Tag Archives: Alumni

‘I live in the grace of people who see goodness in me’

November 4, 2024News, Soroti, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Social Sciences#social work, Alumni, Latek Stay Alliance, Senyonyi, Soroti, UCUEdwin Byarugaba

Francis Musoni Okiria, Uganda Christian University School of Social Sciences alumni

By Patty Huston-Holm
Francis Musoni Okiria learned early on that social work is just as much about accountability as it is hands-on.

While others may see his career path as divergent from helping others, including vulnerable populations most associated with welfare work, the 2014 Uganda Christian University (UCU) graduate with a bachelor’s degree in social work and social administration provides evidence otherwise. When working for a bank and then Uganda’s MTN mobile communications network – neither of which sounds like typical social work – he was assisting people. His role in these careers labeled finance and IT required him to help others learn how to make money and live in a changing world with a cashless economy.

“Listening, developing rapport to execute – those are social work skills,” Francis said. “The way you blend with people to help them understand is valuable.”

These days, the 34-year-old Francis is helping community and national organizations secure funds and be accountable for how they use them to reduce poverty. In his role as program manager with Latek Stay Alliance Uganda, he helps monitor and mentor some of roughly 50 non-profits that are current or prospective grant awardees through the German-based Alliance charity.

“Too many times, money is allocated for a good cause, but that funding is not properly used as a result of poor management that a number of organizations face,” said Francis, who got a master’s degree from Uganda Management Institute after leaving UCU.

According to the Latek Stay Alliance website, the alliance itself is a non-profit with approaches focused on lifting people up through health, education and income generation. Members use proven practices to strengthen collaboration and capacity building by identification of good practices.

Most days, Francis works with seven colleagues in a Kampala office. But, on average, one day a week, he travels around the country to monitor grant recipients and/or evaluate what a Community-Based Organization (CBO) or a Non-Government Organization (NGO) claims it is and if it fits with Alliance goals.

“Are providers giving money on time? Are recipients doing what they are supposed to do? These are some of the questions we ask,” Francis said. “We always ask recipients if anything has changed from the time their award was requested. Sometimes, the on-site visits are an opportunity to redesign the programs.”

Stay Foundation started in 2013 with pilot projects that involved training of nurses and teachers who would train and mentor others in their fields. Shortly thereafter, the Alliance started supporting 30 social enterprises, growing to around 50 by 2024. Two of those enterprises are Vision Terudo and African Partners for Children (APPCO). Every three years, new members are recruited, often through recommendations by CBO and NGO members.

What Alliance calls “social entrepreneurs” are poverty fighters in four main categories: Stay Feed (agriculture, helping small farmers receive quality seeds and instruction for sowing, crop change, harvesting and storage); Stay Tree (reforestation, teaching how to increase income through tree planting to re-naturalize soil to grow peanuts and beans); Stay Youth (income from vocational training, including crafts) and Stay Bee (bee keeping).

Francis, who started with Alliance as a program officer and then program manager, recalls one success story related to the bee keeping initiative in Ngora District, eastern Uganda. The Stay Bee trainees went from sleeping in grass-thatched mud and wattle huts to living in cement structures with iron sheet roofs within two years. After learning about bees and their value by making and selling honey and wax candles, families also had more food on the table and more children in school.

Francis and his mother, Mary Frances Adiro, at a passion fruit project they started to raise funds to care for his late brother’s children

“Before, there was hardly one meal a day, alcohol abuse and domestic violence,” he said. “Now, these local farmers who were struggling to live on raising chickens and pigs are engaged with products that are highly popular and bringing in more money.”

Francis, a three-year employee with Alliance, said that with Alliance training, the beekeepers understand the best way to increase production – “that it’s more than a beehive.” The farmers learn about pollination, avoiding chemical sprays and noise and putting down cassava flour and jack fruit to increase bees and their production.

On a deeper level, as Alliance assists with education, health and livelihood, there are lessons in hygiene, menstrual understanding and advice for those with chronic health conditions. The softer skills like teamwork and timeliness are emphasized.

When Francis isn’t working full-time with Alliance, he volunteers with Youth Nest Uganda, an organization that focuses on employability skills (tailoring, etc.) for young people. Seventy-five percent of Uganda’s population is under age 30, with many of those unemployed.

While Francis is successful now with subtitles of project manager, monitor and planner, he knows well the population his organization serves. One of three children and five step-children, he was raised during the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency by a mom who worked as a midwife and nurse in the districts of Soroti and Kaberamaido in eastern Uganda. He was age three when his father died.

Francis, who speaks Ateso, English and German, saved money alongside his mother to pay his school fees through secondary education at Kiira High School in Jinja and post-secondary at UCU and Uganda Management Institute in Kampala.

“My life is God’s mercy,” he said. “I live in the grace of people who see goodness in me and, with humility, I owe them to Christ.”

On a recent, rainy Sunday and while visiting the UCU Mukono campus for worship, Francis recalled vividly a chance meeting with the then UCU Vice Chancellor, the Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi.

“He shook my hand and I felt grateful I could meet him,” Francis recalled. Over the years, including when Francis gave a speech at the US Embassy in Kampala, he remembered that embrace to his hand, and how it “made me think I could be a leader.”

Francis hopes for more opportunities following the attainment of a PhD, perhaps through studies in Germany.

“I want to see positive change and I’m glad to be a part of it,” he said.

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Uganda Christian University has many student and alumni stories like this one. To support 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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Music cements focus on God at UCU

November 1, 2024Faculty, News, Students, UCU AlumniAlumni, Church of Uganda, Music, Mustard Seed, UCUPatty Huston-Holm

Some students from the UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication lead a song during a recent main campus community worship.

By Christine Mirembe
From the majestic sounds of the Umoja choir to the vibrant rhythms of the African beats, streams of melodies flow from the Mukono Nkoyoyo Hall, a symphony of faith and talent that engulfs the ambiance at Uganda Christian University (UCU).

Music is the universal language that bridges cultural and linguistic divides, a powerful force that holds the UCU community in a shared experience of worship, comfort and joy.

Under the leadership of Mr. Omiel Nathan, the overall Music Director at UCU since 2009, the Mustard Seed choir, the Chapel choir or the Umoja choir unite every Tuesday and Thursday at midday (12 Noon to 1 p.m. East Africa Time) to lead the UCU community in worship and prayer for an hour, aside from the Sunday worship services.

“There is a lot of diversity that is shown in the uniqueness of song choices, from the songs in regular church worship to church hymns that define the Anglican communion,” Mr. Nathan said. “We are serving God with the uniqueness that every person brings from wherever they come.”

Audience during community worship music in Nkoyoyo

The director noted that the music groups are non-denominational but that members are expected to adhere to Anglican ministry as the Church of Uganda has oversight for UCU.

The university-led groups also lead the larger UCU community in worship and prayer in two services on Sunday morning. Occasionally, groups like the Uganda Mother’s Union are invited on the stage to lead songs.

The Umoja choir, whose name originates from the Swahili word “umoja” meaning “one,” is a vibrant combination of the Chapel and the Mustard Seed choirs. The Mustard Seed choir gets its name from the biblical Mark 4:31 reference to the seed as “the smallest of all seeds of earth,” but “when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants.” When the chapel and seed choirs come together, often during special functions, they form a united voice, aptly named Umoja choir, blending their hearts and voices as one.

The choirs’ repertoire is a global musical journey, featuring songs from every corner of the world. The type and content of music used during prayer gatherings is usually aligned to themes of the respective services. In some cases, the UCU Chaplaincy is engaged with selections. Most songs are in English, but sometimes Luganda and other mother tongue translations are engaged with words on screens to help the congregation join in.

A recent service featured “Jesus paid it all” and “Forever,” the latter of which reminded church-goers that God’s “love endures forever.”

The choirs practice at least once a week with instrumentalists (drums, keyboard, guitar). The practice includes music, fellowship and prayer.

“Music is generally loved by everyone,” said Treasure Jemima, a music director for the 27-year-old Mustard Seed choir. “You find that some people come to church for only praise and worship, so music is what draws them to church.”

Aside from a commitment to practice and dedication to serve God through songs, there are no requirements to join a choir at UCU.

