Nothing can replace her natural body. Although her body is burnt, her face surprisingly defied the infamy. With culled hair and braids, Nabukeera looks beautiful. Her beautiful face is sometimes contorted in pain.
When Aisha Nabukeera's body went up in flames in 2006 burnt by an evil step-mother, little did she know she would become a ray of hope for abused children. Nabukeera, then, was just any other 14-year-old village girl in school at Masaka struggling to have a bright future.
Nabukeera underwent four operations, largely to loosen the flesh around her left and right arm pits. The operations were carried out at Mengo Hospital, Uganda by Dr Andrew Hodges.
Nabukeera's infamy was very painful. This is evident in what she says of her parents. My parents hatred should not have been a price for me to pay, she says. The case should not have been in the limelight had it not been for the intervention of businessman Frank Gashumba. Gashumba met Nabukeera at the Masaka Magistrates Court, where her father had an ongoing land wrangle case. "When I heard her story, I was touched and I decided to help her get both treatment and justice" Gashumba said. But before deciding to help, he sought the authority of magistrate who was handling the case and he gave him the go-ahead as long as Nabukeera's parents also accepted. He then met Ahmed Matovu, Nabukeera's father and asked him about the girl. Her father told Gashumba the day they met that Nabukeera was burnt by a charcoal stove.
She spent days crying in pain says her mother Sophia Nakandi. “Now there is hope. Not only for Nabukeera, but also for other abused children” her mother said. “Just a smile today restores my hope for the future, smiles are coming in fast and in different categories” Nabukeera wrote in her section on her website. Smiles that offer hope not only to Nabukeera, but also to other children in her situation.
Gashumba who decided to take the mantle of a guardian and made sure Aisha Nabukeera would live a life full of love and splendor. Frank Gashumba took on Aisha Nabukeera as a guardian in 2006. Like any supportive parent, he has backed her dream to become Miss Uganda.
Rather than be caged into her unfortunate past, Nabukeera has embraced the scars from the fire. She says they remind her of her past, but they will not dictate where she is going. She came short of being another statistic, another of those children who suffer child-abuse at the hands of their step-mothers, today she’s soared greater than her former self. This is the transition of Aisha Nabukeera, from a girl who was allegedly burnt by her step-mother when she poured paraffin on her body and lit her on fire.
AISHA YOU ARE ALREADY A WINNER....WHICH EVER OUTCOME WE WISH YOU THE BEST!
No comments:
Post a Comment