Development Channel staff gathered once again yesterday to seek counsel, direction, guidance and grace from God with whom all things are possible. This usually happens once a month dubbed “Request Night”. Every meeting has a specific special prayer request. The theme of this meeting was “The God of the Elderly”.
The request night was led by Development Channel Chairman Charles N. Lambert who noted that God refers to himself as the Ancient of days. “This means that he brags about his age. He puts himself in the same category as the elderly, he is peers with the elderly people. God refers to himself as “Our Father”. Every way you treat the elderly is how you treat God. That determines if he will step into your situation or not.” He based this on the past month of August where the Company had come under attack from all sides but God showed himself strong on behalf of the company. “Some people have been up in arms fighting to see the death of Development Channel but all their efforts have been futile because we are born of God’.
Africans do not take care of the elderly as evidenced by wide spread embezzlement and corruption of elderly financial retirement benefits like pension and gratuity. Countries like Ghana, Nigeria and many others are party to this-where governments are swindling this money. “There is totally no respect for the elderly in Africa. Even individuals have ignored their parents, they do not support their parents and have abandoned them in the villages. The notion that you only send financial support to them when you make enough money is false. The truth is there will never be enough money for you until you start to send financial support to your parents and the Lord will bless you and your days will be long in accordance to the word of God”.
Countries like UK, Canada, USA and many other developed Countries have structures in place to take care of their elderly or senior citizens. They have well gazetted areas and housing estates for them to retire peacefully and their pensions and gratuity paid to them without any excuses or malpractice. This explains why life expectancy in these countries is high and contrary to Africa’s life expectancy.
“Corruption itself is bad, should you feel the need to get involved for whatever reason, do not do it around the elderly financial support structures. It has serious consequences and curses which follow you to the third and fourth generations as the bible states, cursed be the man that setteth light by his father and mother, and all the people say Amen, in Deuteronomy 27: 16’.
Development Channel Chairman further expounded on the matter stating that it seems like Africa’s problems stem from the fact that we do not treat our elderly with respect and the dignity that they deserve. Most of the elderly have been dumped to die in the villages with little or no support whatsoever as well as no healthcare or proper infrastructure to support them in their delicate state.
The chairman of Development Channel urged the staff to take every chance they get to help and attend to the elderly as well as sowing a seed of kindness to them. “It is something that comes with a blessing of long life and prosperity”.
He also reflected on the fact that all the political aspirants are using the wrong approach. “They should first of all, honor the man that has brought peace and stability to the country for the last 30 years rather than insult him. There is no respect in this society to the father of the nation. Try respect because there is no benefit in doing the contrary”.
When Development Channel came to the realization that Uganda was chosen by God to be the base of the pan African economic transformation movement, the Chairman of Development Channel wasted no time in honoring the father of the Nation-President Yoweri Museveni. That it would be well with Development Channel and that its longevity is assured in accordance to the word of God. He drove the point home with a reading from Exodus 20:12 that says to honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land, this is the only commandment with a promise he emphasized. He also quoted Proverbs 23;22 the Bible commands us to hacken unto thy father that begot thee and despise not your mother when she is old.
The staff prayed for Africa to be more caring about the elderly, prayed for Africa’s children who in this day and era have been raised with absolutely no respect for their parents and the elderly.
The staff took time to commit the elderly pension and gratuity payments into the hands of God. Praying for God to intervene in the timely payment of what is due to them. The elderly are very dear to Development Channel and that is why one of the 25 Companies, Grey and Strong is dedicated to ensuring that the elderly are well catered for.
The staff also prayed for the health of the elderly having noticed that High Blood pressure is a big contributor to the death of the elderly in Africa. Issues like rent, school fees for the children and grandchildren are some of the underlying factors that bring about high blood pressure and stress in the elderly, something that should be unheard of at their age if the elderly were well taken care of and planned for.
Present at the request night were the following celebrated personalities; Coco Finger, Roger Mugisha, Andrew Kyamagero, Joel Jenkins among others.