The Champions League reopened
Dear Friends
Major events cause big waves. We report three such news, this week. In football, the Champions League has reopened – by two unassuming young men, called Benjamin and Ivan. Uganda’s national curfew has been extended. The situation remains tense – especially for foreign truck drivers and Uganda’s underemployed population. But his Excellency, Yoweri Museveni, Uganda’s President since 1986, sends advice to his people. And he sends emergency aid to Kids of Africa. A brief report.
The Champions League reopened
- Mixed teams (same number of boys and girls) under 12 years old
- Dorte (director of Kids of Africa) brings music
- After goals are scored, the audience must not rush onto the field!
- Anyone who plays unfairly receives a yellow or red card!
- The player who scores the most goals wins a book with 96 pages from Benjamin, the organizer!
Come one – Come ALL!!!
Presidential State-Of-The-Nation address
As Uganda’s national lockdown has just been extended to May 5th, the mood among its people grows dire. Good enough, Uganda’s longtime President (since 1986), his Excellency Yoweri Museveni, has a view, which he shared with his people this week. Below are the highlights from his speech about the national emergency, as disseminated by his staff:
Picture by: Naipanoi Lepapa (The African Exponent).
- Ugandans will be killed by appetite for money!!!!!!!!
- The market vendors sleeping at the markets should be given treated mosquito nets and polythene to protect them against rains.
- The LC 1s and village members have been empowered not to allow strangers to come and infect their community with COVID-19.
- Corrupt Police and immigration Personnel have been warned. These will be followed up and charged in courts for attempted murder.
- There is a possibility that we still have some COVID-19 carriers in the population whom we need to find out.
- Truck drivers will continue to be tested at the border but will continue with their journeys and the results will be communicated to them.
- Internal truck drivers should only move to and stop at designated areas. They should be monitored to ensure compliance.
- The cargo plane crew should be accommodated in designated hotels.
- The health workers will all be provided with PPE.
- THE CURRENT LOCKDOWN STAYS FOR THE NEXT 21 DAYS UNTIL 5 MAY 2020.
- The school children and students should stay at home and help their parents.
- Security forces have a right to defend themselves against attack by any person.
- Works on farms must continue as well as work at the factories and other essential services as will be clarified by the COVID-19 Task Force.
- The food support is for the urban groups who were depending on daily income and this income has been affected by the COVID-19 lock up measures.
- The 54 patients are all doing well. Seven were discharged and more eight will shortly be discharged.
- The Government of India will help Uganda on getting Chloroquine.
- Thanked Health workers for the good job done and requested the Hon. Minister of Works and Transport to sort out the issue of their stickers to allow them to move to and from their health facilities.
- Thanked all the people and institutions that donated items and money to help in the fight against COVID-19.
The same day, the President’s office visited Kids of Africa with a personal message of greetings, gratitude and food. Snapshots of his unexpected visit:
Health update
According to the Ugandan Ministry of Health, 6,661 people have already been tested for corona in Uganda. 55 people with positive results, one of whom has died. On average, one person per day is hospitalised. Truck drivers in particular are suspected of having Covid disease. For this reason, covid tests are mainly carried out at border crossings. More in the press release below.
We hope that Uganda’s fragile economy will soon be allowed to return to normal. Good enough, nobody at Kids of Africa has yet been showing any suspicious symptoms. Let’s pray it stays that way.
Best wishes
Your Burkhard Varnholt
