Some students after receiving multimedia training certificates.
By Yasiri J. Kasango Thirty Uganda Christian University (UCU) students in the School of Journalism, Media and Communication have multi-media skills compliments of training sponsored by the United States Embassy in Uganda. The students were trained for two weeks in February 2022.
Ultimate Multimedia Consult, a journalism and communications organization based in Kampala, conducted the training.
For the first week of the training, the students were taught how to write stories and to incorporate video, audio, photos, text and animation. The second week of the training was reserved for practical exercises, where the students were sent to the field to gather information and generate multimedia stories.
John Semakula, head of undergraduate studies at the UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication, hands award to Elsie Tukahirwa after the training.
Before applying the skills outside the training room, the students pitched their ideas before a panel comprised of embassy officials, trainers from Ultimate Multimedia Consult and UCU lecturers.
The training comes at a time when the university is focusing its energies on producing all-round multimedia journalism graduates who are able to meet the realities in the current journalism job market.
Stories of Asenath Were, a second-year student, and Steven Kolawole, who is in third year, were considered the best.
“I’m grateful for everything I learnt in the training, and most especially the gadgets I got,” Kolawwole said.
Writers of the best four stories having multimedia components were awarded cash and technology with a directive to use their new equipment to produce products for UCU – namely for the Standard and UCU Partners. The first two – Were and Kolawwole – were given a smartphone, a tripod stand and sh100,000 (about $28). The third and fourth best stories were of Elsie Tukahire Kukunda and Irene Best Nyapendi. Kukunda and Nyapendi were awarded sh400,000 (about $113) each.
Asenath Were praised the US Embassy and Ultimate Multimedia Consult.
“I can’t believe that I was able to perform well since my story pitch looked shaky,” she said. “I am speechless.”
Prof. Monica Chibita, Dean of the School of Journalism, Media and Communication, gives an award to Asenath Were, the best female student in multimedia story composition.
To further instill the need for students to acquire modern, real-world skills, in 2021, Uganda Partners, under a mentoring collaborative with students from the UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication, embarked on a podcasting mentoring project, where students apply classroom learning to script podcast material, conduct interviews and edit audio. The podcast initiative is part of the UCU/Uganda Partners e-lab model initiated in January 2021 and is aligned with the university’s mission to prepare students for both continued learning and the world of work.
U.S. Kampala embassy spokesperson Anthony Kujawa and his deputy, Dorothy Nanyonga, commended Ultimate Multimedia Consult and UCU for spearheading the training of students.
“Multimedia is the future of communication in the world today,” Kujawa said, encouraging students to embrace the model to tell their stories.
At the closing ceremony, the Dean of the School of Journalism, Media and Communication, Prof. Monica Chibita, commended the U.S. Embassy for choosing to partner with UCU in many aspects, including the Save the Mothers’ project and the Fulbright scholarships.
Chibita also thanked Ultimate Multimedia Consults for training UCU staff during the Covid-19 lockdown and encouraged students to keep in mind the journalism ethics while telling stories using the multimedia platforms.
Ultimate Multimedia Consult team leader Gerald Businge thanked UCU, and particularly the School of Journalism, Media and Communication, for the opportunity given to him to train students.
Prof. Elizabeth Balyejusa Kizito, the Director for Research Partnerships and Innovations at UCU, urged the trainees to put into practice the skills that they had acquired.
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.
UCU Alum Paul Amoru Omiat is Uganda’s High Commissioner to South Africa
By Yasiri J Kasango Paul Amoru Omiat’s leadership star is getting brighter each day. The Uganda Christian University (UCU) alum and former legislator in the Ugandan Parliament was recently named Uganda’s High Commissioner to Pretoria, South Africa.
Amoru, whose appointment was confirmed after a vetting by the Ugandan Parliament, took over Uganda’s High Commission from Barbara Nekesa Oundo. As Uganda’s envoy to South Africa, Amoru also will be in charge of Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and the Royal Kingdom of Eswatini.
Amoru intends to use his new position to improve the trade balance between Uganda and countries in southern Africa. For instance, he said he will focus on expanding the market for Uganda’s agricultural produce. According to UN statistics, Uganda’s imports from South Africa in 2020 were worth $220 million while the country exported goods worth $11 million to South Africa.
Whereas Amoru is new to diplomatic service, it is not his first in leadership. The 39-year-old journalist-turned politician represented Dokolo North, a constituency in northern Uganda, in Uganda’s Parliament from 2016 to 2021. His re-election bid during Uganda’s general election in 2021 was not successful.
Amoru started his political career at Ngora High School in Kumi district, eastern Uganda, where he attended both O’level and A’level. His primary education often got interrupted because of the insurgency in northern Uganda, where Amoru’s home district, Dokolo, is located.
From 1986 to 2006, there was insecurity in northern and part of eastern Uganda, courtesy of the destructive effects of the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels. As a result, Amoru attended Agwachibange Primary School, Dokolo Primary School and Lira Faith Primary School for the seven years that he was in primary school. As a student leader at Ngora High School, Amoru was in charge of library affairs. He was later voted the district chairperson representing Uganda National Students Association, an umbrella association of the country’s student leaders.
When he joined UCU in 2003 to pursue the Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication, Amoru did not get his foot off the pedal of leadership. In 2005, the second born of eight children of Rev. Sam Omiat and Mrs. Erin Omiat became UCU’s Guild President. Amoru’s relations with UCU continued even when he had left the institution. For instance, he was the president of the UCU Alumni Convocation. He handed over that office in 2021 to the current leader, Emmanuel Wabwire.
In 2007, Amoru joined Kumi University as the institution’s Public Relations Officer. A year later, he switched to the Daily Monitor, becoming the newspaper’s staff reporter. He eventually rose through the ranks, becoming a deputy editor at the newspaper by 2011.
In 2012, Amoru left the Daily Monitor, becoming the Public Relations Officer of a newly set up government agency, the Uganda Business and Technical Examinations Board.
When Amoru joined Uganda’s Parliament in 2016, the institution benefitted from his vast expertise in media and public relations. For instance, he became the chairperson of the Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Media. He also chaired the Parliamentary Committee on Information and Communications Technology and National Guidance (ICT & National Guidance).
In 2019, when Uganda hosted the 64th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Kampala, Amoru was the chairperson of the parliamentary forum on media. He was charged with co-ordinating and approving all media before, during and shortly after the conference that was held in Kampala.
Now that he heads to Pretoria, he will take advantage of the vast leadership experience that he has garnered to strengthen Uganda’s diplomatic relations with the countries in southern Africa.
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.
Emmanuel Ilungole and Anthony Opolot, directors of the Rolex Republic
By Ian Asabo An evening chat among four friends at Uganda Christian University (UCU) rolled into rolex, a Ugandan delicacy of unleavened flatbread with egg, onion, tomato, green pepper and more. The topic wasn’t about just eating it, but selling and making money. They started a business called Rolex Republic.
It didn’t happen all at once. It evolved from a shared challenge. All depended on their benefactors for their financial needs at the university. They trusted the benefactors. The students took advantage of the bond that held them together – trust – and grew it into a joint business venture that launched in October 2021.
The chicken rolex sold at the Rolex Republic
“We wanted to get out of our comfort zones and establish something relevant for ourselves and the community,” said Emmanuel Ilungole, a second-year student of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication and one of the directors of the Rolex Republic.
The other three colleagues of Ilungole are Brian Kabogozza and Arnold Borodi, both second-year students of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication; and Anthony Opolot, a student of Bachelor of Laws, in his second year. All the four are directors in the business.
At many of the universities in Uganda, there are similar businesses. However, Kabogozza says at UCU, such a business had not been established. Students and the university community who wanted to partake of the rolex would access it from the roadside sellers outside the university premises. The four students found the hygiene of the people operating such businesses wanting.
Kaboggoza says they have also added a unique provision to their services.
“We also deliver the orders, which has already distinguished us as unique players on the market,” he said.
At the Rolex Republic, the rolex comes in different sizes, with full size selling at sh5,000 (about $1.5) and half size at half the price.
Usually, one of the challenges that student entrepreneurs face is balancing the study-work life. How do the four students handle this challenge? Opolot says they have divided roles among themselves.
“We are currently employing one person, who is the chef,” Opolot says, adding that the rest of the responsibilities are handled by them, in turns.
Rolex Republic markets its products on social media platforms, such as WhatsApp and Instagram, since the majority of its customers are university students found on such platforms.
Just like any other business, Rolex Republic is not insulated from challenges.
The sign post of Rolex Republic in Bugujju, Mukono
“Initially, we found it hard to raise capital since some of the equipment we use does not come cheap,” Kabogozza said.
The lack of experience in running a business was a major factor in the losses they incurred in the initial stages. However, Kaboggoza says they learned from their mistakes by talking to more people, and that it was the reason they started working in turns, to support the chef.
They urge students to consider following their path by setting up businesses which can help to support their financial needs while at the university.
