Abductions
October 2022 – Mumino and his family lived in a rental house in Kampala but were forced to move from there, with the help of Freethinkers International, after their location was compromised. His wife was abducted twice by her family. The first time she bravely managed to escape from them on the way to the Friday Prayer.
The second time Mumino had to get the police involved, who only wanted to help after payment. Once they received that, they freed his wife. She thankfully was physically unharmed after these two abductions but was verbally threatened and is still receiving threats currently. This is the cause for them still not being safe. They have moved but now stay inside all day. The eldest child, who is six now and should attend school, cannot because it is not safe. They live within a fence with several other families but the gate does not lock, so it is not very safe. The child can, therefore not play outside with the other children. Not a good situation for a child.
“Google is my baby’s doctor.”
The youngest child, who was born prematurely, has needed several doctor and hospital appointments, which Freethinkers International has helped with. The child is now one and a half years old and has several health issues. Currently, they are trying to get her on solid foods but she has allergies and gets sick and loses weight. Mumino says they have to consult a doctor every time they try new food but they can’t do that. “Google is my baby’s doctor,” Mumino says.
Refugee status procedure started
Freethinkers International was able to provide Mumino with a solicitor who is assisting him in the procedure to get refugee status. The process has been underway for several months now and Mumino tells us that it can take from 3 months to 2 years. But he also says this month could be important as the Somalian requests will be looked at by the Uganda government and he could possibly get his official refugee status. Once Mumino has an official status, he also should be able to get a work permit and actually work and provide for his family.
| In our adoption program we connect sponsors to individual clients. For many of the individuals we helped to escape persecution, a long journey starts to get asylum or a resident permit. Not all the countries they flee to, give support to asylum seekers. In the meantime, they face obstacles to getting paid work and becoming self-supporting. Forming support groups around them to follow helps them with some basic income and some moral support so they get a fair chance to build up a new life. For as much as 5 USD or EURO per month, you can support a client and connect to him or her personally to get regular updates. |
Day-to-day life
As Mumino is not able to work, he is home with his family all day. Their current place has a room, a sitting room and a toilet. There is water and electricity and their kitchen is outside. Asked how an average day looks, Mumino tells us that it feels like the day has one million hours in it. He gets up and does household chores with his wife as well as cooking. After that, they watch some cartoons and play with the children. They only go outside if they have to. They don’t really open their door either.
The future
Asked how he views his future he is unsure and perhaps not able to actually envision it since their day-to-day situation is still one of survival and fear. After giving it some thought, he thinks he might want to move to a different country once he has the right refugee status. We’ll continue to be in contact with Mumino and will post updates when they occur.
Help us bring attention to this critical situation. Share this story, spread the word, and let’s work together to find a solution. All episodes of this family saga can be read via this page
