The script on the news of the 6-year-old gathering empty plastic bottles for survival on the NTV news bulletin ended with a new chapter in Shakur Omiat’s life and his family.
The new lease of life comes after Bravo Shoes Community Support Organisation (BSCSO) took him to Namuwaya Education Centre in Bweyogere, Wakiso District for school.
Flamboyant with a smile, the smart, jolly Omiat breathing new life, was already behaving like a king before the arrival of the Bravo team, at his home. Shakur was full of joy, dressed in his best shirt with Vaseline glittering off his shiny face, thanks to the happy sunshine above the horizon.
Different scholars say that whatever happens in life, happens for good. Every incident in life has a connection with future incidents, which we are not able to see at that point in time.
We are only able to relate it back once that connecting future incident happens, on Friday 10, February, it had to be Leila Hayat, the girl from Terego, West Nile who was picked under tense conditions by the BSCSO.
Leila came to represent on behalf of Sam Bright MUHINDO – Bravo Shoes Community Support Organization Education Brand Ambassador.
MUHINDO, another boy from Kasese, Kyasenda whose story is similar to that of Shakur Omiyat.
Picking Omiyat was Leila’s maiden trip to the eastern part of Uganda since she left Aiivu, Terego districts a few months ago and had to travel deep down to Dwalata, Kiwumi Village, Pallisa Town Council in Pallisa District to take Shakur to school.
To Leila, this journey was a study trip to trigger her mindset and to learn about what happens outside school class in social studies. The trip to the east which is marked by a variety combined with nature and industries was a memorization for the young Leila from Terego.
However, the similarity lies in subsistence crop agriculture and animal husbandry her home district shares with Pallisa as the two major economic activities in the district but, fishing, fish farming, and beekeeping are increasingly practiced in Pallisa District and are still alien to her.
Left or right, along Jinja Road, from Mabira, tea plantation, sugarcane yards and the clumsy tributaries of River Nile did not leave Leila the same.
“I have never seen these before, in Terego we spend most of the time fetching watch,” said a soft-spoken Leila.
Leila was up to the task and Sam Bright Muhindo, the boss was impressed, upon reaching Shakur’s home, she took through him all that was behind being responsible and a good learner in school.
The 6-year-old Shakur despite the fact he, is a happy boy with tones of hope as evidence of his resilience. An interesting chap, whenever we could ask him anything, he could just smile back and you read between the lines of his smile.
Luckily, Shakur’s mother was home, she told us her story about why Shakur is fatherless and was abandoned.
According to Tino Beatrice the mother of Shakur, her son came at the time when he visited her uncle while in Primary Seven, there was a boy working as a potter at the construction site who proposed to her.
The boy disappeared after sleeping with her and later she learned that she was pregnant. Her uncle sent her away back to her mother in the village.
After delivering Shakur, my mother took all the responsibility and she has been supporting Shakur since then. Am grateful opportunity, I least expected that Shakur would turn out a blessing, Shakur’s vision is to become a doctor,” she said
Tino’s message to the girls out there is to stay in school and avoid being lied to by the boys and those going through similar challenges, and never to think of aborting or abandoning their children.
She appreciated the Bravo team and all its partners for helping Shakur and commanded him to be a very disciplined boy and respect his teachers and fellow students.