ads

Sunday, April 30, 2017

Ahead International Labour Day: CamCCUL Extends Hand of Fellowship to the Needy

In keeping with its long tradition of respectfully sharing and caring with the underprivileged, needy and lovely members as well as communities of the broad credit Union family, the president of CAMCCUL led donations and prayer visits as part of activities marking International labour day. 
The delegation which was led by CamCCUL President Musa Shey Nfor stormed the Emmanuel sisterhood and Magdalene Home care centre at Akum with goodies and prayers. The prayer session was organised with some 43 kids including anglophones, francophones, Christians, Moslems, mentally challenged, orphans etc. CamCCUL extended a hand of fellowship by donating gifts to the centers. The Musa Shey Nfor delegation moved to the Bamenda central prison where they met close to 800 inmates with whom they shared gifts and prayers. The President encouraged them not to loose hope but rather to learn trades so that upon leaving prisons the credit unions can finance their activities. Other similar visits followed in Achah Annex where they communed and donated to patients before moving to Abangoh orphanage. In this orphanage with close to 100 orphans (with the youngest being 13days old) timely gifts were donated. Prayers and dancing were top. Next was the Sajoka centre in Bafut with similar agenda
Pics of the trip to Akum below



Pics of the visit at the Bamenda Central Prison below




Pics of the visit to Achah Maternity below





When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Saturday, April 29, 2017

Fulani Herdsmen Have Invaded My Home-Nigeria's Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka Cries Out


Highly revered Nobel prize winner, Wole Soyinka has cried out after Fulani herdsmen invaded his home in Ogun.
Wole Soyinka
Nigeria's Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka on Friday revealed that herdsmen have again invaded his home in Ogun State.
Herdsmen had last year attacked Soyinka’s home while he was away abroad. He had said then that he returned from a trip outside the country only to “find that my home ground had been invaded, and a brand-new “Appian way” sliced through my sanctuary. That ‘motorable’ path was made by the hoofed invaders. Both the improvised entry and exit are now blocked.”
PM News reports that while speaking with newsmen on Friday at the Freedom Park, Lagos Island, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, Soyinka said this time the herdsmen came through another path to his doorstep.
Soyinka said with this recent invasion of his home by herdsmen, it meant that “we are living in dangerous time,” saying that the invasion convinced him that the attack was a deliberate act of provocation.
According to him, the attack was life-threatening and alarming as his home and that of his neighbours were invaded by the herdsmen, adding that he had reported the matter to the police in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The Nobel laureate said it was sad that the government was virtually doing nothing about incessant herdsmen attack across the nation as they left behind trails of blood, pains and anguish.
Soyinka said the herdsmen were everywhere now and that they normally come to territories not as peaceful neighbours, but as conquerors.
He stated that it was dangerous when herdsmen begin to come to people’s doorstep, especially his home, as such invaders could become potential suicide bombers, decrying that the leadership of this nation must take drastic steps to nip in the bud incessant attacks from herdsmen.
Soyinka said the time had come to wake up the leadership of the nation to take precise action to remedy the dangerous menace of herdsmen with their conqueror’s mentality, lamenting that the behaviour of the police and other security agencies was that the citizens should look after themselves in this dangerous times.
 “We need to wake up the leadership, let them know the seriousness of the issue on ground; these sorts of conquerors,  these herdsmen are worse than Boko Haram,” he said, adding that some kind of action was required to make the government to take drastic action, saying that such action could be abstinence from anything beef to call the leadership to its responsibilities to take holistic action about the issue on ground.
 Soyinka also frowned at the plan by the government to create a grazing corridor for herdsmen in the country, saying that would compound the problem on ground.
 “Creating corridor for cattle grazing will compound the problem, I do not think that is the solution,” he said, adding that creating ranches for the herdsmen could be part of the solution,” he said.
Earlier, Soyinka adapted the speech he delivered a year ago at the National Conference on Culture and Tourism, saying that “they must be taught however that there is a culture of settlement, and learn to seek accommodation with settled hosts wherever encountered.
“The leadership of any society cannot stand idly and offer solutions that implicitly deem the massacres of innocents mere incidents on the way to that learning school. For every crime, there is a punishment, for every violation, there must be restitution. The nomads of the world cannot place themselves above the law of settled humanity.”


When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Director of Radio Biafra Granted Bail

Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and director of Radio Biafra has been granted bail after spending close to two years in Kuje prison, Lagos Nigeria. 

Leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu
 
The prominent leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu was arrested and detained by Nigerian Government in relation to his ideology.
His lawyer Ejiofor is quoted to have told Punch in an interview that “Nnamdi Kanu left the prison at about 5pm after meeting the bail conditions,”.
However, it is alleged that his co-defendants in a treason trial are still in detention. Worthy to note that his release was made possible after a Federal High Court in Abuja granted him bail on health conditions. 
 Reports say  Mr. Kanu's immediate release followed a series of negotiations between a few politicians and activists from the Igbo-dominated southeast geopolitical zone and members of President Muhammadu Buhari's government. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one of the sources, a close associate of Mr. Buhari’s administration, disclosed that one of the central concerns of the negotiations was to find ways of de-escalating the political tension that has arisen due to renewed agitation by pro-Biafra separatists led by Mr. Kanu and others.
 A prison source revealed that Kuje prison authorities released Mr. Kanu's  a few minutes ago adding that the paperwork to realize the separatist leader’s release was finalized by Mr. Kanu’s lawyers and government officials.
Mr. Kanu, who has gained greater popularity during his detention, is expected to meet with several politicians and activists in the days ahead.
 As part of his bail conditions, Mr. Kanu has been barred from granting press interviews or being in a gathering of more than 10 people. 

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Friday, April 28, 2017

ESPN Ranks Michael Essien as Chelsea’s 2nd best African player of all time

ESPN has ranked Michael Essien as Chelsea’s 2nd best African Player of all time in the English Premier League. The Ghanaian midfielder was ranked just behind Cote d’Ivoire’s Didier Drogba and ahead of Nigeria’s John Obi Mikel in the ranking by ESPN.
Reports say Essien was chosen based on the fact that while at Chelsea he proved himself with his extraordinary tackling techniques. These techniques made him a star at Stamford Bridge. His trappings at Chelsea include 4 FA cups  and 2 English Premiership trophies.
But he was able to clinch the Champions League in 2012 despite not being used much of that season. Nowadays Essien has decided to spend the rest of his playing career in Far East Indonesia where he joined the club Persib and has become an instant superstar.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Lesson from Nigeria: Dangote to Create 3,000 jobs with Truck Assembly Plant


Dangote


Aliko Dangote, Nigerian entrepreneur, aims to create 3,000 jobs with the establishment of a truck assembly plant in Ikeja, Lagos. According to The Nation, the plant is the result of a partnership between the Dangote group and Sinotruck, a Chinese heavy-duty truck company. The Nation quotes a statement by the firm stating that “the decision to go into the truck assembly plant project was informed by the need to conserve forex in view of the current economic recession. The deal, worth $100 million, expected to have an assembly plant that will produce 10,000 trucks per year, was signed in May 2014, in China. According to the deal agreement, the plant is 60 per cent owned by Dangote Group, trading under Dangote Industries Limited, leaving Sinotruck with the remaining 40 per cent equity stake,”.
Anthony Chiejina, chief corporate communication officer of Dangote Group, is also quoted to have confirmed that the project had taken off and that when fully operational, the nation would be spared the forex expense of importing the heavy-duty vehicles. He explained there would be room for the expansion of the project in years to come, saying: “As it meets the national truck demand, it will explore exportation to neighbouring countries to generate foreign exchange for the nation.”
Consequently, Dangote Agro Sacks Limited, which occupied the Oba-AkranOgba premises of the former Nigerian Textile Mills, until recently, has been relocated closer to the group’s major operational hubs, particularly the cement plants in Obajana, Kogi State and Ibeshe, Ogun State.
 










When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Members of the Commission on the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism Installed



Prime Minister Philemon Yang has installed the 15 members of the Musonge Commission. Before commissioning the members today at the Yaounde Congress Hall, Prime Minister Yang Philemon called on them to be duty conscious and reminded them of the roles and responsibilities. Appointed on 15 March, 2017 following its creation on January 23, 2017 by the Head of State, they are expected to play a primordial role in informing government on pertinent issues.
The creation of this commission was one of the remedial measures to the sit-in strike action by Common Law Lawyers and Anglophone Teachers’ Trade Unions asking for a better consideration of the bilingual nature of the country, reasons why President Biya signed a decree to lay down the Establishment, Organization and Functioning of the National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism. In announcing his decision to create the Commission, President Biya on December 13, 2016 while addressing Cameroonians said it was important for sons and daughters of Cameroon to learn to work together, paying little attention to divisive issues given the intricacies involved.
Prospects are high at that with members of the Musonge Commission drawn from diverse backgrounds their experiences, knowledge and ideas will go a long way to consolidate diversified opinions.
 



