By Pauline Luba
In Primary Four, Julian Ateme was transferred from St. Joseph’s Nsambya Girls Primary School, Kampala, to Stella Maris Nsuube boarding school in Mukono district. The main reason for the  transfer was her parents’ belief she would become more disciplined under a closer watch of school authorities.

In the midst of that lesson, Ateme discovered gardening. Within the school’s garden, pupils engaged in practical work twice a week – every Wednesday and Saturday. There, among plants, Ateme began a lifelong relationship with agriculture.

It is the lessons in cultivation of soil learned while at Nsuube that enabled Ateme, a Uganda Christian University (UCU) alum, to appreciate her father’s efforts in farming. He had vast lands with trees, fruits and crops. Ateme, also a wife, a mother of three and community services assistant with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said her father often encouraged people in the community to grow passion fruits.

Whatever she learned at Nsuube and from her father’s farms, Ateme did not abandon. She started growing vegetables, as well as food crops like cassava and groundnuts, alongside rearing animals such as pigs, goats, cows, rabbits and ducks. Piggery is currently her highest source of income from the farm.

“I am known for having informal meetings with the people in the village, encouraging them to invest in agriculture,” Ateme says. 

In Uganda, some people continue to perceive agriculture as business for the uneducated. It is perceptions like these that Ateme is out to change. A holder of two degrees — Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Finance of Kumi University and Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration of UCU — Ateme believes that hers is a perfect story to debunk the myth that agriculture is not for people who have professional jobs. 

She says the proceeds she gets from the farm have enabled her to pay her children’s school fees. Since the children know the source of their school fees, they are eager to visit the farms during holidays – something that leaves Ateme with a grin on her face because she knows she is slowly passing on the farming culture to her children.

Even in the community, the sweat that Ateme has broken to preach the gospel of farming is already bearing fruit. She said on many occasions, she has met community members who have encountered positive economic change on account of agriculture. One man had embraced agriculture and confessed to getting financial empowerment from the surplus of the food crops, as well as the fruits that he sold. 

Even as she preaches the gospel of agriculture, Ateme knows the importance of achieving education. She is currently supporting the education of six children who are not part of her family. This outreach started when Ateme asked for house-help, and a girl younger than 10 years arrived.  The girl said she had been forced to repeat Primary Three more than once because the her parents could not afford the functional fees.

Instead of employing her, which is illegal in Uganda for children under 18 years, Ateme put the girl back in school. That girl will graduate as a nurse this year.

“God has blessed me through this child,” said Ateme, who originally had hoped to pursue a career in law, but did not, due to lack of funds for the course.

In addition to farming, she credits World Vision, a non-governmental organization, for her experience, ability and desire to  help children. At World Vision, Ateme worked as a child protection officer.

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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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By Kefa Senoga
In 2018, a patient in a Ugandan hospital labor ward developed a ruptured placenta. As expected, this emergency required all the attention of the medical staff on duty. Many of the women who were in labor in the same ward could only be assisted after handling the urgent situation. 

Akut Suzan, who was among the other women in labor at that time, says when she eventually gave birth to her son, she and her son were exhausted. 

“He did not cry at all,” Akut narrated during a recent seminar at Uganda Christian University (UCU) main campus. 

“When I was discharged, he turned yellow and got jaundice. He got sepsis in the umbilical cord, and that part got paralyzed,” she recalled, adding, “By the time we returned to hospital for review, I was told the baby had already been affected, so they could not reverse his situation.”

The result is that for the rest of her life, Akut, who works as a house-help for a living, has to contend with mothering a child with cerebral palsy and other health issues.

At five years now, Ajono Daniel cannot walk by himself; his hands cannot hold anything and he has developed a conversion disorder. He is currently using a walker for movement.

At his age, Ajono would ordinarily be in his second year of a kindergarten class in Uganda. But that is not the case. He has not even started school.

Ajono and Akut were at the UCU main campus on February 16 to participate in a seminar for children with special needs, as well as their parents, and stakeholders. The two-day seminar, held under the theme “Unlocking the Potential Towards Inclusive and Equitable Education for Children with Special Educational Needs in Uganda,” started on February 15.

Akut, a resident of Makindye, a suburb of Kampala, says she has sought, without success, admission for her son in many of the schools that do not offer specialized care for children with special needs. The few that agreed to admit him, she said, increased the tuition fees, with the justification that Ajono needs specialized care. In addition, they asked Akut to hire a special caregiver for her son while at school.  

Amidst all these challenges, Akut remains positive. Her husband and the father of Ajono has not abandoned the two. He has endeavored to provide the little that he gets to support his son, in addition to showing him “unconditional love.” 

“He is not ashamed to carry him, even in public,” she says.

