mwanakijiji
12-09-2008, 04:56 PM
Washington Times-Herald
In America, if a journalist writes something others do not like the worst seen may be an angry phone call, a letter, or maybe even a lawsuit.
For Evans Rubara, being an investigative journalist in Tanzania landed him in jail. It also found him beaten, and left for dead.
Rubara, himself an orphan, was at Washington?s Ponderosa on Friday to tell his story and the problems facing children in Tanzania, Rubara?s home. Rubara is part of Norwegian Church Aid, a sponsor of former Washington resident Berit Skaare?s Ilula Orphan Foster Care program.
The program, started with only a few boys, now helps more than 1,000 children in one of the poorest regions of Tanzania ? Iringa.
Before finding the path that would lead to help the Ilula orphanage, he worked for three years for independent newspapers as an investigative reporter. He worked on stories about human rights and government corruption.
?In Tanzania, when you talk about human rights, women and children are not considered,? Rubara said.
Because he investigated the government, which he called corrupt many times during the talk, the constant questioning led him to be beaten and left for dead at one instance and jailed in another.
It was because of those instances and increasing pressure from the government, Rubara decided to get out of journalism because ?as days went by, I found my job difficult to do.?
He found charities and organizations wanted his help and that led Rubara to Ilula, which he did stories on their work in helping young girls from cities. These girls, Rubara said, would work as indentured cleaning servants for men and families. These girls would have to be sent to the cities by their families to make money.
A story Rubara told was a girl who was helped by Skaare and the Ilula program many times, only to run away and come back.
?These families make so little money that these girls are having sex for money,? Rubara said. ?Many girls would have (medical problems).?
In Iringa, about 10 percent of the population has HIV/AIDS, Rubara said. The AIDS epidemic hits poor areas of Tanzania hard, as merchants from Zambia take advantage of the Tanzanian population and spread the deadly AIDS virus.
Because of the illnesses of the current population, Rubara recalled a story when a 4-year-old girl was sent by her grandparents to the city to work. That girl, went to Skaare for help. Now, she is in school and working to graduate high school. Five of Skaare?s students are currently in a university.
?These boys and girls are the future or Tanzania and the government has not taken care of them,? Rubara said. ?This weighs heavily in the heart of (Skaare).?
Even though the Ilula orphanage and foster care program now helps more than 1,000 children in Tanzania, there is still more that needs to be done
In America, if a journalist writes something others do not like the worst seen may be an angry phone call, a letter, or maybe even a lawsuit.
For Evans Rubara, being an investigative journalist in Tanzania landed him in jail. It also found him beaten, and left for dead.
Rubara, himself an orphan, was at Washington?s Ponderosa on Friday to tell his story and the problems facing children in Tanzania, Rubara?s home. Rubara is part of Norwegian Church Aid, a sponsor of former Washington resident Berit Skaare?s Ilula Orphan Foster Care program.
The program, started with only a few boys, now helps more than 1,000 children in one of the poorest regions of Tanzania ? Iringa.
Before finding the path that would lead to help the Ilula orphanage, he worked for three years for independent newspapers as an investigative reporter. He worked on stories about human rights and government corruption.
?In Tanzania, when you talk about human rights, women and children are not considered,? Rubara said.
Because he investigated the government, which he called corrupt many times during the talk, the constant questioning led him to be beaten and left for dead at one instance and jailed in another.
It was because of those instances and increasing pressure from the government, Rubara decided to get out of journalism because ?as days went by, I found my job difficult to do.?
He found charities and organizations wanted his help and that led Rubara to Ilula, which he did stories on their work in helping young girls from cities. These girls, Rubara said, would work as indentured cleaning servants for men and families. These girls would have to be sent to the cities by their families to make money.
A story Rubara told was a girl who was helped by Skaare and the Ilula program many times, only to run away and come back.
?These families make so little money that these girls are having sex for money,? Rubara said. ?Many girls would have (medical problems).?
In Iringa, about 10 percent of the population has HIV/AIDS, Rubara said. The AIDS epidemic hits poor areas of Tanzania hard, as merchants from Zambia take advantage of the Tanzanian population and spread the deadly AIDS virus.
Because of the illnesses of the current population, Rubara recalled a story when a 4-year-old girl was sent by her grandparents to the city to work. That girl, went to Skaare for help. Now, she is in school and working to graduate high school. Five of Skaare?s students are currently in a university.
?These boys and girls are the future or Tanzania and the government has not taken care of them,? Rubara said. ?This weighs heavily in the heart of (Skaare).?
Even though the Ilula orphanage and foster care program now helps more than 1,000 children in Tanzania, there is still more that needs to be done