Baleke delighted by relief package

The pictures of Hellen Baleke, with her three-year-old daughter tethered on her back as she stared at her flooded ramshackle house in Katanga earlier this year, went viral on social media and could have touched even the meanest of souls.

Yet that was just a highlight of the plight the 2019 African bronze medallist has braved for years. Baleke has virtually nothing yet besides her children, she has to fend for her aging mother, sisters and many dependants within the slum.
Improving her shelter would be good. But something to boost her income could be better.

And that’s what she exactly got when Betway Uganda donated four electronic Brother Sewing Machines to boost her women empowerment group.
Even with a shy smile, Baleke could not hide her joy.

“When I received the call, it felt like a dream but I’m humbled that it’s now true,” Baleke said smiling, at the function in Kimwanyi Zone, Katanga yesterday. “You haven’t given us fish; this is a fishing net.”

She founded the Baleke Boxing and Empowerment Group, which morphed into Katanga Women Empowerment and Youth Development Group, with about 41 members, including her sisters Joy Namabiro and Proscovia Muzira who are also boxers.

The ladies share the tasks: some do the sewing, others do the hawking while others fetch the raw materials from downtown.
“We were touched by Baleke’s story; we appreciate her achievements for this country and decided to help with something sustainable,” said Adelle Agaba, Betway Uganda country manager.

“We could have built her a house but that does not make her money…so we chose something that would generate some money for her and group.”
Baleke and co. initially sold banana peels, made liquid soap, traditional mats, baskets and other crafts before venturing into making bags out of sponge and fabric, and lately reusable sanitary pads.

The bags are priced between Shs8,000 and Shs20,000 according to size while one pad could cost you about Shs2,500.
“These machines are a speedboat,” added Baleke. And she knows what she is talking about because at the workshop, she has one such machine. Plus seven other inferior exhausted and manual ones.

Production boosted
“It’s a huge boost, because we have been struggling with these few and overused machines,” said Hawa Nansamba, adding that if 30 people could make 100 bags in one day, using the old machines “we shall produce much more with these advanced ones.

Shamim Tukamushaba “This is great relief. We have been dodging whenever the machines went faulty because repairing them is also expensive.”
Agaba, who also assured the group that they are members of the Betway family, appealed to other corporate companies and well-wishers to equally support local athletes in need.

Clive Kyazze, Betway head of marketing and public relations assured Baleke that “this is just the beginning…we are just a call away.”
In 2014, Baleke, her sister Diana Tulyanabo, friend Moureen Adhiambo and Diana Atwine, became the first Ugandan women to compete at the World Women Boxing Championships in Jeju, Korea. All lost instantly and Baleke’s corner threw in the towel before even a single punch was thrown against American Olympic gold medallist Clarrisa Shields.

The dejected Baleke would return to Katanga to juggle motherhood, menial jobs and boxing but five years later she bagged bronze—another first—at the 2019 African Games in Rabat, Morocco.

Last year,  she missed the qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics but she said this relief package is a big consolation and perhaps a more secure passage into retirement.

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