Information at the UCU seminar further reminded Akut that she isn’t alone.

At the dialogue, which took place on the first day of the event, the primary discussion centered on inclusive education, aiming to spark potential actions or policy interventions for the betterment of children with special needs.

The second day of the event was focused on fostering interaction with special needs children, along with their parents and teachers. The objective was to gain insights into their challenges and to advocate support. Akut said by attending the congress, she was able to share with parents who are facing the same dilemma.

When at home “you may think that the situation of your child is the worst, yet there are people out there in worse situations,” Akut said at the congress organized in collaboration between the UCU School of Social Sciences and Promise International, a US-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to empowering and educating children with special needs and their families in Uganda.

Representatives from the government, the academia, the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), among others, took part in the congress. Uganda’s minister in charge of disability affairs, Hellen Grace Asamo, was among the special guests.

Sarah Bugoosi, the Commissioner for Special Needs in Uganda, urged parents to embrace and support their children with special needs, and not to listen to negative public opinion about their children.

Dr. Jeremy Waiswa, the coordinator of the partnership between UCU and Promise International, said they fronted the partnership, so that UCU, given its strong foundation on Christian principles, can make a difference in the lives of children with special needs. 

Waiswa said they took advantage of the congress to organize a medical camp for the children. The UCU School of Medicine provided 12 medical students who assisted the medical workers from the university’s Allan Galpin Medical Center to run the medical camp.

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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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By Kefa Senoga
Achito Loyce is not someone who prides in being defined by her past. She does not want challenges to define her. And that is precisely the reason she has defied all odds to transform not just her life, but that of her children, as well as siblings. 

From an early age, Achito, a resident of Soroti in northeastern Uganda, shouldered the responsibility of caring for her seven siblings. Following the passing on of her father and her mother’s ailing health, Achito became both the breadwinner and a mother figure for her family. In fact, her clan members forbade her from marrying because there was no one to take over the responsibility of looking after her family members. 

Achito and her seven siblings were being raised on land their mother’s family had given their father. However, upon the passing on of their father, Achito says her maternal relatives had a change of heart on the land – they sent them off, reasoning that the children were supposed to return to their paternal relatives. And they neither knew the paternal relatives nor where they lived. 

After many months of wandering, Achito and her siblings finally settled on land donated to them by a Good Samaritan. The family knew full well that the odds were stacked against them. For that, they engaged in casual work for willing members of the community, in order to eke a living. 

The family members saved some money, which they used to set up a restaurant in Tuburi Town Council, Soroti district. Achito says the restaurant has not only transformed her life, but also for those who depend on her. She has been able to meet the needs of her family, including educating her four sons. The boys are now grown children, and each of them is living in their independent homes. From the restaurant, she has also been able to save money and build a permanent house.

Five kilometers away from the home of Achito is Anayo Mary, a widow. Anayo was living with her husband in Adjumani, northwestern part of Uganda. However, upon his death, she says she faced economic hardships that made it almost impossible for her to take care of her four children. She gave in and returned to her parents in Soroti.

Currently, Anayo runs small businesses, which she complements with farming. She is actively involved in livestock farming. Additionally, she engages in the sale of agricultural produce, such as millet, tomatoes, wheat and soya. She also owns 100 plastic chairs, which she rents out to people who have parties in the community. 

The solid business acumen of Anayo and Achito are not by accident. The two have undergone training in running businesses, including basics of how to save money, book keeping and accounting, customer care and record keeping.  

Destiny Community Development Initiative (DECODI) is one of the organizations that have held the hands of Anayo and Achito, and shown them how to keep afloat in the world of business. 

Elotu Mercy, an alum of Uganda Christian University, who is the head of business and investment at DECODI, notes that many of their beneficiaries, just like Anayo and Achito, have been able to improve their livelihood using interventions, such as those provided by DECODI. 

The organization mobilizes and applies its resources, leverages its networks, and avails its expertise to engage with, and

directly meet the psychological, economic and social basic needs of vulnerable women and their homesteads, focusing on single mothers in northeastern Uganda.

It is not easy for one to do proper bookkeeping when they are illiterate. Therefore, DECODI runs programs on adult learning to equip its beneficiaries with literacy skills that can enable them to successfully run their businesses. Both Achito and Anayo are graduates of the organization’s literacy classes.

One of the current learners in the adult education program, Amoding Sarah, says they have learned about keeping proper sanitation at home. She says one of the reasons for joining the program was because she wanted to learn how to keep proper hygiene in her home.  

“I have been able to learn about a balanced diet and now I am able to feed my family well and nutritiously,” Amoding says.

