My Lockdown Experience
By Nanyonjo Cate
It was around 22nd February 2020 when rumors started circulating on all social media platforms that my country Uganda was soon going into a total lockdown due to the global pandemic caused by covid 19 and at this time I was recovering from a serious depression of losing my job due to the bankruptcy of the company. My mind was extremely active and boiling up for new ideas on how best I can raise my tuition for my final semester and at the same time cater for my rent and my sibling’s tuition but again I remembered that the best option would be to start with my skills as my initial capital.
I had worked myself so tirelessly trying to convince schools get me a contract to supply them with reusable sanitary pads and my hopes were completely shuttered when they announced the closure of schools just a few days when I had gotten hopes in one of the schools that had given me an opportunity to convince the parents on their next PTA Meeting.
Much as this seemed like a blessing in disguise of creating more time for me to look for money little did I know that most avenues were going to be seriously affected. Being an enthusiastic person this did not stop me from thinking out loud on how best to look for money, I traveled to my village to get myself some food products to sell them from my place and unfortunately the day I had finished parking my full sack to be taken back in the city is the same night the president announced the closure of all the public means and at this time I was left with no option but rather to just stay in the village. My two siblings were left in the house on their own with almost nothing in the house to feed on since I had used all the money to travel back to the village expecting to come back with food.
I was forced to contact my friends in the city to help me look out on my siblings however they got tired at some point since they were also not doing well financially. They had to start adjusting to the new normal of missing meals and only surviving on the water until recently when public means were allowed and we were given a chance to unite again but at this time round all the food I had packed had gotten spoilt and there was no money to get more and bring in Kampala. With the massive increase in taxi fares, I had to find my way out on tracks and get in the city.
In a nutshell, the lockdown has greatly impacted my life emotionally and financially therefore ask the government to allow schools to be considerate when candidates or finalists resume school since most universities want to resume with exams which means instant payment of full tuition which some of us do not have. The landlords are starting to act weird as they seem completely tired of waiting for the complete ceasing of the lockdown for us to pay everything and yet some of us our hopes seem to be completely shuttered and making our mind sink more and more into depression.