Not All Heroes Wear Capes…
A crowd of nearly 3,000 youth and community members gather in Namasale for the Kioga Heroes event
Not all heroes wear capes…
In fact, in the rural community of Namasale in north/central Uganda, heroes take the form of teachers, youth empowerment mentors, students and successful women like our co-founder, Collines Angwech, who are advocating for change.
Kioga Heros is a youth drama group in Namasale sub-county, Amolatar District. Started in 2012 with just 25 members, the group brings talented youth within the rural district together to conduct plays. skits and dramatic performances with the aim of sensitizing community members on heavy (and often taboo) topics such as HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, the importance of child education, gender based/domestic violence, teenage pregnancy and more.
Earlier this month, Kioga Heroes conducted an event titled "TWO WONE PEE" ( translated as “No one owns a disease”) to raise awareness about HIV and to sensitize their community on how HIV is transmitted, prevented, how to handle (treat) an HIV patient. The youth-focused group are also looking forward to directing and producing their own video about these issues which can easily be shared with communities across Uganda and around the world.
Far Away Friends co-founder & Country Director, Collines Angwech, speaks to 3,000 children and teens in Namasale about the importance of HIV/AIDS awareness. Collines grew up in Namasale and is a role model for young people (particularly girls) in the region, representing the less than 1% of women from her village who graduate from University.
As a key development partner in the region and a model youth-led organization, Far Away Friends was recently invited to speak during Kioga Heroes’ performance this month to a group of over 3,000 youth and community members about the spread, prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
During our presentation, FAF Co-Founder & Country Director, Collines Angwech, shared with the audience the history of HIV/AIDS and how the disease knows no boundaries. Collines explained to the young audience about the severity of HIV/AIDS in their community of Namasale, stating “[The prevalence of HIV/AIDS] is worse in towns like ours and other fishing sites around the country, therefore we must choose not to remain ignorant about how it's spread, how we can prevent it and how it can be treated.” She went on to empower the listeners to create change in their own communities. “We the youth hold the key to a healthier future of our communities and therefore we must get intentional about everything we do.”
Senior Teacher at GLP, Okello Paul, acting out a skit about the issue of HIV/AIDS for a crowd of over 3,000 in Namasale in November 2019.
The event was also attended by teachers and staff from FAF’s school, Global Leaders Primary School (GLP). Senior GLP Teacher, Okello Paul, took part in the event by acting out a skit about the topics discussed, as seen in the picture below.
Kioga Heroes is doing incredible work in Amolatar District motivating young people through drama, music and creative expression to begin openly discussing important and sensitive issues. Far Away Friends is extremely proud to support their work.
In 2020, we’d like to help more local and community-led groups like Kioga Heroes expand their work. You can help by giving sustainable support by Becoming an Advocate and joining our monthly giving program!
