A Nun who takes care of disadvantaged and disabled children alone
Sr Immaculate Lucy Amoit is a nun belonging to the Daughters of Mary congregation (Bannabikira Sisters Bwanda). She was born and raised in Zirobwe, a place her father relocated to after getting a job as a manager in a cooperative in Kampala. He bought land in Zirobwe where he settled with his wife and raised his children. Sr Immaculate is the first born of twelve children. She started her primary school in Mulaje primary school and later joined St Clare Nkoni where she completed her Primary Leaving Exams. After Primary School, Sr Immaculate was admitted to St Aloysius Bwanda S.S in Masaka for her secondary education. Upon completion of senior four, she joined the postulate in Katimba for formation as a religious nun. From Katimba, she moved to the convent of the Bannabikira in Bwanda. She lived in the mother house teaching music to the novices. Her superiors impressed by this, registered her at Bukalasa Music School to further her music profession. They later decided that she goes to Germany to upgrade her music. Unfortunately, she fell ill and was instead taken to Empisha hospital in Nairobi for treatment. When she returned, she was taken to Villa Maria hospital to help in the laboratory, a place she worked for six years.
After her years of service at Villa Maria, her superiors reassigned her to Nawanyago health Centre in Kamuli to work in the laboratory. Sr Immaculate obliged and went to Kamuli, a place she stayed and worked in. In 2000, her superior requested her to help children with disabilities in Jinja, which she happily agreed to because as a child, she had loved children. Working with disabled children awakened her apostolate of working with children, especially the disadvantaged ones. She moved from Nawanyago to Jinja where she worked with Fr Picavet (RIP). She would move to villages and identify the children who needed protection. She moved within the three districts of Jinja, Kamuli and Iganga, helping the children. At one point, they were living with 40 children abandoned by their parents.
After four years in Jinja, Sr immaculate was involved in a motor accident. Fortunately, when she recovered, her superiors again requested her to continue taking care of children. She was glad she was going to continue with her same found love and dream job. This was where her heart lay and it was going to be her new apostolate. As a young girl, she had always told herself that if she didn’t become a religious nun, she would collect as many children as she could and take care of them in one home as an unmarried woman. In Jinja, Sr Immaculate had got training as a social worker so that she would be able to handle the children better.
Today, Sr Immaculate is the only member of the Bannabikira Sisters staying and taking care of 34 children at St Lillian Jubilee home for children with disability and disadvantaged children in Gayaza. She works alone, taking care of the little angels. Sr immaculate depends on donations because she cannot go to work. She fears leaving the children on their own, as some of the children’s diapers need to be changed every hour. Some of the children are brought to her by strangers, some she is called to pick up after their parents have abandoned them. The jubilant nun is always delighted to receive visitors. On this particular day, she was playing music for her children who were full of smiles, nodding and shaking their heads to the tunes, some stationed on their wheelchairs.
Things at the home became tough after the death of her only benefactor Beatrice, a German lady. Sr Immaculate has however never lost hope and has never thought of abandoning the children even when things look tough for her. She revealed that at one time she would go to Our Lady of Good Counsel secondary school to collect leftover food from the students so that she could feed the children at the home. She said she would tell the school authorities that the food was for pigs because she felt embarrassed to always ask for food to feed the children.
Months after, a group of youth visited her and the children bringing with them food and soap. She added that she was also offered a banana plantation by the parish Priest of Gayaza Catholic parish, although the bananas would be stolen by unknown people. Since then, Sr Immaculate and the children live on donations because, in their current home, she cannot grow anything because the place is small. Sr Immaculate is getting a lot of encouragement and hope from the Parish Priest of Zirobwe Parish, Fr Mukiibi Vicent, their biggest benefactor; he has been providing food, diapers and soap for the children. She added that she does not regret taking care of the children because it was her prayer as a young girl. She is gratified by helping the children. Sr Immaculate is hopeful that they will soon move to Ndeeba after Natyole Parish Luuba estate in Kasaana-Luweero diocese where Fr Mukiibi has constructed a new home for them, with permission from her superiors.
By Irene lamunu