In addition to directors, each choir has a chairperson informally called “Papa” and a vice chairperson, casually called “Mama” or vice versa depending on the gender of the person in the roles. The chairpersons are in charge of uniforms or designating colors for members to wear and focused on instrumental accompaniment.

While vocalists may practice only once a week, instrumentalists could rehearse more. At that, some feel it’s not enough.

Joel Namonyo, a bass guitarist and a UCU student in the Faculty of Engineering, Design and Technology, feels his rehearsal isn’t enough, but he is nevertheless committed to his role.

“I think music is an important aspect that helps bring an environment of praise and worship,” he said. “It is a form of ministry.”

Kalule George, a student in UCU’s School of Law, says gathering as a community under the umbrella of music is effective for keeping up spiritual nourishment, as well as being updated about university activities as most of them are announced during services.

Music, which has been part of UCU almost from its inception in 1997, transcends mere co-curricular activities. It is the needle that stitches the UCU community under a blanket of unity and the universal language that resonates with students, faculty members and staff, creating a shared experience beyond academics.

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Uganda Christian University has many stories like this one. To support 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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‘Perhaps for the first time, he smiled’

October 23, 2024News, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Social Sciences#Masaka, #social work, Alumni, Kyotera, malnutrition, UCUPatty Huston-Holm

Eve Namugera, left, a Uganda Christian University (UCU) alumna and a development facilitator with Act International Mission (AIM), with some students at ACT High School, Kyotera, Uganda. At right, second row, is Stephen Bisatu, AIM sponsorship coordinator.

By Patty Huston-Holm
Eve Namugera uses the word “hope” a lot.

In one story she shared during a rainy morning within Kyotera, Uganda – the place where she was born, where she got much of her education and now is employed – Eve recounted a forlorn mother with her 10-month-old, 4 kilogram (8 pounds), expressionless child.

“The boy was nearly dying,” Eve recalled. “He was panting hard, his ribs and spinal cord were out, with little hair on his head. In tears, the mother was hopeless, explaining how the father removed the boy from her, robbing the infant of her breastmilk for months.”

The boy was suffering from Marasmus, a disease marked by severe malnutrition resulting from lack of calories and often seen in severe cases of starvation and poverty.

Eve noted that the knowledge she has, including from her studies a decade ago at Uganda Christian University and “the gifts I have from God,” enabled her to provide nutritional advice and support, giving hope to that mother and child. The boy who arrived more than a dozen pounds underweight, gained weight within six weeks and, said Eve, “Perhaps for the first time, he smiled.”

Eve Namugera, UCU School of Health Sciences graduate

Today, the almost-six-year-old is a healthy student in a school with the Act International Mission (AIM) Uganda, a community-based organization where Eve works. The boy’s mom has employability skills possible for her and 100 women because of a “Hope Again Women” program through AIM.

“We provided them with healthy living advice, of course, but we also gave both some hope,” Eve said as she concluded this one of many stories on a sunless October 2024 day. “Proving that hope is the joy I feel. What I do is not just work. It’s a ministry.”

For that mother and son, like many, the mission involved teaching the woman how to make sellable baskets and placemats from dried banana leaf stalks, fiber and raffia and about good nutrition beyond the nutrient-rich foods through MannaPack Rice that she was initially provided.

While Eve carries the AIM title of development facilitator, her role is multifaceted, often crossing all six of the non-profit’s programs – two designed to help women and youth have a sustainable income, two targeting good health and diet and two connected to Child education and funding for a school and its students. Of the 1,112 students (626 junior school and 486 high school) ranging from ages 4 to 20, at AIM schools, half have sponsors with most of those supporters in the United States.

Eve knows the economic challenges of the 13,000 residents in her village, that the Kyotera area still carries the 1980s label of “ground zero of AIDS,” that alcoholism is an issue, especially among men, and that many children are raised by elderly relatives who want them to work as laborers rather than attend school. She also knows that most of the current secondary students – even ones with sponsors – may fail to join university because of the cost. She knows she is fortunate to have parents who nudged her to higher education.

“Neither of my parents had a full-time job,” Eve, the oldest of 10 children, said. “They sold fish maws and agricultural products such as beans and maize. They wanted me to have a good education.”

She attended Christ the King Secondary School locally before finishing high school roughly nine miles away in Kalisizo. With a love of science, her initial goal to become a doctor was switched to social work because of the medical school cost. She quickly realized her place in social work as she completed her UCU bachelor’s degree in community health in 2015.

AIM, formerly called Rakai Orphans Development Initiative (RODI), first honed Eve’s talents as a volunteer, then as an administrative assistant and then to a development facilitator. She has worked for AIM for seven years.

Eve, age 30, married and expecting her second child, sees her time at UCU as critical to her Christ-centeredness. Now identifying as a “Pentecostal Christian,” she in particular points to her undergraduate studies in the Old Testament and New Testament as cementing her understanding of the Bible. She continues to be driven by 1 John 4:7.

“We are designed to love one another,” she said. “Everything we do should be about love.”

According to Richard R. Mutaawe, AIM Director of Programs, the CBO’s mission is “to raise action-oriented God-fearing leaders; well nurtured and equipped with relevant knowledge and skills to serve beyond self.” For that to happen, he added, “You need committed people, beyond just being employees, and that is what Eve brings to this organization. She is a mother to our adolescents.”

According to Eve, the most fulfilling part of her job is making a positive impact in the lives of others and helping them reach their full potential. These growth areas, she says, involve compassion, patience, integrity “but most of all hope.”

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Uganda Christian University has many alumni stories like this one. To support 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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Organization elevates African youth through brass music

October 16, 2024UCU Alumni, UCU School of EducationAlumni, Brass for Africa, Music, School of Education, UCUPatty Huston-Holm

Some members of the All-Star Band at the October gala concert marking 15 years for the Brass for Africa NGO

By Patty Huston-Holm
Saturday night at one venue in central Kampala, Uganda, found a tuba in a wheelbarrow, young women moving with pots on their heads, a comedy skit on how a man should treat a woman and brass instrumentalists playing songs while dancing.

Brass? Yes. In Uganda? Yes.

Twenty-nine youth with seven types of brass—horn, cornet, baritone, trombone, tuba and the less familiar euphonium and flugelhorn—took center stage in an instrumental, dance and vocal performance on Saturday, Oct. 5. The mostly Ugandan performers were the focus of a two-hour gala celebration of 15 years for Brass for Africa.

Bwambale Bernard Molho with Jim Trott, Brass for Africa founder

“When people think of African music, they don’t think of brass,” said Bwambale Bernard Molho. “But maybe they should.”

Molho, a Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Education graduate, is the Partner Relations Officer for the British-based, brass-focused NGO and Executive Assistant to Lizzie Burrowes, the non-profit director of music education. Molho, also a former UCU graduate assistant and honours college coordinator, explained how it started with the idea of one British man, Jim Trott.

“He’s a pilot and passionate about music,” Molho said. “He happened to visit the slums in Kampala during one layover and saw the poor condition of some musical instruments. At the same time, his son’s school in London was discarding brass that was in better shape than what children here had.”

Trott, who plays the cornet and piano, transported those discarded instruments to Uganda as a start. From that small beginning in 2009, Brass for Africa has blossomed to 2,000 mostly age 9-24 brass students in Uganda, Rwanda and Liberia. From that pool of music students, around 30 are selected every year to join the inspirational All-Star Band that was chosen for the gala for the second consecutive year. Before a dedication song, Burrowes tearfully talked about two band members who died—one in 2022 and another in 2023.

Bernard, left, with some All-Star Band members performing at the gala

In addition to Trott, roughly 50 current and potential Brass for Africa supporters from Uganda, England, the United States, the Netherlands and Switzerland listened on Oct. 5 to the band’s 12 selections, heard testimonies about the band’s positive impact on the youthful performers and were reminded of how the NGO started and how it operates. The charity has partnered with over 20 organizations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Plan International, Mercury Phoenix Trust, Oxfam and The Elton John AIDS Foundation to deliver programs in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Harps and drums have African origins. Brass is traced to the early 19th century in Britain. From “Eye of the Tiger” to the Beatles’ “Hey Jude” and “Baba Yetu,” the sound and feel of music at the gala was a blend of European and African tunes with a spattering of African dance in place of traditional band marching.

