Godfrey Kateregga, 41, a substance farmer of Kalengera Kojja village, Nsanja parish, Ntenjeru sub county Mukono district, is one of the rural based and typical farmers as well as a father of five and husband to Nakatudde Gertrude.

In a patriarchal structured society as Uganda and as a parent, Kateregga has the responsibilities of catering for his family so as to prove that he is worth the title "man of the house."These responsibilities include the sending of his children to school to earn an education, which also brings rank to him among the villagemates.  A father with educated children ranks above others.

Kateregga narrative is a symbolic representation of many a substance farmer in Uganda. Kateregga narrates that it has been so hard for him to educate his first born, Nakalema Prossy, age 17, who will most likely drop out at senior four because of the low earnings. "I cannot tell you how much I earn as profits from my produce, but I can assure you that what I spend in growing the crops is far much more than what I earn from them." he said.

Kateregga's wife, who was found pruning the family potatoes plantation, because caterpillars had attacked the leaves, offered no better picture. The tinny caterpillars tend to thrive during the dry season and the short drought which had hit the area of Kyangwe, East of Kampala, had allowed the invasive "bugs" to thrive.

"We planted these potatoes in the middle of November targeting the good market in March such that we can earn what to pay for our children as fees. But we were by the drought and on top of that affected by the caterpillars which means that we have to invest some more money for the pesticides and yet little may be harvested, thus not enough for the children's fees. The pesticides are too expensive for us to afford now," Kateregga narrated.

He added that in some cases he make his children (those in lower classes at the primary level) miss some terms most especially the first and the second terms and attend only the promoting terms as he can only afford fees for only one term per child. "We have found some creative way, you send the children to school only in the third term, and then you use the older one to teach the young one at home for the rest of the year. When the third term comes around you enroll them, they take the exams, pass, and they are promoted to the next class."

Protracted efforts

Kateregga belongs to a small cooperative group of about twenty fellow farmers. Under the group "Munno mu Kabi Kalengera Farmers' Group", they could contribute money depending on what amount they had agreed upon and lend the total sum to one another in turns which have helped him much in raising his children's fees.

Hiring land

"Due to the tiny pieces of land I own, I some times rent some from my colleagues who have some bigger pieces of land on which I cultivate crops of short gestation period. I gain out of this only if I by chance I target a good season and yet I have to give some returns to the land owner, it may be in terms of money or products, depending on what we have agreed upon, and use the little I remain with to pay my children's school fees". He vowed miserably.

Kateregga adds that in some cases he has been ending up taking his children in government schools which he has never wished due to poor standards of education in these schools. He said that if he fails to raise fees this is the other option available. "I do my best to send them to private schools, but when I fail to raise the funds, I rotate them around, in and out of private and public schools... I would rather have them in private schools because that is where you have quality education," he said.

During holidays, his wife and children sell food around the villages. Nakatudde says that they have always ended up raising some money which is reserved purposely for education.  Nakutudde was concerned that as their children advance in age they might not be able to afford educating them because secondary education is quite very expensive.

Mr. Kateregga, whose livelihood solely depends on farming says that in case their crops are hit by drought, as a way of maintaining his garden, he and his family have to irrigate them daily (most especially tomatoes plantation) with water fetched from the well located two kilometers from  the garden. "It is costly in terms of labour, but the alternative is not affordable; if you choose to buy water you have to pay about 500 Uganda shillings ($.25 cents) for 40 liters.

Ssalongo Kayizzi Francis, a 50 year old commercial farmer of Wakisi sub county Dakabusa earned 19 millions in the 2008 season, however last year's season's poor harvests caused a financial crisis in his family income. "The weather patterns are continually becoming uncooperative, we need a lot of intervention from those responsible if the small farmer is to survive, yet we are the backbone of the country side."

