VP Alupo hails Catholic Church for poverty alleviation programmes

Vice President Jessica Alupo has attributed the socio-economic progress that the country currently commands to the backing of the Catholic Church which has mobilised the people to support government programmes.

Speaking during the 125th-anniversary celebration of Our Lady of Carmel Busuubizi Catholic Parish in Mityana District on Sunday, Ms Alupo lauded the Church for complementing government efforts to uplift communities economically and spiritually.

“The Church not only works with the government in educating citizens and preaching the word of God, but it works very hard, hand-in-hand with the government to extend social services to the public and fostering development," Ms Alupo said.

She added: “We call upon the Catholic Church to continue working with the government to mobilise our citizens to fight poverty and embrace government programmes like the Parish Development Model (PDM), and Emyooga.”

The vice president urged the Christians to do more to build the nation.

“We ought to thank God who inspired the missionaries to bring the light of Christ to this area. The missionaries and the ancestors were able to do so much and we ought to do more and work harder,” Ms Alupo said.

Under the leadership of Kiyinda-Mityana Bishop Joseph Anthony Zziwa, each parish has dedicated at least three acres of land to support government poverty alleviation programmes through socio-economic activities like coffee farming, dairy farming, and poultry.

Many parishes have cultivated three acres of coffee, with some expanding to as much as 20 acres. These initiatives have not only generated income for church operations but also motivated community members to adopt similar projects.

Bishop Zziwa explained he initiated theprojects to boost church income and ensure the smooth running of church activities.

"With these projects, I am convinced we can foster economic development within our churches," he said.

The bishop also asked the government to elevate St Noa Mawaggali Busuubizi Core Primary Teachers College to a university.

“This college has been given the opportunity to become a university. We are very glad and optimistic, and we are closely following the plans the Ministry of Education is making for this college,” Bishop Zziwa said.

He added: “It would be a significant achievement to transform our college into one of the centres of higher learning in our diocese. We hope to see tangible results from this plan.”

He further noted that vehicles carrying heads of departments from the Ministry of Education occasionally visit the college, indicating progress toward its elevation to university status.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Lands, Ms Judith Nabakooba, urged the church to expedite the processing of land titles, particularly for land verbally donated by individuals who have since died.

“Such land is very susceptible to conflicts, the office will be able to support and process such land titled,” Ms Nabakooba said.

She added: “People of those days were trustworthy unlike today where you leave the land idle, and the next day it is encroached or even forcefully taken. Make it productive to avoid such to happen.”