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.
Some recognitions received by Miika, an animated film about a teen girl in Uganda
By Eriah Lule Miika is a 14-year-old fictional character living in northern Uganda. As the story goes, her family had enough of the tyranny of the government forces and she took matters into her hands to save the day.
This 3D short animated film by the same name as the main character, “Miika,” is the darling of international film festivals and written and directed by Uganda Christian University (UCU) alum Shevon Nsiimenta. Already, it has won the Best Animation Film Category at the CineOdyssey Film Festival.
And that is not all. Nsiimenta says her film that lasts a little over five minutes has received a nomination at two other festivals, was a finalist at the Auber International Film Festival and also got an Official Selection at yet another festival – the Flickfair Film Festival.
At the Los Angeles International Film Festival, Nsiimenta was a nominee for the Best First Time Female Director, and her film, “Miika,” got a nomination for the Best Animation Film. All this is happening before the film hits the cinemas. Nsiimenta says it should be released soon.
Shevon Nsiimenta, UCU alum and film maker
The inspiration for Nsiimenta’s storyline is from the experience of watching or hearing about women and children who always end up as the primary victims of war and tyranny. And Uganda has lots of tales to tell about civil strife and tyrannical regimes.
From 1986 to 2006, there was civil war in northern Uganda, orchestrated by the Lord’s Resistance Army, a rebel group and terrorist organization. As a result of the war, many women in northern Uganda suffered rape, torture, murder, forced marriages and domestic violence.
The regime of former Ugandan President Idi Amin, which was from 1971 to 1979, has been largely described as tyrannical. It is, therefore, not surprising that Nsiimenta’s film is set in northern Uganda during the reign of Amin.
Since Nsiimenta loves movies, it became the natural medium for her to use to document the haunting tales and offer lessons on how one can easily see the back of the resulting trauma.
Despite the haunting tale of desperation that Miika’s family faced, Nsiimenta explains that she wanted to pass a message that no matter the amount of horrors an individual faces, they can always turn tables on the oppressors.
“I chose a 14-year-old to deliver the family from its horrors because at that age, they are still innocently bold enough to take on the world,” says Nsiimenta, a 25-year-old graduate of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication at UCU.
Miika is a short form for Malaika – a name that means Angel in Uganda.
“Indeed, I wanted Miika to be the angel for her family,” Nsiimenta, a script writer, explains.
Perhaps, the success that “Miika” has so far achieved would not have been possible without the contribution of Kemiyondo Coutinho, a Ugandan playwright, actress and filmmaker based in Los Angeles.
In 2020, Kemiyondo launched an initiative to help up-and-coming Ugandan female filmmakers to bring their stories to life on screen. In a venture that saw her look to raise over $25,000 to be shared among five women to help facilitate the making of a five-minute short film, Kemiyondo reached well-wishers who were able to answer positively to her cause. That is how the production of “Miika” and other four short films got financed.
Nsiimenta is a daughter of the Rt. Rev. Dr. Sheldon Mwesigwa, the Bishop of Ankole Diocese in western Uganda and former Chairperson of UCU University Council. She attended Mbarara Preparatory School in western Uganda, before relocating to central Uganda, where she attended Kampala Parents School, Gayaza High School and, later, UCU. Nsiimenta says UCU instilled in her a sense of discipline, self-respect and smartness, virtues she has found useful in her professional and personal life.
But she also had something to learn from those who taught her. “I also had admirable women to look up to in my faculty. Prof. Monica Chibita and Dr. Emilly Maractho served as wonderful examples to base my image on at the workplace,” she says.
She currently works as the Executive Advertising Assistant at Roofings Uganda Limited, a manufacturer of steel and construction materials in Uganda.
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.
NIRA officials (sitting before computers) serve applicants at UCU recently.
By Derrick Brian Muduku The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has hired some 50 interns from Uganda Christian University (UCU) to help in processing and issuing of the national identity cards (ID) to students and neighbors of the university.
The interns started the assignment with hands-on training for the first two weeks of December 2021 at the old football pitch on the UCU Mukono campus. After the training, the program is expected to run for three months.
Bridget Mugume Mugasira, the Director of Students’ Affairs at UCU, said when NIRA contacted the university for a possible partnership in processing national ID for students, staff and the surrounding community, they seized the opportunity.
Mugume said after striking the deal, NIRA tasked UCU with identifying 50 of its recent graduates to do the job.
“We advertised the slots and received 150 applicants,” she said. “We selected the best, based on their academic qualifications and intention to take up the work.”
Mugume expressed the university’s gratitude to NIRA for the partnership. She said the interns were tasked with the process of replacing lost identity cards, registration of applicants for new IDs, verification of birth certificates, checking on the status of people’s applications for the national IDs and sensitization of the public about activities that NIRA does.
“We are glad to be the pioneer university in implementing this project, which will not only benefit our students, but also learners from neighbouring schools.”
Gilbert Kadilo, the Public Relations and Corporate Affairs Manager at NIRA, said they began with the training in order to equip the interns with the necessary skills before deploying them. Kadilo also revealed that the registration exercise is targeting youth who have never registered or those who did register, but did not get their national identity cards.
Government began to process the national IDs in 2014 under the National Security Information System that later transformed into NIRA in 2015, after the enactment of an Act of Parliament.
Elisha Bruno, a graduate of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication and one of the graduate interns working with NIRA, said the opportunity would not only offer him the much-needed experience in the field of work, but also help him to establish connections with some of the staff at the organization.
Sidonia Atto, a third-year student of Bachelor of Education, said there were errors in the spelling of her name and her birthdate and that the presence of officials from NIRA at the university was a godsend opportunity to have the anomalies rectified.
A national ID is almost the solely recognized identification for Ugandan citizens. It is one of the requirements for nationals when opening a bank account, getting a SIM card and getting a Covid jab, among other services.
Pius Mukasa, a first year-student, said when he registered at 16 years, he was only given a National Identification Number and told to wait till when he clocked 18 years to get the national ID.
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.
Jimmy Siyasa, pictured with his mom, was among the graduates at UCU’s 22nd graduation ceremony.
By Nickie Karitas Recent Uganda Christian University (UCU) graduate Jimmy Siyasa didn’t wait to have a degree in hand before applying what he learned in his journalism program. And it has paid off – in experience and money to support his next level of master’s degree studies.
On October 22, 2021, Jimmy Siyasa was among the more than 3,000 students who graduated at UCU’s 22nd graduation ceremony. He bagged a Second-Class Upper Division, with a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 4.38 out of 5.0. A First Class starts at 4.40.
In December 2021, he is enrolled in a UCU post-graduate degree path in Strategic Communication (MA). At the same time, he has been helping the UCU Partners NGO by producing videos and print stories for several months and is a writer in the UCU Office of Communications and Public Relations. He gets stipends for each.
Before all this, here’s his story.
Siyasa attended Mbuya Church of Uganda for primary education and St. Kizito SS Bugolobi for O’level. For his A’level, Siyasa attended Bishop Cypriano Kihangire Secondary School. All three schools are in Kampala.
UCU and Partners e-lab communications team member, Jimmy Siyasa, playing guitar in UCU’s Nykoyoyo Hall in 2017.
Jimmy Siyasa never dreamed of studying at UCU. In fact, he knew little about the institution as he thought about studies after high school. In Senior Six, while making choices for courses to study at a university, he opted for the Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and Bachelor of Arts in Education, in that order, at Makerere University.
In 2017, Makerere admitted him for his second choice, the Bachelor of Arts in Education, specializing in English and Literature in English. Siyasa’s father, Robert Waiga, insisted that his son live on campus for added security that an outside hostel wouldn’t provide. Siyasa was admitted to Mitchell Hall where, because of high demand for slots, students were asked to pay accommodation fees for the first semester in advance.
The lodging payment was the first of the many hurdles for the second born of the three children of Waiga and Celine Ayikoru. The family did not have the money to secure the slot. This setback caused Siyasa to ask himself whether he really should pursue a course in education, where he did not have much passion anyway.
One of the members of the church band that Siyasa was in suggested he consider applying at UCU. Siyasa did and was offered studies toward the Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication.
“I heard of UCU from my friends at church,” the 24-year-old Siyasa said. “I also discovered that friends from my former school were already there. . . but I feared the expenses associated with private universities in Uganda.”
University fees in private institutions in Uganda tend to be higher than public institutions, largely because of no funding support from the government.
Now, Siyasa’s younger sister, Peace Asara, is the one trying to ensure that she graduates in the course her brother did not pursue at Makerere University. Asara, who wants to become a teacher of English and Literature in English at an institution of higher learning, is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Education degree at Kyambogo University in Uganda.
As Siyasa was getting ready for his second semester in first year at UCU, Waiga’s contract at his workplace ended, and it was not renewed. That meant one thing – Siyasa had no tuition to continue with his studies. His father advised him to take a “dead semester” as he tried to find more solid financial footing.
