A Heart for the Children
In the music industry of Uganda today, it is hard to find a musician with so much passion and heart for kids. But ever since she began singing, Suzan Kerunen has always wanted to bring a smile onto the faces of Ugandan children.
Kerunen, a young administrator at the Uganda National Cultural Center and a talented musician who has shared the stage with some of Uganda’s most accomplished artists cannot hide the passion she feels for the causes she holds dear.
Musician Suzan Kerunen is going out of her way to show the world that children are important One of those is the improvement of the lives of children. It is for this reason that last Thursday at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel, she sang for the children of the Infectious Diseases Institute Makerere.
All the money that she raised went to contribute for their nutrition. In 2005 and 2006 she staged an opera for the children in conflict areas at the National Theatre.
The Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University (IDI) is a regional centre of excellence for HIV/Aids treatment, training and research in sub-Saharan Africa.
At IDI doctors and other health workers from all over sub-Saharan Africa receive training on HIV care and antiretroviral therapy (ART); people living with HIV receive free clinical care including ART; and scientists conduct research to develop models for HIV/Aids prevention and treatment on the African continent.
The IDI was established by the Academic Alliance for Aids Care and Prevention in Africa, a grouping of infectious disease experts from Uganda and North America, supported by Pfi zer Inc. and other partners.
Since July 2005, the IDI has operated as an independent institute of Makerere University. Kerunen says that the reason she has dedicated her life to the cause of children is that they are the most affected in all institutions.
Kerunen is a strong advocate for chidren’s rights. Above, the children impressed at Thursday’s concert.
“In most circumstances the children’s stories are never told in full, they are left out even on issues that concern them like divorce and,” she said. The slender artist is planning to do several other projects so that she can contribute to giving children a better life.
In most of her projects however, Kerunen prefers to use children because they are the best to speak about what affects them. “There is no one else that can tell children’s stories like children. Only they can tell best what affects them,” she said.
Speaking on why other artistes have not taken the initiative to help children at least at the level she seems to be doing, she said: “I don’t mind whether other singers come out to help children. For me, helping children is a calling.
“It gives me satisfaction that somehow I have brought a difference in a child’s life.” Some of the songs on her album are dedicated to children. One Day a song off her fi rst album Nimefi ka is a beckon of hope. In the song Kerunen says that one day there will be no more trouble in a child’s life, they will be able to dance and sing just like any other child.
My Story, another song off her new album, Lek is about a child narrating how people regard and treat them. Susan’s concert was intended to give the children at the IDI, a chance to express themselves on behalf of others. Before she sang the previous Saturday she had lit a candle and led a walk for the children who have died of HIV/Aids through Kampala.
[Via The Monitor ]