Kayizzi, who is a father of twelve, and care taker of twenty orphans and a husband of two wives says that this year, he had to take simple loans from the area SACOS (Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies), so as to pay fees for the children. "The .problem with taking out loans for fees is that you end up being charged interest on the loan, yet the money is not invested.

 "I harvested nothing in the last year's season improvise with difficulty to obtain tuition for the four children who are at the university and for the others. I and my wives obtained simple loans to supplement the little we had obtained from the milk we had been selling through out the holidays, and paid fees for some children though others were sent back to school with out anything."

To many of the rural people the government is far and distant to their pain, but even those who live in the city poverty is ever present.

MEET A SINGLE MOTHER WHO IS HAPPY AMIDST PAIN

From the country side we meet Jamewo Namale, who is one out of the many, who still holds on hope that however much she is pushed about in the city life, one day she will be rejoicing.

Going through her daily routine seems and sounds complex, but Jamewo Namale, a vendor along one of the Kampala streets takes it all in stride and remains hopeful, and hope is the only visible capital she can count on.

Even her ever present smile, could not conceal the misery she has endured as she narrates how her life had been a turbulent ride since she was twenty seven. " I got married to my ex-husband in 1990, at age eighteen, I divorced him in 1999 after realizing that we were not compatible and viewed life differently. We were in constant conflicts and fighting. By the time we divorced we had four children with the first born in primary three," she narrates in a cracking voice revealing the anguish.

After divorce Namale and her children moved in with her mother, along the Kampala Entebbe road. Business minded then, as she is now Namale took to selling bananas by the road side. From her meager resources she managed to send her children to school. Upon divorce the father absconded from the responsibility. Child support laws in Uganda are rarely implemented because of a stigma that follows any woman who takes her husband to court.

In search of a better income she Namale moved to Nsambya, a Kampala suburb, and obtained employment as a waitress and could be paid Shs 2000 ($1) per day. Namale stayed on the job for five years before moving to work at Nakasero market where she got employed as a food delivery person.

"In Nakasero, I could be paid Shs. 3500 ($1.75) per day but the only problem was that I could move long journeys, climbing higher buildings to extend our services (food), to our customers, out of this, I started suffering from chest ache and was advised by the doctor to abandon the job," she said.

Namale who now selling a variety of commodities "Kyakalakyakala" along Luwum Street -majestic plaza in Kampala, said that she started this business in August 2009 with Shs 50.000 ($25.50) as revolving capital and Shs 80.000 ($41) which she spend on securing the street side space where she runs her business.

She adds that she earns Shs 90.000 ($46) as profit per month. Her monthly rent of Shs 50.000 ($25) at her residence in Nsambya and feeding her family always lives her in the negative.

Namale does not complain. "Success is driven by passion," she says , adding, "I love my job because very thing I have managed to do is as a result of my restless struggles ignoring what I may be called by other people, and one day I will be successful and get a better life."

Namale always arrives at her work station by 6:00am every day except on Sundays, a day of fewer customers. "But as a responsible mother, this is the only day I to spend with my children," she say in a mater-of-fact voice. But Sunday, at home is not a ‘day of rest'; a creative woman she is, she spends this Sunday sewing and knitting caps which she also sells alongside other merchandise.

Namale's anger, may disappointment, come through when she discusses the behavior of the city authorities. She complains that the city council officials who confiscate her (and other vendors) property if there is any failure or delay in paying the Shs 2000 per week as service tax, teat them (street vendors) without respect. Her other complaint is the dense air caused by the fumes from several aging commuter vehicles that ply her street.

There is also a feminist voice in Namale." Sometimes hear of women killing their children as a result of being disappointed by their husbands, this has to stop ... stop showing men that they can not survive without their support. We gave men too much power, women must get out and work, and should stop under-looking jobs, there is success everywhere ...it all depends on how you have handled it,  I will continue struggling until the dreamed destination is reached," she concluded with a smile filled with hope.

(All Photographs by Lydia Nsubuga)