Tag Archives: Journalism

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’

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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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International students from the United States, Nigeria and Rwanda

UCU students say International Desk relieves loneliness

COVID-19, News, UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication, UCU School of Law, , ,


International students from the United States, Nigeria and Rwanda
International students from the United States, Nigeria and Rwanda

By Gloria Katya

Joining Uganda Christian University (UCU) in 2019, Garcia Bwale’s major challenge was the language barrier. Since she is from a French-speaking country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), she was not fluent in English.  Contributing during class discussions was one of her major challenges.

International students pose for photo after a 2020 food gala at UCU
International students pose for photo after a 2020 food gala at UCU

With the little English she knew, and spoken with a French accent, most of the Ugandan students found it funny whenever she raised her hand to contribute in class. This lowered her self-esteem.

“Whenever I was contributing in class, I noticed students laughing silently and the lecturers, too, found it hard to interpret what I was saying,” Bwale says.

However, from the UCU International students’ desk, Bwale discovered a solution. The desk provided her with a language mentor as she journeyed in her academics.

Once she solved the language issue, her fears were greatly diminished. She is now a confident journalist in the making who also has served as Minister on the International Students Association.

Another student, George Caleb from Nigeria and who is in his second year studying law, faced a similar obstacle. Interacting with locals especially when buying food and talking to transporters in case he had to move around had become a serious challenge for Caleb because he didn’t speak any of the Uganda local languages.

He, too, was helped by the International students’ desk to get Ugandan friends who gradually taught him survival skills.

“The desk linked me to some Ugandan students who helped me and life became easier,” he says.

The International students desk, headed by Mr. Edgar Kabahizi, was established in 2011 by the university management to help mainly with international students’ welfare. This desk serves  students from the time they step in to the time they exit.

Usually a friendly and welcoming face, Kabahizi awaits to be of service to fresh international students from the time they arrive in Uganda for their studies at UCU.

“Studying away from one’s home country and family is always challenging and at times creates a lot of anxiety not knowing what to expect,” Kabahizi said. “Most times, it’s the local culture and language that is most perplexing for the foreigners so students need help.”

To simplify life for an international student, Kabahizi does a lot of things for them.

“I follow up on the students from the time they are admitted by the University until they are settled and begin to progress academically,” he says. “Students that face linguistic problems are incorporated in mentorship classes under the Uganda Studies Program where they learn English.”

Kabahizi’s office also makes sure that international students have the necessary paperwork that enables them access to living in the country.

“We are there, when the students are sick, struggling academically and when facing any challenge,” he said, “This office is their first reporting point.”

With 7% of the UCU student population from outside Uganda, the Director of Students Affairs Bridget Mugume K. Mugasira says the university created the desk to better serve those students. International students at UCU come from such countries as Nigeria, DRC, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan and the USA.

When an international student arrives at UCU, he/she is led to their place of accommodation that is already organised for them by the International Students’ Desk. The students are then oriented the next day by introducing them to other international students.  They are also given class timetables and briefed about the Ugandan currency and its exchange rate.

The students also are informed about the dos and don’ts in Uganda, Ugandan culture, and UCU norms.

“The International Students Desk is a serious relief to foreign students as it brings them together such that they don’t feel lonely on campus,” Kabahizi said.

International students are not left out in the different co-curricular activities on campus such as the cultural galas, food galas and politics. International students are engaged in many fun activities on campus including dinners, picnics, trips, food galas, celebrating their country’s days of Independence, among others. The students also are represented with the guild government.

“Our last trip last year with the International students was in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Kasese and Bundibugyo before the Coronavirus pandemic struck,” Kabahizi said.

Covid-19 that has affected education across the globe has interfered with the desk, but UCU is not ready to compromise any of its services. Throughout the Covid-19 lockdown in Uganda, the University took full care of the international students without asking them for additional financial contributions.

