Tag Archives: Christianity

Born in May of 2002, I was the last of four children of a housewife and engineer. They were elated to bring another healthy baby into the world – at least for the first five months.

‘I am part of spina bifida statistics’

Journalism, Students, ,


Pauline Luba, diagnosed with spina bifida as a baby, is a final-year student in UCU’s School of Journalism, Media and Communication.
Pauline Luba, diagnosed with spina bifida as a baby, is a final-year student in UCU’s School of Journalism, Media and Communication.

(Note: This first-person story is provided by Pauline Luba, a final-year, undergraduate student in Uganda Christian University’s School of Journalism, Media and Communication. She is one of three interns writing for Uganda Partners. As she prepares to receive her bachelor’s degree this October, one of her next steps is helping others who, like her, have spina bifida. In late April, she launched a web site focused on that goal.)

By Pauline Luba
Born in May of 2002, I was the last of four children of a housewife and engineer. They were elated to bring another healthy baby into the world – at least for the first five months.

At six months, my mother noticed a peculiar swelling on the lower part of my tiny back. It quickly grew into a huge sac and prompted a rush to the hospital. Following tests, the doctor determined I had spina bifida, a birth defect in which the spine and spinal cord don’t form properly.  The National Institutes of Health reports up to 10 of every 1,000 babies have it. An estimated 1,400 children are born with spina bifida annually in Uganda.

Spina bifida is a condition in which a spinal cord fails to develop properly. One of two things happens: 1) a large sac develops; or 2) a deep opening occurs where the spine should be. The types are myelomeningocele, meningocele and occulta.

Myelomeningocele, which is the most serious spina bifida type, has a sack of fluid coming through an opening in the back. Part of the spinal cord and nerves are damaged in this sac. Most people with this type lose feeling in their legs, cannot use the bathroom and are generally faced with disability for life.

Meningocele is just a sac in the back with fluid and no part of the spinal cord. However, it may have some nerves and may lead to minor disabilities in one’s life.

Occulta is best described as where the gap in the spine is so small and underdeveloped that it goes undetected until late childhood or early adulthood. Unlike other types, occulta does not carry any disabilities or issues for the victims. Scientists theorise that it may be caused by genetics or environment but it needs to be studied further. 

I have meningocele. I am part of spina

Pauline as a baby after surgery
Pauline as a baby after surgery

bifida statistics. This, then, is not my full story, but rather a fraction of my obstacles punctuated with frustrations, learning and hope through the encouragement of God and His people.

At age six months, the sac in my back was successfully removed, but nerve damage occurred either from spina bifida or from the surgery itself. My mother blamed the surgeon.

My nerve damage caused issues in my left leg. It became weak and smaller in size than my right. There was a note of paralysis in part of my foot and toes. Doctor visits both in Kenya and Uganda were part of my childhood. Medical professionals said I was spina bifida-free with related or unrelated muscle atrophy best alleviated with exercise and physiotherapy, the latter of which was outside my family budget.

I was often bullied by my peers for being the girl whose legs were “two different sizes.” 

Still vivid in my memory is this childhood ridicule. One girl laughed loudly, pointing at my legs each time I stood up and walked to see the timetable at the front of the class. At the library, where students were required to remove shoes to enter, I was mocked again as classmates saw how I had tissue stuffed in mine to help them fit. I can still hear the glee from boys and girls when once I fell from the imbalance of an atrophied leg and even more with kids wrapping index fingers and thumbs around my lower leg to point out the small size. 

Pauline, left, growing up with two older sisters.
Pauline, left, growing up with two older sisters.

School-required dresses (vs. pants) for girls made my disability more obvious.

I developed a dislike for being touched, especially on my leg, and often isolated myself from other kids. At home, I cried a lot and sometimes pretended to be sick to avoid school. 

This took a toll on me, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Teasing and insensitive comments follow me even now as a young adult. Acquaintances and random people ask what happened to my leg. Some have genuine curiosity, whereas others laugh. 

I found myself asking God why. 

Why do I look different?  Why can’t I have equally sized-legs like everybody else? Why am I sick more than others?  While I did fake sickness occasionally, other times I was genuinely battling malaria or sinusitis or allergies to the cold. 

I felt I was a burden to my family. 

Throughout my self-isolation as a child, books were my friends. Books offered a beautiful escape and provided a deeper understanding of many things. When I wasn’t reading, I also started seeing the value in all people, regardless of disability.

One instance of this was in mid 2023, when Uganda Partners assigned me a story on a swimmer living with a disability at the university. Even before the story was written my interest peaked. The student I was meant to interview had lost his leg in an accident at age eight. 

Hearing the young man recount his tale of pain, suffering, rejuvenation and finding himself in swimming has stuck with me to this very day. His explanation about how he thought of nothing when he was in the water felt similar to how I thought of nothing when I read. Even though I was interviewing him that day, he took the wheel on teaching me a very important lesson on perspective and achieving what you want – regardless of what they world may think of you.

Now, as a student soon to receive my bachelor’s degree from Uganda Christian University, I can look back to find some silver linings that made me stronger, smarter and more sensitive to the differences of others. 

While books were my friends, God was my bigger friend. He was there to catch my tears, answer my questions, and encourage me. 

I am today selective about acquaintances, fostering genuine connections and friendships. 

One difficult situation I overcame was when I had to stand in front of an assembly at O’ level as a prefect and give a speech in my skirt, trying hard not to think about everyone judging me. To date, I have won speech competitions. To this, I mostly thank my older sisters, who believed in me and encouraged me.

Belief in myself moves me now to set up a non-profit which seeks to raise awareness about spina bifida, fund surgeries of patients, offer aid in their areas and so much more. It goes by the name of Kore – a pronunciation play on the word “core,” referring to the spine and how it’s one of the “core” body parts.