When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Do You Really Want to Succeed? These are 6 Important Mindsets You Need to Achieve Success

Have you been searching desperately within yourself on what to do to achieve tremendous success in your life? These are things you need to know today.

 
 
Life doesn’t just happen to you unless you let it, and your life will continually feel out of your control because you have chosen to relinquish control. In the end, your life is ultimately your creation and your mindset is the most important tool you need to shape it. Jumia Travel and Jumia Mobile Week share 6 important mindsets you need to succeed.
 
1. Self-Discovery is a Process
 
Life and living is a journey, therefore understand the process and be patient with it. Don’t be impatient and hurry through the different stages of your life. In the end you will have missed a lot of what you shouldn’t miss and have too many regrets. Be open to explore the unknown and be strong enough to deal with, embrace and learn from surprises and bumps along the way.
 
2. You are Responsible for Your Life
 
You need to learn to take responsibility for your life. You truly begin to live when you decide your life is your own and you alone are responsible for the quality of it, with no apologies, no excuses and no one to blame.
 
3. Not Everything Goes as Planned
 
Unfortunately, though most people know this, they often times forget. You need to understand that life isn’t perfect and things will not always turn out like you planned or imagined. This is why you need to learn to create safety nets and have back-up plans or measures in place to deal with these setbacks. Don’t let things take you unawares.
 
4. There is a Way Through, Under or Above Every Obstacle
 
Thomas Edison tried 1000 ways to create a light bulb. This man was resilient in a way that was almost ridiculous and at the 1001th try, he got it. Be like that. Learn persistence and resilience, understand that there is always a way out and don’t give up until you find it. What matters is not the obstacle but how you see it, react to it and if you keep your composure through it.
 
5. Done is Better than Perfect
 
It is important you understand that continuous improvement is better than perfection. Perfectionism is unhealthy primarily because it’s an unhealthy combination of high standards and brutal self-criticism. Truth is, the real world doesn’t reward perfectionists; the real world rewards people who get things done.
 
6. You Can Do It
 
Believe in yourself. Believe that you have what it takes to succeed, if you don’t, aside a miracle, there is little that can help you succeed. Even if by some amazing stroke of luck you do succeed, it won’t last because you don’t have what it takes to maintain it. Learn to believe in yourself.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

2017 Public Peace Prize: How The Eye Newspaper Got to the Final Stage

The Eye Newspaper was nominated for its promotion of democratic tolerance in communities of Donga Mantung in the North West Region of Cameroon. After the 2013 municipal and legislative elections, homes, marriages and families were shattered. Politics was transformed into an instrument of destruction and uncertain peace, fighting erupted during campaigns, court cases were opened, and thousands of citizens were not on speaking terms with others of different political opinions. This intolerance slowed down development and affected business as well as community activities.
The Eye Newspaper set up an awards program to encourage political and democratic tolerance, and to rebuild mutual co-existence. Families that displayed the principles of democracy were rewarded and distinguished for their efforts to promote political tolerance.
The jury joins its congratulations and encouragement to the support received from the public for the important work accomplished by the The Eye Newspaper, 2017 Public Peace Prize finalist in the category Peace and Non-violence Initiatives through Education and Medias.



When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Brain Age Could Help Predict Risk of Early Death- Researchers

Researchers at the Imperial College London are predicting a person's brain age to determine if they are at risk of early death.
The team of neuroscientists at Imperial College London combined magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, with a machine learning algorithm to train computers to give a predicted brain age for people based on their volume of brain tissue.
"We've come up with a way of predicting someone's brain age based on an MRI scan of their brain," Dr. James Cole, a research associate in the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London, said in a press release. "Our approach used the discrepancy between their chronological age and what we call their brain-predicted age as a marker of age-related atrophy in the brain. If your brain is predicted to be older than your real age than that reflects something negative may be happening."
The work was part of a worldwide effort by scientists to find reliable biomarkers that can be used to measure age.
The technique measures brain volume and uses machine learning to estimate the overall loss of white and grey matter, which is a key component in the aging process in the brain.
Cole and his team then tested the technique on publicly available datasets of MRI scans of more than 2,000 healthy people's brains, resulting in maps that could accurately predict a person's age.
Researchers tested the technique on a population of 669 older adults over age 70 or older in Scotland who were part of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936.
The study found that the greater the difference between a person's brain age and their actual age, the higher their risk of poor mental and physical health and early death. Participants whose brain age was older than their chronological age performed worse on standard physical tests of healthy aging including lung capacity, walking speed and grip strength.
Participants with older brains were statistically more likely to die before age 80, and had an average discrepancy between brain age and chronological age of eight years for males and two years for females.
"In the long run it would be great if we could do this accurately enough so that we could do it at an individual level," Cole said. "Someone could go to their doctor, have a brain scan and the doctor could say 'your brain is 10 years older than it should be,' and potentially advise them to change their diet or lifestyle or to start a course of treatment. However, at the moment, it's not sufficiently accurate to be used at that sort of individual level."
Source: UPI



