Ugandan teachers stuck in China cry for help

More than 300 Ugandan teachers in China have asked government to help them return after spending five months without earning any income.
The teachers are among the 2,500 Ugandans who have showed interest to return home. Majority are in China and United Arab Emirates.
Ms Clare Namutebi, a teacher of English, told Daily Monitor yesterday that they were laid off after schools closed in China last December following the outbreak of coronavirus.

“All teachers lost their jobs and majority are Africans. There are no other jobs for foreigners apart from teaching, and as a result, we had to stay home since January,” Ms Namutebi said.
“We are supposed to pay rent and clear bills such as electricity, water, and feeding ourselves. It is not easy for us because houses are very expensive,” she added.
Ms Namutebi also said they had used up their savings, adding that their relatives back home cannot help them because they too have to take care of their families.
She said police in China had already given them exit Visas.

Another teacher, who preferred anonymity for fear of victimisation, said they were ready to undergo compulsory testing and quarantine if they are allowed to return.
“We see no hope of going back to work soon. So we are kindly requesting our government back home to put our request of repatriating us into consideration. They tested us for Covid-19 and we have certificates proving that we are negative and are also ready to go through quarantine,” she said.

Appeal
“We are not coming back because of coronavirus. The main reason is that we are not working so coping with life is really hard here,” the teacher added.
Another Ugandan alleged that they were facing discrimination since majority cannot access certain shopping malls, health services and public transport.
“Some Ugandans have been threatened to be thrown out of their houses if they do not pay their rent. Others are being discriminated against because the Chinese think blacks have coronavirus,” he said.

Mr Patrick Mugoya, the permanent secretary at Foreign Affairs, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Sam Kutesa, would present details today about evacuating Ugandans.
The United States President Donald Trump last week criticised the World Health Organisation for keeping a deaf ear on reports of discrimination against black communities in China.

“Many African embassies wrote to the Chinese foreign affairs about the discriminatory treatment of Africans related to the pandemic in China cities. You were aware that Chinese authorities were carrying out a campaign of forced quarantine, eviction and refusal of service against blacks,” Mr Trump stated in a May 18 letter.

Museveni on returnees
In one of his televised addresses to the nation, President Museveni said although 2,500 Ugandans out of two million in the Diaspora had expressed interest to return home, government was not ready to manage them.
“If all our people came back in panic, how will we manage them? You have seen how much trouble lorry drivers are giving us. I cannot accept cargo planes being used to transport passengers. Are you sure of the health status of the two million Ugandans in the diaspora that live in highly infected countries?” he asked.

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