food from the newly founded NGO, Helping Poor Children in Uganda.
Mr. Ndahigwa Chris, the chairperson said that they are distributing ten kilograms of cornmeal per family to the beneficiaries who are starving in Kyangwali refugees’ settlement in Kikuube district, midwestern Uganda region.
He told our reporter that since World Food Program WFP cut off food and cash distribution by a third, refugees who are below poverty line find it very difficult to cope with the situation as they don’t have any surplus food to top up the missing amount.
He said that because of Corona virus pandemic, they are not only focussing on the poor children in Africa but generally considering families that are very poor. He said that Helping poor Children in Uganda was founded by Mr. Eric Ndunguse who was a Congolese refugee here but is now resettled in the USA.
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COVID-19 IS NOT A COMMON COLD
Opinion by KStar co-editor
The novel Corona Virus (SARS-CoV-2) resulting Covid-19 outbreak originated in Wuhan China December of 2019, has quickly spread with international travel and by now caught all of western world in a vicious pandemic. Medical establishment, states, even whole countries are fighting for resources such as Personal Protective Equipment PPE and ventilators (breathing machines).
Why all this trouble with a virus compared to a common flu? The simple answer: It is no common flu. The new Corona virus is estimated 10-20 times deadlier than a common seasonal flu. Many countries including the World Health Organization WHO got this fact wrong and passed incorrect information early on costing us all precious time to prepare. WHO has had its act together since but damage is already done and there is still much doubt.
We can compare Covid-19 to other recent outbreaks such as Severe Acute Respitory Syndrome (SARS 2003) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS 2012). While both SARS of 2003 and MERS of 2012 were deadlier to anyone who had it, Covid-19 is more sinister because it can spread through asymptomatic carriers and super spreaders who often take form of a travelling tourist or salesman, a community worker or perhaps a preacher. The best comparison to a pandemic of similar severity in history we have is the Spanish flu of 1918.
Basically anyone who meets a lot of people daily and has close contact with them can spread the virus while not feeling sick. It is estimated that one half (1/2) of all infected will go through Covid-19 with little or no symptoms at all. This is why we need both the bottom up approach (testing and case isolation) as well as top down measures (crowd control, contact tracing and quarantine) to fight the disease. Without extensive testing you cannot see the enemy and curfews only work to slow the outbreak (still better than no action).
Currently estimated Case Fatality Rate CFR of COVID-19 is about 1% of all infected. The exact number is difficult to get to because so many come and go through the infection and never get tested. Census and average age of community will greatly affect outcome as will the status of Intensive Care Unit ICUs, medical staff and stockpiles of each country. Even with this uncertainty if we took the 1% case fatality rate, we can do the math. If your country’s population is about 5 million like mine, this transfers into 50000 dead if nothing is done or if the medical establishment gets overrun by the disease. If you have 50 million people in your country, half a million will die. In all likelihood if early mitigation efforts were not successful and the virus caught firm hold of the community, you will know at least one relative, a family member, a wife or a brother who died of this disease so let us stop saying that it is nothing serious.
Confined spaces such as community centers, bars and churches have already been proven ground zero in many outbreak clusters in Italy, France, south-Korea and recently in California, USA. While people still need to pray and congregate, do it outside on a soccer field rather than inside where air is stagnant. Limit total number of individuals attending while mandating strict physical distancing of 2 meters at all times. Do not share any food or utensils while attending. Do not touch relics with any part of your body. Wash hands before and after the service. Faith is no reason to get sickness and mass can be held with modern technology using loudspeakers, radio, video and podcast. The Pope just held Palm Sunday service online.
For shopping single line queue and crowd control by security is a must while making sure there are no more than five people entering the shop at any one time. If these practices aren’t enforced in your neighborhood, be vigilant, play it safe and seek another shop with less people in it. Within the household assign shop duty to a single avid person who can easily adhere to standards and take necessary steps to protect one self and others. Even if you feel protected yourself and do not really care, don’t be a fool and continue casually visiting your friends and grandparents. When someone close to you gets ill and dies of Covid-19, when the sickness is traced back to its origin, do you want to be the one who gave the gift of virus to your loved one?
If there is sickness in the household, everyone who had direct contact to the household needs to be quarantined for two weeks. This is what contact tracing is about. People other than medical professionals can do this line of work by forming a task force, establishing a timeline and talking to people about their whereabouts. Elderly people must be looked after especially because their immune system is weaker than that of young. The community can be mobilized to care for the elderly and the vulnerable by arranging food deliveries so that the elderly do not need to go into public themselves. The goal is to limit number of people who have direct access to vulnerable people. Note that while doing this you can still meet and have normal conversation with the vulnerable. There is no need to barricade but simply keep your distance of few meters, meet outside and never touch each other at any point. No kissing, no hugging, no hand shaking, no high fives.
