By Christine Mirembe
“Why are you spending money educating girls instead of buying property?” That was a question too familiar for Bessie Lunyolo. Many people often posed it to her father, Stephano Sakwa Masikye, as he took his daughters to school in Lwaboba village, Mbale district in eastern Uganda.
Just like he paid less attention to people who looked down on the education of girls, he also reminded his five daughters not to pay attention to the naysayers.
One would wonder what other alternative Masikye and his wife – both primary school teachers– had, other than taking their children to school. Today, the girls have lived up to the expectations of their parents.
Bessie Lunyolo
For instance, Lunyolo, one of the five daughters, is a graduate of Uganda Christian University (UCU), where she earned a First Class degree in Bachelor of Business Administration in 2012. And that’s not all. She’s joined the campaign of ensuring that children, especially the underprivileged, go and stay in school. Her current workplace, Bushikori Christian Centre in Mbale, Uganda, aims to fulfil the great commission of Jesus Christ by spreading the word of God and taking care of widows, orphans and other vulnerable children through sponsorship programs.
Though she joined the non-governmental organization hoping to get employed in an accounting role, she was instead offered a position to manage sponsor relations and child support programs, a position that brought to the fore her hidden passion for humanity. Today, she oversees communication between sponsored children and their benefactors. Her role involves counseling children and praying with families.
Over time, she has seen children who once had no hope graduate from universities, become financially stable and return to support others within the organization. “One child once told me, ‘do you remember when you gave me money to buy books? I have now come to help another child like I was helped,’” she recalls. Moments like these bring her so much joy, she says.
Lunyolo’s other four sisters are all graduates of UCU and work either in the government or private sector.
Work has not been without challenges for Lunyolo. She says some of the most painful experiences have been dealing with families that misunderstand sponsorship programs. Some parents believe organizations withhold money meant for their children, while others abandon parental responsibility.
Beyond her professional work, Lunyolo is also a wife and a mother. She got married to David Wabukye in 2013. The couple has three children and is expecting their fourth soon. Her husband, a university lecturer and entrepreneur, has played a big role in shaping her growth both spiritually and professionally. “He believes in me even in moments when I doubt myself,” she says.
He recognized her leadership potential and encouraged her to pursue a master’s degree. Lunyolo is currently in the final stages of completing her Master of Business Administration at the Islamic University in Uganda in Mbale, eastern Uganda.
She attended Nabuyonga Primary School, from where she joined Nyondo Secondary School. Both schools are in Mbale district. Throughout her schooling, she says her mother rarely bought new clothes for herself, reasoning that much of her earnings went into supporting her children’s education.
After completing Senior Four in 2006, Lunyolo joined Nabumali High School for A’level. By then, her dream was already getting clearer: she loved accounting and admired the professionalism she saw in bankers. During the Senior Six holidays, she and her mother grew cassava and saved the proceeds for university tuition.
When she joined UCU in 2009, she says she found a welcoming environment where students from different walks of life could coexist without judgment. She also attests to experiencing spiritual growth at the university, which deeply shaped her character. It is at UCU, she says, where she learned how to build a personal relationship with God, serving in the chapel and in fellowships.
“When I was first asked to pray in class, I wasn’t sure of how to do it because I only knew the Lord’s Prayer,” Lunyolo said.
“I did not know how to say my own prayer like my peers did. But I eventually got the hang of it over time.”
Like many graduates, Lunyolo envisioned herself working in a bank, but life unfolded differently. When accounting jobs could not be found, she began teaching accounting in vocational schools and later worked with Uganda Women Concern Ministry, an indigenous, Christian, non-governmental organization supporting women’s savings groups and community development programs.
Slowly, she realized her accounting skills were pulling her toward community work rather than corporate banking. “I felt like I was doing accounting through social work,” she recalls.
“I thought my future was in banking, but God had another plan. Sometimes what you are called to do is greater than what you imagined for yourself.”
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