Kore community-based organization officially launched its website and social media in late April 2024. It’s found at www.koreug.org. My family and close friends are elated with the organization, but more so with the decision to begin this project considering my personal experience. 

I am not the most connected, wealthy or professional person in this country, but I am hopeful that my experience will drive this organization to its goal. I want to see more awareness about this disease, pregnant women taking the measures to protect their babies against it, children growing up without its associated stigma and combating the associated mental, social and physical challenges. I hope to assemble a team with so much creativity, that we don’t do things the normal way. 

And most of all, I hope to instill an essence of God into the hearts of all we touch. Without Him, I would not be here today.

I knew of Him, but once I started to foster a deeper relationship with Him, that was the true beginning of my life.  I was born with something I did not ask for, but I will not let it interfere with the dreams I have for myself. 

I want people with a similar story to read mine and know they are not alone. In my testimony to come, I hope to continue sharing to prove that no matter the disease, one’s life can still be fruitful and joyous.

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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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Ocen Walter Onen at the UCU Mukono campus

‘I welcomed Christ into my life’

Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, News, UCU Alumni, , , , , , , ,


Ocen Walter Onen at the UCU Mukono campus
Ocen Walter Onen at the UCU Mukono campus

(NOTE:  In October, UCU Partners published an article about how this graduate of UCU helped the poor.  That article is here: https://www.ugandapartners.org/2020/10/we-cannot-keep-preaching-the-gospel-to-the-poor-without-helping-them-realize-their-potential/. This article is the “back story” of that alum.)

By Ocen Walter Onen

BEFORE KNOWING CHRIST
In the morning hour of about 8:45 a.m. on March 2 of the year of our Lord 1992, my mum gave birth to me. Like any other baby, I cried at my first arrival into the world, which was going to be my home for some years as the Lord so wished. My mum later told me that I was born during an insurgency – various Ugandan civil wars.

Though, what was worse than my country’s rebellion against government is the fact that I was borne into non-Christian family. This meant that my life and growth were somewhat controlled by the traditional ancestral deities. For example, when I was a four-year-old, I fell sick and my parents consulted a traditional healer, who said that “the god wanted my name to be changed from Okot Walter Onen to Ocen Walter Onen.” This practice of listening to witch doctors was inherited from our great-great ancestors and continued until 2005, when Jesus Christ interrupted this evil chain – starting with me and then with all my family by 2014.

KNOWING CHRIST
On May 5, 2005, I welcomed Jesus Christ into my life. The burdens accruing from my countless sins had suffocated me and sincerely speaking, “I was dead pretending to be alive.” So, when a preacher quoted Matthew 11:28 (Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.), I realized my vulnerabilities and the need to accept the free mercy of God to redeem me from my state of hopelessness.

I could say much more about this wonderful day, but let me turn your attention to what happened after I got saved.  Immediately, I felt my heart lightened, and my fears of guilt disappeared. In fact, the spirit of God filled me and I began going to church, sharing with brethren through fellowship and Bible study.

I began to question where God was leading me. What was my purpose? What does He exactly want me do? Why did He create us in his image instead of animals, trees, mountains and other non-human creations? Why does He cherish us so much to the extent of giving us His only Son? These questions shaped my thinking and ignited my quest for a philosophical understanding of the church’s doctrines. It was also one of the key reasons that compelled me to pursue a degree in Theology and Divinity at Uganda Christian University.

AT UGANDA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY (2016-2019)
At UCU, I met distinguished scholars, especially from the faculty of Bishop Tucker School of Theology and Divinity who encouraged me to wrestle with new theories and concepts about Christianity and its mission in the world. For example, Rev. Can. Prof. Byaruhanga Christopher challenged us to think outside the box and avoid the temptation of spiritualizing Jesus’ proclamation in Luke 4:16-18, but apply it to fight multidimensional poverty, injustices and the all forms of ungodliness in our vocational context.

According to him, “a pastor is the fifth gospel” meaning that people will always look up to you for the meaning of righteousness. Another professor, Rt. Rev. Prof. Alfred Olwa, who was our dean then, also would reinforce the message that the centre of Christianity is shifting from the global north to the global south. The theologians in the global south, including Africa, should be more prepared than ever to shape the discussion revolving around the orthodoxy of the unchanging gospel truth in the dynamic world.

I wondered how we might do this if most of the biblical scholarship is still being done in the western world. The urgency of theologians in the south to participate in sharing the Word became more apparent.

AT EASTERN COLLEGE AUSTRALIA (2019-CURRENT)
In 2019, the words of the “Amazing Grace” hymn became ever more real.  I received my degree from UCU on July 5 that year.  Just the day before, I learned that I had been awarded a scholarship to pursue a Master in Transformational Development at Eastern College Australia. What a blessing! In fact, I felt like God’s exhortation to prosper us had just visited my door. Glory be to him, our rock and our redeemer.

In November 2020, my post-graduate studies are deconstructing, reconstructing and restructuring the worldview I had built from UCU. Indeed, it has created a platform for me to amalgamate both theology and development in one single unit of “integral mission.” 

CHRIST IN EDUCATION
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges throughout the world, including in Uganda and specifically with education.  A shift to on-line learning has been difficult for many.

Despite obstacles, I encourage current students of Uganda Christian University to appreciate the fact that a university education produces thinkers who can derive solutions for the mantra of prevailing problems in our communities. Individuals with university degrees are best positioned to creatively engage in rigorous research and innovation.

Scholars will play a key role in unleashing the United Nations sustainable development goals for 2030, the vision 2063 of the African Union, the vision 2040 of the republic of Uganda, and/or the vision of their own communities, or their own vision. At that, this is only possible if we permit Jesus Christ to reign in our lives, thoughts, words and actions.

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The Rev. Ocen Walter Onen is a UCU Bishop Tucker School of Theology and Divinity alum who is pursuing a Master in Transformational Development from Eastern College Australia.

