Samantha receiving the civil society award in Dubai
By Pauline Luba Freza Nanotech, an invention that could be a game changer for Uganda’s small-scale farmers, has won an innovation award of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome for pioneering fruit preservation technology. The innovation also won the prestigious Civil Society Award at the 2024 Dubai Solutions Summit.
The awards recognize the company’s innovative fruit shelving technology that leverages nanotechnology to combat post-harvest losses. In a world struggling with food security challenges, the innovation, which preserves fruits and vegetables by releasing a safe organic formulation extending shelf life by 30 days, offers hope and demonstrates the power of homegrown solutions.
Gift Arnold Mugisha, the Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of Freza Nanotech, highlighted the significance of the recognition: “This award not only acknowledges our commitment, but also symbolizes how innovative technological solutions can address global challenges, especially in food security and sustainability.”
The innovation that took Mugisha and his co-founder, Samantha Ainembabazi, two years to develop extends the freshness of fruits and vegetables, allowing farmers to access better markets and reduce waste.
Mugisha receiving the FAO award
The Prototypes for Humanity; Dubai Future Solutions is renowned for showcasing transformative innovations designed to advance sustainable development worldwide. For Freza Nanotech, clinching the Civil Society Award validates their work and opens up opportunities to scale their innovation to more farmers and markets globally. Their fruit shelving technology has already reached over 150 farmers in Uganda, with tangible results in reducing waste and increasing profitability.
“This recognition is a testament to the difference our technology is making,” said Ainembabazi, a fresh UCU graduate of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. She is aspiring to start a medical internship, a mandatory requirement, for all medical graduates in Uganda before they dive into practice.
“We are thrilled that our efforts to empower farmers and improve food security are being celebrated on such a global platform,” Ainembabazi noted.
Freza Nanotech’s core mission stems from addressing the challenges faced by smallholder farmers in Uganda, where agriculture employs over 70% of the population, but suffers from significant post-harvest losses.
By preserving produce, Freza Nanotech’s technology contributes to reducing the environmental burden of food loss while supporting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, including those on hunger, economic growth, and climate action.
“Efforts like these demonstrate that agrifood systems can be both productive and sustainable, contributing to better nutrition and improved livelihoods in Uganda and beyond,” said QU Dongyu, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), during the awards ceremony that took place last month at FAO’s headquarters in Rome, on the sidelines of the 176th session of the FAO council.
Freza Nanotech’s journey to the summit was not without challenges, as they competed against some of the most innovative solutions globally. Their triumph is a testament to the resilience and vision of the team, whose work is now sparking interest from investors, development agencies, and innovators alike.
Backed by their recent recognition, the company aims to expand its reach and adapt the technology for other agricultural products. For Uganda, this milestone inspires future innovators to tackle pressing challenges with bold, creative solutions.
Freza Nanotech’s success is more than just a win for the startup — it’s a victory for Ugandan innovation and a step toward a future where local solutions address global issues.
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.
A team visiting Uganda Christian University (UCU) from Church of the Epiphany, Anglican, in Chantilly, VA, poses at UCU with Vice-Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi in October 2024.
(NOTE: The next three days will feature one American woman’s account of a recent trip to Uganda and a first meeting with a Uganda Christian University student sponsored through Uganda Partners. On the fourth day – Thursday – there will be a profile of the student.)
By Linda H. Bassert
(First of three parts – before meeting Daniel)
At one point in our trip, it was said, “When you come to Uganda, it infects you.”
In the best sense of that expression, I agree.
The decision to join others from our church on a trip to Uganda, led by Mark Bartels, executive director, Uganda Christian University (UCU) Partners, was easy. My husband and I had sponsored a young man, Daniel Edotu, from the time he was six years old, initially through Compassion International and now UCU. We had never met Daniel who is now in his final year with UCU’s School of Law.
We found out about UCU Partners because a board member is from our church, Church of the Epiphany, Anglican, in Chantilly, VA, and because the UCU Vice Chancellor, and his predecessor, have visited our church. We had encouraged Daniel to apply to UCU because we knew we could continue to help him through UCU Partners. Tuition payments to UCU are tax deductible donations in the United States, as UCU Partners has non-profit status.