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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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Prof. Monica Chibita with her husband, Justice Mike Chibita (left) and the Uganda Christian University Vice Chancellor, Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi at the inaugural lecture

Praise and joy as UCU holds first professorial inaugural lecture

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Prof. Monica Chibita with her husband, Justice Mike Chibita (left) and the Uganda Christian University Vice Chancellor, Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi at the inaugural lecture
Prof. Monica Chibita with her husband, Justice Mike Chibita (left) and the Uganda Christian University Vice Chancellor, Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi at the inaugural lecture

By Douglas Olum

It was 1:45 p.m. East African Time on Friday, January 17, and I was in the Nkoyoyo Hall at Uganda Christian University (UCU). A couple of other people were gathered under the same roof. But, unlike the other days of that week, the sky was coated in dark clouds. And drizzles from the sky were peacefully showering the trees and green grass on the compound, making them look even more beautiful.

Prof. Monica Chibita delivers her professorial inaugural lecture
Prof. Monica Chibita delivers her professorial inaugural lecture

For a moment, my heart wondered why the rain on such a day? We were set to listen to the first-ever professorial inaugural lecture at UCU, and it was to be delivered by the dean of the faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication, Prof. Monica Balya Chibita, receiving full professorship.

Then I remembered one Bible verse, Hebrews 6:7 (KJV) which states: “Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.” Indeed, the rain was a momentous blessing as Dr. Chibita was to be only the second to Rev. Prof. Christopher Byaruhanga, the dean of the UCU School of Divinity and Theology, to receive such a full academic professor designation

Over the weeks, this particular lecture on the topic of “Between freedom and regulation: Reflection on Uganda’s Communication landscape” had been widely advertised. And a number of people, both within and without UCU were eagerly waiting to listen to this incredible academic whose childhood dream wandered from becoming a nurse, to becoming a lawyer because it seemed prestigious, then to becoming an altar girl, a social worker and finally a teacher.

Soon, Prof. Chibita marched into the hall in company of her husband, Supreme Court Justice Mike Chibita; her mother; four of her five children; Rev. Byaruhanga; the Vice Chancellor, Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi; two UCU deputy vice chancellors; and other UCU faculty members, donned in their academic gowns but not the mortarboard cap that only Monica Chibita wore to match her red robe.

The University Chaplain, Rev. Eng. Paul Wasswa Ssembiro, led the opening prayer.  And it was all joy and praises as the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Rev. Dr. John Kitayimbwa, the Vice Chancellor, and the dean of the UCU School of Divinity and Theology, provided words in the ceremony for the highly anticipated lecture.

“To us as a university, Uganda Christian University, this is a very welcome opportunity for us to showcase to the public but also to showcase to our very students what it is we are doing in the area of teaching and learning, in the area of research and in the area of community outreach,” Rev. Dr. Kitayimbwa said.

Prof. Monica Chibita (left) receives an award from Uganda Christian University Vice Chancellor, Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi, shortly after her professorial inaugural lecture
Prof. Monica Chibita (left) receives an award from Uganda Christian University Vice Chancellor, Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi, shortly after her professorial inaugural lecture

Dr. Senyonyi expressed appreciation to Prof. Chibita for her focused developmental leadership that has transformed the former department of Mass Communication under the Education and Arts faculty to its own esteemed faculty.

“Shortly after she joined UCU, Prof. Chibita sent five staff for PhD studies to build her department. Furthermore, she merged that departmental growth with her personal academic growth, thus becoming the second home-grown professor at Uganda Christian University,” Dr. Senyonyi said, “Today her contributions are out for all of us to see. She stands tall in every way among the achievers of this university.”

Dr. Chibita graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts in Education (Literature in English) from Makerere University. In 1992, she obtained an MA in Journalism from the University of Iowa. She joined Makerere University as a lecturer in 1994, where she rose through ranks up to Associate Professor. Between 2003 and 2006, she pursued her doctoral studies from the University of South Africa. She joined UCU in 2012 as head of the then department of Mass Communication under the Faculty of Education and Arts. Over the years, she developed and got her department lifted to a faculty status.

“Congratulations to you, Prof. Chibita, for a well-deserved promotion,” the vice chancellor continued. “I am elated to host UCU’s first inaugural lecture.”