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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

The Just family – Jason and Ladavia; Jada, 14; twins Jamie and Jael, who recently turned 9.

God nudges South Carolina pharmacist to UCU medical school service

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The Just family – Jason and Ladavia; Jada, 14; twins Jamie and Jael, who recently turned 9.
The Just family – Jason and Ladavia; Jada, 14; twins Jamie and Jael, who recently turned 9.

(The Fulbright Program is designed to improve intercultural relations, diplomacy and competence between people in the United States and other countries. This is the first of three stories about American Fulbright Scholars serving with Uganda Christian University.)

By Patty Huston-Holm

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

Uprooting from a developed to developing country shouldn’t be an overnight decision.  For Dr. Ladavia Just of North Charleston, South Carolina, it wasn’t.

Sitting barefooted in her Kampala, Uganda, home while her three children were in their new school and juggling phone messages about her husband’s American-to-Uganda air travel snafus, she reflected on her path across the ocean to serve with Uganda Christian University (UCU).  The three-year discernment journey started in February 2016 with UCU’s Vice Chancellor, the Rev. Canon Dr. John. Senyonyi, visiting South Carolina. This connection was followed by Ladavia’s two exploratory trips to Uganda before a Fulbright Scholarship award to do nine months of work related to Dr. Ladavia’s expertise in pharmacy.

Ladavia Just
Ladavia Just

Dr. Just is teaching pharmacology courses for second-year students at the UCU School of Medicine that is located within Kampala’s Mengo Hospital. She also has been tasked with helping to lay the foundation for a new pharmacy program at UCU’s School of Medicine. In addition, she will conduct research assessing the feasibility of increasing access to heath care using telemedicine in refugee settlements.

“When I look at the needs of Ugandans, the list is overwhelming,” she said. “I wondered how I could possibly have made a ripple of an impact. Now as I consider the fact that I have been practicing as a clinical pharmacist for the past decade, coupled with my background in postsecondary education and health administration, I realize there is a ripple that has my name on it.”

That ripple became a wave with “first God nudging me very subtly” before the giant push with her husband, Jason, agreeing to hold down the fort with his work at the Medical University of South Carolina while his wife and three daughters took up a year’s residency in Uganda.  The couple agreed that having their twins, Jamie and Jael, age 9, and Jada, 14, engaged in the international experience, including school in Uganda, would be a plus.

Here’s some of what Dr. Ladavia Just knows as it relates to the need she might fill in Uganda:

  • In the United States, the career path to become a pharmacist involves at least two years of undergraduate study, four years of graduate-level study, and two exams. There are 144 accredited programs with the more than 300,000 pharmacy graduates (2016) making more than $100,000 a year. These American pharmacists give advice on wellness, educate on drug benefits and side affects and administer certain vaccinations. Throughout the country, citizens can access a licensed pharmacist about every two miles (3.2 kilometers).
  • In Uganda, which is about the size of the state of Oregon, you can become a pharmacist following a four-year program, followed by a one-year internship, in four locations – one in the north, one in the west and two centrally located. While institutions offer lower levels (certificate, diploma) of programs related to pharmacy work in Uganda, the best comparable solution to supplementing health care in this country is the licensed pharmacist, making 4 million shillings ($1,085) a month. Except for the injection role, they operate much the same as those in the Western world. But there are are not enough of them.

As quoted in May 2019 by Uganda’s Daily Monitor newspaper, 20 percent of the just over 1,000 Ugandan licensed pharmacists are working or getting further education out of the country. And 90 percent of the rest are working in private pharmacies that the most economically vulnerable, particularly the rural poor that make up 80 percent of Uganda’s population, cannot access.

According to Samuel Opio, the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda secretary, Uganda needs five times more than the 150 pharmacists who graduate each year.

“If you look at Uganda’s 42 million population as a while, the number of ‘in country’ pharmacist ratio is roughly 1 per 60,000 people,” Dr. Ladavia said. “The Ministry of Health has indicated a goal of 1 per 20,000 over the next decade.”

The pharmaceutical issue in third-world countries goes beyond access data. It’s also about substandard drugs.  In June of 2019, the Ugandan National Drug Authority estimated that 10% of all medications provided in the country are counterfeit.  Ineffective ingredients (sugar, powder, chalk, etc.) in these fake drugs can be deadly.  In July of 2019, the Ugandan government was exploring a relationship with MediConnect block chain technology to alleviate the problem.

While considering assistance to start a UCU School of Medicine pharmaceutical school at some point, providing this information to the university’s medical students will assist in not only added knowledge but also with reinforcing ethical and Christian practices in Ugandan health care, according to Dr. Ladavia.

Dr. Edward Kanyesigye, Dean of the UCU Faculty of Health Sciences (including the medical school) cites Dr. Ladavia’s practical and teaching experience as an asset to UCU as well as her highly relational personality.  In Uganda’s community-based culture, the American pharmacist had the added advantage of being able to build sustainable relationships.

An added uniqueness with Dr. Ladavia is her African-American heritage. Most Westerners working in Uganda are Caucasian. This ethnic unfamiliarity results in many locals mistaking her for Ugandan until she starts to speak. She recalled one restaurant experience in Kampala with white-skinned Americans.

“My friends, Amy and Jayne, were given menus, and I was not with the assumption that being Ugandan, I would get my food from the local buffet, “ Dr. Ladavia recalled, smiling.  “When hearing my American accent, the wait staff quickly apologized and brought me a menu. But the rest of the lunch was spent with curious stares of other (Ugandan) diners.”

Heritage, Dr. Ladavia believes, will be another asset to her teaching in East Africa. While teaching basic principles of pharmacology, the nervous system, chemotherapy and other drug-related topics, students and staff will expand their cultural, racial and ethnic awareness by learning who she is and what she believes.  If the subject of slavery comes up, she welcomes the conversation.

