Equip students for the weather

The heavy showers over the last couple of days have left so many passengers stranded at various bus stops and public places in the evenings. This scenario could be attributed to the fact that taxis and motorcycles are parked since there are few people willing to walk in the rain. Consequently, one section of the population is held hostage by the rains. Amidst anger tantrums and swearing, people wait to get home or back to their businesses. Most of these are daytime students heading home after school. These students have to commute daily from home to school over long distances. When it rains in the morning, many students find it difficult to get to school in time, and even those who do may find it hard to get there in dry clothes. In cases where the skies open up in the evening or late afternoon, then the poor children will be stranded at school as they wait for the rain to pass. It is not common to find students who own umbrellas because they are not really worried about a few drops of water falling on them. However, students forget that the books they carry are bound to get wet and destroyed by the rain. Younger children often prefer to play in the rain and may not be aware of the health risks they get expose to. That is why parents should buy umbrellas and raincoats for their children instead of leaving them at nature’s mercy. Umbrellas help students to stay dry and keep their books from getting wet when the skies open up. Even during the dry season, umbrellas can do a good job at shielding your child from the sweltering heat of the sun. Umbrellas can save you from unwanted medical bills and the expenses incurred when buying shoes at the beginning of every school term. Besides, umbrellas are not so expensive—they cost about Rwf500 to Rwf2500. Do not let your child be a victim of the often unpredictable weather. It is already hectic enough to walk long distances to school and it must, surely, be worse under harsh weather conditions. ssenyonga@gmail.com