Micheal Eberu, an official at DECODI, said although their target is women, they also include men in their programs, reasoning that in many communities, when women get more economically empowered than the men, it can create domestic violence.  On many occasions, men can sabotage women’s projects because they feel marginalized. As Eberu elaborates, they often implore the men to work with the women.

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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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By Irene Best Nyapendi
Judith Katoko was expected to be part of the Uganda Christian University (UCU) graduation of July 2022. But that was not the case. By the time of the graduation, Katoko had neither written her dissertation nor completed her fees. However, she worked so hard that by the next graduation in October 2022, she had completed all the academic requirements. 

Still, she was not on the graduation list. 

Katoko had a fees balance of sh8 million (about $2,100). The 24-year-old says she had ruled out asking for money from friends and classmates because it was not her nature. She asked anyway.

When she shared her challenges with one of her cousins, Katoko was given sh3million (about $780). She then approached a UCU staff member and Jonathan Tumwebaze, Partnerships Manager for Uganda Partners. The staff member helped negotiate a sh4million (about $1,050) salary advance to give Katoko. Through Uganda Partners, Katoko got sh600,000 (about $160). The balance of sh400,000 (about $105) came from the savings she had. With this, Katoko cleared the fees balance a day before graduation — and received a Bachelor of Human Rights, Peace, and Humanitarian Intervention. 

Uganda Partners Executive Director Mark Bartels, who was around UCU at the time, was among participants at Katoko’s thanksgiving feast at Eunice Guest House after her graduation.

“I can surely say a problem shared is a problem half solved,” she said. “I had never heard of Uganda Partners before, but through it, Mark Bartels’ organization gave me money to clear for my graduation.”

After the graduation, UCU hired Katoko as a casual worker in the accommodation section. From April to December 2023, she was a stand-in for the female custodian. In January 2024, the university appointed Katoko as a graduate trainee in charge of Ankrah Foundation Halls of Residence. In the position, she manages issues to do with registration for accommodation, provides counseling services and helps students navigate issues pertaining to their academic programs. Although she may not know much about all the courses, she knows who to contact in case students need assistance in a particular area. The Ankrah Hall, which houses both male and female students, has 96 single rooms.

Katoko believes that people are molded by their early experiences and that if she provides students with the best experience while at UCU, they will grow into responsible citizens.

Ankrah resident Lynn Abaasa, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Nursing Science, describes Katoko as an approachable and consistently present custodian.

“When we have a challenge, we can easily go to Katoko. I recall the night she called the plumber to fix a water problem at night,” Abaasa said, adding: “She also offered me her laptop when I didn’t have one during exam season.”

Reflecting on her experience, Katoko encourages UCU students to embrace challenges. “There are challenges you may face as a student, but I urge you to seek guidance because, from an informed decision, you will have an informed choice,” Katoko said. 

In the future, she hopes to become a children’s advocate. She intends to set up an organization dedicated to the promotion of children’s rights, inspired by Proverbs 31:8 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

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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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(This is the third in a series of five stories profiling Uganda Christian University students/alum who have  had experience in international studies at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.)

By Kefa Senoga
Once Uganda Christian University (UCU) student Elotu Mercy set foot in the Netherlands, one of the first things she did was locate a church where she could pray during her five-month stay in the European country. She got the church — Vineyard Church — as well as acquaintances who would become instrumental in her social and spiritual life in the new country. 

In the church, Elotu met three Nigerian ladies, one of whom had received a Bachelor of Laws degree from UCU. The three Nigerians, Elotu and another UCU student, Milly Mercy, formed a quintet that for the next five months took time off their studies to tour the Schengen region.

Elotu, Mercy and three other UCU students were in the Netherlands in 2021 for a resume-building exchange program between UCU and the Hanze University of Applied Sciences. The exchange program is part of a collaboration that started between the two institutions of higher learning in 2017. 

So far, more than 30 students have participated in the collaborative, with eight Ugandan social work students studying at Hanze University of Applied Sciences, and their Dutch counterparts also coming to UCU to carry out field work training in Ugandan agencies. Also, since 2018, annually, two UCU faculty have been invited to offer guest lectures in social work at Hanze, and the same has happened with Hanze faculty at UCU.

Elotu said her Nigerian friends advised that to enjoy touring other European countries, she needed to work so that she could save money for trips. Two months into her stay in the Netherlands, through an agency that employs international students, Elotu got a housekeeping job, where she worked for 16 hours a week. In the Netherlands, work permits for international students do not allow them to exceed 16 hours per week. 

“We would work for two to three hours per day during weekdays. On Saturdays, we had opportunities to work in hotels, which was usually six hours,” says Elotu, the eldest of the five children of Joseph and Anne Grace Elotu. Her parents are both community workers.

