A recounting by Bashir Kitaka, Director of Operations, Communication and Programming (DEI Embrace):
"Much is needed to be done to sensitize men to manage stress and depression. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I bought a bicycle and would cycle in my neighbourhood to relax and relieve my mind. I found some men and boys sitting at the local football pitch in age-based groups and sharing stories. The men would discuss the challenges of providing for their families and the feelings of lack of appreciation by their wives and children. The boys would share how they felt lost due to idleness and lack of money. This reminded me of my childhood friends who lost their lives to drugs and alcohol.
Women and children usually find ways to release their stress, but men lack this freedom, leading to a higher incidence of suicide and depression today. This issue was especially highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic when most breadwinners became redundant, and everyone was emotionally disturbed."
“Building trust helps people open up and share their challenges.”
- Bashir Kitaka
"Poverty is not the end of life. Growing up, I had two friends who were brothers. Dan was in Senior Six, and Bob was at the university when their lives changed from sunshine, love and laughter and gradually dimmed into darkness and depression with the passing of their mother. At first, life seemed fun as they spent lavishly, got into drugs and alcohol due to peer pressure, and even dropped out of school. With time, the money dwindled, and they started taking cheap liquor. During one drinking escapade, Bob fell off a storied building and died.
With increased segregation from the community and loneliness, Dan fell deeper into drugs and alcohol and soon became paralysed. I mobilized the community, and together, we bought him a wheelchair, but his body was already badly damaged. Dan died of health complications. If Dan and Bob had someone to counsel them after the death of their mother, they would still be alive and thriving today. They would have learnt how to manage their inheritance, how to avoid drugs and alcohol, and also that poverty is not the end of life. This is one of the reasons why the DEI Embrace Foundation exists, to create awareness about mental health within the community. We also empower the youth by offering them training and part-time employment in our sister company, Ontime Movers & Packers Uganda."
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