When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Elections Cameroon: Enow Abraham Catapulted to the Position of President


Enow Abraham Egbe

Enow Abrahams Egbe is the new President of Elections Cameroon (Elecam), a body charged with the organization and management of the elections. Enow Abrahams Egbe, who is former Governor, was appointed by President Paul Biya last Tuesday.
The civil administrator replaces Dr. Samuel Fonkam Azu'u, who has been at the helm of ELECAM for nearly eight years ever since the electoral body was created in 2008, to replace the National Elections Observatory (NEO). Mme Amougou née Abena Ekobena Appoline Marie was also appointed Vice President and she replaces Justin Ebanga Ewodo. Elecam members it should be noted are appointed for a four-year renewable term. While some members were flushed out by the Presidential decree, some new names into the Board included amongst others, Mr. Mbu Peter who apparently replaces Fonkam Azu’u from the North West Region. Tongues are still waging as to whether it is the brouhaha between Dr. Fonkam Azu’u and Abdoulaye Babale that has ignited the mighty storm at ELECAM or not. However, Dr. Fonkam Azu’u quits Elecam shoulders high.



When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Donald Trump Back Paddles on Mexico Border Wall Campaign Promise

 US President Donald Trump has temporarily suspended his plans to erect an expensive border between Mexico and the U.S as a fulfillment of his election campaign promise.

 
President Donald Trump
 
President Donald Trump is pulling back from his threat to hold Obamacare hostage in order to get a down payment on his US-Mexico border wall.
 Late Monday, Trump told roughly 20 conservative reporters that he was going to revisit the question of funding his border wall in September, according to a report by ABC News.
 He did this to avoid a government shutdown, which will occur on Saturday if Congress fails to pass a $1 trillion spending bill. Although Trump had previously indicated that he would hold certain aspects of Obamacare hostage if he couldn’t receive border wall funding, congressional Democrats were adamant that they would not support funding his border wall, while many of Trump’s fellow Republicans were reluctant to allow the government to shut down over the measure.
 Although the border wall is believed to cost more than $20 billion, Trump was hoping to receive $1.4 billion as a down payment in order to get construction started.
 Considering that this would fall on the 100th day of Trump’s presidency, it is likely that he would not want this particular milestone to coincide with such a disastrous event.
 “It’s good for the country that President Trump is taking the wall off the table in these negotiations. Now the bipartisan and bicameral negotiators can continue working on the outstanding issues,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

Gianni Infantino, FIFA President to Introduce Video Refereeing at 2018 World Cup

 It has been revealed that video refereeing is set to be introduced at the 2018 World Cup after a trial last December in Japan.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino
 
Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA has revealed on Wednesday that video assistant referees will be used at next year’s World Cup in Russia for the first time.
 According to Agence France Presse, Infantino revealed this at a congress of the South American Football Confederation in Santiago, Chile.
 He said: “We will use video refereeing at the 2018 World Cup because we’ve had nothing but positive feedback so far.”
 Video assistance was introduced to support referees with “game-changing” decisions for the first time in a FIFA competition at the Club World Cup in Japan in December.



When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)

What You Need to Know about the 37-year-old Ugandan Woman Who Has Given Birth to 38 Children

A baffling report has left many wondering after a Ugandan woman who has given birth to 38 children revealed how she achieved the feat.

The Ugandan woman has about 38 children
 In what could easily pass off as another work of fiction, a Ugandan woman who is just 37-years has placed herself in the record books after giving birth to 38 children. She is said to have started giving birth at the age of 13
 
 Here is the full report according to Ugandian media site, Daily Monitor:
 Lost along the way, a boda boda rider offers to lead me to her home since they know her by her unique name.
Nalongo Muzaala Bana (the twin mother that produces quadruples) is what Mariam Nabatanzi Babirye goes by where she resides in Kabimbiri village, Mukono District. An overcrowded neighborhood with children running all over welcomes me to Nabatanzi’s home. 
 At 37, Nabatanzi has 38 children whom she has delivered from home except the last born who is four months old. She was delivered by caesarean section. Among her children are six sets of twins, four sets of triplets, three sets of quadruples and single births. Ten of these are girls and the rest are boys. The oldest is 23 years old while the youngest four months.
 Eager to tell her story, she takes a minute before getting into it, tilting her head lost in thoughts. She was married off at 12 years of age after surviving death; allegedly at her stepmother’s hands who apparently pounded glass and mixed it in the food she gave Nabatanzi and her four siblings. Fortunately, she was away unlike her siblings who ate the food and died on the spot.
 