When Siyasa shared his challenges with some friends he had made at UCU, they were against the dead semester. They mobilized funds and paid his tuition. For the second-year first semester, Siyasa’s friend, Rick Kagoro, and his father, Ivan Lumala, met the tuition requirements. The two are based in Washington State, USA. Rick, whose family is acquainted with former UCU Vice-Chancellor, John Senyonyi, had come to Uganda for a visit. He resided at UCU for a while, and at some point visited Jimmy’s class as a Teaching Assistant for a foundational course unit- Elements of Math.
By the next semester, Waiga (Jimmy’s father) had found financial stability, having been recalled to his former workplace, the U.S Embassy in Iraq.
Fast forward to December 2021.
“Siyasa is a brilliant, and dependable young man,” Frank Obonyo, UCU’s communications manager, said. “He is a valuable addition to our great team as we can already see his contribution.’’
The platform that offered Siyasa the opportunity to cut his professional teeth months ago is the USA-based UCU Partners.
This happened because his lecturer, John Semakula, now head of UCU’s journalism department, asked if he could write an article about dental challenges that students face at UCU. He says that story ushered him into writing for the non-profit’s Web site, an opportunity that helped him turn classroom knowledge into real-life practice.
Stephanie Gloria, who studied with Siyasa, says he has worked his way to the top.
“His hard work and integrity cannot go unnoticed,” Gloria says of Siyasa, adding: “His greatest happiness is not in having everything he wants in life, but in appreciating the little or whatever that is available.”
In the next five years, Siyasa hopes to have his master’s degree as well as a Ph.D. in a media-related field. At the same time, he is engaged in music. He has some original songs, including this one he has recorded here: (https://soundcloud.com/siyasa-jimmy/workingfromhome)
Johnson Mayamba, UCU alum and human rights activist
By Patty Huston-Holm Be careful little eyes what you see…ears what you hear…tongue what you say…hands what you do…
This children’s song based on Mark 4:24-25, popular in America today and written in 1956, likely wasn’t known in Uganda when Johnson Mayamba was growing up. Nevertheless, the words ring true for the now 33-year-old who was abandoned by a father who had eight children by four women, was chased away by relatives unwilling to help a single mom feed a hungry boy and was mocked for his ignorance by teachers and classmates in school.
The most stinging memory was planted by a science teacher at a primary school in Abaita Ababiri village near Entebbe. She publicly shamed Mayamba. When he didn’t have the correct answer to a question, she mocked him with words and laughter and allowed students to do the same. After one exam he failed with a 50%, the teacher brought out a cane to issue 50 strikes to the 12-year-old’s buttocks and thighs – one for each missed point. The teacher stopped somewhere after 40 because the boy was flattened out and unable to take more.
“I wasn’t stupid,” Mayamba said. “I was simply in a new environment, having been transferred from a poorly facilitated village school to the one in the city.”
Unbeknownst at the time, Mayamba’s “little” eyes, ears, and body encounter that the teacher used that day to remind him he wasn’t good enough were molding his future as an advocate against mistreatment. Today, he understands it, researches it, writes about it and teaches it.
Mayamba volunteering at St. Mary’s Food Bank in Arizona
With a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from Uganda Christian University (UCU) and experience as a journalist, he moved on to get a Master of Philosophy in Human Rights and Democratization in Africa from the University of Pretoria in South Africa. He’s affiliated with the Canadian-based Journalists for Human Rights organization with a role of helping 20 Ugandan members of the press to be voices for unrepresented people. These include print and broadcast human rights stories related to the economically poor, the mentally and physically handicapped and others.
While mentoring Ugandan journalists, Mayamba continues his own learning as a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication,
Arizona State University, USA. He was among just over 200 who applied for the fellowship from Uganda and was the only Ugandan chosen for the 10-month journalism-focused program that ends in June 2022.
“I never thought I would come to the United States,” he said, speaking from his dormitory room in Phoenix, Ariz. “All the glory goes to God.”
Mayamba had a strong upbringing in the Catholic church, but says his relationship with God strengthened while he studied at UCU. In his studies, as well as engagement in the UCU chapel choir and as a guild and public debate leader, he realized that with God, obstacles and accomplishments have meaning.
“When you give 100% to God and trust Him, you can overcome,” he said.
Human rights advocacy and Christianity blend together well, especially guided by the Matthew 7:12 “do unto others” scripture, according to Mayamba. As a working journalist, he often prayed with and for those he interviewed for stories. For the journalists he mentors now, he suggests the same along with the urging to be sensitive when writing about people subjected to discrimination. He also cautions reporters about their own safety when covering topics that have opposition from government officials, high-profile opinion leaders and even media houses themselves.
“Have the facts,” he said. “That’s the best protection to mitigate risk.”
At 9,000 miles away from his home in Uganda and on the day of this interview in December 2021, Mayamba is in the state of Arizona, closely watching another timely human rights issue – the coronavirus pandemic. He recently published a paper entitled “Low Supply and Public Mistrust Hinder Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout in Africa.” He writes that in November 2021, only 4% of the world’s vaccinated people live in developing countries like Uganda.
“Developed countries that aren’t sharing enough of the vaccine are partially to blame,” Mayamba said. “Misinformation or lack of information breeding distrust by media in all countries bears the rest of the responsibility.”
Social media and traditional media are accountable for honest story telling, Mayamba says. His master’s research focused on media freedom, specifically in Uganda. Reporters Without Borders ranks Uganda among the lowest in the world when it comes to press freedom. While Uganda’s constitution guarantees freedom of expression with “on paper” protection of human rights, there are radio, TV and print limitations and restrictions related to reporting on certain topics and persons, according to Mayamba’s experience and research.
While the United States press is freer and human rights more respected than in Uganda, “it’s not as rosy here as I thought,” he said. “In this land of the free, there needs to be more and louder voices for homeless people, immigrants. . . and on racial injustice and gun violence.”
From his dorm room window in Phoenix, Mayamba daily observes nearly two dozen homeless people living on a square of land. During a visit to New York City and looking past the amazing buildings, he saw men and women living in parks and on the streets. In his brief time in Washington, D.C., he observed first-hand the massive police response and multiple phone video recordings of the arrest of a black man accused of stealing a small item from a store. He watches, hears and reads the news about arrests, trials and confusion about wrongful deaths on American soil and about Mexican families camped at the USA border in hopes of obtaining asylum from terrorism in their country.
“Telling these stories honestly and fairly is the role of a journalist,” he said. “Human rights stories are lacking everywhere.”
One such story he hopes to learn more about is that of a middle-aged white man living under the stars outside his residence in Arizona. In the midst of book studies, computer research, and service projects, such as preparing food in boxes for people like this man, he wants to “learn his story and tell him mine.” So far, the man appears educated but without a home because he lost his job.
Looking ahead to his life a decade from now, Mayamba doesn’t see himself reporting the news in a country such as his, where the pay is too low to support a family. But he does see himself continuing to train others to “amplify the voices” of those less represented and understood in his native Uganda. In three years, he hopes to embark on his PhD studies and be teaching journalism with an emphasis of human rights reporting.
For now, he’s navigating the American culture that includes daily converting temperatures in Fahrenheit instead of Celsius and distances in miles vs. kilometers. He appreciates a winter in the warmth of Arizona instead of living in a state with cold and snow. He soaks up knowledge in a school named after Walter Cronkite, a late veteran broadcaster that he never knew. He learns alongside 13 other journalists from 13 countries, including South Korea, Russia, Hungary, and Palestine.
He thinks about his mother who died of cervical cancer in September 2014, leaving behind her two sons – Johnson Mayamba and the younger Titus Bulega – as a legacy. He also thinks about that childhood teacher who meted that early punishment that was illegal then, but exists still and about the mocking classmates.
“At the end of the day, I moved ahead of them,” he said. “And I learned to stand up for myself and for others.”
(The author of this article, Patty Huston-Holm, who is the Uganda Partners communications director, first met Johnson Mayamba when he was an intern at the UCU Standard newspaper in 2013. Among stories they worked on together at that time were the suicide of a student and conditions at a women’s prison in Jinja, Uganda.)
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.
UCU journalism students and recent graduates, joined by Partners Executive Director Mark Bartels (fifth-right), cut cake to celebrate the October graduation of some writers for the NGO’s e-lab that was launched in January 2021.
By Ivan Tsebeni A newsroom at the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Mukono campus has been hosting some of the Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communications students as they put into practice their classroom knowledge.
That newsroom was a convergence point for recent graduates in October 2020 to celebrate the completion of their Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication. The students graduated on October 22. To crown the get-together, the students cut cake that was offered by Mark Bartels, the Executive Director of the UCU Partners, an organization that raises public awareness about UCU in the United States.
In a meeting chaired by John Semakula, the UCU Partners e-lab Communications Coordinator head of the UCU journalism and media studies department, expressed gratitude to the UCU Partners for offering them a platform to hone their skills in journalism.