An inaugural lecture is a formal public function in which a newly appointed full professor is unveiled to the public, with the desire to inform the academic and general public of the professor’s recent research and publication works that have merited her new appointment.

Dr. Senyonyi warned that UCU will not grant professorship and honorary doctorates to people who do not deserve it.

“It seems to me today that university leaders and even none academic personalities have taken to self-proclaim themselves professors. Someone asked me to give him an honorary doctorate, even without a clear beneficial relationship with this university. Of course I refused and instead proceeded to write a policy on honorary doctorate to knock out the quacks,” Dr. Senyonyi said.

He also encouraged the university academic staff members to invest in research, warning that, “Academics who do not research are digging their academic grave,” because without research, they die academically.

In her lecture, Prof. Chibita illustrated the issues of media ownership, management, operations, legal frameworks and how the arms of the media in Uganda have continuously been twisted since the pre-colonial days, to curtail media freedom and serve the interests of the financial and political powers. Some of the means used by the governments that she illustrated included expelling foreign journalists and banning newspapers under the Milton Obote II Government. Others include the mandatory annual licensing of all journalists by the Government of Uganda. She noted that the pages of laws may be confusing for journalists.

Another challenge to Uganda and global communication in the age of social media is the blur of lines between consumers and distributors of news.  She concurred with the vice chancellor and his concern with lack of research, including lack of deep reading in an age when people get news from Facebook.

For Uganda, part of the answer is in translation to mother tongue. Prof. Chibita asserted that, at least 36 different languages are spoken in Uganda, including dialects like English and Kiswahili. But research has shown that people in the central and western parts of Uganda prefer to receive information in their own languages.

To her, that explains why large corporations like the Vision Group, with 53 percent ownership of the media in Uganda, run English and Local Language newspapers, radios and television. These include: The New Vision as English Newspaper, Bukedde as Luganda paper, radio and TV for the central region. Others include: Rupiny Newspaper and Radio for the North, Orumuri newspaper, Radio West and TV West for Western Uganda.

At that, she joked with her audience of roughly 500 dignitaries, current and former students and colleagues and family and friends, “I won’t embarrass you by asking how many of you read the newspaper today.”

To access a video of the lecture, click here. https://www.facebook.com/UgandaChristianUniversity/videos/486175712043875/?epa=SEARCH_BOX

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, 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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Mainstream journalism fight in social media world

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Alex Taremwa shares information during a September 2019 presentation at the United States International University-Africa, based in Nairobi.

By Alex Taremwa

It’s Friday morning at Matooke Republic, a largely digital-only Ugandan newspaper that I edit. The metrics are not tallying up, and we have already lost clients due to the nosedive of our readers from over 150,000 daily to under 30,000.

Under normal circumstances, editors in legacy media – that is, those practicing traditional journalism – do not concern themselves with revenue issues. They focus on the words and let the sales and marketing team make money.  But the digital disruption shook up several trees in newsrooms.

Here I was on a Friday morning explaining to my bosses how the plunge in our audience reach was not because we did not have good content but because Facebook, a giant technology company in California, had chosen to limit the reach of posts from businesses, brands and traditional media houses.

(How do UCU students get news? Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zZJc95-daY&feature=youtu.be)

The results were instant. Not just at Matooke Republic. Even big international cable news companies felt the pinch. Jennifer Grygiel, Assistant Professor of Communications (Social Media) and Magazine, News and Digital Journalism, at Syracuse University in New York published a paper that said that media publishers as small as Matooke Republic lost more half their reach when the changes took place at the turn of 2018.

In her research, Grygiel found that one effect of the change was to reduce the number of interactions Facebook users had with credible journalism outlets.  In the United States, the focus has been on politics with Facebook algorithms noted in the midst of the last American election in 2016 and then with use of Facebook personal profile information for political advertising by the British consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in his statement  about the changes in January 2018, noted that his vision of Facebook was interaction between friends and family. He said the algorithm change was made because the social media space had been clogged by updates from the media, businesses and brands, cutting down on the human interaction.

