Asuman Basalirwa, the president of the Justice Forum (JEEMA) party and a Member of Parliament (MP) for Bugiri municipality, has urged Ugandans to participate in humanitarian undertakings and give back to the community even in situations where they do not anticipate any financial compensation.

Basalirwa made these remarks on Sunday, April 14, 2024, during the closing ceremony of the charity football match between Team Martin Mateja and Team Eddy Kenzo at MTN Omondi Stadium, Lugogo, where he was the guest of honor.

The charity event was aimed at supporting the children of the Blossoms of Hope Foundation, a non-government organization, in various areas like children’s education and the skills they are involved in.

According to Basalirwa, a lot of individuals prefer to participate in things that benefit them individually as opposed to activities in which they contribute something to benefit others.

“We live in a country where not many people take charity as a good thing. In this country, we want to participate in things we get; we don’t want to be in things we put in, Basalirwa said.

He urged people to give back to the community and participate in humanitarian endeavors.

“But I think all of us here should make it a point to ensure that we belong to some charity activity. Just put it in your heart, identify a charitable activity, and be part of it. That is the goal I want to set for all of us here. You must contribute to a society where you don’t expect direct financial reward but, in probability, only God can reward you,” he added.

He commended Mateja for organizing the event and asked him to make a formal request to the parliamentary sports club so that they could make a collective contribution to support the cause.

“I want to request that, for purposes of supporting this project, our brother Mateja should officially come to us as a parliamentary sports club to make a formal request, and then we will make a collective contribution the way we usually do,” Basalirwa stated.

The match ended 5:2 in favor of Team Eddy Kenzo, and some of the participants were Gravity Omutujju, former Uganda Crane defender Hassan Wasswa, Emmanuel Okwi, and MP Basalirwa, among others. Kenzo donated $300 (approximately Ugx 1.1 million), among others.

Blossoms of Hope Foundation is a non-government organization that was founded in 2017 and registered in 2023. They carry out outreaches every two months throughout the country.

On July 9, 2023, Martin Ayebare organized a similar event to fundraise for victims of nodding syndrome disease in Labong Akwang sub-county, Kitgum district.