“I want them to understand and learn from me, ” Dr. Ladavia remarked from her home in Kampala, shortly after moving in. ““Already, I have learned so much from them.”

She has learned how to go to the market, to enroll her children into an international school with children from 35 countries, to find a place where her children can see a movie, to drive a car on rugged streets and around bodabodas (motorcycles) that don’t follow traffic rules, and to buy and keep four rabbits for her girls to have as pets.

“Ugandans are wonderful, friendly people,” she said. “I know that God is using me for His Glory and placing His children from here in my path.”

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To support Uganda Christian University’s School of Medicine and other programs, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at mtbartels@gmail.com.

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Sheila, center, is shown with some faculty at Bishop Barham University, Kabale, where she assisted in her role as an intern with the fifth annual dissertation writing and research clinic in 2019. (UCU Partners photo)

Sheila Ainembabazi, 2019 UCU Literacy Project Intern: ‘God will make a way’

Scholarship, UCU Alumni, , , , , , ,


Sheila, center, is shown with some faculty at Bishop Barham University, Kabale, where she assisted in her role as an intern with the fifth annual dissertation writing and research clinic in 2019. (UCU Partners photo)
Sheila, center, is shown with some faculty at Bishop Barham University, Kabale, where she assisted in her role as an intern with the fifth annual dissertation writing and research clinic in 2019. (UCU Partners photo)

(LAST OF FOUR PARTS: This article features one of 10 interns hired to assist with the five-year-old Uganda Christian University dissertation research and writing training. She was selected from among 200 applicants. In addition to serving post-graduate students through the clinic, interns build their own resumes and obtain jobs or further education opportunities. Parts I, II and III can be accessed at those links. A video is here.)

By Patty Huston-Holm

When Sheila was born in 1996, she was given the Ugandan name Ainembabazi, which in her Runyankole mother tongue language means “God has grace.”  She was the first born of Frank Kamukama, a vocational agricultural teacher, and Grace Kiconco, a housewife and part-time shop owner who sells basic household items in their Western Uganda Mbarara District.

Her younger sister, Franklin, got the name Ainomugisha, which means “God has blessings.”  Her two brothers, Kelvin Ainamaani and Alvin Ainebyoona, have Ugandan names translated to “God has power” and “God is everything,” respectively.

God, obviously, is central to the family.

Sheila Ainembazi, intern
Sheila Ainembazi, intern

Thus, on the September 2, 2019, morning of this interview, Sheila praised the Lord for placing her in the next phase of her studies to be an attorney.  While disappointed that she would be in a nine-month Law Development Centre (LDC) program in Mbarara and not alongside her best friend, Ruth, chosen to study in Kampala (269 kilometers or 167 miles away), she was grateful. Sheila and Ruth, who graduated in July 2019 with Bachelors of Law degrees from Uganda Christian University, received entry into the country’s LDC program with classes starting September 23. Due to some Ministry of Justice disagreement, this cohort of students was not required to take the usual pre-entry exam to qualify for this phase.

Coming from humble beginnings, Sheila has been able to find blessings and patience wherever she has been placed.

At UCU, she was a work study student who rose early each morning to clean offices, dust library books, prepare tea and make deliveries before her classes as part of her tuition reimbursement. She learned the value of being “the least of these” and appreciation to those who noticed and thanked her for her work, including Dr. Joseph Owor in the School of Research and Post-Graduate Studies (SRPGS).

While studying law on the UCU Mukono campus, she became especially concerned with Ugandans who were mistreated due largely to their literacy levels.  Her final research paper focused in the inequalities and legal violations related to land ownership and transfer rights, especially as it pertains to women.

“Most Ugandans are illiterate,” the 23-year-old said. “They go in and buy a two-page book and write sale agreements and think they are done until they save money and go further to register their land.  Then a richer, more literate person comes in and agrees to pay more and gets a title. For women, a husband dies or leaves, and the clan pushes her and the children out even though she legally has ownership.  These are some of the issues I want to help with.”

Noticing injustices, Sheila reflected, has been part of her life for quite some time.  A leader in her high school, she often noticed student issues and brought them to the attention of administrators.

“I remember we were being served old food at the canteen,” she said.  “The mandazi (fried doughnuts) were molded.  We broke them open and saw it.  I brought that to the attention of our school leaders, and it was resolved.”

Sheila understands being shunned and humbled.  Not all around her at UCU understood or valued her janitorial work.

“One student (in Law) told me that doing a maid’s work was not good for my career,” she recalled.  “He said people don’t trust a cleaner.”

But one such person who did trust her was the Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi, UCU’s vice chancellor.  He observed her diligence and hard work and, along with his wife, Ruth, decided to provide Sheila with lodging at their house as part of their support of her scholarship in her final two years. Being able to work and live on campus and have her housing and some food provided enabled Sheila to focus more and excel higher in her studies.

For this, she is grateful, along with being chosen as a 2019 intern for the UCU Partners and SRPGS co-sponsored clinic to help post-graduate students. She learned a lot about technology, organization, time lines and service.

Today, she is concerned about paying fees for her next nine-month law study program.  Some of her payment of $400 for three months work in the internship will help. She is praying for more support.

“God will make a way,” she said.  “God has made a way.”

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, including the post-graduate literacy program, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at mtbartels@gmail.com.

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Allan Kasango, 2019 UCU Literacy Project Intern: ‘I ask the Lord to show me’

UCU Alumni, , , , , , ,


Allan Kasango poses with Sheila Ainembabazi – both interns for the 2019 UCU training to help master’s students finish their dissertations. (UCU Partners photo)

(THIRD OF FOUR PARTS: This article features one of 10 interns hired to assist with the five-year-old Uganda Christian University dissertation research and writing clinic. He was selected from among 200 applicants. In addition to serving post-graduate students through the clinic, interns build their own resumes and obtain jobs. A profile on another intern appears in the last part of this series. Parts I, II and IV can be accessed at those links. A video is here.)