Visiting the Palace at Kasubi Tombs, in Kampala, Uganda, which is the site of the burial grounds for four kabakas (kings of Buganda) and other members of the Buganda royal family
As excited as we were to be able to visit Daniel in person, I could not have anticipated the depth of what our visit would mean to him, and how much more the trip would impact me.
Our flight on Ethiopian Airlines was over 18 hours long, going through Addis Ababa Airport (Ethiopia) where we changed planes, and flew into Entebbe airport near Uganda’s capital, Kampala. There, on a Saturday night after going through immigration and collecting our luggage, we were also able to exchange our dollars into Ugandan Shillings (UGX). Everyone in our group had created a What’s App account, and this was very useful for group communication throughout our trip.
We then loaded ourselves into a small bus, which in Uganda is called a “glider,” (or sometimes coaster) for the 40-minute drive to a Church Conference Center, where we would be staying for a few days. Driving in Uganda is on the left side of the road in each direction, as it is in Great Britain, so it was helpful that we were not driving ourselves around the country.
Members of our group each had a small booklet with Morning and Evening Prayer, Psalms and Readings, and journal pages, (a journal that now I treasure), and we gave thanks for our arrival, and prayed Evening Prayer on the bus, as would be our habit mornings and evenings for the rest of the trip.
Sunday began early: Up in time for breakfast at 7 a.m. and departure at 8 a.m. To our delight, there were half a dozen monkeys on the grounds between our building and the dining hall. Every breakfast throughout our trip included offerings of fresh pineapple, watermelon and small bananas as well as other options.
Then we boarded our glider bus again to drive to St. Paul’s Cathedral in Kampala and join a joyful worship service there. English is the national language, and I had undervalued the comfort that would bring, to know that anywhere we went, we could understand and be understood.
A team visiting Uganda and Uganda Christian University (UCU) from Church of the Epiphany, Anglican, in Chantilly, Virginia, USA, shares insights and impressions. Included are interactions with schoolchildren and at the October 2024 UCU graduation.
Two others joining our group for most of the rest of the trip were Dorothy Tushemereirwe, from the UCU Development office, and Chris Mogal, a UCU graduate who has a video and photography business that he started while still a student. Chris was hired by UCU Partners to take photos and video to create a video of our trip experience, both for us and for UCU Partners’ use.
Our visit to the cathedral included a tour that highlighted some of the difficult early history of the Anglican and Christian Church in Uganda, which reveres the memories of a long list of martyrs who were tortured and executed for their faith. We learned that Uganda is the country, Buganda is a kingdom and tribe (about 30% of the country), and Luganda is a language.
From the Cathedral and Anglican complex on a hill in Kampala, we then drove to the Kasubi Tombs, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and location of a former Buganda King’s palace, in use from 1856-1884. Any women in our group wearing slacks instead of long skirts were given fabric to wrap around their waists and legs before being allowed into the complex. We made our way to a large round thatched roof building and throne room, surrounded on the complex by other smaller similar structures, still inhabited and cared for today by descendants of the kings’ wives, where we were invited to sit on woven mats on the floor, as our guide shared the history of this place, and more about Uganda.
This was our first opportunity to learn more about the Ugandan and Buganda culture: Kings don’t die – they “disappear.” A king is not allowed to attend funerals, except for his father’s. And a king is buried next to his grandfather, not his father, so he may rest in peace. A man is not allowed to shake hands with his mother-in-law or even watch her eating. A man cannot marry someone in his own clan. The King has no clan, and a former king took a wife from each clan. Today, the king marries one person. Even the architecture told a story. The first three concentric rings in the ceiling structure represent Kings, and each subsequent ring represents a clan.
To my personal delight, the Kasubi Tombs tour concluded at a building where they showed us fabric made from the bark of the fig tree, considered one of the first textiles. This fabric was used as the canvas for many paintings available for purchase. My husband and I purchased two paintings, and I considered that answered prayer, as I had been hoping to find a work of art to bring home from Uganda.
