Overpopulation is at the core of most problems in Uganda or at least is compounding those problems. There is such a simple answer; birth control and education as to how and why it will help enact real change. It has personal incentives built right in; fewer kids equal more money for food and shiny consumer electronics. Not so simple to carry out. Unfortunately, imposed puritanical ideas are discouraging condom education or use among students, many of whom have lost their virginity by time they leave primary school. Here they teach the ABC s of avoiding HIV, Abstinence, Be faithful, wear a Condom, but the emphasis is placed on A when we know that people are people, and people have sex. Especially when 800 high-schoolers are put in boarding school with at most 6 teachers designated to keep tabs on them, whom spend most of their time in the staffroom watching soap operas. Interesting/discouraging fact: almost all of Ugandan schools and businesses are on the same break schedule, lunch starts at 1:20 which is exactly when NTV starts airing “Don’t Mess with an Angel”. The real practical teaching should be on C. Furthermore this education doesn’t matter if condoms are banned at boarding schools. Being caught having sex or even possessing a condom means expulsion. So in practice condoms are not available to students. Why is that? What could possibly be contributing to this problem?
I would like to take a moment to give a great big fuck you to all the missionaries out there. The religious beliefs and the sexual morals you are imposing on developing people run contrary to the facts. Feel free to enjoy your quaint superstitions but don’t shove them down the throats of those who don’t know any better. People back home getting too smart for your scare tactics? Sorry, we know how incomprehensibly gigantic the universe is now, your simplistic heaven/hell human-centric worldview doesn’t quite add up anymore. So you go someplace with plenty of ignorance, they don’t know any better, they don’t have the luxury of being acquainted with the modern world, they get an education that doesn’t encourage critical thinking. What easy targets.
Of course you really believe your own bullshit, but from a practical standpoint why are you really here? So you can satisfy your need to “save” people, your motivations are ultimately selfish, so get off your high horse. Sure you might be building an orphanage or teaching English or funding a local project, all good things. But the problem here is one of mentality and the result of yours is that my students tell me they want to “be fruitful and multiply” without the means to support their spawn, it is printed in textbooks that the most important thing students need to do to prepare for a test is pray, and condom education takes a backseat to just don’t do it ok? You need to take a wider perspective and seriously examine what you are doing to the developing world. Empower people with the knowledge and scientific mentality that can be used to actually change their lot in life. Now I’ll get off my high horse.