“I never imagined becoming a writer,” Eria Lule, one of the graduating writers, said. “I picked the inspiration from Mr. Semakula who always kept urging me to try it out.”
“I have acquired a lot of knowledge from the trainings I have undergone in the e-lab program. I will live to remember the project,” he added.
The e-lab project, rolled out in January 2021, was designed to offer an opportunity for UCU journalism students to get real-world experience. Sixteen students under the programme were part of the more than 3,000 who graduated at UCU on October 22.
Patty Huston-Holm, Partners communications director, designed the UCU/Uganda Partners e-lab model that is aligned with the university’s mission to prepare students for both continued learning and the world of work.
For the one year that the program has been running, emphasis has been put on writing and still photography, as well as video and audio products.
Nicolette Nampijja, one of the students who has been producing podcasts, said the training had greatly sharpened her skills in creating podcasts.
“I had always wanted to produce podcasts, but I didn’t know how to go about it,” she said. “This is an opportunity for me to start out as a podcaster.”
Posing at the Partners e-lab, end-of-year celebration with students and recent graduates are Mark Bartels (fifth-left); Partners e-lab coordinator, John Semakula (seventh-left); UCU communications manager, Frank Obonyo (on Semakula’s left); and podcast mentor and UCU academic, Geoffrey Ssenoga (fourth from right, front row).
As of late November, UCU student-generated podcast episodes had aired on the topics of mainstream media, racial discrimination, fake pastors, sickle cell anemia, the life of Simon Peter and hate speech.
Jimmy Siyasa, one of the students and recent graduates, urged his colleagues to take advantage of the wealth of knowledge available under the e-lab project to hone writing skills. Siyasa, who got himself a job at the university’s communications department ahead of his graduation, noted that without the skills he learned from the e-lab, he would not have been considered for the job.
Siyasa’s colleagues in the e-lab program – Nickie Karitas and Dalton Mujuni – have been hired by New Vision, Uganda’s leading daily newspaper, for a further mentorship program as they hone their journalism skills.
Bartels congratulated the students upon reaching their convocation, saying it positions them for great job opportunities.
“It feels good to hear that you are graduating, but it feels much better to hear that you have learned and we have contributed to the same,” he said.
“As you prepare to join your career world, ours is to pray that God will open doors for you,” Bartels added. “We look forward to continuing with this project and we will feel happy to see it grow.”
Semakula said that the idea to organize a cake-cutting party for the graduands came from Bartels, based in Pennsylvania, and Huston-Holm, who resides in the state of Ohio USA.
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.
A photo collage of the seven students of journalism at UCU FJMC and the two Ugandan mentors (bottom right) – Geoffrey Ssenoga, podcast team audio/visual consultant, and John Semakula, the UCU Partners communications coordinator.
By Jimmy Siyasa, Enock Wanderema and Andrew Bugembe A group of seven students at Uganda Christian University (UCU) has embarked on a podcasting mentoring project. The Hope Talks hands-on experience is a collaborative with David’s United Church of Christ in Ohio, and under the umbrella of the Uganda Partners NGO in Pennsylvania.
Two UCU podcast team members, top, and an African American woman, Noelle Anderson, in a podcast focused on Black Lives Matter.
Within the project, students enrolled in the UCU Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication (JMC) apply classroom learning to script podcast material, conduct interviews and edit audio. Twice a month, their work is uploaded on the David’s United Church of Christ Web site and is made accessible on various podcast sites. As of mid-October, UCU student-generated episodes have aired on the topics of mainstream media, racial discrimination, fake pastors and hate speech. Future topics, to date, include sickle cell anemia and the depiction of the life of Simon Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples.
The plan is for students to generate up to 10 podcasts in the mentorship before launching an independent podcast at UCU in early 2022. The podcast initiative is part of the UCU/Uganda Partners e-lab model initiated in January 2021 and is aligned with the university’s mission to prepare students for both continued learning and the world of work.
“The quality of work coming from the e-Lab, including from the podcast team is really good,” Mark Bartels, the Executive Director at Uganda Partners, remarked when he visited Uganda recently.
The number of people listening to podcasts globally has exploded from the time of inception in 2004. At least two million known shows and 48 million episodes had been published by April 2021, according to a research study conducted by Podcast Insight. The source reports that half of all USA homes have podcast listeners, and that “75% of the US population is familiar with the term “podcasting.”
The UCU team is supervised by Geoffrey Ssenoga, a seasoned broadcast journalist in Uganda who is also a lecturer in the JMC faculty, and Patty Huston-Holm, Communications Director for Uganda Partners.
“I’ve been impressed by the student professionalism and honored to work alongside these aspiring journalists,” Huston-Holm said. “In today’s world of journalism and communications, it’s important to have skills in print, photography, audio and video. We are reinforcing all four through the e-lab at UCU.”
The podcast team students speak highly of the mentorship program, saying its perks are plenty. With the knowledge they have so far gained, the students already feel it is giving them an edge over their classmates who are not involved. The students believe the podcasting work presents to them an opportunity to spot challenges in their communities and use solutions journalism to address them by delving in in-depth topical discussions with experts on the issues. Plus, they are remunerated for the work.
Nicolette Nampijja, one of the members of the podcasting team, says the work is the start of the achievement of something she knew she longed for, but did not know how to start.
“I had always wanted to produce podcasts on my own, but I didn’t know how to go about it,” she said. “This is an opportunity for me to start out as a podcaster.”
One of the podcasts titled Hate Speech delves into how social media has awakened all manner of segregation and spawned hate speech globally. Dr. Sara Namusoga of Makerere University’s Department of Journalism and Communication provides her perspective about balancing self-expression with human respective and how hate speech might be apocalyptic.
“I was especially impressed with the segment that engaged two UCU students with two African Americans discussing racial discrimination,” Huston-Holm said. “We had listeners from 10 countries on that one. A special treat was an impromptu rendition of an Aretha Franklin song (Think) at the end.”
This is the first time a group of journalism students at UCU is being deliberately trained in broadcast journalism within a hands-on podcast context. John Semakula, head of UCU’s Department of Journalism and Media Studies, is the e-lab coordinator with oversight for the podcast.
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.
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FROM THE PAST: Some delegates of the 6th EACA Conference, organized by both Uganda Christian and Makerere universities in 2016, included Professor Monica Chibita (second from left), Dean of the UCU Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication; and Professor Aaron Mushengyezi (far right), UCU Vice Chancellor, then a dean at Makerere. Courtesy Photo
By Jimmy Siyasa and John Semakula How has the Covid-19 crisis impacted East Africa’s media industry and training institutions? The pandemic and its necessary and mandated safety protocols have yielded constant dialogue to discuss solutions for a new-normal of problems that have daunted the media and communication landscape, in Africa and all the world, since March 2020. Information has been shared and strategies applied by scholars, researchers and policy makers.
Enriching the discussion and response, the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication (FJMC) will host the 10th Annual East African Communication Association (EACA) Conference, October 14-16, 2021. The theme of the virtual conference is “Re-imagining Media and Communication in a Pandemic Context.”
The 2021 event seeks to “explore how media and communication actors can re-imagine and redefine the future of journalism and communication through critical conversation on media and communication industry in a context variously impacted by the Covid-19.” Media and communication experts, researchers, academics, policy makers, regulators and media practitioners from East Africa and beyond will speak.
The keynote presenters and their topics are:
Professor Guy Berger George, Director for Freedom of Expression and Media Development at UNESCO, addressing “Freedom of Information in Light of Covid-19 Media Dynamics;”
Professor George Morara Nyabuga, scholar from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, addressing “Law and Political Landscape of the Media;” and
Joel Kibazo, formerly Director of Communication and External Relations at African Development Bank, discussing insights and foresights on the future of the media and communication.
According to Dr. Emily Maractho, the Director of UCU Africa Policy Center, who also is Convener of the Conference, as many as 40 other presenters will share perspectives and replicable models before an audience of roughly 100 professionals working in the fields of journalism and communications and academics as well as students, among others. The conference will generate research papers and presentations for publication in such scholarly journals such as the African Journal of Communication.
PREVIOUSLY: At the 2016 EACA Conference, Professor Aaron Mushengyezi (right), UCU Vice Chancellor, then the Dean School of Languages, Literature and Communication at Makerere University, shakes hands with Frank Tumwebaze, former Cabinet minister of Information and Communications Technology. Courtesy Photo
Patty Huston-Holm and John Semakula, director and coordinator, respectively, for the Uganda Partners communications e-lab, are among the presenters. They will explain how this virtual university-NGO collaborative works with tips for how the model can be replicated by other non-profits and higher education institutions.
Reinforcing the value of student engagement, Dr. Maractho said, “Young people need to be involved in such Conferences so that they can learn how the experts they encounter during the conference succeeded in the field of Media and Communication.”