Chart demonstrating Facebook reach dive

Data from CrowdTangle, a social media monitoring company, shows that Facebook traffic dropped noticeably at such credible media sources as CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, The New York Times and The Washington Post after the Facebook company updated its algorithms to favor friends and family in June 2016. Long story short, by August of that year – seven months after Zuckerberg’s announcement – the News Feed algorithm change had resulted in a drop in engagement for Business Pages. For some, the drop was as much as 50%.

Back to the Matooke Republic meeting, some of the smartest men in the room – me inclusive – sat in the corner office in September of 2018 and began to brainstorm how to beat this algorithm change. Our stories have been trending the whole month since Ugandan politician and musician, Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine), dodged a bullet a few weeks earlier in Arua where he had been campaigning for a colleague.

Some of our stories had hit over 1,000 shares on Facebook alone. The platform was a key distribution point of our content, followed by Twitter and WhatsApp. But then we were reaching ZERO people all of a sudden. We had to think, and think fast.

Here are three things we did to survive and thrive in the social media game, particularly with regard to Facebook:

More photos and video
After careful observation of our platforms, we noticed that the Facebook algorithm was targeting stories with links to the Web site but did not mind photos and video. The two formats of content travelled almost as fast as before but stories shared directly from the web to our pages did not receive much attention. That is how we adopted video as form of content distribution. The video editor, Asiimwe Vincent Smoky, suddenly became the busiest man in the room and the cornerstone of our turnaround. The pages began gaining traction and the renaissance started.

Sharing stories on personal timelines
Another observation we made was that although the algorithm limited the access of stories shared from our website to the page, the stories reached a better number of people when shared from personal profiles of individuals. We quickly encouraged our team to start sharing their stories and those of their colleagues on their timelines, the groups they are in and forums of public discourse.

We used 40 Facebook groups as a testing ground and got exceptional results.

Game changer Bitly
The other trick was to study the competition and see how they were sharing their content. We noticed that both the New Vision, Daily Monitor and a few other Ugandan online platforms were using Bitly – a website that shortens other website links. Turned out that if a link is shortened using this website, the “smart” algorithm could not flag it; therefore, people were more easily led to the website.

From my research, I have found several new techniques such as native video, live video, Facebook, Instagram stories and Snapchat stories, embedded video.

So here’s the bottom line regarding social media, namely Facebook. With over 2.5 billion active monthly users, Facebook will remain at the heart of content creation and distribution for news media. It is how traditional, journalistic media use such platforms that will determine whether we win or lose in the game that Facebook, Google, Amazon, Apple, Netflix are winning.

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Alex Taremwa, a Uganda Christian University graduate with a degree in journalism and mass communications, is studying digital journalism at Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications in Kenya.  He shared this information during a September 2019 presentation at the United States International University – Africa based in Nairobi. He also participates in industry-led discussions about the place of social media in newsrooms and the effects on journalism credibility.

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For more of these stories and experiences by and about Uganda Christian University (UCU) students and graduates, visit https://www.ugandapartners.org. If you would like to support UCU, contact Mark Bartels, Executive Director, UCU Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org or go to https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/

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Uganda Christian University education opens doors

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Mahoro Anitah Mugisha – UCU graduate with multiple career choices

By Patty Huston-Holm
For Mahoro Anitah Mugisha, Uganda Christian University (UCU) was a launching pad for her career experiences at the Uganda Communications Commission, Uganda National Roads Authority, Rwanda Development Board and Sino Africa Medicines and Health and to try her hand at selling on-line products. It also opened the door for her to study in China.

“It’s a Christian environment, and I’m a born-again Christian,” she said. “But the reputation and networking with other students and people associated with UCU make it so much more.”

While eating a meal of mushroom-covered chicken, mashed potatoes and rice at Kampala’s Mediterraneo restaurant, Mugisha talked about what led her to study towards her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and the UCU quality education and reputation and something that she didn’t expect – openness to other cultures and ideas.

