As we speak, Bravo Shoes Community Support Organisation (BSCS) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Pallisa District administration following its record in the countrywide activities to change lives.
This milestone comes at the time the organization is on the road to transform the life of the 6-year-old Shakur Omiat from Dwalata, Kiwumi Village, Pallisa Town Council who at the time has reported back to school at Namuwaya Education Centre in Kirinnya -Bweyogerere, Wakiso District.
The development elapse after his video went viral on mainstream media and social media about the young boy picking plastic bottles to fend for his family.
Shakur was not alone to tap into the BSCS long-term project of sending him to school from Nursery, primary up to the university.
But another girl Aguti Judith who Shakur was moving with Shakur in their hunt for survival, grabbed the opportunity to join school thanks to Shakur and the Pallisa District Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Dhikusooka Majid.
“When I visited Shakur’s home at first, I went there with a team but later I went alone to prove something, I saw at a distance Shakur was connected with this little girl, I think you can support the young girl as well, it is my request,” he asked politely.
Aguti a 6 years old girl is the 5th out of the 8 children her pregnant 37-year-old mother Akol Annaloy has in the neighborhood with Shakur.
Dhikusooka was impressed with BSCS’s unique activities and vowed to work with the organization in all the efforts of supporting vulnerable communities in the district.
The district deputy Vice Chairperson Alupo Mangline was humbled by BSCS activities in Pallisa and called upon for more activities to happen in the district.
“We are very grateful as a district; it is our great happiness. Am telling you you are working with very hardworking people, we work as a team. May the almighty bless you,” she commended.
Brian Yesigye Bravo highlighted to the district leaders that the organization does not exclude their children from their families or communities but rather keeps them in touch and appreciates their transformation.
“Our method is to pick randomly any kid from a disadvantaged community and take him or her to a good school, we facilitate the parents or the guardian wherever their school visits, and when the term closes, the child has to go back to the community. We won’t encourage homes separate from the parents,” he said.
According to the leaders, Pallisa has a harmonious and transformed people for Development and their mission is to serve the people of the community through a coordinated service delivery system that focuses on National & Local Priorities and promotes sustainable Development of the District.
According to Aggrey Paul Okwakol, the Senior Community Development Officer, Pallisa Town Council, the district has alarming cases of child labor and many are looming on the streets as hawkers and working in 3 areas.
“They are on streets doing hawking things like eggplants, bananas, onions, and others are hired rice plantations to scare away birds, others are in sand quarries among others,” he said.
The district is grappling with population pressures, sadly the number of toddlers on streets like Shakur and Judith looking for survival also shoots. The 2002 national census estimated the population of the district at 255,900 but it has since continued to sour and in 2012, the population of Pallisa District was estimated at over 426,000 yet few opportunities emerged.