Married off
Nabatanzi breaks down when she recalls what she went through upon getting married. In 1993, she was married off to a 40-year-old man.
 “I did not know I was being married off. People came home and brought things for my father. When time came for them to leave, I thought I was escorting my aunt but when I got there, she gave me away to the man.”
 Being only a young girl, she found marriage a difficult task in the new family. “My husband was polygamous with many children from his past relationships who I had to take care of because their mothers were scattered all over. He was also violent and would beat me at any opportunity he got even when I suggested an idea that he didn’t like,” she recounts.

Starting a family 
Her father-in-law gave them a piece of land to start their family, a family for which she planned to have six children. In 1994, when she was 13, Nabatanzi gave birth to twins. Two years later, she gave birth to triplets and a year and seven months after that added a set of quadruplets. This, she says was nothing strange to her because she had seen it before in her lineage. “My father gave birth to 45 children with different women and these all came in quintuplets, quadruples, twins and triplets,” she says. 
 Indeed, Dr Charles Kiggundu, a gynecologist at Mulago Hospital and President of gynaecologists and obstetricians, says it is very possible for Nabatanzi to have taken after her father. “Her case is genetic predisposition to hyper-ovulate (releasing multiple eggs in one cycle), which significantly increases the chance of having multiples; it is always genetic,” he explains.
 By her sixth delivery, Nabatanzi had had 18 children and wanted to stop, so, she went to see a doctor at Namaliili Hospital. 
 
The problem 
 The doctor told Nabatanzi that she could not be stopped then because she had a high ovary count which would eventually kill her if she stopped.“Having these unfertilised eggs accumulate poses not only a threat to destroy the reproductive system but can also make the woman lose their lives,” Dr Ahmed Kikomeko from Kawempe General Hospital explains. 
  "I was advised to keep producing since putting this on hold would mean death. I tried using the Inter Uterine Device (IUD) but I got sick and vomited a lot, to the point of near death. I went into a coma for a month,” she explains. 
 At the age of 23 with now 25 children, she went back to hospital to try and stop. “I was checked in at Mulago Hospital and advised to continue producing since the ovary count was still high.”

No way to stop?
Kiggundu explains that women’s ovaries are at times suppressed and stopped from ovulating. “The suppressed eggs later pile up and are released at once and here, the higher the chances of fertilizing many eggs, the higher the chances of all of them dying, Nabatanzi was lucky,” he says. “She must have been super ovulating, releasing many eggs in a cycle.” He adds that Nabatanzi could have been helped if she had really wanted to stop producing, but some people are not well informed.
 At the birth of her four-month-old child who was delivered by C-section in December last year, she says; “I asked the doctor to stop me from more births and he said he had ‘cut my uterus from inside’. This was my only Cesarean delivery because I was still weak from the sickness I suffered when I tried to use an IUD.” 
 Kiggundu says this was most likely tubal ligation. “With tubal ligation, the tubes are blocked, a permanent method of contraception in women, but they would continue having their menses,” explains the gynecologist.
 
Hurdles in marriage
Nabatanzi’s 25 years in marriage have been characterised by humiliation and torture. “I have been tortured countless times by my husband; he beats to the pulp when I try to reason with him over any issue, especially when he gets home drank. He does not provide for basic needs and welfare of the family; the children hardly know who he is since he is an absent father who gives his children names over the phone and not physically,” she says.
 Charles Musisi, 23, her eldest son says their father disappeared and they have grown up only with their mother’s love. 
 “I can comfortably tell you that our siblings do not know what father looks like. I last saw him when I was 13 years old and only briefly in the night because he rushed off again,” he says, adding that they do not know the happiness of living with a father and they only rely on their mother as their both mother and father.
Nabatanzi says her husband spends close to a year without coming home and when he does, he just sneaks into the house late in the night and leaves very early in the morning. 
 
“I carry these humiliations because my aunt advised me to always endure in marriage and have my children as the center of focus. She advised me not to produce children from different men.”

