By Gloria Katya
Growing up, an anguished Isaac Bagenda watched his siblings have asthma attacks. He was frustrated that he could do nothing to help them breathe and lead more active lives.
This early encounter with family members as well as observations of others with health challenges gave Bagenda the impetus to follow the path of medical practice. He was proceeding well toward his career goal as a Uganda Christian University (UCU) nursing student until Covid-19 emerged.
Bagenda’s dream was disrupted as the pandemic and subsequent government-ordered lockdowns since March 2020 hit his parents’ purses. He had no money to complete payment of the tuition fees to enable him graduate with a UCU Bachelor of Nursing Science.
When Uganda Partners, a USA-based organisation that seeks support for UCU students through sponsorship, indicated that it could financially support some disadvantaged students, Bagenda applied to be one of those. The UCU Financial Aid office approved.
“I got to know about the scholarship after it was announced by the UCU Financial Aid Office and I immediately picked interest since I had a big debt with the university,” he says.
The 23-year-old was among students who graduated at UCU’s 22nd graduation ceremony on October 22, 2021.
Joining UCU to pursue the Bachelor of Nursing Science course was itself a big achievement for Bagenda. He almost missed out on the course because his parents had made it clear to him that the cost was out of their reach.
Instead, Edward and Flavia Bagenda wanted their son to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Education at Kyambogo University. The parents, living in Mpigi District, central Uganda, argued that tuition fees in a public university like Kyambogo were more affordable for them – about half the cost.
However, Bagenda, convinced of a medical calling and at UCU, applied for and received a government loan for studies at UCU. The loan scheme was a partial funding with his parents providing the rest. Upon getting a job, the Uganda government expects Bagenda to repay his loan.
Bagenda, who received his lower-level education in Mpigi, completed Heritage Nursery and Primary School and St. Mark’s Secondary School Kamengo, where he studied O’level and at Gombe Secondary School for A’level.
With a nursing degree Bagenda will, as required, complete a yearlong, mandatory internship program in a hospital. Bagenda says he is eager to help mothers, especially those in labor wards, to have successful baby deliveries.
Bagenda says he hopes to return to school for post-graduate studies one day so he can acquire the skills necessary for him to be able to set up his own medical center, as well as share knowledge in the medical field as a lecturer in the nursing schools in Uganda.
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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.