By Patty Huston-Holm

“Please,” implored Allan Kasango, “can’t you take just one more?”

Speaking softly but forcefully, the almost 24-year-old asked the three Americans volunteering their time with Uganda Christian University (UCU) post-graduate students to squeeze one more, and then “just one more” into their already-packed schedules.

“You can’t refuse him,” Linda Knicely from Ohio USA said, half joking.

Thus is one special trait of Allan Kasango, a UCU alumni selected for an internship with the fifth annual clinic to help mostly master’s level students with their research and writing. One of Allan’s tasks was to schedule students for individualized coaching with the Americans. He did it well with a reminder, “We need to serve them.”

His curriculum vitae mentions that he is “adaptable, self-motivated and enthusiastic.” Friends, according to Allan, say that he is “humble, caring, loving, calm, helpful.” These characteristics contributed greatly to the fact that of the 115 students enrolled in the 2019 four-week workshop, 91 received one-on-one assistance and most attended the weekly, two-hour lectures.

Allan Kasango

“I believe in working hard to get what I want,” he said.

The oldest of three children from the eastern Uganda region of Tororo, Allan’s mannerisms are influenced by the compassion of his mother, Justine, and the work ethic of his father, Wilson, a medical doctor with the United Nations and serving in such high-need areas as South Sudan and Yemen. The mom is of Samia culture. The dad is Musoga.

While his father’s position might wield influence for a job, the son is expected to “make it on my own,” Allan said.

It was through his own efforts that Allan found work with The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) and Tororo General Hospital. Both experiences provided opportunities to use the knowledge and skill acquired through his UCU bachelor’s degree in social work and administration. In addition to such clerical tasks as filing and scheduling, he counseled clients about their social and medical issues, including those who are terminally ill.

“I went into communities to help distribute drugs, to provide clients with disease coping skills,” he said. “I listened and offered advice to help people live healthier and longer.”

Work at the two locations was unpaid. Thanks to UCU Partners, an American-based, non-profit fundraising arm of UCU, Allan received a salary of $125 a month for three months. With this, he was able to help with living expenses in the nearby Seeta house he shared with six other family members and “save a little” for a future job hunt and possible support of his siblings, Daniel, age 4, and Fiona, age 16. In Uganda, the oldest child is expected to help with education costs for younger brothers and sisters.

“When I was in primary school, I wanted to be a doctor or a pilot,” Allan said, recalling a song where students would stand in front of the class and insert their early career aspirations in a designated place. He was fascinated with airplanes, but has yet to ride in one. As his education continued, weak performance in science ruled out a job in medicine.

Social work – with its people and service focus – is a good fit. Active listening and caring came easy.

As Allan’s internship came to an end in mid-September 2019, he was looking at job advertisements and discerning next steps while “talking with the Lord.” He was exploring whether he should join an existing social work organization or do something entirely different, such as opening up a wholesale shop with food items.

“I always put my thoughts in prayer,” he said, referring to Matthew 7:7 and its reference to asking, seeking and knocking on doors. “I ask the Lord to show me what to do next. He will open up the right thing.”

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, including the post-graduate literacy program that hired Allan as an intern, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at mtbartels@gmail.com.

Germans Tabea Hofmann and Stephanie Guenter with some women of Dunamai Church in Mukono, Uganda (UCU Partners Photo)

‘Without Jesus, I would not be here’

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Germans Tabea Hofmann and Stephanie Guenter with some women of Dunamai Church in Mukono, Uganda (UCU Partners Photo)
Germans Tabea Hofmann and Stephanie Guenter with some women of Dunamai Church in Mukono, Uganda (UCU Partners Photo)

By Patty Huston-Holm

“Going to bed hungry is an experience I’ve never had.”

Tabea Hofmann finished a soggy banana and folded the blackened peal on the circular table just outside the Uganda Christian University (UCU) student cafeteria. Inside, at 1:30 p.m. on a Sunday, and amidst the hum of voices blended with sound from a single, large-screen TV, was the usual meal of rice and beans, with an optional banana.

Tabea Hofmann(UCU Partners Photo)
Tabea Hofmann(UCU Partners Photo)

Tabea, 21, from Germany and less than a week into her one semester of UCU studies, reflected on the food, her career path, her faith, her life in Uganda and in her home country 3,700 miles (6,000 kilometers) away and about the message from a three-hour church service off campus that September 1, 2019, morning. Reminders that God does not abandon His people – even when they are weary from lack of food – came from the New Testament chapters of Corinthians, Romans, Matthew, Ephesians and James.

“God has predestined that you overcome everything,” said Pastor Stephen Wanyama of Dunamai (meaning “to be able” with Greek origin) Church in Mukono. “God loves you so much that when you go through pain, He is right there with you.”

Tabea was among 60 people and one of two German youth who heard the sermon from the pastor and a Luganda mother-tongue language interpreter. Tabea and Stefanie Guenter worshiped from plastic chairs arranged on a dirt floor inside a small, sheet-metal building.  Children ran and twirled joyously around the room. Local villager laundry flapped outside two small openings, while bare-footed residents walked or rode bicycles beyond the single entry opening.

“The main message is that when things don’t go well, you don’t have to understand all of it,” Tabea said. “You just need to know that God is there working for your good.”

Lack of popularity in high school, losing two grandparents within three months, eating unfamiliar food and missing a fiancé back home are small concerns compared to those of the people Tabea has met in East Africa. She reflected on the “gap year” experience with the Maasai ethnic group in Arusha, Tanzania.  She had just turned 18 and was mentoring a mostly female population in a children’s home.

