Jessica Alobo is 75 years old and has lived all her life in Bukalasi village Bududa district. She has witnessed several landslides in her home area but the fresh one that hit on the 10th of October 2018 changed her life. Alobo lost her daughter who left behind 8 children including a one years old baby girl.
Her daughter died along with her 4 months old baby. She is now stuck with no home and basic needs to raise them. Her touching story is not any different from that of a 13 years old who lost a mother and now has to take care of her four siblings. Many children lost their parents and guardians staying at the mercy of neighbors and relatives.
Jessica Alobo’s prayer is support in form of education to her grandchildren and basic requirements like clothes. Another resident George Wandaati calls for counselling to the children who are now traumatized. He says many are also now sleeping in the cold and contracted cough and at a risk of getting pneumonia. Visiting the area that was hit by landslides, High Sound for Children Executive Director, Ms Hadijah Mwanje called upon all stakeholders to carry out a needs assessment so as to know how to help the affected people.
“Help has begun trickling in from different players including government but food is not all that the victims need. The children need education and they lost everything in the landslides, the elderly needs also differ, after the needs assessment, the items can be distributed. Ms Mwanje also called upon government and Non-governmental organizations in the area of children to come up with a team of counselors to talk to the children who are now traumatized.
Meanwhile police is uncertain about the actual number of children who perished in the disaster. The officer in charge of Bukalasi Police post, David Nahamya confirmed that children including a 4 months old baby died but could not be quoted on the total number of deaths.