After obtaining her undergraduate degree in 2016, she worked and volunteered and then applied to get a post-graduate degree at a university in China. In July of 2019, she received a master’s degree in business administration from the University of International Business and Economics and Economics, Beijing China.

“Having a degree in one specialty shouldn’t lock you in,” she said. “You can use that knowledge and skills in so many areas.”

So it was that the little girl who once dreamed of doing voices for animated films and then to be a veterinarian found herself in mass communications with skills to transfer and use in multiple places. Event planning, public speaking and technology file management are just a few.

“UCU helped me become serious while providing me the opportunity to network and explore,” said Mugisha, who at age 26 in September was working at Visit Uganda Tours and Travel LTD.

Exposure to like-minded and different students at UCU and in China has opened her world views, stimulated her desire to know people of different cultures and given her confidence to step outside the norm. Her best friend in China was from Afghanistan. She watches the news about the China-Hong Kong protests with a more informed understanding. She has a pet rabbit and kitten in a country where people are known for fear and dislike of pets.

“Society doesn’t generally push you to explore various dimensions of your personality,” she said. “A university education does. I’m not sure what I will do next but I know that I’ll keep growing.”

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To support Uganda Christian University 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.
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Cultural shock: Uganda and Norway

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Barbara Nambozo, left, with new Norwegian friend, Ingrid Johanne, who she met on a bus

By Barbra Nambozo

Being a first-time traveller across country borders comes with a lot of excitement, some surprises and occasional frustrations. I was one of two master’s students from the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Faculty of Journalism and Media studies to experience those feelings recently in Norway.

My UCU student exchange programme between UCU and NLA University College at Gimlekollen in  Kristiansand, Norway, started in August of 2018 and lasted six months. NLA University is a private Norwegian Christian university with its main campus at Bergen. UCU has one of 50 international exchange programs with NLA and is the only one from Uganda.

Bus stop in Kristiansand, Norway
Bus stop in Kristiansand, Norway

Most of the time, I was engaged in classes – learning more about such topics as how journalism is practiced in other countries, gender development and research methodology. But the cultural immersion went beyond curriculum.

As a first-time traveler to Europe, I was excited. Friends who had visited Europe had shared several experiences, including cultural shocks such as harsh, cold weather. Psychologists describe cultural shock as an experience a person may have when he or she moves to a cultural environment that is vastly different from his or her own.

During my stay in Norway, I was impacted by three particular cultural differences: Trash disposal, time management and interpersonal relationships.

Trash
Norway is listed among the most beautiful countries on earth, according to an on-line tourism site called Travel Away. The country is famous for its natural attractions such as mountains, the midnight sun, lakes, breathtaking sites and a vibrant cultural life, among others. But sustaining such natural endowments is pricy. The cost, partly, calls for every person to act responsibly.

Learning something as basic as responsible recycling was not a “walk in the park.”

It is common to find “No Litter” signs along the streets reminding you to act responsibly. The streets and environment are clean, especially compared to Uganda. Back at the university dormitory, the trashcans are clearly labeled to guide users on how to dispense different garbage. For instance, you do not mix broken glass particles with waste food or plastic bags. During the first few weeks of our stay, it was common for students, especially from Africa (who perhaps were accustomed to indiscriminately disposing of trash), to receive emails from the housekeeper reminding us to sort the trash, according to the procedure set by the facility management. However, a few weeks later, every occupant seemed to have mastered the skill.

Time
Time management is at the top of everybody’s agenda in Norway – a bit of a shock compared to Uganda where time is relaxed. From arriving in time for the lecture to the bus stop, or going for the doctor’s appointment, everybody keeps time. Torbjorn Larsen, a member of the Misjonshuset Church in Kristiansand, in his late 50s, said: ‘‘Personally, I arrive in time for any meeting as a sign of respect to the host. It also helps me to be organized, and to reflect on the purpose for the meeting and my contribution to its success.’’

Once I tried to chase a bus that was leaving the bus stop, but I paid dearly. My phone fell and got smashed. I realized I could have saved the energy lost in the chase, and the phone, of course, if I had managed my time well.