She says the organizing committee has discussed an exclusively subsidized registration fee for students, especially for those in journalism and communication, both at UCU and around Africa.
“Hosting the conference is a sign of trust from communication academics in the region,” said Professor Monica Chibita, the Dean of FJMC at the university. “It gives us great opportunities to consider collaborative and comparative research across the region.”
That the 10th annual conference is happening virtually for the first time and UCU is hosting it is an indicator of confidence in the University’s E-service delivery capacity and infrastructure that has strengthened during the pandemic.
“Opportunities to host such a huge conference elevates our branding, in that we are exposed to big, diverse networks of academics and institutions with whom we can create meaningful partnerships, because they now will know about UCU,” says Frank Obonyo, the Communication and Public Relations Manager at UCU.
More specifically, the conference also will attract regional publicity for UCU JMC not only as a giant at training world-class journalism and communication students, but also as an institution that continuously “re-engineers” themselves to meet the demands of the dynamic media industry.
EACA was established in 2011 to serve as a platform for media and communications experts, researchers, academics, policy makers, regulators and media practitioners in Eastern Africa and beyond. Since its inception in 2011, EACA conferences have happened in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.
UCU FJMC hosted this conference in 2016 in collaboration with the Makerere University Department of Journalism and Communication. However, it is the first time UCU is hosting the EACA Conference as a Faculty as it previously was a Department of Mass Communication under the Education and the Arts Faculty.
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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
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John Semakula (center) after receiving the file for his new office from Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) outgoing head of journalism, Dr. Emilly Maractho (left). At right is the Dean of the UCU Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication, Prof. Monica Chibita.
By Joseph Lagen Veteran journalist John Semakula has been appointed the new head of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Uganda Christian University (UCU).
Semakula takes on the role within the university’s Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication from Dr. Emily Maractho who is now the Director of the university’s Africa Policy Centre (APC). The APC grooms policy researchers and political thinkers and provides a platform for learning and discussion of modern-day issues.
Semakula, an award-winning journalist, said of his new appointment: “This new position is a great opportunity for me to use the skills and experience I have built over the last 13 years in journalism practice to serve my alma mater.”
He noted that he is well aware of the huge responsibility of the new office. One of Semakula’s objectives is to double the number of students within the Department. Currently, 150 new students are admitted to the course every year.
The second more important objective is about competence and quality. Having quality, competent journalism graduates from UCU, Semakula believes, will help to safeguard the journalism profession.
Semakula’s first relationship with UCU was in 2003, when he joined the institution as a student of Bachelor of Mass Communication. When he completed his course, the university retained him, to work as part of the inaugural team for a community newspaper, The Standard, that the university had established. He served as a writer at the newspaper from 2007 to 2009.
While at UCU both as a student and staff of The Standard, Semakula often contributed articles to Uganda’s Daily Monitor newspaper because he saw the platform as one which could offer him the opportunity to cut his professional teeth.
In 2010, Semakula joined Uganda’s leading daily newspaper, the New Vision, to practice journalism at a more competitive level.
John Semakula (center) and his former colleagues at New Vision – Charles Wendo (left) and Esther Namugoji (right) on the Uganda Christian University main campus in Mukono. Both Wendo and Namugoji are former editors at the newspaper.
“At the New Vision, I quickly grew through the ranks, becoming a Senior Writer only two years later,” he said. “This kind of promotion usually takes journalists over 20 years.”
In 2016, Semakula enrolled at UCU to pursue a Master of Journalism and Media Studies.
“I studied the MA program and graduated within the stipulated period of two years,” Semakula recalls. Alongside his graduate studies, Semakula still kept his job at New Vision, and, by this time, he had also started teaching at UCU on a part-time basis.
Semakula was introduced to teaching by the present dean of the Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication, Prof. Monica Chibita, whom he met at an awards ceremony in 2014. A month after the ceremony, Semakula reached out to her through a phone call, expressing his desire to teach at UCU.
“Prof. Chibita is good at identifying talent,” Semakula said. “I guess she noticed my ability at the awards ceremony.”
Upon passing the interview, Semakula started out as a Teaching Assistant in the Department of Mass Communication. He handled course units related to writing news and feature stories.
“The New Vision had a busy newsroom, but I would always find time on Saturdays and Mondays when I was off duty, to teach at UCU,” Semakula says. He had eight teaching hours every week at UCU, which he would execute in the two days he was off duty.
“I often planned my teaching materials and marked course works and exams at night.” Semakula says.
The extra work served to energize Semakula who maintained his productivity and increased his accolades at New Vision. In 2017, he was winner of the Uganda WASH Media Awards in the Print Investigative Category – an honor he won alongside Ronald Mugabe, another New Vision acclaimed print journalist. In the same year, Semakula was a finalist for the Africa Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) Awards in the Justice, Law and Order category.
In bestowing the accolade, the judges said of his article: “It (the article) went beyond the numbers to investigate how population distribution could be used to predict the winner of the 2016 presidential election and to trace voting patterns. It was only one of a handful of news reports in 2014 that analysed the census data to understand Uganda’s current political climate and future voting trends.”
In the same year, he was a co-writer for the winning stories in the Business, Finance and Economy and the National News – Print categories for the same awards.
By the time he put down his pen in preference for the chalk as a full-time occupation, Semakula had won more than seven journalism awards.
Despite his career achievements, Semakula thinks he still has a mountain to climb.
“At a personal level, I want to get a PhD in media and communication in the next four years,” he says. For the faculty, he envisions the revival of The Standard newspaper, which was a victim of cost-cutting measures in the university as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Presently, the faculty is creating the university’s epaper, The Standard Digital, a multi-media platform that is a direct response to the changing patterns of consumption of information.
“At UCU, we equip students with the skills that the market wants. So, through The Standard Digital and UCU’s social media platforms, I will make sure that our graduates get the digital skills needed for the times,” Semakula remarked.
Alongside his teaching career, Semakula also contributes articles to two foreign news-sites – Religion Unplugged in the US and the Sight in Australia. Semakula also is the Communications Coordinator at Uganda Partners – a U.S.-based organisation that raises awareness about UCU.
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.
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Muwanguzi during an exclusive interview on Spirit TV
(NOTE: This story contains hyperlinks to original music, including one dedicated to God, from a UCU student.)
By Nickie Karitas Uganda Christian University (UCU) student Enock Muwanguzi is no Henry David Thoreau. In fact, Muwanguzi may not even be aware that Thoreau, an American poet, essayist and philosopher, ever lived.
However, the way the Ugandan gospel singer has lived his life in the recent past brings to mind Thoreau’s famous quote about music: “When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest of times, and to the latest.”
Muwanguzi in a lecture room at UCU.
Indeed, at one point, Muwanguzi feared no danger because he had heard music. One afternoon, he precariously chose the option of making time to grant a TV interview to a media house in Uganda, instead of sitting a test at UCU.
“I knew the consequences of my actions, but this was an opportunity to promote myself on a big media house,” the third-year student of Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication says.
He said he chose the media interview over the class test because in class, there was the option of a retake the next time the course was offered. With the media interview, he was not sure he would ever get another opportunity.
He felt safe with the decision he had made. Muwanguzi thought he was invulnerable. However, he soon learned his lessons the hard way, after realizing that his actions could throw his grades off balance.
“The retake got me back in line, and I had to prioritize my degree,” the 23-year-old says. From then on, when it came to the business of studies, Muwanguzi had to mean that business.
With the pile of course work, projects and examinations, Muwanguzi says he sometimes had sleepless nights, trying to make a decision on whether it was worth it to load himself with studies, as well as a music career.
Handling the two concurrently seemed to take a heavy toll on him. But he quickly found an answer.
“Trust in God.” He believed that God could not give him a load too heavy for him to carry.
“It was at this point that I recorded my song, titled Trust,” he narrates.
Muwanguzi during one of his stage performances.
As Thoreau says, Muwanguzi seemed to see no foe when he heard music. During his Senior Six holidays, as he awaited admission into university, Muwanguzi often accompanied gospel artist friends to the studios to record their songs.
“Each time I was in the studio, I felt I had made it to the stage,” he recalls.
On one of his journeys to the studio to accompany his friends, he befriended a producer, Sam Ssemwogerere, who eventually gave Muwanguzi a chance to record his first song. He could not believe the opportunity that he had just landed. As a result, Muwanguzi composed a song Nze Ani?which means Who am I? He dedicated that song to God, for giving him an opportunity to record his maiden song.
Now that he had recorded songs, Muwanguzi had to promote them. “I had used up all the money for upkeep to solve some financial challenges I had,” Muwanguzi says, noting that, as a result, he could not finance the promotion of his songs.
However, Ssemwogerere was, once again, to the rescue. He says because Ssemwogerere had seen talent in him, he helped to share his music with people who had platforms to play it, so that Muwanguzi could get recognition. All this, Muwanguzi says, Ssemwogerere did for free. The goodwill that Ssemwogerere exhibited inspired Muwanguzi’s song, Onyambanga, (help me always) beseeching God to always help him.
