You don't have to be young to dream

A story of Local Response from Katabi community, Uganda by ?

You don't have to be young to dream

Sulaiti slowly walks towards us as we wait under the shade of a huge tree. One of his joys is to sit with guests and family in front of his house. He is 120 years old according to his memories. He refers to a locust invasion which happened in 1929 leaving no food and famine across many areas of Uganda. We assume then that he could be 100 years old. He is very sharp and willing to share his story with us. Next to him sits his wife, Marie Rose. She is a very important woman within the elderly association. Her job is to keep track of the members' health by measuring their blood pressure and blood sugar levels along with other nutrition and hygiene check-ups.

There is an age difference between the two but throughout our conversation we can easily perceive a strong appreciation for each other. In fact they had 5 children together and Marie Rose still remembers how she received invaluable emotional support from her husband when one of them was stillborn.

Rose Marie and Sulaiti both have clear dreams in their mind and we are surprised to see that age is not a factor: you can dream at any age. Sulaiti's dream is to see his grandchildren find work. Eunice, a two year old grandchild plays with a pen at his feet as these words come out of this 100 year old man's mouth. Rose Marie on the other hand has a very entrepreneurial mind. Her dream goes from personal to community level. She wishes to expand her poultry farm from 150 to 500 hens. She would like to contact vulnerable people and involve them in the association and finally her most ambitious dream is to help build an elderly people's home in Katabi.

Marie Rose is an amazing time manager. She understands the value of time and no minutes goes to waste in idleness. Her hens produce about 120 eggs a day which she sells. She cultivates a big vegetable garden, looks after her grandchildren and husband and also actively participates in the association. Her generosity is endless. In fact when we ask her if thieves ever steal from her garden, she tells us they do, but that is not a problem because they are happy to share.

The couple is also very grateful to HENU who has accompanied them throughout the years making things happen. One of the most important things on a personal level is that they received a toilet for Sulaiti. Up until that moment he was reduced to fear having to go to relieve himself because of the pain that he had to endure while squatting. He began to avoid meals so as to save on a trip to the bathroom and slowly fell into depression. Rose Marie smiles when she remembers the day they received the toilet. 'Sulaiti was himself again, it was good to have him back'. She says, “That day he went to the toilet, came out and took a stroll through the garden. He hadn't done that in a long time.”

Because of this lesson, because of seeing the way her husband bounced back thanks to a 'simple' thing like a toilet, Rose Marie dedicates a lot of her time to helping elderly people. She thinks that if elderly people are properly taken care of, their mind will remain healthy for a much longer time too. She is happy if they are happy, and this is why she visits them at their house, helps them with their health or simply talks to them and avoiding loneliness.

This couple showed us that dreaming does not depend on age, dreams can be achieved at any age. They are happy and appreciate their reality and the people from the association. They have a sense of belonging to each other and to the community that they nourish with generosity and selflessness. And they never give up.

When we have our dream, even though we are old, we learn from our personal experience and we move toward our dream.