Accepting an Award –GRATITUDE!

I had never thought about being recognized for anything I do. I consider myself to be an ordinary person doing good when I can and simply living in harmony with my surroundings. Recently I received a call from the Germany ambassador to Uganda. He said I had been named for a peace and reconciliation award from The German and French embassy to Uganda. They annually recognize individuals doing transformative work to support vulnerable members in the Ugandan society.

Quickly I started focusing on me. Why me? Surely this must be a scam! I had only co-founded the Women’s Pro Bono Initiative (WPI) barely a year and a half ago. We are supporting the most vulnerable women and girls access justice, speak up against their abusers and reclaim their basic freedoms. Our work received media attention and enormous publicity contrary to my expectations. Hearing an outsider say they appreciated us, me? Was quite overwhelming. 

I did not know what to say, how to respond or if I should ask some more questions. For days I pondered on what to wear to the event, whom to take with me to the ceremony or who would I find most influential to quote or thank et al. It is true what they say, if you’re a giver, receiving can be quite a challenge!

In December 2019, a not so similar incident happened. A client we supported to return home from her abuser’s home in Saudi Arabia where she had gone to offer domestic services came by our office to say thank you. Not just the words, she, alongside her mother had with them a cock and a bunch of bananas! we were speechless in our humble office!

Breathe with me.

This is not what lawyers are trained to receive in payment for their work. Our expectations are way higher when engaging in commercial litigations. But for something we set out to do free of charge, God has exalted us to public spaces we would never have accessed had it not been for his mercy.

Trust me when I say it took me weeks to actually write-up what i'd say at the reception where I was to be honored before crème de’ la crème of our community. I thought about our society, why I set out on this journey and most sincerely shared about my personal familial journey with attendees. It feels awesome to be recognised, accepted and honoured. We all should do it more often.

Below is the speech I shared

SPEECH IN APPRECIATION OF FRANCO-GERMAN PEACE PRIZE

I thank you Ambassador Conze and Ambassador Jules for honoring me with this very prestigious award. I have read about the outstanding personalities that received this award prior to me and I feel extremely glad am equally walking in their steps in journey of promoting human rights, peace and reconciliation.

This award wouldn’t however come to me if it were not for the collective support of the team I have worked with at the Women’s Probono Initiative. I wish to dedicate this award to them all in absentia.

Having grown up as a first born in a family of eight (7girls & 1boy) in a deeply patriarchal culture, my passion to see society view the girl child in equal light as the boy child started quite young. I am privileged to come from a family where both my Dad and mother allotted the same chances to us (girls) as our brother. This is not the case for many girls in Uganda as at least 1/3 of adolescent girls are married off by the age of 15, many traditional homes view the girl child as a source of wealth and as such as soon as they hit puberty, families broker them to older men in exchange for a few properties. It is also Government’s report that almost 60% of Ugandan women believe violence by men against women is justified for some reason. This needn’t be the case. AS Development partners, activists, media personalities and government officials gathering here, I urge you to embrace change for better. Investing in our girls is investing in the development of our country as a whole. Together we can do this. YES WE CAN!

Finally I’d like to salute all women and men that have fought tooth and nail to see more women in public spaces. I believe I am before you because they tried to challenge the norm. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them!

For God and my Country