Kitgum church to take full care of nodding syndrome children

Kitgum, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | St. Mary Catholic Church in Kitgum district is in the final stages of setting up a care center for children suffering from the nodding syndrome. Through the Archbishop John Baptist Odama Care Center Kitgum, the church intends to start by taking care of at least 250 most vulnerable children who are scattered in five districts in the Acholi sub-region.

Rev Fr. Anthony Nyeko, the Priest St. Mary Catholic Church, says that nutrition remains the main challenge affecting the children, which explains why they will embark on agriculture to ensure food security for the children given that many are vegetarians.

A team of volunteers has already been selected and it will be used to identify the neediest of the children to be taken to the care center. Rev. Fr. Nyeko says that they are now making the latrine and bathrooms and linking with other development partners to stock enough food before the children are ferried to the care center.

Rev. Fr. Nyeko says the care center is also supposed to protect the children from sexual abuse, fire, and water, which has killed many of them. Recent statistics from Labongo Amida and Labongo Akwang sub-counties indicate that at least 180 children suffering from nodding syndrome have been impregnated, with some having as many as four children.

Rev Fr. Nyeko, says in their 2022-2027 strategic plan, the church intends to among other things; enhance health care and medication of nodding syndrome victims, provide physiotherapy and language therapy, improve on food, nutrition, and income security, promote research on food and behavior, provide spiritual support and vocational skills training to those who have recovered.

The full involvement of the church in caring for children with nodding syndrome comes after two centres in Odek sub-county in Omoro district and Tumanguu in Labongo Akwang sub-county in Kitgum district that were offering specialized treatment to the children were closed.

Since the closure of these care centers, a number of patients with nodding syndrome have died due to malnutrition-related complications, drowning, and fires. Rev Fr. Nyeko called upon the people in the communities affected by nodding syndrome to join hands in raising funds, food, and other resources to take care of the children and not only leave the responsibility to the government and well-wishers.

The state minister for northern Uganda, Grace Freed kwiyocwiny, expressed disappointment about the abandonment of the nodding syndrome care centers that were closed, saying the most vulnerable children would be staying there.

“One of the challenges we have is that we don’t own what is given to us. They give you something, you don’t own it. You ask for more and you don’t know where it is coming from. And if they don’t own what the church has started, they will use Archbishop Odama’s name for nothing, and it will be very painful,” Kwiyocwiny said.

*****

URN