“I love music, but I’m not a musician,” Molho, a 2018 UCU Bachelor of Arts alum, said.

He has a guitar, a violin and a small trumpet that he is trying to learn. A hearing impairment—possibly at birth but noticed when he was 13—renders him deaf in his left ear but does not hinder his music enjoyment.

“I’m an artist, mostly visual art,” he said. “Art is about music, dance, writing and more.”

At that, Brass for Africa, like many art-connected programs, is about more than music. In addition to tapping into fulfilling individual music potential, the self-esteem focus areas are gender equality, disability inclusion, workforce readiness and community empowerment.

“Nobody ever said they loved me until Brass for Africa,” one performer told the Oct. 5 audience.

“People discouraged me,” another ensemble member said. “Brass encouraged me.”

While expats may come in to help with instrument teaching, Brass for Africa is 95% African and operated with counselors and mentors for music as well as for skills such as problem solving, teamwork and leadership. In addition to Molho, other UCU alumni engaged with the NGO are Kabuye Ronald, Kasule Daniel and Amanya Annah.

With its origin and largest reach in Uganda, the demand for the non-academic social change program spans to Rwanda, Liberia, South Sudan, South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania and Kenya, among others.

For Molho, the Brass for Africa mission of esteem-building fits with his philosophy and everything else he’s been doing. In addition to his full-time position with Brass, he is a virtual mentor in visual art with a young person in France; he helps review grant applications by changemakers with US-based The Pollination Project; and he has managed a Usanii Village Africa art initiative in Kasese since July 2020. The Kasese project that Molho started involves sewing, carpentry and making art from discarded items.

“We call it eco-artistry,” he said of the art component. “Both Brass and Usanii are about empowerment and transforming marginalised communities.

Due to Molho’s focus with Brass for Africa over the past three years, the Kasese effort, possible because of a Pollination Project grant, has occupied less of his time but is still growing.

Molho points to UCU’s emphasis on Christian faith, leadership and development as playing a large part in his career success.

“What leads you?” he asked rhetorically. “God shows me a source of direction. I put in the effort.”

He credits his father, a pastor, for his skill in speaking six languages. He has been helping with interpretation since age 12.

“Most people don’t think of writing or languages as art, but it is,” Molho said. “How you present yourself is an art. How our brass ensemble students present themselves is art. For most of these youth, this is a platform they wouldn’t otherwise have.”

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Buganda princess, a UCU graduate, aspires to serve

October 14, 2024News, UCU Alumni, UCU School of BusinessAlumni, Arua, Beri Cottages, Buganda, School of Business, UCU, Uganda KingPatty Huston-Holm

Phiona Tebattagwabwe Luswata, manager of Beri Cottages in Arua

By Patty Huston-Holm
Ronald Edward Frederick Kimera Muwenda Mutebi II is the current and 36th kabaka (aka king) of the Buganda Kingdom, which is the largest and wealthiest among Uganda’s 56 tribes. Once a prince, he has five children – two princes and three princesses.

“I’m a princess,” said Phiona Tebattagwabwe Luswata.

But she is not the daughter, granddaughter or great-granddaughter of the present king. She’s a niece.

“I’m a great-granddaughter of His Highness Sir Daudi Chwa II,” Phiona said of the 34th kabaka who died in 1939.

In a conversation punctuated with laughter and in the courtyard of Beri Cottages, Arua, Phiona, manager of the establishment and a Uganda Christian University (UCU) alum, explained some of her royal lineage.

Phiona, right, with a Beri Cottages employee, Brenda Bako

In Buganda, a ruling king on the throne is called “kabaka.” When he dies, he is called “Ssekabaka,” to mean “a deceased king.” Therefore, “Ssekabaka Daudi Chwa II” (the late King David Chwa II) produced 20 sons, among whom is Phiona’s grandfather – the late Prince Ssepiriya Daniel Luswata, who is a blood brother to Prince Edward Walugembe Muteesa II who later became king (the 35th kabaka) after succeeding their father and is the father of the 36th kabaka of Buganda Kingdom. This makes the current King Ronald Edward Frederick Kimera Muwenda Mutebi II a first cousin to Phiona’s father, Prince Nakibinge David Luswata.

Surprisingly to some less familiar with royalty, Princess Phiona, a 2016 graduate of the UCU School of Business, is not about being served but serving.

In late September 2024, the daughter of Prince Nakibinge David Luswata of Kawaala shared her lineage, her education and her career journey to her current position as manager of Beri Cottages.

As her parents separated when Phiona was age 2, she was mostly raised by her mother, “Omuzana,” which is a title given to all wives of princes. Additionally known as Regina Nandagga, her mom was a hairdresser who also sold pigs during the Covid-19 pandemic. There are seven siblings from the father and three among the two parents.

Most of Phiona’s primary and secondary education was in Kampala. Her marks were good. While ambition to further her education wasn’t strong, Phiona had her sights on being a teacher like those she had in school or a businesswoman like her mom.

While pondering career choices, she lived and attended church with an uncle in Mukono. With minimal music experience, she played the flute and sang in the church choir, being noticed for her raw talent by Mr. Daniel Ssempereza, then the UCU Music Director.

Although she wasn’t a student at UCU, she was nurtured by Ssempereza to sometimes sing in the choir and play the flute in the main campus’ Nkoyoyo Hall. At this point, her father thought twice and decided she should become a UCU student.

At UCU, her focus was on International Business. Between classes, she applied her entrepreneurial skills through a fast-food selling project (chapatis).

Before the UCU degree, Phiona was involved in commerce, taking an accounting course at MAT ABACUS Business School. She did a short stint as a business news reporter for a “Money and Markets” show with NTV Uganda. She later served as a waitress at the four-star Hotel Africana in Kampala and had industrial training, managing the delivery of merchandise imported from Overseas through Bollore Africa Global Logistics, a shipping and clearing firm in Kampala.

Years later, as a supervisor engaged in multiple jobs at Beri Cottages, she was promoted to manager two years ago.

“A friend from UCU recommended me for this job,” Phiona said.

Laughing, she added: “Arua seemed like the end of the world. I had never been here before, but I love taking risks and trying new things, so here I am.”

Except for the valued time to visit a six-year-old daughter who lives with her mom in Kampala, Phiona generally works every day, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., managing 31 employees in an atmosphere where “they enjoy being here.” She sends a daily report to a managing director – “the best boss I’ve had” – in Kampala.

“I have a passion for serving,” she said. “I’ve created an environment where employees know how to do multiple jobs. I believe we have an atmosphere where staff members smile a lot as I do.”

She credits UCU for making her a good leader.

As for her princess status, Phiona participates in some ceremonies to respect and protect tradition and culture while believing, she said with a smile, “that the current king might not even know me.”

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This story is an example of Uganda Christian University (UCU) successes. To support UCU 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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Alum helps people with ‘devastating life conditions’ in West Nile region

October 10, 2024News, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Social Sciences#social work, Alumni, Arua, Methodist, Ohio, UCU, West NilePatty Huston-Holm

Pakwach informal netball team with (seated, left to right) Sailas Okwairwoth, Otim Moses and Ayerango Annette

By Patty Huston-Holm
In a brief break from a netball game on a dirt-surfaced court in the Uganda West Nile Pakwach District, 14-year-old Kaboth Sharon, shifting from one bare foot to the other, was asked in English how she felt.

“I am excited with energy and joy,” she responded in her native Alur (Luo) – as translated by older resident, Otim Moses. Then, under the 11 a.m. Sept. 30 sun and sweating with 13 other youth wearing blue or orange bibs, she smiled and returned to the game.

Sailas Okwairwoth, UCU graduate with vision to lift up youth in his village

Moses and Sailas Okwairwoth grinned. Kabaoh’s expression fits with a plan to give hope to unemployed, school dropout youth from teens to age 35 from their district and the nearby Zombo District, both of which are best geographically identified as near the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Albert Nile. On paper, the 55-page plan is called “Sustainable Skills and Talent Development for Socio-Economic Transformation. “

Okwairwoth, 30, who is the main driver, and his friend, Moses, 35, break the proposal down into two main parts – sports and arts.