“The girls had a hard past,” she recalled. “Some had been hit with sticks by teachers. Some were early married. I’m not sure what men did to them. Yet, they were smiling.”

Helping people has been Tabea’s passion from an early age in her home city of Linkenheim, Germany.  While she has worked with various populations, including a Bible study internship in a men’s prison, she has especially gravitated to nurturing children and girls. One 12-year-old girl she last saw when leaving Tanzania in July of 2017 is still in her heart.

“She was mentally disabled,” she said. “She was often disappointed in herself. I spent a lot of time with her to turn that around.”

Education and interactions in Tanzania and Uganda are informing her career that is a combination of theology and social work. Tabea, who also has musical skills (piano, violin, guitar), sees her Christian faith as inseparable from anything else in her life. She’s especially driven by verses 38 and 39 in Romans 8 that she associates with her Lutheran church confirmation class when she was age 14.

“The message is that nothing can separate us from God,” Tabea remarked, recalling one professor who said that while education is important, “in the cup of knowledge, when you reach the bottom (of what you can know), there is God.”

She is concerned that her generation, especially in Europe, doesn’t see Christianity as “cool.”  In a fast-paced culture where “time is money,” fewer young people go to church.

“Jesus gives us rules, and most my age don’t like rules,” she said. “One thing I like about here is the slower pace and the stronger faith.”

Bare feet on dirt that is sometimes frequented by chickens and other animals can result in jiggers, according to Akena Luck, a leader of the congregation at the church on that September morning. He asked the 50 people there for shilling donations that could someday put cement over the church’s dirt floor. To Tabea, who had never heard the word “jiggers,” the danger of the insect that can emerge from the ground and burrow in the skin was explained. At the same time, Tabea recalled a Tanzania wedding custom of having goat meat as the “wedding cake.”  Immersing in African culture, she said, is fascinating and rewarding.

Changing her German diet from salads, meat and potatoes to rice and beans is part of the lesson that “it’s most important to feel full and not hungry” in a country where the government doesn’t feed its people.

“We have poor people in Europe,” she said. “But if they need food, the government provides it.”

Where the young woman’s future life and career will take her is uncertain. But what is certain, she says, is that “without Jesus, I would not be here.”

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In addition to Tabea Hofmann and Stefanie Guenter, the other German students studying at Uganda Christian University through mid-December and through a partnership with Internationale Hochschule Liebenzellare:  Chris Buehner, Hanna Koelz, Joel Müller and Johannes Keisers.

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To support Uganda Christian University, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at mtbartels@gmail.com.

Growth of unaffiliated churches raises questions about pastor authenticity

Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, , , , , ,


2014 representation of religious demoninations in Uganda

According to the 2014 census, roughly 84 percent of Ugandans are Christian, primarily Roman Catholics and Protestants (Anglicans, Lutherans, etc.). While exact figures are unknown, the number of born-again Christian churches – those without a specific denomination guiding Biblical interpretations and other church functions – is growing. This growth of what some Ugandans call evangelical churches and prosperity gospel prompted the government in 2018 to propose enacting a policy to regulate churches and pastors. This proposed regulation requires all religious institutions to register under one institution to be distinct from other non-government organisations and provides a formal procedure for anybody who wants to start a church.

In light of the born-again movement, two members of the Ugandan New Vision media staff, John Semakula and Maureen Nakatudde, recently posed the question about pastor honesty, sincerity and conduct to a number of Uganda clergy. This slightly edited version of responses is provided with New Vision permission.

How do we know if pastors are genuine?

 Archbishop Emeritus Bishop Henry Luke Orombi
The yardstick for measuring the genuine pastors is simple. A mango tree bears mangoes and not oranges. That’s why Jesus said that you would see them by their fruits and actions. Genuine pastors should walk the talk. If they behave in a mysterious, way then they raise a lot of questions from the public.

Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi (Vice Chancellor, Uganda Christian University)

Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi, Vice Chancellor of Uganda Christian University

A pastor who is full of himself, boastful and pompous is a contradiction to the Gospel of Christ. Genuine pastors are accountable to a church structure/fellowship.

Paul is an example. The Church at Antioch sent him out, and each time he returned from his mission journeys, he was sure to visit that church and to give accountability. He and Barnabas went to the Jerusalem Church to square with them the Gospel they taught and preached, “lest we had laboured in vain,” he says. A genuine pastor is a shepherd not a wolf. He feeds the sheep rather than himself. Paul, the Pastor, wrote to Timothy, Titus and Philemon Epistles for this reason, and to instruct them on pastoral work. They show his tender care and concern for them though he faced hardships himself. Like Jesus, the Chief Shepherd, he served rather than was served by the sheep.

A genuine pastor lives the Word he preaches. He must be one who has been to the Cross of Jesus for salvation, and understands repentance from sin, so that he can point others to the Cross. If the pastor lives in sin, no amount of preaching can validate his ministry. A genuine pastor exemplifies Gospel transformation in his life before all.  Theological Training is not superfluous to church ministry. In the early church, Aquila and Prisca instructed Apollos in the right way. Paul mentored Timothy and others, and wrote letters as instruction manuals for the Church. The early disciples equipped the future pastor for the work of ministry, for the Holy Spirit instructs His ministers through His people. An untrained pastor is likely to be a danger to his church.

Bishop David Kiganda (Senior Pastor/Founder of Christian Focus Center)
The Bible says that people will be judged by their fruits. The challenge is that many Christians look at the gifts of their pastors and not the fruits. They think that you are a great pastor because of your car and the size of your account. The followers who believe in the gifts are wrong and should never blame Jesus when the judgement time comes.

Jesus left behind a yardstick for us to tell the genuine pastors. Being an orator will attract crowds to your Church but will never take you to haven. It’s character that is your fruit that will take you to heaven. Look at them by their character not fruits. The gift of a woman would be her beauty that draws men towards her but character (good discipline) is what will keep her in marriage.