Though adults are by far more affected than children, statistics show that men are more affected than women by as much as 50%. Also any underlining medical condition such as high blood pressure, obesity or asthma will predispose anyone at any age as vulnerable. Studies show that even blood type may prove a factor why some families and communities have it worse than others. One strong candidate is the viral load itself. It is said that there is clear difference whether you catch Covid-19 off an individual passing by or off spending hours indoors with a person coughing next to you. Avoid the latter option where possible.
Furthermore habitual consume of alcohol and to***co will predispose you. The prior will as it makes you careless of the danger. The latter is more harmful because to***co smoke is known to impair function of the lungs and their ability to clear mucus in which the infection will thrive. Basically to have the best change against the virus you need to stop smoking and be the healthiest you can by eating well, sleeping well while staying active and positive.
Contrary to many rumors and sources such as the president of USA, there is no vaccine, no medicine you can take to prevent you from getting Covid-19. While many drugs are used in trial runs with some of them showing early promise, all of them are prescribed by a doctor and use of them is related to latter, more serious condition requiring hospitalization. The net effect of these drugs is not to prevent you from needing to go to see a doctor but to get you out of the hospital faster and healthier so that the next patient can get in.
Should you get infected, you may not notice much during first week. First signs may include stomach ache and diarrhea, followed by losing one’s sensation of smell and or taste. Should you or your family get these early symptoms, seek isolation immediately and notify authors.
In the second week of illness, symptoms may include dry cough, sore throat, head ache, runny nose, muscle ache and shortness of breath. High fever is actually not a symptom of Covid-19. 39 Celsius or less is more common and it also fluctuates. Fever is the body’s natural reaction against an invader and your best line of personal defense. You should stand clear as long as you can from the most common household NSAID (Ibuprofen). This is because by definition fever reducing drugs will make your immunity system less potent and in turn give more time and space for the virus to take hold of you.
Consider fever as your friend because your immunity system is more active with fever. Also raised body temperature is more hostile to other pathogen and secondary bacterial infections that may kill you in your weakened state. Seek blankets to retain body heat and drink hot fluids to conserve energy you have. Even in sickness you should not be bound in bed if you can manage it. Eat as much as you can, drink and be mindful of getting enough electrolytes in you as you would in any other case of fever.
After you have recovered, it may not be safe to go outdoors. Recent studies show that even after fever resides and you start to feel better, you may still be contagious needing to isolate yourself from the others at least a week from the first day and onset of symptoms. Otherwise the process will simply repeat itself and more people including your loved ones will die.
What about early prevention methods, equipment such as surgical masks or gloves? There is much debate online about masks and the global demand for them has skyrocketed. The same is true for a bottle of hand sanitize gel. Even toilet paper is something the westerners hoard in their homes for some reason. What is the bottom line?
Using a personal surgical mask is common in the mainland Southeast Asia. Not so in Europe or the Americas. Just recently Austria made it mandatory for customers in food stores to wear one. The rational wearing a mask is not a simple one but cons and pros can certainly be simplified. Covid-19 is airborne in droplets of a coughing person but the virus is also proven to be in the moisture of each breath you take.
Very few of the masks available can filter such fine particles but this is not the point. In addition to your airways, your eyes are just as good of conduits for the virus to get in. When moisture from another person’s breath lands onto your cornea, you have had it much the same as inhaling it. This said wearing a mask still has merit if you already have Covid-19 knowingly or unknowingly. The mask will limit droplets coming out of you catching surfaces and other people around you.
What about sanitize and sterilizing agents? Outer membrane of the virus is fat soluble. Covid-19 cannot exist without its membrane so think getting rid of it like you do with grease and dirt getting to hands fixing a car or bicycle. High proof alcohol based hand sanitize gels are good in public spaces but the number one degreaser in the household is common soap. Wash your hands with soap, do not forget finger tips and under the fingernails. Wait for 20 seconds before rinsing and it will do the trick. Also wiping surfaces and your smart phone with a soapy rag, then wiping it clean with paper and dispose of it is a good thing.