The education challenge
Nabatanzi is optimistic about seeing her children through school, something her father could not do for her. Despite being a Primary Two dropout, she has managed to educate her children. 
 One of her first born twins has a certificate in nursing and the other in building although they have not found jobs yet.
 Two of her other children are in Senior Six, three in Senior Five, Four in Primary Seven, and four in Senior One. The rest are between baby class and Primary Six. 
 “I am hopeful that my children will go to school because they all have big ambitions of being doctors, teachers and lawyers; I want them to realise these dreams, something I was not able to do.” 
 Nabatanzi does not have a garden or land to farm, so she has to buy food to feed her children and this is her biggest expense.
 “Everything is solely from my pocket; I buy 10kg of maize flour a day, four kilogrammes of sugar a day and three bars of soap. I need to have Shs100, 000 at the least on a daily basis to have the family catered for. God has been good to me for they have never gone a day without a meal,” she says. Nabatanzi is in the process of gathering money to connect piped water she can sell since water is a big problem in the area, with a jerry can costing Shs800.
 David Kazimba, who fetches her water, says he gets her 15 jerry cans of water a day. “She is a social person I have known for the last eight years. She is a hardworking and caring woman. At times, people mock her because of her many children but she just ignores them,” he says.
 To meet her expenses, Nabatanzi administers local herbs for various illnesses - which she says she has done since she was a young girl- and doing casual work such as plaiting hair, decorating at events, and styling brides. 
 “I do not despise any job as long as it brings in some money. Feeling sorry for myself is something I dropped because I know these children are a gift from God that I have to treasure, so I try my level best to fend for them.”
 
The main worry
Nabatanzi’s five-year-old son who was diagnosed with a heart problem early this year worries her as she has to spend Shs120, 000 a week to buy him medicine. “In January, the doctors at Mulago Hospital advised me to raise Shs35m in nine months to have him taken to India for an operation. Since I do not have this money yet, I buy him medicine to help him cope in the meantime,” she says.
 Nabatanzi finds solace in her children as the family she never had while growing up. “I wish I could get a helping hand to help me with my children’s schooling, which is my major concern. I stopped looking to my husband for anything. I’m only focusing on raising my children and I am determined to do,” she explains.
 
Home care
The older children help with their siblings and the general home administration. “I enjoy taking care of my children myself though. My children are my joy and I pride caring for them. I cook, wash and bathe them with ease. Children grow better under a mother’s love and care,” she says.
 
Health.
Nabatanzi says she delivers her children naturally and she has always felt fine after each delivery until her recent C-section birth after which she started to develop backache after doing some home chores.
 “My daughter who studied nursing used to take care of me during pregnancy. Eventually, I learnt how to do this, so I have not had any difficulties or complications with my pregnancies,” she explains.
 
Expert view
Gynaecologist Dr Charles Kiggundu, refers to Nabantanzi’s ability to conceive so many multiples as “genetic predisposition to hyper ovulate”.
 He explains;“It is an increased likelihood of having children in multiples (twins, triplets, quadruplets...) based on a person’s genetic makeup. It results from specific genetic variations that are often inherited from a parent.
 In some cases, women ovulate more than one time consecutively, but in other cases they release more than one egg at the same time, leaving room for the fertilisation of released eggs. When that happens, each one develops within its own sac in the womb; hyper-ovulation naturally is hereditary.”
 
How common it is
I have not seen many of such cases in Uganda; the highest I have seen are twins and one case of triplets, but scientifically this condition is real.
 
Risks and solutions
The higher the number of eggs fertilised, the higher the risk of losing all children (miscarrying). Going for anti-natal care during pregnancy helps to have the situation monitored closely, doctors can help.
 Although a person’s genetic makeup cannot be changed, some lifestyle and environmental alterations (such as having more frequent disease screenings and maintaining a healthy weight) may help ward off opportunistic health problems.
 
Advice to women
Nabatanzi says a woman is respected by the way she handles her family and having to settle in her marriage containing all that is there since this is her pride.
 “There are no easy marriages; women should be patient because even our great grandmothers did not have a smooth one. They should be patient as there is always a lot to deal with in marriage and it is the patience that heals time, mine is to take care of my children which I am doing happily,” she says.

Advice to men
“Do not forget your responsibility because marriage is a joint responsibility to raise these children. “I cry deeply in my heart wondering whether I produced these children on my own.”
 She further urges men to stop marrying off their children for quick money and gains as this not only affects them but also their children.



When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)