Msgr. John Wynand Katende (The Fr. of Foyer the Charite, Namugongo)
Genuine pastors are given to us by God and are in Church stories/history. True pastors are like cultural leaders in Buganda and any other well-established cultural institution. You know that after the current king has passed on, his successor is this. Sometimes, they are elected in a genuine way like the Pope. Genuine pastors come from God. Unfortunately today you can see someone telling lies, but the flock sticks to him/her. The pastors who are not genuine are created by the need of the society to get quick answers to problems, yet no cross means total loss.

Pr. Moses Solomon Male (Executive Director of Arising for Christ)
Most of the pastors in Uganda serve according to what they want to achieve. But there are signs to tell who is a genuine pastor and who is not. If a pastor demands for the tithe or offertory in dollars, just know he has turned Christianity and the Church into a lottery. Others who are not genuine put a lot of emphasis on the tithe and argue that it should be charged on the follower’s gross income, which should not be the case. Tithe should be charged from a person’s net income and in the Old Testament, the money that was realised was used by Church leaders to help the poor and the sick, which is not the case today. The tithe collected by the Churches benefit the priests.

When you go to many of the pastors with a problem, they will just offer prayers for you. None of them will give you any form of physical help. Emphasis on the miracles is also an indicator that the pastor is not genuine. Believers should be built to handle their own problems, including being empowered to pray for themselves and not to expect miracles.  A person should not be a follower in a Church for years without achieving spiritual growth. . . Most of these pastors who are not genuine instill fear in the flock while others excite them. Genuine pastors also respect family and that is why Jesus respected for Joseph as his earthly father.

Christianity is not coercive but persuasive. Beware of  a pastor when he puts emphasis on fasting all the time. Endless fasting is like forcing Jesus to do certain thing for you.

Msgr. Gerald Kalumba (Parish Priest Christ the King)
In the Catholic Church, a genuine priest must be sent by a person with authority. As long as the person with authority is genuine, the one who is sent is genuine. The challenge with most of the pastors is that they just wake up and say they are pastors when they are not sent by anyone. The Bishops in the Catholic Church are genuine because they are in the footsteps of the apostles of Jesus Christ.  They also follow a line of Church history that has been around for over 2000 years.

Senior Pastor Simon Lwanga (Gospel Assembly Church, Makerere)
Anyone who wants to be a pastor should have a desire to minister to people. He should be a husband of one wife and should be able to lead his household well. As a father, the pastor should be able to take care of his family members very well. If he cannot take care of his own family, how can he be able to take care of the entire church, which is a bigger institution.  Since the husband is the head of the family, he also represents Christ who is also the head of the church. The pastor becomes automatically a spiritual father to the people in church since he is like God.  A genuine pastor should be with the thorough knowledge of the word of God so that he can be able to feed God’ flock very well. His conduct also in the community should be with no fault so that he can bring many to Christ.

Dr. Richard Bogere (Pastoral Team Leader, Christ Chapel International)
A pastor must have the balance of the content of God’s word, character that conforms to both the Living Word (Jesus Christ) and His written word. Any Christian under the pastoral oversight of a man or woman who may be a good preacher but living an evident sinful life should leave. On the other hand, if your shepherd is ignorant of God’s word and you are not growing spiritually leave. Remember the body of Christ is bigger than that local church. Believers should form a habit of praying to God to lead them to a church whose shepherd preaches the Word and lives the Word (I Timothy 4:16)

Pr. Patrick Kisutu (Mutundwe Christian Fellowship)
A genuine pastor should have a discerning spirit. In the Bible Jesus knew when Peter was canal and had to rebuke him. If a person preaches a one sided gospel, he or she is not genuine. The pastor should be able to preach a balanced message. You can have a prosperity message but in the end go hell. Being wealthy is not the most important thing but the salvation of your soul. You can have all the cars, land and houses, but end up in hell.

Pr. Rose Rutabuzwa (Mount Zion Church International, Kirombe)
The Bible says you will know them by their fruits. If the pastor speaks the words and does the opposite, then they should not be followed.  Whatever the pastor does should be rooted in the word of God. If they are lighting candles, giving water and selling testimonies, then you should find out whether what they’re doing is biblical. If it is not, then they are doing their own things.

Pr.  Milly Kiingi (Fountain of God’s Glory, Kagoma)
He or she should be Christ like. The anointing is not what makes the person but the character. Jesus had compassion for the people. The pastor should be like Jesus who was a good shepherd and laid down his own life for the sheep. The good shepherd tends to the sheep. He is not only interested in their milk and meat but cares for their wellbeing. He checks to see if the animals are not feeling well and administers help instead of stepping on them.

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To support UCU, including its training of pastors, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at mtbartels@gmail.com.

Student Profile: Three days away from dropping out… then, God stepped in

UCU School of Medicine, , , , , ,
Ogwal in an interview with Uganda Partners at the Medical School premises

(NOTE:  In September 2018, Uganda Christian University launched a School of Medicine with 60 students. To “put a face” on Uganda’s future doctors and dentists, some of these students, including this one, were interviewed at the completion of the first semester.)

By Alex Taremwa
When he applied (one day before the deadline) to be enrolled in dentistry as part of the pioneer Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Medicine, Richard Ogwal, who turns 36 in February, did not know where the $1,900 (Shs7million) for tuition was going to come from.

He arrived from his rural district of Agago in Northern Uganda with just $270 (Shs1million) that was not even enough to cover his hostel fees. The father of two and the firstborn of an extended family of 17 children from four wives said that he counted on the Government Loans’ Scheme and the State House Scholarship to meet his tuition.

However, his bubble burst midway through the first semester when the list of successful candidates for the Government Loans’ Scheme was pinned on the notice board.  Ogwal’s name was not in it.