“Self-esteem is a huge need among our youth,” Okwairwoth said, nodding to the joy evident among the outdoor netball players. “We see so much promise, knowing that through sports and engagement, we can start there and do more.”

Okwairwoth, who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Uganda Christian University (UCU), knows he is more fortunate than most from the rural area where he was born and raised. While Okwairwoth has recently struggled financially to support himself and a two-year-old daughter by selling goods in a small store in Kampala, he has had the privilege of previous educational opportunities in the United States and employment with an Israeli organization.

“The youth in our village lack self-confidence and look defeated and devastated,” observed Okwairwoth’s mom, Ayerango Annette, who teaches entrepreneurship, among other subjects, at Uganda College of Commerce, Aduku. She had the mindset that her son, Sailas, would graduate from a university, and he did.

Parental mindset “against change” is an obstacle, especially in rural Uganda, according to Okwairwoth. He knows that in the area where he was born, roughly one of three residents age 10 to 30 are illiterate and for those older, the inability to read, understand and write is even more dire. He is aware of the Pakwach uphill climb for people in his village to live differently — to realize the value of team sport activities to achieving self-actualization and enabling unwed teen mothers and others to work, make money and support themselves.

But he is not giving up.

“Impossible is nothing,” Okwairwoth said, pointing to the slogan under their initiative name “Pakwach Junction.”

Sailas founded Pakwach Junction in 2017 as a community-based organization supporting Pakwach through its institutions and possibilities to achieve quality social and economic development. Moses and other youth volunteers are assisting with the effort.

Uganda Bureau of Statistics map showing Pakwach and (inset) its geographic location within the country

The word “Junction” is borrowed from the name of a United Methodist Church youth group Okwairwoth was engaged with during his Reynoldsburg, Ohio, USA, internship experience in 2015. That same three-month experience of volunteering for central Ohio organizations supplying food and clothing to the poor and listening to the volunteer efforts of church women started the germination of a plan growing in his thoughts when awarded his UCU Bachelor of Development Studies in 2016 and his Master of Public Health in 2020.

Okwairwoth became increasingly aware of problems and needs back home. As he received his postgraduate degree, for example, he learned of the water rise in Lake Albert that caused a flood displacing 100,000 Pakwach residents.

While employed as a country director for an Israeli company called Topaz International, founder and CEO KUTIC Integrated Development, directing the Junction Pakwach project, teaching in the UCU Social Sciences department, participating in the Greenheart Global Leaders Conference (GGLC) and Alumni Council in Washington, D.C. and, in Germany, and being a Purpose Earth grant recipient, Okwairwoth kept thinking he could and should do more.

“I see us making and selling arts and crafts here,” he said, pointing to an area of mostly dirt surrounded by one row of bricks near the netball activity. “We also can make reusable sanitary pads.”

Instead of youth and others sitting idle, they could be in that space selling soap, clothing and artwork from recycled materials. Okwairwoth pointed to a photo of a monkey that another group made from plastic bottles.

“We can do that here,” he said.

Efforts already accomplished include financial literacy, sex education, preschool education, community library and computer training.

“This project is driven by the needs of vulnerable people with devastating life conditions, addictive behaviors and seemingly no hope,” said Okwairwoth. “This plan is more than paper. It’s full of hope.”

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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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From student to director: Emily’s USP Journey

September 23, 2024News, Students, UCU Alumni, USP#News, #students, Alumni, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, UCUPatty Huston-Holm

Emily Entsminger (fourth from left) with some Uganda Studies Program (USP) staff

By Kefa Senoga
In 2007, Emily Entsminger left her home country, the United States (US), for the first time to come to Uganda as a student under the Uganda Studies Program (USP). In 2022, she returned to Uganda to serve on the USP staff as the Student Life Coordinator. In June 2024, she assumed the role of USP Director.

USP is a study abroad program hosted by Uganda Christian University (UCU) and under the Uganda Partners non-profit organization. It offers USA and Canadian Christian university students a chance to immerse themselves in Ugandan culture, academics and community life for a semester

Emily says that during her time as a student in the USP, she developed a deep interest in the program and kept the thought of working with USP in mind, even after she had returned to the US.

“I paid attention if there was a job open at any time but there wasn’t one that my skills particularly fit until 2022 a Student Life Coordinator position opened and my background was in student care and pastoral care,” Emily says.

She applied for the job while in the US and was successful. She loved it so much, and served in it for the past two years.

She recounts that when her predecessor, Rachel Robinson, took a sabbatical in August 2023, she stepped in to fill the role temporarily as Acting Director. Once it was confirmed that Rachel would not be returning, Emily officially assumed the position in June 2024.

Emily says that she believes in the program, which is why she is so passionate about her role as its director.

“I have personally experienced the positive effects of this program,” Emily said. “I can attest to its uniqueness, and the growth, learning and cultural engagement…as well as the way its students return changed.”

She adds that stepping into the role of Director is a privilege for her, allowing her to give back to the program that impacted her so deeply. At the same time, she notes that being involved in something as a participant is quite different from leading it, drawing a connection between her time as a USP student and her current role as director.

Emily reveals that what she loves the most about her job is seeing students grow as she did over the course of four months in the program.

“Students grow, evolve and are exposed to various aspects of life,” Emily said. “I truly enjoy witnessing their journey from day one of having no idea of how to get around to successfully navigating everything by the end of the semester.”

She points out one of the opportunities students have that stretches them is staying with a host family– local, Mukono, husbands, wives and children. Students spend two weeks or an entire semester immersed with these families to build connections and relationships with them and the surrounding community. From Emily’s experience as a student, her host family asked her to be the Godparent to their daughter, and she counts this as one of her most memorable moments in Uganda.

Emily, when a student, with her host mom

Reflecting on her experience as a student in the USP, Emily highlights that the program provided her with a foundation for thinking and engaging with the world. She says the involvement requires adapting to many unknowns and different rhythms—like knowing how to buy groceries and food back home but having to learn how to do it in Uganda. USP students adjust to navigate everyday life in a new context.

Emily continues to narrate that she first realized she wanted to study abroad, especially in Africa, while pursuing her undergraduate degree in Christian Education and Youth Ministry at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, which is part of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). The CCCU has more than 150 post-secondary institution members in the U.S. and Canada and more than 30, including UCU, from an additional 19 countries.

She says that the study abroad option that her school offered was with USP, so she applied, and that’s how she ended up in Uganda.

One discovery by USP participants relates to the misperception of Uganda.

“You realize that with what you have seen in the media. For instance, students may come thinking that everyone in Uganda lives in a grass-thatched hut,” Emily said. “But it’s not what you find; it’s there but that’s not everybody’s life here.”

Emily elaborates that many students enjoy their time in Uganda due to the warm personalities of its people and the pleasant weather, among other factors. As director, she emphasizes that one of her top priorities is to support students in having a good experience in Uganda.

“Helping maintain USP and make it a program of excellence is my priority, but I am passionate about increasing student support, engaging students and supporting them through their experience,” Emily says.

She adds that another initiative she’s embarking on will be addressing mental health needs among students who come for the program.

With her experience as a campus pastor in her native state of Iowa and background in religious education, including a Master of Divinity with a specialization in Spiritual Formation that she obtained from George Fox University, Oregon, Emily remains committed to upholding the values of Christianity and faith as top priorities in the program at UCU.

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UCU master’s research focus on money laundering

September 17, 2024News, SRPGS, UCU Alumni, UCU School of LawAlumni, Law, post-graduate degrees, UCUPatty Huston-Holm

Evelyn Zawedde is a Senior Associate at Ortus Advocates

By Irene Best Nyapendi
The main reason Evelyn Zawedde chose a career in law was to ensure equity and justice in the world. And for the 10 years that she has been practicing law, she has examples to illustrate her impact in that quest.

Here is one of them:

In Uganda, it’s not uncommon for unscrupulous individuals to grab property owned by the elderly. Zawedde’s grandmother fell victim to such an attempt when someone in her area laid claim to her land. Upon learning of her grandmother’s plight, Zawedde immediately took action, stepping in to represent her grandmother in mediation. She won the case, ensuring the property remained with its rightful owner — her grandmother. Although her grandmother has since passed away, Zawedde recalls that saving the property was one of her grandmother’s proudest moments, a testament to her granddaughter’s dedication.

