Why Joe Walker will make a difference
What you need to know:
- Many people have asked me questions about the “Safe Roads Save Lives campaign”. Why did Joseph Beyanga walk all the way to Bushenyi District? What difference does it make? Do you think it’s possible for people to stay in their lane in Uganda?
The #JoeWalker challenge has stirred up certain memories I had decided to shove far away, as they remind me of a horrific time in my life. Being involved in an accident is one of those terrifying moments that bring you face to face with death.
That fateful afternoon, I was on my way to a certain office where I was meant to pick up a document.
Everything changed drastically, and while I was meant to have a beautiful lunch with my family, I found myself being hospitalised within 30 minutes. I never made it to my destination and my life has forever changed. It has been more than a decade but the memory is still fresh.
I carry the scars from a brief moment caused by some selfish road user, but it does not have to be like this. Each of us has the responsibility to keep safe and stay in our lanes!
Many people have asked me questions about the “Safe Roads Save Lives campaign”. Why did Joseph Beyanga walk all the way to Bushenyi District? What difference does it make? Do you think it’s possible for people to stay in their lane in Uganda? On and on they go but I tell them one thing, it takes one to make a difference.
Joseph’s walk reminds me that all things are possible! It seemed impossible that one would walk 340km but he has done it and those many steps contribute so much.
As someone that has once woken up in the emergency ward, with a bunch of peopleover my bed waving their hands and introducing themselves to me, and others hiding in a corner stifling away tears, going through the painful injections and being helpless to the point of having everything done for me, to being taught how to walk again, I add to Joseph’s voice and say, “Stay in your lane”.
I know that some might think staying in one’s lane won’t make a difference, because other people are not doing it. If we all think like this, then we will never start. Though it may take some time to eventually unlearn all the wrong practices we have taken up concerning road usage, it is possible to have a country where road users respect their lanes. We can draw from Joseph’s example. His walk took 11 days and not one day.
The journey was tough with blisters, hot afternoons, long distances to cover and so much more, but resilience kept him moving. He has demonstrated that it is possible.
After all, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. #StayInYourLane
Joan Ninsiima