When he inquired from the Medical School Head, Dr. Ned Kanyesigye, about the absence of his name, Ogwal was told that the government could not include UCU Medical School courses among those covered by the Scheme for 2018 because the School started in mid-year – not the full year. Around the same time, Ogwal received a warning letter that he would be thrown out of the hostel if he did not register fully.  A few days later, another letter arrived – this time from the Academics Office warning him that he would not be allowed to take the forthcoming examinations if he wasn’t fully paid up.

“I almost ran mad,” Ogwal said. “Not only was I stuck, but I also was very frustrated. I kept calling Dr. Ned, David Mugawe (the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Development and External Relations) and literally everyone who cared to listen about my problems. They said they would pray for me.”

The fast
A strong and prayerful Christian, Ogwal turned to God. At the same time, he phoned his parents back home and instructed them to sell off a piece of land he had acquired. But the plan hit a snag when the buyer pulled out at the last minute.

Ogwal’s hopes diminished.

With family members, he engaged in a three-day fast that lengthened to five days.

“Things were tough,” Ogwal, now a hostel captain, said. “The siblings that I pay for needed money, my family needed money, I needed money, and I was running out of time. My friends up to now tell me that I am the most courageous person because I remained firm.”

Two days after the family’s five-day fast, Ogwal got a breakthrough. He received a phone call inviting him to Uganda’s Parliament to sign off on the State House Scholarship. He recalled that day:

“This time, I actually ran mad! I could not believe it. I ran out of the gate and took a boda-boda (motorcycle) to Parliament, handed in my passport photo and academic papers and the money –and all the Shs7 million was processed to the university’s account.”

By the time he returned from Parliament, UCU’s Financial Aid Manager, Walter Washika, had already notified the School of Medicine to clear Ogwal for exams and fully register him – a pure work of God.

Ogwal during the interview with Uganda Partners at the Medical School premises.
Ogwal during the interview with Uganda Partners at the Medical School premises.

The Bachelors in Dental Science student now speaks confidently about the future that awaits him. In the midst of his studies, he says that he wants to start a charity organisation that will help less-privileged children like him getter a better education and livelihood. Unlike at his home where he and his siblings only had one meal a day, he wants to give children the chance for more nutrition and a better life, especially in war-torn areas like his home district where the Lords’ Resistance Army (LRA) once forced his family to live in an Internally Displaced Camp (IDP).

Ogwal says in addition to his studies, he hopes to inspire fellow students about the Grace of God through prayer and fellowship.

“I am the first in my village to study Dentistry,” he said “My people expect a lot of me and I have to live up to that standard so that I can inspire the next generation.”

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More information about the Uganda Christian University School of Medicine can be obtained at https://www.ugandapartners.org/priority-projects.  To support students, books and facilities at the medical school, contact Mark Bartels, executive director, UCU Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org or https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/.

Also, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

DavisAmpumuza at UCU’s new medical school (Uganda Christian University Partners Photo)

Student Profile: Davis Ampumuza perseveres despite poverty

UCU School of Medicine, , , ,
Davis Ampumuza at UCU’s new medical school (Uganda Christian University Partners Photo)
Davis Ampumuza at UCU’s new medical school (Uganda Christian University Partners Photo)

(NOTE:  In September 2018, Uganda Christian University launched a School of Medicine with 60 students. To “put a face” on Uganda’s future doctors and dentists, some of these students were interviewed at the completion of the first semester. This is a story about one student.)

 By Pauline Atwine
For Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Medicine (SoM) student Davis Ampumuza, the cards seemed stacked against him.

  • He is one of 20 children by a father with multiple wives.
  • A mom who had no formal English-speaking skills raised him.
  • Nobody else in his family had completed a university education.
  • At age 27, he was older than nearly all the first-year SoM students.

But what he had going for him was a passion to improve health care and two friends – one who nudged him to apply to the university’s new medical school and another who loaned him the application fee.

“I was pushed into applying for the Bachelor of Medicine program by a friend who had finished his studies at UCU,” Davis, who grew up in the Rubimbwa Parish in Kabale District, said. “On a quest to fulfill my burning desires to make it among the shortlist, I hurried off to borrow the application fee from a village friend.”

The added appeal to study at UCU was the university’s infusion of moral Christian values in the curriculum. Speaking at the end of the first semester, he talked not only about the academic knowledge and skills but also how his spiritual life has been strengthened.

Davis Ampumuza with some of his class mates at UCU School of Medicine (Uganda Christian University Partners Photo)
Davis Ampumuza with some of his class mates at UCU School of Medicine (Uganda Christian University Partners Photo)

In particular, Davis has promised himself to bring strong work ethic and enthusiasm in the medical field to save the rate at which pregnant mothers lose their lives and children due to negligence and unavailability of medical officers. This goal alone drives Davis to keep seeking his tuition fees.

“I was one of those kids from the poor school who saw how green the grass was on the other side of the world,” he said. “I couldn’t sit back and expect someone to pay for my education. I had to miss some classes – getting notes from other students – to do things like play the guitar and teach it in church to even afford basic needs like scholastic materials.”

Yet, Davis keeps his focus on what he feels are critical needs in his country’s health care system. Prior to the Christmas 2018 break, he writes, in part:

“The short answer to making health care better in Uganda is a well-developed infrastructure. The longer answer relates to the fact that women in particular stay in very hard to reach areas whereby the distance between their homes and health units is very long and the roads are very poor. This makes it very difficult for the expectant mothers to acquire services easily and some of them end up losing their lives and their babies. Furthermore, minor surgeries are performed by under qualified staff…”

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More information about the Uganda Christian University School of Medicine can be obtained at https://www.ugandapartners.org/priority-projects.  To support students, books and facilities at the medical school, contact Mark Bartels, executive director, UCU Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org orhttps://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/.

Also, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.