Zawedde, a graduate of Uganda Christian University (UCU), earned a degree in Bachelor of Laws in 2011. However, she nearly abandoned her legal career after her initial application for a spot at the Law Development Center to pursue a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice was unsuccessful. In Uganda, obtaining this diploma from the Law Development Center is a requirement for practicing law.

When faced with a setback, she sought another opportunity by applying to Kenya Law School, where she was accepted to pursue her Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice. After completing her studies in Kenya, she joined Kilonzo and Company Advocates, one of the leading law firms in Kenya.

A year later, she returned to Uganda and joined DN Kabugo Advocates, now Ortus Advocates, where she currently serves as a Senior Associate in the Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure department.

In July 2024, Zawedde graduated with a Master of Law in International Business Law at UCU.

She explained that the shifting dynamics of the global economy played a significant role in guiding her choice of research focus for the master’s degree. For the master’s project, Zawedde explored the role of preventive strategies in enhancing the fight against money laundering with a focus on selected financial institutions in the central business district of Kampala. The study focused on the fight against money laundering.

“I chose this research topic because money laundering is a global issue affecting financial institutions,” Zawedde said, adding: “I wanted to deeply examine the measures being used to combat money laundering in financial institutions.”

Her study found that to keep the integrity of the financial system intact, financial institutions, companies and governments must co-operate. Her study recommends enactment of laws that leverage technology to prevent and detect money laundering.

With a deep interest in the evolving financial landscape, she hopes that her advanced studies will not only broaden her expertise but also position her to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in the international business arena.

Born and raised in Mukono, central Uganda, Zawedde is an Advocate of the High Court of both Uganda and Kenya and all courts subordinate thereto. She is a member of the Uganda Law Society, Kenya Law Society and the East African Law Society.

With over seven years of experience in structuring, negotiation and documentation of natural resource projects and related financings, Zawedde has conducted negotiations, prepared contracts and closed real estate transactions. According to the website of her current employers, Zawedde has acted for several clients in acquisitions of property for project development and developing transaction completion documents.

She attended Nakanyonyi Girls School in Jinja, eastern Uganda, for her O’level education and St. Mary’s Secondary School Kitende in central Uganda for A’level.

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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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Sister Mary’s ‘endless call’ to help abandoned children

September 4, 2024News, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Social Sciences#social work, Alumni, Master’s, Post-graduate, UCUPatty Huston-Holm

Sister Mary Nakitto, master’s degree in Social Work

By Christine Mirembe
(third of four parts – UCU postgraduate focus)

With a heart called to serve, Sister Mary Nakitto devotes her life to abandoned zero- to three-year-old children, providing them with love, support and a chance for a brighter future. The recent Uganda Christian University (UCU) master’s degree graduate in Social Work sees herself as a caregiver and voice for this often-overlooked population.

“As a religious person, my call to serve is so obvious and most expected by the community,” she said. “Therefore, my field of study was directed towards empowering my capacity to serve with expertise and confidence which merged well with what I should be as a religious person.”

Born June 23, 1979, at Nsambya Hospital, Kampala, Uganda, Sister Mary’s journey is marked by compassion, dedication, resilience and a deep commitment to her faith. Her educational voyage from 1992 to 1997 took her through St. Pontiano Ngondwe, a humble Senior Secondary School, in Nazigo, Bugerere. From a tender age and because her school required students to perform manual labor, she learned the value of teamwork and various practical skills.

After completing her secondary education and focused on the complex needs of marginalized people, Sister Mary pursued a Bachelor of Development Studies at Makerere University. With a desire to learn and do more, she embarked in 2019 on a master’s degree at UCU. Studying from the Kampala campus, she is among the inaugural class of 21 students to graduate in July 2024 with a master’s degree in Social Work.

“Among my classmates were three fellow nuns from different religious institutes,” Sister Mary recounted. “We attended in person and bonded well.”

Her postgraduate academic journey was fairly smooth until the Covid-19 pandemic sentenced all institutions of learning to a lockdown.

“The total lockdown and many other government directives could not permit movements at any cost,” she recalled. “UCU had immediately engaged us to study online but the government interrupted and ordered them not to proceed with the online classes because other universities were not able to facilitate online programs.”

In 2021, UCU online classes commenced during the Easter semester, allowing Sister Mary and her classmates to do their examinations online under supervision.

With all requirements but her dissertation completed, she embraced the work of research on the topic of “Push Factors Associated with Parental Child Abandonment: A Case of Kalungu District.” Her study examines why child abandonment persists despite endeavors to rescue children. She assessed the factors that sustain the prevalence of child abandonment. She looked at possible mitigation measures for this problem.

By the end of 2022, she had successfully completed and defended her research to qualify for UCU’s July 2024 graduation.

With a master’s degree, Sister Mary qualifies within required government guidelines to work with the probation office, police and the magistrate to help rescue the babies in dire need. Apart from helping her fellow workers with hands-on knowledge and being a consultant in the field, this advanced degree has built her confidence in community work and all issues concerning child care and other social activities like counseling, community development, donor funding activities and more.

“I would say that service is an endless call in our society which we all ought to willfully offer to our respective communities; this is what our faith calls for,” said Sister Mary, 45, and warden at St. Francis Revival Home, a baby facility in Kalungu District. “Education is a weapon that empowers us and shields us to serve with expertise and confidence amidst the challenging world where we live so that our efforts don’t go to waste or are misallocated.”

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UCU boasts 66 postgraduate programs with 3,000 alumni

September 2, 2024News, SRPGS, UCU Alumni, UCU School of BusinessAlumni, Master’s, postgraduate, School of BusinessPatty Huston-Holm

Dr. Joseph Jakisa Owor, Head, Graduate Research & Training, Directorate of Postgraduate Studies, provides guidance to Sandra Namisango, a UCU student pursuing a Master’s in Business Administration.

With 66 postgraduate degree opportunities, Uganda Christian University (UCU) provides expanded academic and professional programs to students in Uganda and beyond. The university, which started in 1997 with master’s degree offerings since 2003, has 3,000 postgraduate alumni.

Although theory and practical application are important components of any curriculum, the UCU postgraduate research element is key to an advanced degree. The dissertation at UCU uniquely defines the graduate with an expanded body of knowledge for the research field and the researcher. While UCU postgraduate students with undergraduate degrees from UCU generally have research experience, the master’s level students coming from other higher education institutions may not.

Thus, the Centre for Research and Academic Writing Services (CRAWS) evolved under the Postgraduate Directorate at UCU to serve both experienced and inexperienced researchers. CRAWS, launched in July 2023, addresses the significant demand for academic writing and research support – an effort previously met through one-off clinics that, while useful, were insufficient to fully meet students’ needs.

CRAWS provides a structured and sustained system of support through regular, on-line seminars and one-on-one coaching sessions. These services are designed to help students develop the advanced writing and research skills necessary to successfully complete their dissertations and theses. Since its inception, CRAWS has supported over 500 students, significantly contributing to improved research completion rates and the quality of research output at UCU.

The Postgraduate Directorate shares the university mission of promoting high-quality, Christ-centered graduate education. With a vision to become a leading center for graduate training in Africa, the Directorate strives to develop globally excellent scholars and professionals who embody Christian values. The core values—Christ-centeredness, diligence, integrity, stewardship, and servanthood—are aligned with all of UCU and underscore commitment to holistic education.

This approach not only sets UCU apart from other institutions but also ensures that its graduates are prepared to lead with integrity and purpose in their respective fields.

The Directorate strides to enhance graduate research and training capacity include training staff in research supervision, online instruction,and scientific writing. The Directorate has introduced measures to standardize postgraduate programs, monitor compliance across schools and faculties, and organize scientific writing seminars and workshops. The effective use of external examiners is also a critical component in maintaining the high standards expected of UCU graduates.

The Directorate also is focused on efforts to enrich and harmonize recruitment across the university, promote research and learning opportunities,and improve the quality of graduate student supervision to ensure timely completion. Regular reviews of graduate programs and the implementation of recommendations are key to maintaining high academic standards.

