TESS

THE END IS THE BEGINNING, THE BEGINNING IS THE END

AGIRO JOSEPHINE - written when she was aged 17

Life is a relay
It begins and ends
It ends and begins
But in between is a struggle
A struggle to survive

The end is the beginning
And the beginning is the end
One ends primary education
And begins secondary education
One ends education
One begins work

The end is always the beginning
Pray to God the Almighty
To begin well and end well
I say all this
For God and my country

Josephine hasn't seen her father, a Karimojong, since he "rejected" the family five years ago and left them.
Her mother lives in a rented room and works in a local "hotel" in Soroti, washing plates and cleaning. So Josephine and her siblings live with their grandmother who can't even afford to pay for school uniform for those in primary school. She suffers a lot from malaria and heartburn.

TESO, MY TESO

TINO ESTHER - written when she was aged 17

Oh! My Teso land, how did you come into existence?
Were you born or created?
If born who was your father and mother?
If created, who was your creator?

Honour and distinction is awarded to whoever
Brought you to existence, because you are so
Wonderful and beautiful full of vegetation and wealth
You include Soroti, Kumi, Katakwi, Amuria, Kaberamaido

Wow! My Teso land how nice you are to stay in
Plenty of land and resources
Dear, I am proud of you

Unfortunately, wonderful Teso land you face
One greatest problem - political instability
Brought by terrorist such as Kony rebels.
Karamojong attacks
This has led to internally displaced persons
Poverty, poor education, poor health
We look forward to making you the best place to live

Oh God help us to develop our Teso land
For God and for my country and region Teso
Amen.

Esther is the third child of ten. Her father is paying for the eldest boy to go to Teso College, a very expensive school. Consequently, there was no money to pay fees for Esther and her older sister, who has already dropped out of school and been married off. The family have been living in camps for many years, first because of the Karimojong, but then everyone in the camp was displaced to Soroti when the LRA invaded. Her father has now returned to a camp at Obalanga and so can now do some cultivating because the "Arrow Boys" protect them. In Camp Swahili near Soroti, where the rest of them live, they eat two meals a day, but lack the basics.

AFRICA, MY AFRICA

AKOROMIT ANNE GRACE - written aged 16

Africa, my Africa
Beautifully made
Wonderfully located
With enough sunshine
Favourable rainfall

Africa, my Africa
With God fearing people
With black beautiful ones
Able and gifted leaders
Africa, my Africa

Africa, my Africa
A place of beautiful scenery
A continent of peace making
Education, loving and promoting
Hardworking continent

Africa, my Africa
With brilliant and gifted people
With abundant flora and fauna
A home far away from home
Africa, my Africa

Her father works as a filing clerk at Ngora Hospital but is "a drunkard" and has two wives with nine children in all.
Her eldest brother completed his 'O' levels but could not continue and they have been struggling to pay for a sister in secondary school. Anne is a bright girl

Dear Mum

Aacha Rose Mary - written at age 16. She is now waiting to start her university course

DEAR MUM
To see her is to love her
And to love but forever
For nature made her what she is.

You are the door rug
on which I clean the mud
of my misadventure

You are the morning sun
that rises to dry the dew of my tears.
You are the bandages
that nurses the wounds of my bleeding heart.

You are the shining star
that induces in me hope
in moments of distress.
You are the river
that never fails to carry
the burdens of my troubled youth.

You are the flower
onto which I collect nectar
to sweeten life.
You are the rich soils
on which I draw sustaining water for life.

If I could draw a picture
I would paint you here with me.
And if a picture could show my thoughts
then you would see all the love
and it’s all yours.

No amount of water
will quench my burning love for you.
Nor can the mightiest ocean drown it
for I love and cherish you
all the days of my life

Mother! Mother! Mother!
I love you and will always love you.

Her father was poisoned in 2004 by neighbours. She comes from a very bright family. Two older brothers have Government sponsorships at university from which they manage to pay fees for two younger brothers at secondary school. A younger sister is very sick with sickle cell anaemia, for which there is no treatment. She enjoys cooking and chatting with her mum at home, and reading and athletics at school. She took her 'A' level exams in November 2010 at Tororo Girls School.

In this world

Written by Aniemo Loyce who is about to start a diploma course

In this world there are two things
You are either born a girl
Or you are born a boy
If you are born a boy, that is okay
But if you are born a girl
There are only two things
You either stay in school
Or you drop out of school
If you stay in school, that is okay
But if you drop out there are two things
You either join a vocational school
Or you marry or get an early pregnancy
If you join a vocational school, then that is okay
But if you get married early, or get an early pregnancy
Then
That is the end of you ……… !

Her father died in 2001. She missed taking her PLE (Primary Leaving Exams) in 2003 because the family fled when the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) rebels invaded Teso. However, her mother took the family to Masindi, where a number of Iteso live, where she was able to repeat P7 in 2004 and got an excellent score of 11.

We found a sponsor for her and were able to move her to a boarding school in Soroti in 2006 since when she has flourished.

AIDS has no cure

Written by Auma Martha

Imagine the cold fear, the narrow way
When you realise your death
The beginning of your end
The grief, pain and anguish deep inside
The silent stares as people pass by
The knowing whisper of those you loved
You will cry in pain
You will lose your life forever and ever
In a pit so deep, alone and silent all days
As the loved ones cry and wait
Lets change our lives.

AIDS may begin with on and off fever
For more than one month
You will cough for more than one month,
You will have diarrhoea for more than one month.
You will have pain and rashes all over your body
You will lose weight for more than ten percent
Then you will prove the doom of life.

Be aware my brothers, sisters, relatives and friends
Take no chances - ensure you live in total abstinence
Next, how about a condom?
Yes use a condom if you can not contain
AIDS will get hold of your body and squeeze life out of you.
As the cry goes, there is no cure for AIDS
As AIDS has no cure … !!

Martha is the 7th of 11 children which her father has by two wives. The tenth child is severely disabled and cannot walk or talk. Martha was struggling to survive, living in a rented room on her own in Soroti whilst attending a day school, which made her very vulnerable. When we took her on, we transferred her to boarding school.

Martha has completed her A-level course and is waiting to start a diploma.