Well-wishers come to defiled toddler’s rescue after Monitor story

The Daily Monitor story about the plight of a two-year-old toddler, who was defiled by her 18-year-old uncle, has attracted more support after well-wishers who read the article came out to help her get medical attention.

The September 18 story, under the headline, “Magistrate halts session to fundraise for defiled toddler” which exposed the appalling health condition the victim was in touched many hearts, prompting some to contribute financial and material assistance to the victim. At the time of Daily Monitor ran the story, the child could not control stool and urine and her abdomen was swollen with blood oozing from her private parts.

According to the police, the victim was defiled last month from her grandmother’s home in Buyobe village, Kayunga District. The mother red-handedly found the accused in the act, and fled when the mother raised an alarm.

Kassim Katende who is now facing aggravated defilement charges last week appeared before the Kayunga Grade One magistrate Ms Faridah Ikimaana, who astoundingly halted a court session and fundraised for the treatment of the victim. Katende is currently on remand at Luzira maximum prison.  
Among the people, who came to the victim’s rescue was Mr Zhong Shuang Quan , a prominent Chinese businessman and the founder of Overseas China-Uganda Charity Foundation, who offered the mother of the victim undisclosed financial assistance.

Mr Zhong, who together with friends, among them Mr Wang Li Zhen, a Portuguese national, handed over the support to the victim's mother on Monday at his office in the industrial area in Kampala.
Mr Zhong, who was informed by this reporter about the child’s medical needs and health condition plus her mother’s misery, given that she is a single mother of three children, quickly mobilized aid and invited the mother and victim to his office.

While handing over the support, Mr Zhong, whose family has for long been involved in charity work, revealed that he had informed his teen daughter about the victim and family’s plight and that she (his daughter) was also going to mobilise for support to help them.

“I informed my daughter, Zhong Manks, who is currently studying in Switzerland and she told me that she would embark on mobilizing for support in her college. She has also been touched and in October she will begin a fundraising drive to raise funds for this cause,” Mr Zhong said.
The Children’s surgical Hospital in Entebbe,  Wakiso District also offered treatment to the child, whose health has since improved.
The child can now walk,  drink and play although she still doesn’t have appetite for food and has abdominal pain.

“I applaud Daily Monitor for helping me to get treatment for my child. If it was not Monitor my child would perhaps not be still alive,” the mother remarked.
The Chinese, who was shocked and partly blamed such “inhuman acts “ on poverty, said there is a need to create more jobs for citizens, adding that perhaps if the mother was with her child, she wouldn’t have been defiled.