Recognizing the importance of student retention, the Directorate has implemented strategies to improve support for graduate students, foster vibrant academic communities, and streamline administrative processes. These efforts are aimed at ensuring that students have a positive and fulfilling experience at UCU, which in turn contributes to higher retention and completion rates.

To sustain and grow its postgraduate programs within all of UCU’s 11 faculties and schools, UCU has developed a comprehensive marketing strategy aimed at increasing enrollment and retention. This strategy includes person-to-person marketing through alumni, lecturers and other stakeholders, as well as a focus on online offerings for many programs, which is particularly attractive to working professionals. UCU also recognizes the importance of selecting qualified and engaging facilitators to ensure that students receive the best possible education.

The university understands that to remain competitive, it must continually revisit and refine its strategies, curricula, and support systems. The Postgraduate Directorate’s ongoing initiatives, including the work of CRAWS, are central to this effort, ensuring that UCU remains at the forefront of graduate education in Africa.

The quality of UCU graduates is a reflection of the university’s commitment to excellence.

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The staff within the UCU Postgraduate Directorate are Asso. Prof. Kukunda Elizabeth Bacwayo, Dr. Joseph Jakisa Owor, Dr. Godwin Awio, Jerome Makumbi and Desire Kagaba. During the next three days, Uganda Partners will feature profiles of three students receiving master’s degrees in the July graduation.

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‘This boy will be a reverend’ – 20-year journey to Ph.D.

February 4, 2021Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, Faculty, News#News, Alumni, TheologyPatty Huston-Holm

Rev. Canon Moses Stephen Isabirye at the veranda of his house where he sometimes works

By Penelope Nankunda

When Jacob in Genesis (Chapter 47:1-10) is brought before the pharaoh of Israel and asked to identify himself, he says, “My years have been difficult.” Canon Moses Stephen Isabirye, an undergraduate degree alum from Uganda Christian University (UCU), has a similar story is as it pertains to his academic life.

“My years have not been easy, and some of the people that I studied with especially in primary school and secondary school would wonder why I have taken so long to get this Ph.D.,” he said. “I should have gotten it about 20 years ago.”

Isabirye’s story is one of triumph amidst challenges with his latest success in attaining his Ph.D. in theology from Kenyatta University (Kenya) on December 18, 2020.

With a narrow, stretched-out smile, and eyes glowing brightly with joy and humility, Isabirye spoke in early January 2021 from his home in Mukono. Dressed in a black coat, a deep-dark grey shirt accompanied by a clerical collar and an ashy grey trouser, at 8:09 a.m., he gently emerged from the right-hand corner of his long rectangular house just above the University Chapel.

“You are welcome,” he begins pausing briefly in his steps before resuming his gentle walk to the back of the house. He quickly lifts two bright green plastic chairs – one for himself and one for this student reporter – and a small squared, long-legged wooden table and places them in the center of the compound.

He sits comfortably under the one-sided leaning Jacaranda tree in the midst of a colorful green garden covered with peaceful grass and a short jasmine tree. Next to it is a row of striking yellow lily flowers and several banana trees within the fenced compound.

Canon Isabirye told his story.

He was born on October 23, 1962, to Agnes Namboira and the late Sudulaki Ibanda of Iwololo village, Butagaya, in Jinja District, eastern Uganda. His names – Moses and Stephen – are renowned for heroism in the Bible. The biblical stories depict Moses as the leader of the Israelites, while Stephen was the first Christian martyr whose martyrdom is reflected through the bravery and persistence of Isabirye in his pursuit for a Ph.D. despite numerous challenges and persecution. His third name, Isabirye, means “father of twins” a name that was derived from his grandfather who had had twins three times.

Rev. Canon Moses Stephen Isabirye and wife, Ruth

Married to Ruth who, like Canon Isabirye, is a teacher by profession, the couple has three children. The first born is Rachael Kyobula, a graduate with a Bachelor of Computer Science from UCU and currently employed at Equity Bank in Entebbe. The second born is Paul Mwesigwa Ibanda, a senior six candidate at Hillside Namirembe SS, and Paula Mwebaze Mukyala is the youngest.

Canon Isabirye’s journey at UCU began in September 1991 when he joined the Bishop Tucker Theological College to study a Bachelor of Divinity course offered by Makerere University through the college; he successfully completed that undergraduate degree in 1994 and graduated with first-class honors in January 1995. While at Bishop Tucker, he pursued several other short courses in youth ministry and chaplaincy at Daystar University Nairobi, which helped him attain advanced certificates from that University.

Owing to Canon Isabirye’s academic excellence during his undergraduate studies, his lecturer, Dr. Tudor Griffith, helped Isabirye secure a master’s level scholarship in the United Kingdom. Dr. Tudor Griffith also had just returned to Uganda with a Ph.D. from Bristol University and was eager to see Ugandans acquire similar qualifications.

“There was a requirement for my diocesan bishop who was a very good friend of mine to sign but he refused,” recalls Canon Isabirye about the forms that Dr. Tudor provided for the University of Leeds. “He said it was a good opportunity, but that I had just graduated and started working at the diocese, insisting that he would only sign the forms after I had spent three years at the diocese.”

The opportunity at Leeds was for a Masters in Theology, majoring in Christology. The decision not to sign his forms left Isabirye bitter but determined to pursue further studies. In 1997, he joined Makerere University to pursue an MA in Religious Studies, graduating on November 23, 2003. It was while he was pursuing his MA studies that Canon Isabirye was invited to work at UCU as a part-time lecturer.

In 2006, he was again invited from his Parish in Jinja, St. Andrews Cathedral, by UCU to teach full-time at Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology. Canon Isabirye, who now teaches church history, pastoral care and counselling as well as related subjects also heads practical studies and history in the School.

Although Isabirye enrolled for a Ph.D. in 2010, which he applied for in 2008, and was admitted in 2009, it took him 10 years to graduate. He attributes his delay to several challenges, one of them being having changed supervisors.

“When one’s supervisor is changed, definitely there is a delay, which forces one to go back to the drawing board,” he said.

Canon Isabirye’s Ph.D. is in the area of Theology called Church History, specifically African church history. For his thesis, he examined the Phenomena of African Indigenous Pentecostal Christianity in Busoga and Buganda regions in Uganda using the Deliverance Church as a case study. His comprehensive exploration includes how those churches emerged, and the reasons and the factors their founders had.

His desire now is to continue teaching and also do ministry work.

Reflecting back on his journey to accomplishing this great attainment, he acknowledges the difficulty. He attributes two stingingly memorable and important days in his life which brought a large wave of change that never left him the same again, as well as helped him remain firm, faithful and confident in God, preparing him for these challenges.

The first day was in 1974 when the late Rt. Rev. Cyprian Bamwoze (the former Bishop of Busoga Diocese) visited his church while he was in primary school and identified him out of many other pupils, prophesying “this boy will be a reverend.” The second memorable day on April 17, 1981, was when he came to the Lord (became born again).

“On that day, the preacher spoke of when Jesus had died the curtain tore into two, and as I was getting saved, I saw something get torn into two in my life,” he said.

Canon Isabirye urges the youth to depend on the Lord.

“My journey has been long, tedious and at times painful, but I do not regret anything because God has been in it,” he said with a reminder that regardless of age, people are in a pilgrimage for Christ. “I always ask God to lead me until the end.”

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‘My life is a footprint of God’

October 30, 2019Scholarship, UCU Alumni#children with disabilities, #social work, #Uganda Christian University Partners, Alumni, God, Jinja, UCUPatty Huston-Holm

Namangale (third right) heads for her degree

By Douglas Olum

“My life was surrounded by death, death and death. Sometimes we read about faith in the Bible and doubt it, but for me, I have seen and experienced it.”

Such were some of the reflections of 27-year-old Jane Najale Namangale as she was recognized as the overall best performer at the 4th part of the 20th Uganda Christian University graduation ceremony on October 25, 2019. She scored a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.82 out of 5.00. She was among 32 first class graduands out of a total of 1,200 who marched on the red carpet that Friday.