Depending on how crowded place you live in, pair of gloves may be the best Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) you need. That is when you assign a pair to a certain activity and only for that. In absence of gloves, a plastic bag may also do. I go shopping wearing black leather gloves. Once back I leave the gloves at the door and go wash hands. I do not touch keys or wallet with gloves but if I do, I will wash the keys with soap and leave the wallet at the door. Likewise plastic bags may be used to open doors or to handle buttons of ATM machines. Only outside of the bag touches surfaces and hands stay inside. After handling surfaces fold the bag over itself inside out and put it away.
When you are out there doing business consider this: Of all the things you touched would you rather have the virus basking in the sun on your gloves after a shopping trip or on your bare hands? Never touch your face when you are out in the public and keep all outside clothing separate from the ones you use indoors if possible. Break this habit and wash everything with soap. In public places use a boot or backside to open doors mimicking surgeons who walk into operation theater with their hands raised, sterilized. You may also avoid touching the handle altogether and instead work your way in using the door frame.
In the end if you have already stockpiled prescription drugs following online advice or took hold of a large stockpile of surgical mask or gloves, more than you could realistically consume yourself in the next 2-3 months, in my humble opinion the best you can do is to contact your local hospital and to surrender the drugs/equipment. The professionals will need them and appreciate them more than you will. We need our medical staff to be protected against the onslaught so that they won’t get sick and the medical system won’t collapse. Please don’t take my word for it but also listen to medical professionals. Take care of yourself and your loved ones by enforcing physical distance. Thank you.
The author of this article is an ICT professional, data analyst and free time catastrophe assessment enthusiast. Information within this article has been obtained by observing the world’s biggest media outlets including The Guardian, Al Jazeera, CNN and BBC but also first account online sources such as Twitter and youtube. Out of the many, most down to earth advice and daily updates, there is highly recommended source with his own tube channel: former British NHS doctor John Campbell.
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Kyangwali Star is the news agency working inside the refugee settlement of Kyangwali, Hoima district, Uganda. It is a print media station founded in 2007. It is bilingual in English and Kiswahili and run entirely by refugees.
You can help us by making a small donation:
paypal.me/kyangwalistar
You can also contact us by email to receive more information about the program: kyangwali.star(at)gmail.com
The editorial team has found itself in constant battle with medical bills, chronic sickness and malaria but also lately famine with failing crops and cholera with influx of South Sudanese and Congolese refugees.
The editorial team has worked voluntarily since 2012 when the founding NGO phased out its funding including support for printing costs. We need your support to be able to work, to make ourselves visible and to continue bringing you the refugee community related news.
Our media room calls for sponsorship to support running its daily activities of news gathering, reporting, editing and publication.
Kyangwali star started as quarterly news letter in 2007, founded by Finnish Refugee Council (FRC) with funds from the Finnish government. After the sixth year of operation FRC stopped its funding and support from the Finnish government was phased out.
At the end FRC left the media company with its news room, three computers, some old furniture, two cameras of which one was not in working condition, four voice recorders, editorial board and experienced reporters among others.
The editorial board is made up of six capable members and ten reporters who are now working as volunteers.
In 2015 Kyangwali Star was privileged to be visited by KAPUA volunteers from Finland where Mr. Tommi Miettunen, one of the group felt touched with poor condition of equipment we were using. As he went back, he sent us a personal donation, a boost package that included a DELL laptop, two digital cameras, voice recorders, USB flash discs, a Nokia smart phone that was damaged during shipment, a data bank and others that are already in use. These equipment were shipped to us through the FRC staff.
Meanwhile the media company is lacking motivation to both editors and reporters, proper transport means for news gathering with distances up to 70km through the settlement whose roads have steep hills. We also lack medical care and insurance, education scholarship for the children of Kyangwali Star employees, funds for office maintenance to cater for updating the computers, replenish office materials, a new printer, a video camera and an UPS for the computers to keep us at work during power outages.
In December 2017 Mr. Miettunen who is also our co-editor and web admin, after realizing the transport problem donated a bicycle to support us in news gathering.
Back in the day FRC started the program by recruiting both male and female refugees. For those who merited we went through four modules course in theory and practical news gathering, writing, reporting and editing. Theory was done in the settlement with hands on practice in Hoima town at Liberty FM radio station.
Kyangwali star is a bilingual news letter written in English and Kiswahili languages to ensure that some community members who do not understand English are also catered for. It is published four times in a year (quarterly).
FRC was not only involved in training reporters but also sponsored the publication of about 2K of copies of each newsletter, also paying incentive to the reporters for articles published. This support was only granted for a period of six years and as it came October 2012, the funding was phased out.
Thereafter the project was handed over to the refugee community and up to this date has not been privileged to get any sponsor.
