By Our Reporter
Ugandan First Lady Janet Museveni has challenged Ugandan women to work hard to sustain their children, with or without help from their male partners.
The First Lady last week delivered an impassioned speech at the Mothers Union Conference, where she addressed the vital role of nutrition in the educational performance of school-going children, especially in rural areas.
She challenged Ugandan women to step up their efforts in providing nutritious meals for their children, emphasizing that even simple and affordable meals can greatly impact a child’s ability to learn and thrive in school.
Hustling In Tanzania
Mrs Museveni shared a personal account of her struggle as a young mother in the early 1970s when she had to fend for her children in the absence of her husband.
During her time as a refugee in Tanzania, she said, she faced hardships, particularly when she was pregnant with her son Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Despite the lack of a stable income and the absence of her husband, who was then involved in the resistance movements that would later bring him to power, she managed to provide for her family through ingenuity and perseverance.
She recalled how she took on an entrepreneurial spirit during those tough times.
“When I was expecting Muhoozi as a young mother, I started making orange marmalade on my kitchen table,” she recounted.
“I am happy I am telling you this when my husband is here because if I was lying, he could dispute it. He knows this is true. I got a kind supermarket manager who agreed to buy my homemade jam and pay me on my kitchen door.
“ I did not have a car to take my jam to the supermarket. This man was very kind as he agreed to come and pick it up from my home and pay me right there.
“That is the money I paid for my hospital bill when I went to have my baby. If I had not done the work, I do not know where I would have had the baby, because the closest hospital was one where we had to pay cash, which I did not have.”
In her remarks, the First Lady rallied women to cease making excuses about the wellbeing of their children.
“You can pack anything whether it is passion fruit or porridge, if you are a planning mother, your child will not fail to get lunch for school,” she said.
“Children do not need to eat so much. They just need a little food which is full of value,” added Mrs Museveni.
Source: PulseUG