Muwanguzi has been featured on several media platforms to grant interviews about his career and how he balances books and music.
Muwanguzi’s friend and classmate, Brian Kintu, attests to his conscientiousness: “The fact that Spid has managed to balance his course and music proves his hard work and passion.” Muwanguzi’s stage name, Spid, is derived from his amusement by the ‘speed’ at which God attends to his needs. His latest songs –Mukono Gwoand Enjegerre– are slowly gaining popularity in Uganda.
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.
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Emilly Comfort Maractho, new Africa Policy Center Director
By Yasiri J Kasango In 2012, two key things happened in the life of Emilly Comfort Maractho.
One, she realised she was not going to benefit much from a master’s course she had enrolled into. Her sixth sense told her to change courses. She obliged.
The second thing to happen was that Maractho received communication from someone she had never met. Prof. Monica Chibita of Uganda Christian University (UCU) was convincing her to take up a PhD scholarship opportunity after completing a master’s course she was pursuing in Kenya. This communication was followed by Chibita’s physical visit to Maractho.
When she met Chibita in Kenya, Maractho had only one option – to give the greenlight. Her positive response on both occasions have a bearing on who Maractho is today. The holder of a PhD in Journalism and Communication from South Africa’s University of KwaZulu-Natal is UCU’s newly appointed Director for the Africa Policy Center (APC). The APC, initiated by American Lawrence Adams, is the university’s center that grooms policy researchers and political thinkers and provides a platform for learning and discussion of modern-day issues.
Maractho’s switch from MA in development communication to MA in development journalism at Kenya’s Daystar University in 2012 was premised on the belief that she was not learning anything new in the communication course. This was her second master’s degree course. Five years before, she had attained Master of Arts in Development Studies at the Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi.
After bagging her second master’s at Daystar University, Maractho headed to the University of KwaZulu-Natal for her doctorate, sponsored by UCU, under a capacity building scheme for staff.
No sooner had she graduated with a PhD than she was, in 2018, named the head of UCU’s Department of Journalism and Media Studies, replacing Chibita, who had been promoted to the position of Dean in the Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication, which had just been created.
For 13 years, Dr. Maractho has lectured at UCU, starting out with teaching development studies before switching to journalism. And she says she is not about to call it quits.
Maractho is not a sleeping scholar. The result of her efforts was the introduction of new course units in the department, such as Journalism and Political Communication, Economics and Business Journalism, Media, Gender and Social Justice. The new curriculum that Maractho masterminded was a direct response to the requirement by government regulator, the National Council for Higher Education, that institutions review their curriculum after every three years.
She also often participates in debate and writes on public and social issues afflicting society. One such platform is the Daily Monitor newspaper, where she currently has a weekly column. In one of her recent articles, Maractho made a case for a national policy on public-private partnerships in the health sector, so as to ensure they complement public service.
Maractho hopes that the Africa Policy Centre will grow into a center that public policy actors will look to for alternative policy positions and still serve the university community. “My plan is to expand the centre’s reach and increase its relevance in research and policy engagement,” she notes.
Family background Maractho was raised in Nebbi district in northern Uganda. She says in her community, education is not highly valued. Therefore, she did not have many people to look up to for inspiration.
Maractho studied at Muni Girls Secondary School and Mvara Secondary School, both in north-western Uganda. At Mvara, where she had her A’level, the headteacher had tried to convince Maractho to study science subjects but she was not one you could easily dissuade from her goal – she wanted to be a communicator, so the natural choice were arts subjects.
Maractho overlooked many challenges on her way to academic achievement, including financial constraints in the family and being raised by a single mother – Philemona Kapacho who was a civil servant.
Maractho had intended to pursue either a Bachelor’s of Law or Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication, but the funds to meet the tuition requirements were not available. As such, she settled for Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies at Makerere University.
She would later become the first woman in her family to graduate with a bachelor’s degree, to the joy of Kapacho.
“My degree was disheartening because I was the first girl to graduate from my community, yet there are families where everyone has graduated with a doctorate,” she says.
After her university education, Maractho worked briefly with The West Niler, a local newspaper based in north-western Uganda. She was later employed by the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) as a billing officer while still keeping her job at the West Niler.
In 2004, when she was persuaded to teach at Makerere University, Maractho dropped the West Niler job, but maintained the one at UEDCL. In 2007, she resigned from UEDCL to fully concentrate on sharing knowledge at Makerere University, before later switching to UCU.
We wait to see how Maractho’s innovative mind will lead the university’s Africa Policy Centre.
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.
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Nabayego walking down the aisle with her husband on their wedding day at Namirembe Cathedral, Kampala (Courtesy photo)
By Enock Wanderema and Jimmy Siyasa It’s never too late to pursue what you want.
That’s the message from Sylvia Nabayego, a married mother of two and the oldest in her undergraduate class pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication at Uganda Christian University (UCU). It’s a career path she wanted more than a decade ago, but one that did not have the quality reputation it holds at UCU today.
Nabayego studying online
Sixteen years ago, she studied human resource management at UCU. She got her degree in that field in 2008 and shortly thereafter married Peter Kauma.
In 2019 and with her uncle, Dr. John Senyonyi, serving as Vice Chancellor, she returned to what was still her passion – journalism and communications. She surprised herself and those around her with a first semester Grade Point Average of 4.7 of 5.0.
“Being out of school after all these years, then I get back and I’m able to get the grades I did, especially in semester one!” said Nabayego who juggled her studies with being a wife, a mother to children, ages 10 and 7, and an off-campus student living 15 miles away.
“I had to wake up at 5:30 a.m. every day, bathe the children, make them breakfast and then get them ready for school,” she said. “Their dad would drop them at school on his way to work. After that, I would then prepare to leave for school.”
Nabayego has many lessons to impart, including that mothers and fathers can and should return to school.
“I never start what I can’t complete,” she said, grinning widely. “Besides, what have I to lose? It is only a three-year course…when you’re intentional, you find a way to make it work.”
Her lean physique and amicable personality bely her seniority in class. Her experience in many aspects of life over many of her classmates gives her the courage to joke that she is old enough to be a mother of some of her classmates.
“Be confident about your decision,” Nabayego continues. “If you have decided to go for it, then carry on. If you have a support system, lean on it. Get all the help you can from your lecturers and classmates.”
Coming to UCU with a perception that the institution is too restrictive on students, especially on their dress code, Nabayego reminds us that the core values and policies set up are to guide a student into being a better citizen. Attired in formal pants and blazer, she shares her enthusiasm for sports, music and movies, admitting these topics might have helped her better blend into the circles of many of her classmates, many of who speak highly of her.
“She is kind and generous,” says Dalton Mujuni, a student of journalism and a friend of Nabayego. “In fact, she helped pay tuition balance for a colleague, in order to be able to write exams.”
Nabayego while still in the UK
For Nabayego, the most difficult part of her student role is being away from her children after being a stay-at-home mom for 10 years.
“The hardest bit was not being present in their lives as much I used to be and having to worry about how the children would adjust,” she said in a quasi-British accent. Nabayego once lived with her mother in the UK.
Unlike younger and single students, the onset of the Covid-19 was, for Nabayego, a blessing as the virtual learning allowed her more time with her family. The children, too, were home during two lockdowns to control the spread of the coronavirus.
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
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Kamanzi performing at a music festival in Kampala. Courtesy photo
By Jimmy Siyasa Crossing through the United State’s Porter Square in Cambridge, to Harvard University, then Central Square on Massachusetts Avenue, to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and then to the Berklee College of Music was fun for Ruth Rwego Kamanzi.
These are names of places she had only read about. Here she was, not just in those places, but also meeting world-renowned musicians, such as five-time Grammy winner and bassist Victor Wooten.
The year was 2018. Kamanzi had travelled over 6,900 miles from Uganda to Massachusetts, to attend a five-week study program in voice and guitar. That is what her $10,000 scholarship could afford her at Berklee.
While a student at the Word of Life International School, in Entebbe, central Uganda, Kamanzi presented a song to visiting students from the Berklee College of Music. Her performance wowed the students, who encouraged her teachers to support her to apply for a scholarship for a course at Berklee. Everything went according to plan and she found herself admitted to the U.S. school.
Kamanzi had the option of living within Berklee, but she opted to commute from a home of her Ugandan relative who lives in Boston. Commuting to college was the only way she would adventure, she reasoned.
Not even an attempted abduction on one of the days she headed to college could dampen her spirits. Kamanzi nearly got kidnapped by an American man on her way to Berklee. She said she was rescued by the Police.
Her earlier desire was to undertake a bachelor’s degree in song-writing, production and film scoring. Such a course had a price tag of $210,000, which neither her family nor the scholarship could meet.
Upon her return in 2019, she enrolled for a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication at the Uganda Christian University UCU.
