Uganda, March 14 -- It takes a village is an African saying that was popularised by former American presidential candidate Hilary Clinton. In her book It Takes a Village, Hilary commends the 'village principle' for successful raising of children. And before our society started losing it, Uganda was the model village. There was a time when people cared about others and really put themselves in others' shoes before making decisions.

We were a less selfish nation and surprisingly, people were still able to amass wealth while still looking out for the less fortunate members of society. Then, our communities had very few beggars for begging was seen as uncouth, principally because of the way it dehumanises the individual. Taking care of the l...