Nov
13
Meet Roland!
ByBy Cindy Bauer
Meet Roland!
The following article is from my July 2008 edition of Writer’s Block. This story is in Roland’s own words…
I’m Roland born 15th November 1985. I have lived with a single mother for almost all my life with two sisters Joy & Christine & a brother Richard, besides I have a young cousin brother Dennis whom I adopted after the death of his parents. My dad has four other wives away from our town. My mom was his first wife but completely neglected us together with our mom when I was about 6yrs. He had some money to pay our Step-brothers & sisters’ school fees, built houses for all his other wives except my Mom.
I’m Roland born 15th November 1985. I have lived with a single mother for almost all my life with two sisters Joy & Christine & a brother Richard, besides I have a young cousin brother Dennis whom I adopted after the death of his parents. My dad has four other wives away from our town. My mom was his first wife but completely neglected us together with our mom when I was about 6yrs. He had some money to pay our Step-brothers & sisters’ school fees, built houses for all his other wives except my Mom.
So I was forced to begin working when I was still a little boy beca use my mom was sick that she could not afford to work so hard because she got injuries when she was slaughtered using hand axes & pangas (swords) by robbers after missing to get our dad who had run & this occurred some time in 80s so she got terrible injuries on her head especially the skull, the chest & hands but still she hard to work hard to cater for us because we were still young and non could help us after the neglect of our dad. Unfortunately she developed Intestinal Cancer of recent in 2000 which has weakened her & makes her sickly most of the times.
So at the age of 8yrs, I became a hawker moving door to door selling second-hand children’s wear but still this venture did not last for long because I didn’t have enough money to keep it going & used the money for home up-keep & other bills. When I left that business I went for car washing & I did it for quite long because I used to get more money than it was with the previous business so I could go to school during the day & then car-wash during the rest of the night but this was a little bit hard for me because I didn’t have enough time to read my books.
I also worked with motor garage but it was so hard because I wasn’t paid because I was still learning so I left that.I served at a filling station but still I could work at night & then go to school during the day but it was hectic. I worked with some transport agency after leaving the filling station for some good years while at school & thank God because I managed to take care of my family with what I could afford though I could not afford to meet all the necessities because I had a lot to take care of like paying our school fees & requirements, house rent bills, mom’s medical bills, food etc & yet I didn’t have enough money so sometimes we could forego some other needs because there was no money.
I further began working at an internet café as a cleaner & after sometime I got some experience in computer services so I was promoted because I used to impress my boss because I was a good worker, but I left the job because of the poor working conditions at work, very little payments & harassment by my Indian boss.Thank lord because I successfully completed Secondary school & qualified for High School (Advanced Level of Education) as for Uganda.
It was not easy for me to join High School because it was so expensive & I dint have money to pay for my school as well as to up keep my family so I joined very late & it was so hard for me & I used to work at school as a cleaner so part of my school fees was paid by the school management some one person also contributed much to my school.
So after my College I did some Painting of my Art but unfortunately some person cheated me as she learned of my desire to join College in the US. She promised to sell my Art in the US to raise money for ,my College so after the sales she told me that she used up the money & that she was not in position to refund it and finally she cut off her contacts .So I didn’t benefit out of my Art so I gave up with that & decided to look for a job so I got another internet café I was working at as customer care attendant because I had some idea & I could try to fix the machines because my Boss who had learned computers from USA used to direct me on how to do certain things but later on I left the cafe because I was working for long hours from 7:30Am-11:00PM sometimes walked three & half miles back home late in the night, no lunch & little pay nearly $25 US Dollars (45,000/=) Uganda Shs. per month which was not enough to take of my family.
Of late I had got a job working in the War Zone in the Northern part of Uganda & sometimes in the South Western Part of Sudan (Dafur) but my Boss was shot dead by the rebels and I and my other colleague survived with terrible injuries. Its very risky working in the war zone but sometimes I don’t have any other resort. So when we were rescued by the Red Cross, we taken to medication so on discharge came back home in Jinja.
I had decided to give it a break & settle at home once again though I don’t have any serious job now so I sometimes think of going back to look for another job. I desire so much to join university in the US and I have tried several times in vain, please keep me in prayers.
I thank lord because He has always cared for me. I wish you only the best in all. Blessings beyond measure!!!!!!!!!!!!!Best regards,
Roland
Jinja, Uganda
East Africa.
+256-752-540086
Roland
Jinja, Uganda
East Africa.
+256-752-540086
To view this edition or other editions of Writer’s Block – A Cindy Bauer Books Newsletter, visit my website page, Newsletter, and click on any link shown.
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