About Mityana
Mityana
is an Anglican Diocese in Uganda formed from the districts of Kiboga and
Mubende. The town of Mityana (shown on the map) is one of the major towns in the
district of Mubende. Mityana Diocese covers about 10,000 sq. kms and has a population of
approximately 640,000.
Mityana Diocese is varied in its
climate and vegetation. The district of Mubende is around 1372 - 1448 m
above sea level and experiences high temperatures with remarkably low
rainfall and has approximately 84,000 hectares of forest. Kiboga,
formerly part of Mubende, is to the north of Mubende and has moderate
rainfall and temperatures suitable for the growing of several crops.
Traditionally the main economy of
this area in Uganda is one of agriculture with emphasis on :-
-
Food
Crops - Maize, beans, sweet potatoes, groundnuts, Soya beans, yams,
finger millet and bananas
-
Cash Crops - Coffee, cotton, tea
-
Fruits and vegetables - Tomatoes,
pineapples, passion fruits, onions and cabbages
-
Cattle ranching and dairy farming
The
Diocese of Mityana is a very poor area. A typical house in a
village is often no more than a mud hut, built with wattle and daub, with
a thatched or corrugated iron roof . Being no larger than a
typical English garage, these houses can accommodate up to 12 people living in extended families.
The
towns are slightly better, although poverty is still widespread.
Like much of Africa, Uganda has been devastated
by AIDS. A large proportion of the adult population are infected
by the HIV virus, leaving many children orphaned or whole families
dependent upon their children for income. Malaria and TB are also
widespread.
Education for the children is not
free, and all children attending school must pay a yearly fee of £80
pounds for primary education and £155 for secondary. Teachers
should be paid by the government, but the administration is such that
teachers often go many months without pay. Children are taught to a
curriculum, not dissimilar to the National Curriculum in the UK. Any children
not passing their exams at the end of the year, must remain in the same class until they
do. This and the problem of families funding education for their
children each year means that in any class there will be children of a wide variety of ages.
It would not be unknown to start secondary education aged 18.
