ARNE DOORNEBAL WRITES AT RADIO NETHERLANDS:
With an increase of 1.2 million citizens every year, Uganda is the third-fastest growing country on earth. The population boom is causing bitter fights over land and may lead to food shortages, warn experts. Meanwhile, individual families feel the strain. “I love my children, but just wished I had fewer of them,” says a struggling mother of seven.
A focused conversation with Justine is not possible because a horde of children permanently surrounds her. The twin four-year-old sons scream for attention, while her three-year-old daughter tries to grab the notebook of a visitor.
“Ugandan women are extremely fertile,” says the 40 year old. “I love my children very much, but I fail to give everyone enough attention. I have to combine motherhood with my work as a hotel manager. The youngest children delay going to school because I use the money for school fees for the elder ones,” she explains.
Justine was married twice. Both men left her. Only the second ex-husband contributes to his children’s education. This scenario is commonplace in Uganda, where women give birth to an average of 6.2 children. READ MORE.