RUBIRIZI – Families have been urged to embrace responsible family planning, break the cycle of domestic violence, and take decisive action to combat poverty.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The remarks were made by the Nyakasura Catholic Parish priest, Rev. Fr. Fabias Bainakanama, during a thanksgiving Mass organized by St. Joseph’s High School Rubirizi over the weekend.
Presiding over the end-of-Term I and feast day celebrations at the school, Fr. Bainakanama warned that reckless parenting and family conflict are fueling poverty and poor academic performance.
He urged parents to stop having children they cannot provide for, specifically calling on men to stop mistreating their wives, noting that domestic violence has increased poverty and school dropouts.
“I call upon every parent in Rubirizi to stop giving birth to children they cannot care for. Reckless parenting and domestic violence are destroying our families, fueling poverty and pulling our children out of school. Men, stop mistreating your wives. And to the few women who also beat their husbands, this is shameful and harmful to the family,” Fr. Bainakanama stated.
He further stated that infidelity, alcoholism, drug abuse, and laziness are the gears that fuel the rise in HIV disease, thus urging couples to pray together, raise children with love and care, and limit family size to break poverty.
Dr. Nahamya Wilfred, Deputy Executive Director of the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board and one of the founders of St. Joseph’s High School Rubirizi, urged parents, teachers, and children to embrace vocational skills training.
He explained that many children in Rubirizi were dropping out of school due to long distances to educational facilities and a lack of access to quality schools.
“I started St. Joseph’s High School in Rubirizi mainly to end ignorance and illiteracy, and to improve education standards. Many children were walking long distances or failing to find a place to study. Bringing a standard school closer to them will greatly help their academic performance without disruption,” Nahamya said.
The Headteacher of St. Joseph’s High School, Byagaba Benedicto, encouraged parents to closely monitor and safeguard their children during the holiday, especially protecting the girl child from teenage pregnancy and HIV.
He emphasized that educating a girl child means educating the entire nation, describing daughters as a blessing and an investment for the family.
“Protecting a girl child during the holidays is not just parental care; it’s a shield against teenage pregnancy and HIV. An educated girl lifts not just her family, but an entire nation,” Benedicto remarked.
The Headteacher also charged parents to take full responsibility for their children’s schooling, provide for their needs, and instill discipline, love, and religious values to raise them in the fear of God.
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