Relationships
Being a regular traveler on the bus from the university to Kristiansand city was a good experience. I learned not to judge people, but understand why they behave as they do. During one of the orientation meetings for international students at the university, we were briefed that Norwegian people are more reserved than Ugandans. For example, some would not take up an unoccupied seat on the bus beside another traveler nor engage in a conversation with a stranger. A few times, I observed that on the bus.

Coming from an African environment, where commuters on a taxi (even as strangers) chat all the way to their destination points, discussing anything from politics to fashion, I found this unusual. But one day, while on board a bus, I decided to demystify the belief. I purposely occupied a seat next to a lady. We exchanged pleasantries and engaged in a conversation about Africa. Before she departed from the bus, we had become friends, and we have kept in touch since. Sometimes, all you need is a courteous gesture to turn a stranger into a friend. Do not be hasty to judge.

Since my return to Uganda, I have made more new friends, including an American friend on campus. I am a better steward of the environment, and I try to manage my time appropriately.

It is always a wise idea to read a book beyond its cover.

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For more of these stories and experiences, visit https://www.ugandapartners.org. If you would like to assist a current student or otherwise support the university, contact Mark Bartels, Executive Director, UCU Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org or go to https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/

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Ruth Rose Akongo, right, with Princess Jones, one of her new friends from her New York City writing program experience

From luggage conveyer belt to higher beds, UCU student discovers America

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Ruth Rose Akongo, right, with Princess Jones, one of her new friends from her New York City writing program experience
Ruth Rose Akongo, right, with Princess Jones, one of her new friends from her New York City writing program experience

By Ruth Rose Akongo

My first time in New York City (NYC) – this American city’s John F. Kennedy airport to be precise – my suitcase disappeared.  At least I thought it did.  In a panic, I watched my black bag holding clothing that I purchased mostly used from Ugandan street vendors go around a moving belt and up into a hole.

My African-beaded shoes, white tops, jeans and more were gone, I thought. Or maybe my bag was being confiscated for suspicion of drugs that somebody planted inside.  I didn’t know whether to run away or stay in place and scream. It was with relief that the bag came back, which everybody except me apparently knew would happen on an airport luggage conveyer belt.

This was my first experience in the United States of America. Actually, this was my first time out of my country.

It’s writing things like this that got the attention of Dr. Angella Napakol at Uganda Christian University and, therefore, in October 2017, my selection for a four-month writing program at King’s College in the heart of NYC the following year. The opportunity came as a surprise.

“Ruth, follow me to my office after class” were the words of Dr. Napakol after a mass communications research session. Just like with my bag in NYC, I feared the worse. Was my research question wrong? Or did I write an article that offended the department?

With sweaty hands and pounding heart, I faced my professor and heard the words: “You have been chosen for the exchange program in NEW YORK CITY.” My professor told me how having more than 10 story bylines won me the place.

UCU’s Ruth Rose Akongo, right, with American friend, Brooke Sargent
UCU’s Ruth Rose Akongo, right, with American friend, Brooke Sargent

It took about 15 minutes to convince the truth of the miracle to my family. It was such a big deal that when I went to the Entebbe airport in August of 2018, three car loads of family members came along to see me leave.

So what’s it like going from a Third World Country to a developed country like the United States?  I’ll try to narrow my experiences and what I learned academically to five areas each.

