Mr. Damien Wetaya

This is the story of one of the youths who was part of the cohort who had their graduation ceremony in the Soroti district under AFRISA at the end of the SOS mass treatment Phase II which took place in late 2010.

Damien Wetaya  tells us: "I hold a certificate in agriculture from Tororo and I had the opportunity to be among the para-vets who worked alongside the veterinary graduates in the mass treatment of cattle in Serere and Soroti districts under AFRISA. After the exercise, I opted to come back from my district in Butaleja (about 200km away) to take up the role of spray person and the DVO (District Veterinary Officer) advised me to come and serve the district under the supervision of Dr. Omaido. I now earn an average of  300,000 Ugandan Shillings per month and, due to the stability of my two year tenure I have been able to not only provide for myself, with the purchase of a motorcycle to assist with my practice, but also for my family, supporting my mother through a serious operation. I am very happy to have been able to pay for the operation and to have saved my mother the pain. Although my family is in Butaleja, I am able to visit them every month and able to provide for them."

Damien Wetaya ends his story with an outlook and says: "I would like to open my own veterinary drug shop in due course, but first I must go back to college to obtain a diploma in animal husbandry, which is a pre-requisite".

Mr. Wetaya (standing) tells his story

Mr. Wetaya (2nd right)always keeps a close eye on his treasured motorbike