“UCU offers a beautiful space for you to get to know God better,” she said. “It also offers an opportunity to discover yourself more and appreciate life and what you have more.”
At UCU, she actively participates in her faculty fellowship’s music activities and has performed a couple of times with her red and silver Resonator Bluegrass guitar. Such performances have, over time, won her some fans at the university.
The professionally trained violinist hopes to be a career musician and to inspire young girls to be what they want to be.
Kamanzi is renowned among Ugandan urban youth for skillfully playing the guitar and singing, usually alongside her sisters – Nduhukire and Royal Kaitesi. The trio has a band called Firm Foundation. Kamanzi and Nduhukire are currently acting in separate local television series; Prestige and Sanyu, respectively. The latter also features a UCU alumna – Tracy Kababiito.
“She loves music and expresses her vocal agility each time she is singing,” says Rachael Nduhukire, of her elder sister.
Kamanzi’s YouTube channel, which started in 2018, as a prerequisite for her application to Berklee College of Music, now boasts nearly 1,000 subscribers.
A family picture of the Rwegos. Kamanzi, at left, is with her parents and two sisters
“That girl is incredibly talented,” says Frank Ogwang, a UCU Law School alumnus and former Guild Vice President. “I love her music and, especially, her guitar skills.”
Kamanzi, a daughter of Leonard and Ida Rwego, attended Word of Life International School from pre-school through grade 12. At the school, she was a lead vocalist and guitarist for a band. She is currently a contributing writer to two contemporary Christian music albums for Watoto, a Pentecostal church in Uganda.
During the lockdown that was instituted in Uganda in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Kamanzi posted a short video clip, where she was performing a song dedicated to all people who had lost loved ones to the virus. That post attracted more than 16,000 views.
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By Fiona Nabugwere and Joseph Lagen Lucky Reuben Ereu had a long-time dream to work at a media house. This dream led Ereu, then a first-year student of Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication, to 106.1FM Next Radio, to pitch a proposal for a radio programme.
The year was 2018. Ereu had high hopes in his proposal becauseNext Radiohad just been launched, so he knew there were slots in the radio’s programming.
Ereu, age 23,did not just impress at the proposal pitching. He also was asked to present for a radio show called CrazyTown. The show is a fun, weekly show that features young inspirational personalities to show youths ways of creating sources of income while still in school. It airs every Sunday, at midday. He also is one of the content creators at the radio station.
“My confidence levels have improved because of my work at the radio station and the presentations we always have in class,” he said.
Courtesy photo of The Crazy Town presenters (left-right) Mark Munanura, Simran Merali and Lucky Reuben Ereu
Ereu is excited about the practical projects they undertake at school because they offer him opportunities to improve what he is already practicing at Next Radio.
“The UCU focus project that we did last semester opened my eyes about how news is produced, especially using mobile phones,” he said. “Before, I thought producing a news bulletin was so complex, but now I know that I can do it.”
Because of such projects, Ereu’s performance at Next Radioimproved tremendously to the point that he and his teammates were rewarded with performance bonuses at the end of 2020.
“I use my monthly allowances for upkeep at the university and the performance bonus we received at the end of last year was what I used to pay my hostel fees,” said Ereu, whose first appearance on air was as a presenter on a TV teens show for NTV Uganda, said. His stint at NTV Uganda, which was in 2018, lasted three months.
He said former students of UCU, who are employees of Next Media Services, are always willing to guide and mentor him.
One of the projects that Ereu is proud of having participated in is the77 Percentcampaign, a DW magazine for Africa’s youth. DW is a German public state-owned international broadcaster. The 77 Percentmagazine focuses on reports, personal stories and debates on big issues that matter most to the African youth.
Ereu, now a final-year student at UCU, says the three years he has spent at Next Radio have enabled him gain skills in operating radio and television equipment. Additionally, he says the Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication has all the necessary equipment to enable students to practice what they learn in class. The skills Ereu has acquired, he says, have enabled him to get assignments for projects at the university. He says he videographed the university graduation in 2018 and that he currently does photography work for the E-learning team of UCU.
Passion for videos, photographs Ereu shot his first film in 2012, while in Senior Two, using a friend’s mobile phone. He continued to shoot videos and take photographs using borrowed phones until he acquired his own smartphone a year later. Having noticed the passion he had for shooting videos and taking photographs, Ereu’s grandfather gifted him his first camera in 2017. That was the same year he began shooting videos for commercial purposes, during his Senior Six holidays.
Ereu charges between sh200,000 (about $57) and sh400,000 (about $114) for birthdays and personal photoshoots. He also creates social media video clips for clients at sh80,000 (about $22). He usually posts some of his works on his social media pages: @simplyluckie on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
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Story and Photos by Eriah Lule Sometimes, ideas that end up transforming communities are borne out of ordinary incidents. Take the example of Maria Aloyo. Who would have thought a burning candle during a Catholic Mass would send business ideas into anyone’s mind? It did to Aloyo, in 2019.
She was at Mass. She sat on the pew near the altar. When she smelled the scent from one of the burning candles at the altar, she thought of an opportunity – making candles.
One of Maria Aloyo’s customers poses with her purchase.
Two years down the road, the 23-year-old has not just created a job for herself, but also for Martin Asiimwe, a motorcycle rider, who distributes Aloyo’s products to her customers. Having hired a distributor gives Aloyo the opportunity to concentrate on making candles and attending to class work. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication course in her third year at Uganda Christian University (UCU).
Aloyo makes scented, artistically decorated candles that, she says, leave her customers no choice but to dip their hands into their pockets. In addition to candles, she makes car fragrances, reed diffusers, mosquito repellents, oil perfumes, heat diffusers and several others.
She said she started making candles during the 2020 lockdown that was instituted in Uganda to reduce the rate of the spread of the coronavirus. During the lockdown, schools were closed for more than seven months. The initial opening, in October 2020, was only for the benefit of final-year learners. Since then, many more classes have been allowed to resume school, with the opening done in a staggered manner.
Born to Annet and Akwello Muto of Entebbe in Wakiso district, central Uganda, Aloyo worked at her mother’s store during school vacations. It is from there that she raised her first capital of about sh1million (about $277).
“I used my savings to stock what I needed to start the business,” she said.
When one of her aunts, Lydia Aluka, was travelling abroad, Aloyo gave her the money to buy for her what she needed for making the scented candles.
Enrolling for an undergraduate degree at UCU has been a blessing for Aloyo, whose web of clients and support base is largely people from the university. However, over time she says she has made inroads in other communities outside the university.
“I hope to give back to UCU by teaching other students what I do, so they are able to earn a living,” she says.
Making candles is not the first business enterprise that Aloyo has engaged in.
In 2017, as a 19-year-old, Aloyo saved sh500,000 (about $138) and used it as capital to stock belts, wallets, jewelry and African print cloth, which she would sell. However, she says the business was not fulfilling for her, since she was trading in finished products. She yearned to make signature items, which she hoped people would know her for.
Aloyo is organizing an event, Magic fingers – Color Series, intended to provide a platform for creative youth to not only showcase their works of art, but also to network once the second covid-related lockdown ends. She hopes to hold the event in August 2021.
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Joshua Rukundo (wearing glasses) with the children benefiting from their charity. Photo by Michael Kisekka
By Michael Kisekka and Jimmy Siyasa Compassion, generosity and humanity are among the many words defining philanthropy. Innocent Kanobana, who has a particular passion for helping the less privileged, embodies such a definition. In 2015, he formed an underprivileged child charity organization, the Rukicare Foundation.
Two years down the road, when Kanobana wanted someone to run the charity as its chief executive officer, Kanobana did not look further than his teenage grandchild, Joshua Rukundo, a Uganda Christian University (UCU) student. Rukundo was 18 years.
Joshua Rukundo (left) with a colleague (white shirt) and some of the children benefiting from their charity.
Fast forward to 2021. Twenty-three-year-old Rukundo is a UCU final-year student of the Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication. It is not only Rukundo who has changed, but his organization, too, has since grown. Rukicare Foundation that started with a handful of boys and girls now caters to over 50 children. Rukundo says the bedrock of the foundation has been his family’s deep-rooted culture of giving to those less fortunate.
Noah’s Ark had earlier sent a call to the public to donate scholastic materials to their child-beneficiaries, who had to return to school. The children had been out of school since the Covid-19-related nationwide lockdown on education institutions in March 2020. A year later, schools were allowed to reopen but then closed again with a 42-day lockdown starting June 7.
Rukicare Foundation donated not only scholastic materials such books, pencils and pens that they had asked for, but also offered food, clothes and packs of medicines.
“Since the government has opened schools, we decided to come in and provide the children with the necessary scholastic materials, to enable them to continue with their studies unhindered,” Rukundo explained before the second lockdown.
While most charities focus directly on the beneficiaries in their custody, the mandate of Rukicare Foundation is a little different. Where possible, they also take care of the needs of the beneficiaries under the care of other organizations.
