Uganda: Root For Girl Child Rights, Say Archbishop of J’burg
By Staff Writer
Jabullani Nxumaloo, Archbishop of Johannesburg on Sunday July 13 said traditional family lifestyle that casts the girl child in the background in preference of the boy child needs to be dropped to achieve women's progress.
Speaking during the 8th anniversary celebrations of the Bannakizito association day at Namugongo Shrine, the Bloemfontein archbishop warned that marginalizing girls in the field of education would lead to unbalanced growth in Africa.
“Whenever there is a choice to make between a girl and a boy on who should continue with education, the girl is left behind. This must stop.” Bishop Nxumaloo emphasized.
Nxumaloo also said that girls should not be looked up as the source of wealth through bride price, stating that when educated, they are the best and able leaders in the country.
“When a woman is educated and she is posted in any office be it government or private, you will never hear of any scandals like corruption or embezzlement of funds because it is difficult to bribe a woman,” he said.
He also urged young girls to stay in school and avoid early marriages if they are to have a bright future and become useful for the nation.
The prelate led a Holy Mass for thousands of pupils from Catholic-founded, public and private primary schools at their pilgrimage to the Uganda Martyrs Shrine in Namugongo.
The children came from Mitala-Maria, Wakiso and Kampala, the three zones that form the Kampala Archdiocese.
The children, who are members of Bannabakizito Association, were on Sunday, marking their eighth anniversary and change of leadership.
Scholastic Ndyagambaki, the former chairperson of the association handed the mantle of leadership to Francis Ssenabulya, the head teacher of St. Peters Primary School Nsambya.
Archbishop Lwanga, who is the founder of the movement, said that he named it Bannakizito, because he wanted the children irrespective of their gender, to emulate St Kizito, the youngest of the 22 Uganda Martyrs who were killed by Kabaka Mwanga for refusing to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ.
“I am also called Kizito of a ‘Mamba’ (lung fish), one of the Buganda clans. I don’t eat it; leave alone touching it. However, I drink water in which it lives,” he narrated to the amusement of the children.
Lwanga further urged the children to stick to the three pillars of their movement, to promote peace, sharing and love of one another.
He further urged the children who have the habit of demonstrating by setting their schools ablaze to immediately desist from such behavior; noting that if their predecessors had burnt down those schools, they would have nowhere to go for studies.
African governments and non-governmental organizations have placed more emphasize on girl child rights, such as right to quality education, fight against female genital mutilation and early marriages so as to encourage gender parity and alleviate poverty in our societies.
“When you educate a girl, you educate the entire community”