On my recent trip to Jinja town in Eastern Uganda, I had so much expectations about what I’d see when I finally arrive. It was a work trip, so I’d planned not to go so far but explore Jinja town. After a day’s hustle with my usual work, I decided to look for a convenient restaurant/café within Jinja town that I could go to and get something to eat as I check out a few things online. I finally ended up at Sikia Café and Ice cream parlor located on Gabula road.
Once I was in the restaurant, one of the waitresses reached out to me and it’s at this point I realized she was deaf. I pointed out to the item I wanted to have on their menu and after a few minutes, I was served. After a couple of minutes, I realized the rest of the waiters too were deaf (or have had hearing) but everything seemed to be normal & in order. I went on with my business, and helped myself connect my laptop to the nearby power source. Oh, and they did have Wi-Fi which made it much simpler for me to get online and finish what I had come to do.
After an hour or so, a lady named ‘Shadia’ walked by and I could tell she was the manager from the communication she was having with the rest of her team. I approached her to confirm if she was the manager and she said ‘Yes’. I went on to find out how they really operate and was very impressed by their initiative. Her husband who also runs the cafe, joined us and we had a chit chat for a few minutes before they went on with their usual business. I later left but kept wondering about how many people living with disabilities out there who don’t have the chance to be employed.
My visit to Jinja was a short one, but the next time I hope to stay here for a little longer. However accommodation is relatively higher compared to the other towns within Uganda. Jinja is located about 80 km east of Kampala, a 2 hours’ drive – depending on the traffic.
About Sikia Café
Post by Kwitonda Sikia Cafe…