Cultural experiences

  • Land transportation – In Uganda, you pay a taxi conductor in cash just before exit. And growing up here, I know where to get on and off and if I don’t, I know the person to ask. In NYC, you need a GPS, which I didn’t have, for walking and riding. And you need tokens to place into a machine. The trains are confusing.
  • Different beds – In America, the beds are higher and softer than in Uganda. When it came to nightfall, I hurried for my comfortable bed, covered with black sheets under a colorful green flowered bedcover for warmth in this much colder climate. The happiness didn’t last long as I found my leg right stuck behind the heater in our room. When I slept closer to the other side, I fell out – twice. After a bruised leg and arm, I started sleeping on a couch that was lower.
  • Friends in NYC– People are the same everywhere. Some will like you; some won’t. I found the best friends like Princess Jones, Kennedy Peacock, Brooke, Janna Millar, among others. We enjoyed special moments from work places to the different parks (Central Park), and the other side of the city (Brooklyn, Queens, Lower Manhattan, etc.).
  • Friends in Ohio – Diane Ross, an American who I met in Uganda, invited me to a few days in Ohio where there is less traffic and noise than in NYC. This was refreshing compared to the awakening noise and limited fresh air in the city. The natural beauty, fewer buildings and more vegetation brought a sense of home back.
  • Friends in Boston – Although most of my time was spent inside in NYC due to the bitter cold and where the learning took place, I got the opportunity to bond with few Ugandans in Massachusetts through a birthday party. It had not crossed my mind to find so many Ugandans living together in one community in the USA.

As I sit back in Kampala, reflecting on my learning and how to apply it, I condense the experience to these five.

  • Narrative non-fiction techniques – curves and structures used to fully build out a story line.
  • Different books – I’m not afraid of books anymore for those that looked like medicine turned out to be my best friends.
  • Religion reporting – Maintaining faith not just in church but also through the media enabled me to embrace Christianity in a different, stronger way.
  • Combining journalism and business (entrepreneurship) – Thinking these had to be separate was not the case. I realized you could be an innovative writer for business.
  • Editorial skills – My experience with Providence Magazine further equipped me with editing skills. Correcting the errors improved my English language in understanding and speech as well.

As American journalist Ellen Goodman says, “There’s a trick to the ‘graceful exit.’ It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, a life stage, or a relationship is over — and let it go.”

My journey to the United States was a stepping-stone towards my career as a journalist. The overall life lesson was that being number one is of little value if there are no other numbers. I will keep working my way up.

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Ruth Rose Akongo is a 2018 graduate of Uganda Christian University.

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For more of these stories and experiences, visit https://www.ugandapartners.org. If you would like to assist a current student or otherwise support the university, contact Mark Bartels, Executive Director, UCU Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org or go to https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/

Also follow and like our Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin pages.

The Traveling Sweater

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By Patty Huston-Holm

It was 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 Celsius) when I saw Rose this morning (August 16, 2018). She wore a smile and a mostly-black sweater. In Uganda, such weather is cold. My arms were bare.  In Ohio, temperatures like this are refreshing.

Sitting with me at the Uganda Christian University Touch of Class canteen, she apologized for the sweater – a man’s sweater, she admitted, and one she bought used from her brother’s shop. I encouraged her to see the garment’s beauty. And I asked her to keep it close to her over the next four months.

You see, my young friend Rose will on Friday (August 18, 2018) take her first-ever plane ride to her first-ever trip to the United States. Her emotions are mixed. She is honored – the only African chosen for a semester of writing courses at The Kings College in New York City. She is anxious. While the college is Christian, she will be living in the liberal community of Greenwich Village. She feels guilty knowing how much the scholarship she got could buy for her family, friends and village.

While holding her hands and praying with her today, I reminded her that God gives us gifts like these, that she is a gift, and that others she meets in New York City will surely see her that way.

I met Rose when teaching journalism with Professor Angella Napakol last year at Uganda Christian University. Right before I left, I matched up Rose and two other students for a one-week internship in northern Uganda with two professors (Diane Ross, Pegi Lobb) from Otterbein University (Westerville, Ohio). Like many, they enjoyed her eagerness to learn and help others.  If that wouldn’t seal the deal for wanting to hang around with Rose, her deep dimples on both sides of her cheek do.

This morning as Rose removed the sweater in embarrassment and clutched it in her hands, I insisted she pack it in the small green suitcase I gave her.  I told her the story about the “traveling pants.” I suggested she write about her traveling sweater. I hope she reads this and that she does.

God speed, my young friend.

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For more information about how you can sponsor a student who might make a difference as Rose is, contact Mark Bartels, UCU Partners executive director, at mtbartels@gmail.com.   Also, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.