Ms Jamirah Kyakuwaire, who was abandoned by her mentally challenged mother at birth. PHOTO/DANIEL WANDERA
At the age of 18 but with no known relatives, Ms Jamirah Kyakuwaire lives a troubled life.
This is because she is determined to discover her family lineage and identity. Different counselling sessions intended to help her let it go and live her new-found status have not helped.
Even after her caretaker took time to explain the circumstances under which Ms Kyakuhaire’s mother abandoned her in the hospital just hours after birth way back in 2006, Ms Kyakuwaire refuses to give up.
“Many children and adults belong to a particular family and have relatives to turn to in times of joy and sorrow, but my situation is different,”she says.
“I have not known any of my relatives and feel challenged to get to know where I belong despite the care given by my foster parent,”she adds.
Ms Kyakuwaire, a resident of Zengebe Village, Lwampanga Sub-county in Nakasongola District, has since her childhood been under the care of a foster parent, Ms Jamirah Nakiyimba.
While she appreciates the good care and struggles through which her foster parent has had to withstand, she believes in finding her family lineage.
“My troubles stem from my childhood background after some of the members of our own community,including many of my friends, used to ask about my tribe and my parents,”she says.
“Having to answer about my mother, father and possibly the true identity of my tribe and clan, among many challenging questions, is the reason I cry out to the public to come to my rescue,” she adds.
Ms Kyakuwaire says after her foster parents explained to her how she was abandoned at the hospital, she believes she can trace her origins.
“I possibly resemble somebody and we can trace my lineage from my physical appearance backed by the background account as shared by my foster parent,” she tells the Monitor.
Ms Kyakuwaire has gone to school and now possesses a certificate in hairdressing and salon management.
Her foster mother, Ms Nakiyimba, who is also the LC3 vice chairperson of Lwampanga Town Council in Nakasongola District, says Kyakuwaire’s life story is a mixture of fortunes and challenges.
She says her mother had mental challenges and was homeless.
“I had to wait until this girl (Kyakuwaire) grew up to be able to comprehensively understand her plight before I narrated the entire story about her childhood and why she finds herself in this particular situation,” Ms Nakiyimba says.
“I also sought advice and opinion from experts and community development officers on how to effectively deliver the news to Kyakuwaire after she demanded to know about her parents,” she explains.
Ms Nakiyimba says Kyakuwaire’s mother had a mental challenge and was always moving on the different streets and roads in Nakasongola Town.
Despite the uncoordinated statements that she always made as she carried rags and pieces of sticks with her,she became pregnant.Many people were surprised with the possibility that she was raped and could not remember the person responsible.
On a hot afternoon in February, 2006, Ms Nakiyimba says they found Kyakuwaire’s mother at Lwampanga Trading Centre with labour pains.
“I had to find ways of assisting the woman to a nearby health facility to deliver her baby safely,” she recounts.
“Shortly after delivering the baby, the mother suddenly ran out of the maternity bed while shouting and never returned,”she adds.
The midwives pleaded with her to take over the responsibility of caring for the baby.
“I never got to see this woman in life again despite my efforts to try and find out where she possibly disappeared to,” Ms Nakiyimba explains.
She took on the responsibility of naming the baby and taking care of her. But she recalls that the woman used to say she came from Busia and used to speak a language related to the Samya.
“It is possible this woman was from Busia and a Samya by tribe. I named this girl Jamirah Kyakuwaire because I had no other option as a foster parent,” she says.
“Now that she is grown, I appeal to the public to join me in identifying the relatives of Jamirah Kyakuwaire,” she adds.
Ms Gertrude Namataka Ssenkindu, a psychiatrist and professional counsellor, says the case of Kyakuwaire is not isolated.
“I have conducted counselling sessions for children and adults who find themselves in such unfortunate circumstances. The situation is very challenging but calls for dedicated counselling sessions,”she says.
“The case of Kyakuwaire is complex since she has now transcended to adulthood, but is still unable to appreciate her current status. She can still be helped to have a settled mind and focus on her own future,”she adds. Ms Joyce Namigadde, the director of Happy Times Child Care Initiatives located in Luweero District,which takes care of more than 180 children, says the challenge of identity is real for many children who are abandoned.
“When these children grow up at foster homes, they demand to know about their respective family backgrounds,”Ms Namigadde says.
“I have faced challenges in explaining the stories relating to each of the children whose family identity is not easily traceable. You cannot pile blame on such children because they are fighting to know their family lineage,” she adds.
THE WORRYING TREND
Data from the Gender Ministry shows that eight to 10 applicants for adoption are received every month, with 60 percent coming from non-Ugandans. In Uganda, approximately 2.5 million children are out of parental care, facing uncertain futures without stable family support.
However, only 1 percent of these children are placed for adoption each year. Globally, the United Nations estimates that 260,000
children are adopted annually, which translates to fewer than 12 adoptions for every 100,000 persons under 18 years.