Once the pay came in, Elotu and her student colleagues took advantage of their off-days from school to tour. In one of the trips, they spent four days in Paris, France, and a couple of hours in Belgium. Most of the trips were made possible by a less-demanding school schedule. In a week, Elotu says they had up to three classes at school.

While in the Netherlands, Elotu says she struggled to adjust to the food. 

“In Uganda, we have three heavy hot meals in a day. However, while in the Netherlands, we only had one hot meal in the evening. Our lunch in the Netherlands was usually bread and soup, even in most of the homes that we visited,” narrated Elotu, the most senior member in the group that traveled for the program.

Elotu, currently pursuing a Master of Social Work at the UCU main campus in Mukono, was the only post-graduate student in the team that traveled. As an undergraduate student, Elotu had been selected to benefit from the exchange program, but the visits were canceled because of the lockdowns at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. So, Elotu missed the opportunity. When the visits were resumed, Kasule Kibirige, the head of UCU’s social work department, encouraged her to re-apply. 

While in the Netherlands, Elotu says she continued her Ugandan master’s classes online. For the course she undertook in the Netherlands, Elotu returned with a Diploma in Applied Positive Psychology of Hanze University of Applied Sciences.

Participating in the exchange program broadens the worldviews of students, and many of them gain broader insights into professional practice, according to Kasule. He said participants report greater interest in personal exploration and increased professional growth. 

“More academic networks have developed through regular meetings between faculty members during guest lectures,” Kasule elaborates.

Elotu is currently working in the eastern Uganda district of Soroti, with Destiny Community Development Initiative, a non-governmental organization. 

Before joining UCU, Elotu attended Joy Christian Primary School in eastern Uganda for his primary education, and then St. Joseph’s SS Naggalama for O’level and Nabisunsa Girls School for A’level. Naggalama and Nabisunsa are found in central Uganda. 

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

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By Irene Best Nyapendi
Paul Ssenyonga, a recipient of Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration, is using his education and real-world experiences to make a difference.

One part of his story involves his help to pregnant and parenting teens because of his first-hand observation when living with a teenage relative who impregnated a 16-year-old girl. Ssenyonga saw lack of financial livelihood, community shunning and fear of hospitals as among the challenges of this early, unwed pregnancy. Still a student himself, Ssenyonga offered emotional support, reinforcement of the importance of antenatal care and chipped in what little money he had to help the young boy and girl.

Ssenyonga, 27, says the obstacles the girl faced opened his eyes to the trials of other teenage mothers.

Amidst the challenges, Ssenyonga saw an opportunity to empower teen mothers, first, starting with the 16-year-old who was carrying the baby. Together, with the soon-to-be-father, they empowered 17 youths to make paper bags and liquid soap with the hope that a skill like that would support the livelihood of the teens, a majority of whom had dropped out of school.

The success of that first venture inspired Ssenyonga to register Save A Youth, a non-profit organization, in 2019. His intention was for the organization to help more people, beyond just teenage mothers.

In 2020, Ssenyonga says he found out that many young people were struggling with challenges related to drug addiction and sexual promiscuity, something he says presented an opportunity for him to continue making a difference in the community.

Fortunately, he had taken an addiction therapy course, which he used to his advantage while interacting with the young people.

In addition to his work with the non-profit, Ssenyonga also serves humanity as a Rotaractor, aligning with his belief that generosity begets positive response from nature. Serving as the President of the Rotaract Club of Mukono from July 2022 to June 2023, Ssenyonga supported Mukono General Hospital to acquire a fully-equipped teen mother facility through the Mukono Rotary Club. 

He also mobilized the painting of a zebra crossing (pedestrian crosswalk) on a road near Mukono General Hospital.

And that’s not all.

Ssenyonga also offers voluntary service to Buganda, Uganda’s biggest traditional kingdom. In Buganda, he is in charge of publicity in Kyaggwe county, one of the divisions of the kingdom.

“Serving the king isn’t a paid assignment because we are responsible for the wellbeing of our king,” Ssenyonga, who is a master of ceremonies, said. He says his devotion to the kingdom is the most fulfilling experience of his life. It’s not just a job for him, it’s a calling that goes beyond financial compensation.

Born to Nathan Kigongo and Catherine Namutebi of Mukono district, Ssenyonga is the first of five siblings. He attended Little Cranes Primary School, Kanjuki Secondary School, and Paul Mukasa Senior School. All the three schools are found in central Uganda.

Despite his parents’ initial desire for him to study law, Ssenyonga chose social work at UCU. 

“I chose UCU for its clearly defined values-based system,” Ssenyonga said. “I pursued social work to impact the community, inspired by my transformation from a stubborn high school student. I aspired to assist someone like the past me, bringing a professional touch to school talks.”

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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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