The 2007 ministry of health expenditure survey in Uganda clearly indicates that the main causes of maternal morbidity and mortality in Uganda have overtime been considered preventable and or treatable. These common causes include but are not limited to abortion, haemorrhage, sepsis and obstructed labour.

Mubatsi, Text to Change in Partnership with UNICEF Kamapala are trying to use mobile phones through SMS to encourage mothers to deliver at health facilities in rural areas. Biggest challenge comes from the MoH and ownership of technology esp mobile phones.
Thanks Rosebell for sharing this.

I am wondering what can be done to encourage more Ugandan women to embrace antenatal care and give birth at health centres. In my village there is a traditional birth attendant who does not know how to read and write, but gets angry at pregnant mothers who go to established health centres for antenatal checks, she is almost a god in the village and because of ignorance villagers give in to her threats by shunning giving birth in established health centres in favour of her “services”. Where she fails, of course after staying with a woman in labour pains for at least 2days, she refers her to a hospital.

Of course, my perception of your photography and your merit as a photo journalist may be biased since you had the body of a murdered 10 year old girl, Margaret Babirye Nankya, dug up just so you could photograph her mutilated body. Some may laud your technique or artistic flair but I certainly found your methods / staging in this case utterly repulsive, not to mention that your version and revision of “facts” on the case was questionable.

Rather than all that back tracking justification, lame, rationalized “apology” and attempts to justify or exonerate, it would do well to come clean with humility and face the consequences. That would perhaps be more conducive to finding forgiveness. Finally, I am utterly astonished that the Pulitzer Center continues to endorse your work and attempt to mitigate the fallout by bolstering your story.

I am writing to request an interview with you, via Skype, regarding your life as a journalist covering social issues in East Africa. As part of my journalism curriculum at Columbia College Chicago, I am taking an international reporting class in which our professor gave us free reign on parts of the world to cover for our class blog; I chose to write about the state of affairs in East Africa. One of our assignments is to interact (through social media tools) with journalists and activists from our “beat.” I would very much appreciate it if you could share your insight and experiences reporting on important issues that have come to shape the world in which we live. Your thoughts on the use of social media to disseminate valuable information would also be helpful.

Any form of assistance will be greatly appreciated, Ms. Kagumire. I hope this message reaches you in good health and high spirits. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Stephanie

What assurances have Ugandans received from opposition leader Dr.Kizza Besigye that he is going to do things differently? Yes he is going to deliver differently in the sense that he is going to give economic and political prominence to his ethnic people, the Bakiga, like his countertpart Museveni who rules Uganda as a private company run by Museveni and family. Ugandans must start to think beyond their noses. Ugandans have been duped far too long. All aspiring leaders use Baganda as a ladder to climb to the top, but once in power they scold Baganda. Before Obote passed away, he blamed Museveni forallowing baganda into the military. This transpires that which ever aspiring leader from all regions but Buganda will make sure the Baganda are politically and economically the under dog.

It will take a million years before Ugandans come to their senses to realise that descrinination or tribalism denies development in Uganda. Governments will continue to come and go, but tribes will remain. Therefore people should stop being naive and start to think beyond ethnicity boundaries and think high by putting political and economic reform to benefit all Ugandans but not the privileged few political elites.