While she was being celebrated, Namangale did not have a parent or relative who accompanied her to witness her victory. In her cheering section was a friend, Kelly Rompel, an American Missionary based in Uganda. The reason for lack of blood relatives was that death took almost everyone around her.

One of six children, Namangale never saw her father because she was born months after his death. Her mother, Mary Auma, died six months after her birth. Left in the hands of her aged grandmother, the baby Namangale could not receive the adequate care needed. A local, missionary founded childcare organization, Good Shepherd, took her and one brother. Three sisters and another brother, fathered by a different man, were taken by that man.

At Good Shepherd, Namangale and many other children received food, medication, health care, clothing, education, among other needs. She also got spiritual nourishment at the center.

However, she was dropped from the organization’s care after she finished her secondary (Ordinary Level) education because of policy issues. But an American missionary family, took her on because she had no home to go to. The family of Michael Templeton took her through high school to acquire the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education.

But when the Templeton’s left Uganda, Namangale and some of her friends started selling fruits in the Eastern Uganda, Jinja town, for survival. For about three years, she was in this trade before she got a cleaning job with Cherish Uganda, another childcare organization. She worked with the organization for four years.

It was from Cherish Uganda that the grown up Namangale interacted with disadvantaged children, most of who had mental health problems, and developed the desire to practice social work. She wanted to return to school and pursue a degree in social work but her earning was too little to take her to a university.

“I shared my feelings, prayed about it and also asked my friends to join me in the prayer,” Namangale said. “Mine was nothing but pure faith.”

A few months later, one of her brothers from her step dad offered to pay for her studies at the university. Namangale was admitted to the UCU Social Work and Social Administration program. But during her first semester at the university, her brother, Walter Wanjala, who was an architect, got involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident that claimed his life. It was especially heartbreaking as this was her closest relative.

“At that point, I got so angry with God,” Namangale said. “I felt like any other person could have gone but not him because he was the full package of both a brother and parent. I even doubted God and kept asking: Why, why, why? But that was the time I saw God’s hands.”

An American friend to her former guardian, Templeton, came to her rescue. He had been trying to get in touch with her and help her for quite some time. Immediately, he took care of her tuition and all academic related needs.

“I gave education my best because I knew this was the only chance I have,” Namangale said. “If I delayed to graduate, there was going to be no other source of money to see me through school.”

As she graduated, three of her five siblings have all died. The other two returned to their roots somewhere in Kenya.

Despite obstacles and a void of family, Namangale sees her life as “a footprint of God” – one that will enable her to positively impact children with disabilities by establishing a care center for them and to help older students as a university lecturer. She believes that God has a purpose for which he allowed her to go through all the hardships.

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To support UCU students, programs and facilities, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at mtbartels@gmail.com or at UCU Partners, P.O. Box 114, Sewickley, Pa. 15143.

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Being an Ambassador for UCU and Christ

March 28, 2019UCU Alumni, UCU School of MedicineAlumni, Ambassador, Boston, California, Georgia, School of Medicine, Uganda Christian University, Uganda Partners, Vice Chancellor, Virginia, Washington DCPatty Huston-Holm

Ruth and John Senyonyi in Escondido, California.

By Dr. Ruth Senyonyi

I regard myself as a “mini UCU ambassador” whenever I travel with my husband (Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi) on a mission to represent Uganda Christian University (UCU) abroad. Official ambassadors, often called diplomats, get anywhere from 15 million shillings to $187,000 a year to represent their countries. Neither of us gets anything close to that for representing the university.

Our greater reward is not money, but God’s almighty blessings. I am blessed to stand with my husband and play whatever role God sees at any point in time.

This year, we set off in late January to our first stop in the not-so attractive, cold winter weather of Washington D.C., ready to tell the world about UCU. Most of what I know about UCU is acquired, not as an insider, but as an observer, especially from interaction with my husband, John, who is the head of this majestic University. I listen in, critique (at times), worry (sometimes) and pray (most times) for UCU. Over the years I have seen the amazing transformation of the university, and I have been blessed to be a prayer partner in its growth curve.

Senyonyi’s bundled up, inside the home of Murray and Ginger Black, with snow in the background in the USA state of Virginia — Senyonyi’s bundled up with snow in the background in the USA state of Virginia

This year, 2019, the UCU School of Medicine, the latest baby born in UCU, was constantly on our lips. A government-accredited program with 700 applicants interviewed and rolled down to 63 student-doctors-in-training was a great achievement in this 21-year-old institution. Of these, seven are foreign students from five nations in Africa. The medical school is an expensive but much needed venture that will positively change Ugandan and African health services.

John and the UCU partner members were tasked to highlight this amazing school and get support in kind and otherwise. Once in a while I would throw in sentences/words of encouragement, explanations and illustrations about UCU. In the midst of all these, John’s message was primarily about the Christian influence and how having a Christian doctor would go a long way in impacting nations for Christ.

On similar trips, we have often been stopped by UCU graduates who jog our minds with “I studied at UCU.” When we meet them in airports, lounges, in immigration, on streets, we get help (favour) faster than any of the other passengers. Workplaces in Uganda and across the world have been awestruck with UCU graduates and their Christian work ethic – a sign that UCU graduates are having the much-needed impact.

This UCU graduate impact was enough to jerk UCU into getting a foot in the door of training health service providers.

The message this time raised a host of questions. What will a Christian UCU graduate doctor look like? What worldview will they bring on board in an increasingly hostile secularized environment? What can they offer in the already failing medical world of Uganda? What is needed to ensure an effective Christian faith-based training? What resources are needed?

The message this time was different in that the focus was on the context to the need for such training. We explained that in Uganda there was much need given the statistics: only 500 dentists nationally and 1 doctor to every 25,000 persons. Training a doctor is a tall order and is one of the uphill tasks before UCU that we had to explain.

That aside, the hospitality of our hosts continues to be a highlight the 2019 USA trip. In Washington, DC, we were in the safe hands of a couple that is praying to relocate to Uganda. In Virginia, we were excited to see the beautiful snow flakes falling outside the warmth of a host’s home; a Ugandan couple braved the icy roads to come for a meal. The hospitality and the wonderful meals with warm, God-filled conversations are memorable. Over 60 people braved the cold to hear about UCU at one such meal, which was organized by the wife and a member of the board for Uganda Christian University Partners, a USA-based nonprofit supporting UCU for more than 15 years. I marvel at the dedication and love of UCU by the Uganda Christian University Partners Board.

John is often given opportunity to the pulpit and my continuous prayer was that he, as a missionary to the USA as well as a UCU ambassador, is used by God to proclaim the word without fear and in its entirety. US sermons last for less than 20 minutes, but the word continues to bless and enrich the listeners. John begins by telling members of congregations about UCU then turns to God’s word. I particularly remember his preaching in Washington, DC, and in Virginia on how familiarity to God can choke Christian faith (Luke 4:21-32). It’s a gentle reminder that as Christians, bred and grown and surrounded by other Christians, we could easily take the gospel for granted (familiarity) and lose sight of him (Jesus Christ) who is central in our Christianity.

In another wonderful sermon, given in Boston at an Anglican church and later at a “Ugandan” church, my husband illustrated God’s needed presence. Fear is one thing that can grip a person to inactivity. At a time when the disciples were locked up in a room in fear of persecution, Jesus appeared to them and proclaimed peace. In a world filled with fear (loss, illness, retirement, crises), Jesus continues to speak and give peace. The disciples were then given the Holy Spirit to continue the mission that Jesus had started. We were strengthened when we were reminded that as forgiven Christians we are on a mission to proclaim his word without fear.

The School of Medicine, Mercer University, in Macon, Georgia, gave us insight into what we needed to accomplish over the years to succeed with the UCU School of Medicine. The President and faculty members received us very warmly and expressed willingness to support UCU materially, through teaching and in various other ways.

My personalized blessing this trip is that I got time with God and with my husband. We are busy working adults with leadership responsibilities, and therefore these times away give us more opportunity to fellowship and seek the Lord together. With retirement not far away, the Lord clearly reminded us that He had anointed us purposefully and was going to surely accomplish His work through us – no matter what stage of life we are in.

I am blessed to be a mini ambassador for UCU and a maxi ambassador for God — not for money, but for our Lord and Savior.