“Sometimes, these children become too heavy a responsibility for their own parents, who end up dumping them, because they are unable to provide even the most basic of needs,” Rukundo, who believes abject poverty and negligence by many parents in Uganda is one of the reasons behind children ending up under the care of such organizations, said.
Among the charities Rukundo’s organization supports are Kitgum Home of Children in northern Uganda, Mercy Hands Uganda in Mpigi district, central Uganda and Kireka home for people with a hearing impairment, located in Kireka, near Kampala.
John Safari, the Chief Executive Officer of the Noah’s Ark Special Needs Children Facility, was delighted with the support received from Rukundo’s foundation. Hoping for more such donations, Safari said they intend to establish a medical center for the facility.
“We are in the last stages of acquiring land to build a hospital for the special needs children,” Safari said.
Despite being able to look out for other charities, it does not mean Rukicare Foundation is insulated from obstacles. Rukundo said even with being registered, and having a valid operation permit and a requisite certificate of incorporation from the Uganda National Board of NGOs, the NGO pays tax on humanitarian imports, such as medicines, which he says should not be the case for a registered company like theirs.
“In January 2021, we imported humanitarian medicines from India, but we feel we were unfairly taxed,” Rukundo said.
Such challenges can intimidate an organization without a major funder, but mainly dependent on 20% of the salaries of each of the members of the Rukundo family. And because of financial challenges, Rukundo has occasionally reached out to fellow students at UCU and other universities, to mobilize resources so that his organization is able to realize the philanthropy dream of the Rukundo family.
As he looks to his UCU graduation this year, Rukundo is grateful for his university education.
“UCU enabled me get more connections to people that are already running charity organizations. Then, it also deepened our connections to certain partners,” said Rukundo about his UCU experience. “My Bachelor’s has bettered my communication to potential partners and sponsors. It has also equipped me with skills to start and run the organization’s social media pages.”
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David Mugawe, UCU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration (in a blue shirt), leads NBS staff on a guided tour around the Mukono campus on May 20. Photo by Ivor Sempa
By Michael Kisekka and Yasiri J. Kasango Next Media Services and Uganda Christian University (UCU) are mooting a formal partnership where the two parties will support each other in developing journalism and communications in the country. Skilling students, conducting joint research on communication-related issues and content development are some of the areas where the media house and the university will channel their energies.
As part of the activities towards the formalisation of the partnership, the Next Media Services team, led by their Chief Executive Officer, Kin Kariisa, visited the UCU main campus on May 20 and held a formal engagement with Vice-Chancellor Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi and other top university officials. Next Media Services is the parent company of NBS TV, Next Radio, the Nile Post news website, Sanyuka TV and Salam TV.
The May 20 meeting follows an earlier one in March, where Mushengyezi and his team visited the Next Media Services offices in Kampala. In the March meeting, Next Media Services committed to opening its doors to some UCU students to conduct internships at the media house.
John Semakula, a journalism lecturer at UCU and coordinator of the UCU Partners e-lab, and Mildred Tuhaise, a journalist at NBS, chat during the May 2021 visit.
Frank Obonyo, the UCU Communication and Marketing Manager and one of the March attendees, explained that the potential partnership included student training as well as assistance with “publicising UCU programs and success stories, plus offering staff of Next Media Services the opportunity of guest lecturing.”
During the May visit, the Next Media services team engaged in activities such as meeting student leaders, attending the university’s bi-weekly community worship and giving inspirational talks to students. Both Kariisa and Mushengyezi addressed the UCU community during community worship at Nkoyoyo Hall. The two parties later engaged in a soccer game, which ended 3-0 in favour of UCU.
“We are looking forward to having some of our staff and students coming to Next Media Services to have hands-on training; we are certain this will benefit them a lot,” Mushengyezi said.
Kariisa noted that the partnership “we are putting together is exciting, bringing practicality to theories while exposing Next Media Services to great potential in talent.” Kariisa also talked about the depth in quality of the UCU journalism graduates on the market, noting that Next Media Services has found it worth employing them. The media house employs more than 40 alumni of UCU, according to Kariisa.
“Many times, we employ young people, but after giving them jobs, they get bored; they don’t even last three months,” Kariisa said. “They complain, they don’t have interest and are not groomed to work in those solid organizations. We need to work together to turn this around.”
The UCU Alumni Association chairperson, Emmanuel Wabwire, is optimistic the partnership between UCU and Next Media Services will “help us establish the association’s relevance, presence and vibrancy among the UCU fraternity as well as outside the university.”
Obonyo said the next step to move the partnership forward is a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). He said the signatures on the MOU should be in place by August.
“We already have a draft copy, which we shall send Next Media Services soon,” Obonyo said, adding that this collaborative further enables UCU to offer its students a holistic and productive education.
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Mark Bartels and Ashton Davey of UCU Partners pose with E-lab writers at the University in Mukono, Uganda, on May 18. Photo by Ivor Sempa
By Eriah Lule and Jimmy Siyasa Donning a baby blue shirt, khaki pants and quasi-safari shoes, Mark Bartels arrived at TheStandard community newspaper office just in time for the 10 a.m. visit. Not even a downpour would stand in the way of the May 18 meeting. Bartels, the executive director of Uganda Christian University (UCU) Partners, was scheduled to meet UCU students engaged in the Partners e-lab program that was launched on the UCU Mukono campus in January.
John Semakula, the Partners e-lab communications coordinator, who had arrived with Bartels, ushered him to a round table in the middle of TheStandard newsroom. At the table, Semakula and Bartels joined Constantine Odongo, editor of the Partners e-lab pilot and also with New Vision, and Ashton Davey, a Partners fundraising coordinator.
The meeting, which was part of Bartel’s activities during his one-week visit to Uganda in May, started with some of the students sharing their experiences working for the e-lab program.
Mark Bartels, executive director, UCU Partners, in Standard newsroom in May 2021.
“I have learned to tell success stories while observing journalistic integrity and ethics,” Jimmy Siyasa, one of the students, said. “While I was taught to do this in my undergraduate studies, I did not practice as much as I’m doing now, ever since I started contributing content for the UCU Partners e-lab blog.” Siyasa has completed his bachelor’s program with the graduation twice canceled due to covid lockdowns.
Grace Bisoke, an international student from the Democratic Republic of Congo, thanked the UCU Partners for being inclusive in its mentorship program.
“I am grateful for the opportunity that you have afforded us, as students, and more so, someone from another country,” she said. “Being part of this mentorship program has enabled me to have the nose for news and also be able to write a story.”
Ivor Sempa asked for logistical support, especially 300mm camera lenses, so that the team is able to produce high quality photos, which will enrich the content on the blog.
Semakula observed that the students on the programme have benefited in terms of skills acquisition and financially.
“Thank you very much for the stipend,” he said. “They afford us our daily bread and enable the students to meet some basic needs, so as to continue working for UCU Partners,” he said. He referred to the stipend that Partners pays to students for their contributions in terms of articles published on the Partners blog and for Internet.
Semakula beseeched Bartels to engage the university top management in order to facilitate the speedy revival of The Standard newspaper. Operations of the university newspaper were halted in March 2020, when the Ugandan government closed education institutions to reduce the rate of the spread of the coronavirus. The institutions were allowed to resume physical classes in March this year, only to be shut again on June 7, 2021 as Uganda imposed new restrictions following a second wave of Covid-19. Recently, the newspaper launched a digital platform. However, the print platform is still in limbo.
“We’ve learnt that you’ve been meeting the Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor,” Semakula said. “Please highlight our plight as a newsroom. We need funding so that we can begin to fully operate.”
Bartels commended the team for performing beyond the organization’s expectations. “You have proved our experiment right. I am grateful for your services,” he said.
“The quality of work coming from the e-lab and the podcast team is really good and I appreciate the thoughtfulness, time and resources that the students are investing,” Bartels continued, reminding the students that telling a story is just as important as the story itself.
Bartels said his meeting with UCU Vice Chancellor, Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, was to get to know him (Vice-Chancellor) and understand his priorities. He also later met with Prof. Monica Chibita, the Dean of the Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication, among other top university officials.
He later visited the UCU School of Medicine in Mengo, Kampala, where he interacted with the Dean of the School, Dr. Gerald Tumusiime.
“Currently, we are working on equipping the School of Medicine to match the standard requirements, in order for it to produce quality graduates,” Bartels said.
Partners also has over time given scholarships and tuition top-ups to UCU students.
“We are now planning to support faculties to do community outreaches so as to impact the society,” Bartels added.
Uganda Partners, a nonprofit, based in Pennsylvania USA and in existence for more than two decades, started the e-lab this year to give a resume-building platform to UCU’s journalism and communication students through hands-on experience to supplement their in-class learning. The products benefit Partners by providing information to current and potential contributors to the NGO.
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
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Enriching the discussion and response, the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication (FJMC) will host the 10
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