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For more stories about UCU, visit https://www.ugandapartners.org. If you would like to support the university and its faculty, students and programs, including the new School of Medicine, contact Mark Bartels, Executive Director, Uganda Christian University Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org or go to https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/

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UCU one-person call center opportunity to ‘witness for Christ’

November 15, 2018UCU AlumniAlumni, Call Center, Customer Service, Uganda Christian University, Uganda PartnersPatty Huston-Holm

By Patty Huston-Holm

Nestled among a sloping-down building bustling with students seeking financial information, an attached, sloping up classroom and, to the right, the large, open-air worship center is the Uganda Christian University (UCU) call center.

Arthur Balayo Watuulo alone occupies the generally quiet room with white curtains, a desk and two chairs, filing cabinet, computer, calendar and musical keyboard. His is the voice at the end of extension 200 for internal staff, at 0312350800 for Ugandans and at 011-256031350880 for Americans.

Arthur: “Uganda Christian University. Good morning. How may I help you?”

Female caller: “I would like to inquire…” She ran out of Airtel airtime. He tried to call her back, but the message said “caller busy.”

Good customer service
“They are surprised when I call them back,” Arthur, a UCU graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, said. “But I try to do that. It’s good customer service.”

Often, Arthur’s voice is the first one that people hear at UCU. Sometimes, especially in the case of international callers, his is the only one they ever hear. Recognizing that people outside of Africa are from different time zones, he provides them his cell number in case they want to call back. He may take calls late into the night.

Since March 31, 2016, Arthur has been the call center. Before that, calls went to the Vice Chancellor’s office. Arthur recalls that first day of walking into his sparsely furnished office on the main/Mukono campus. He got some help to carry in a desk and chair. He got a computer and phone. The small musical keyboard next to the phone today is his – for stress-relief tapping when call center hours go late into the night.

Arthur describes himself as musician (gospel, jazz, blues singer and instrumentalist), communicator (member of UCU Communications and Marketing Department), information technician (program developer and documenter) and Christian. The book, “Confessions of a Happy Christian,” by Zig Ziglar, is on his desk.

Humility, calmness, patience
“Arthur’s personality is a perfect match for his role. He is humble with a very calm demeanor, which suits his position given the different personalities of callers,” said Michael Mubangizi, manager for the Communications and Marketing Department and Arthur’s supervisor.

“People have a negative opinion of a call center,” Arthur said. “I see it as an opportunity to serve and be a witness for Christ.”

The job requires patience, especially when the caller is angry. It requires deep listening, including with a person on the line who is depressed and might need a scripture, a prayer or referral to counseling. It requires organization to track calls and find information for callers. It involves discernment, including figuring out “con artists” and unidentified members of the media looking to trip up somebody to get story information.

“I’ve fallen victim,” Arthur said, recalling a time when being scammed by a caller who said he was looking to award internships to UCU students. “I put him in contact with a friend. She said he wanted money from her for uniforms. This mistake cost my friend 100,000 shillings ($27).”

The center’s most frequent calls go from Arthur to “extensions 880 and 218,” admissions reception and the business program area, respectively. The busiest times are September, when the largest number of undergraduate students are admitted; February/March, when most law program admissions occur and S6 (high school graduation) marks come in; May, when creditor calls are frequent; and graduation weeks, when there are questions about fee deadlines, certificates, locations, dates and times. In 2018, there have been a lot of questions about the new UCU School of Medicine.

Arthur starts each call in English. He responds in English, Luganda, or Lumasaba, depending on the customer language origin. He can generally figure out languages he doesn’t know.

The loneliness of the job fits Arthur’s part-introvert, part-extrovert personality with the extrovert part satisfied when he exits his office to meet some of the callers on the Mukono campus and helps them find locations. He taps into his musician talent by changing his telephone response tones.

“Today, I’m speaking low,” he said. “Commanding my voice makes me a better singer.”

Arthur realizes his job isn’t for everyone. When he’s on leave, he understands that those filling in relish his return.

“You have to be really patient, handle yourself well, not lose your cool,” he said. “I find it rewarding, and a way to serve God.”

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Support to UCU helps pay salaries for staff members and UCU alumus like Arthur. If you are interested in supporting UCU, contact Mark Bartels, UCU Partners’ Executive Director, at mtbartels@gmail.com. Also follow our Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin pages.

Regular support key to plans for student activity centre

November 12, 2018UCU AlumniActivity Centre, Alumni, Church of Uganda, Fundraising, Uganda Christian University, Uganda PartnersPatty Huston-Holm

By Lhwanzu Kitooke

The Vice Chancellor (VC) of Uganda Christian University (UCU), Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi, referenced Mark 12 as he talked about the poor widow who Jesus praised for giving a few coins because it was all she had.

Speaking during the “UCU Alumni Meet” in Namirembe (Archbishop’s Palace Gardens) on Friday, 9 November 2018, he connected this Biblical story to fundraising with his emphasis that “having a standing order as a person on a regular basis of giving out something for charity per month, whatever little you give, is valuable.”

Specifically, the fundraising surrounds a UCU Alumni Association drive to build a student activity centre on the Mukono campus. The project is estimated to cost between $3.5-$4 million (about Sh10b) and is aimed at providing added collaboration space and centralising such services as restaurants, the gymnasium and banks.

The UCU Vice Chancellor was joined in his remarks by the Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali Archbishop of Church of Uganda and Chancellor UCU; David Mugawe, Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) of Development and External Relations; and Alira David Pechokisika, UCU Alumni Association President.

“Our goal is to have the building up in October 2022 when UCU celebrates 25 years,” the association president said. “A university is as good as its alumni. Let’s do what we can to make sure UCU grows.”

DVC-DER, David Magawe noted that discussion of the centre started in 2013. Development was delayed by the need for additional classrooms (Noll building) and road and sidewalk construction on the Mukono campus. The start of the new School of Medicine and construction of a new building on the Kampala campus have been other priorities interfering with focus on the centre.

“You make it happen,” he said to roughly 70 alumni at the event. “We need you.”

Dr. Senyonyi said that while he was the USA, people supported UCU and some of them gave little as $5 during the construction of the Hamu Mukasa Library located in the heart of the UCU Mukono campus.

“When I travel all over the continent of Africa, in the USA and UK, I meet people proud of UCU,” he said. “All UCU Alumni should be proud of their University.” He encouraged UCU graduates not to do negative publicity about the University but instead bring ideas on table for proper development.

The Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali, a Bishop Tucker Theological College graduate, blessed the event and asked those present to “pray, mobilize and give money.”

Martha Kyoshaba, Academic Registrar – Mbarara University of Science and Technology was among alumni embracing old friends at the November 2018 event

Among those representing an estimated 60,000 UCU alumni were:

Okot Emmanuel, a graduate from the Mass Communication class of 2015 who travelled from Juba (South Sudan) – He pledged to be a UCU Ambassador and market UCU as a brand in his home country. He volunteers with 98.6 Eye Radio Juba on the news desk and as an investigative reporter. As one tactic to increase mobilization for the University, Okot encouraged the alumni and friends of UCU to use their job positions and skills to promote UCU. He said: “For example, if you are a radio presenter, just a minute to talk about your University would not hurt. After all you carry the UCU Certificates and Transcripts forever.”
Martha Kyoshaba, Current Academic Registrar Mbarara University of Science and Technology and a UCU pioneer graduate in 2000 – She noted: “All the things I do, I learnt from UCU. Even when I was Vice Guild President, it shaped my leadership skills.”
Tezita Sekeri, former UCU student working with the office of the Prime Minister in Uganda – He advised the UCU Alumni Association to identity all those former students doing well. “They are well-off and they have connections, their involvement in such big projects is a step ahead of us all,” he said.

A highlight of the evening was the auctioning of an artist rendition of the new centre. Those attending donated shillings from 10,000 to 100,000 each in a friendly tent-to-tent competition as part of raising additional funds for the centre.

“When I began doing development, I was told about the value of having strong alumni,” the Vice Chancellor said. He looked around the lawn and added, “Even this small group, you can do something.”

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For more information about how you can help Uganda Christian University as the alumni are, contact Mark Bartels, UCU Partners executive director, at mtbartels@gmail.com.

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