The next day we visited the Anglican Martyrs Museum at Namugongo, a museum built on the execution site where 13 Anglicans and 12 Catholics were tortured, dismembered, and burned on June 3rd 1886, now honored as Martyrs Day in Uganda. Other martyrs who were killed elsewhere, and one white martyr, Bishop James Huntington, also are honored here. Gruesome and graphic sculptures show what happened, paired with a mural on the ceiling showing Angels carrying the martyrs to heaven. An adjacent building built around a small chapel includes other murals on the early history of the Anglican Church in Uganda. On Martyrs’ Day each year about 50,000 persons make a pilgrimage to this Kampala location.
Equally impactful to understanding Ugandan history and deep-rooted Christian faith was our visit to Uganda Christian University’s young medical and dental schools. The UCU Schools of Medicine and Dentistry were founded in 2018 to address an acute need for medical and dental professionals in the country. Already UCU’s School of Medicine is renowned for excellence in Uganda.
Currently, only 50 students are accepted annually in the School of Medicine due to space limitations, though many more are applying for the program. In order to expand the number of students they can take, they want to raise funds to build a location on the main UCU campus, where students could study for their first two years, and then use the Kampala campus for practical studies in medicine for the last two years. To create this building, UCU Partners and UCU will together need to raise $2 to $3 million. Long-term goals include having their own accredited lab, and building an entire teaching hospital complex. Once UCU has its own lab, they can apply for grants.
Uganda has few pathologists, and much lab work has to be sent to South Africa and other countries. I was impressed that UCU’s School of Medicine and School of Dentistry are moving forward in faith, having already written the curriculum for a future Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Technology. They also have almost completed the curriculum for a graduate studies program in medicine.
For the UCU School of Medicine, the profession is about compassionate care, and making the world a better place. They shared that their mode of training health care workers is quite unique in including the spiritual aspects of health care. Both the medical and dental schools ask, “Can we create a doctor who will be a doctor and remain a Christian?”
Pediatrics is a major emphasis, because parents will pay money to treat a child who is suffering, rather than to pay for their own care. Uganda also has a young population – due to losses of older generations in previous years of wars and conflict and because the number of children in a family continues as a traditional expectation. There are many young families in Uganda.
Both here and at a clinic we later visited, obstetrics is another major area of emphasis. By the time most women arrive at the hospital, they usually are having birth complications beyond the ability of midwives and others in the villages. Both medical and dental schools do some community outreach, going into underserved communities to have clinics and educate communities on health and hygiene. Complementing the School of Medicine is the main campus’ Nursing Studies program, which graduated its first class in 2012, and which also has a community outreach component to their studies.
(TOMORROW: Meeting Daniel)
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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.
Cynthia Atim is a final-year student for the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at Uganda Christian University’s School of Medicine.
(What’s an average day like for a UCU medical school student? This second of a two-part story is designed to provide some insight. Today is focused on a year-five student.)
By Kefa Senoga “Meet me at Roy Billington Ward in the Sir Albert Cook building.”
That is what Cynthia Atim, a final-year student of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) School of Medicine (SoM), told me when I informed her I had arrived at Mengo Hospital. This is where the UCU SoM is based, and I was here to spend a day with Atim, as she goes about her duties as a medical student.
It was a new day, and a new week. The day – Monday October 21, 2024, – was already buzzing with activity. As I made my way to Roy Billington Ward, everything seemed in motion, from the doctors in their white coats and stethoscopes around their necks, to nurses in their white uniforms.
“Today is a major ward round day for internal medicine,” explains Atim, who was wearing a white coat emblazoned with her name and the UCU logo. “What we do is learn from most patients on the ward.”
She says the ward rounds are like learning sessions for them as medical students. It is during the rounds that they work with senior doctors to check on the status of patients and discuss treatment plans.
As we approach the bed of the first patient that Atim is set to clerk, she explains that this moment is about interacting with the patient to collect essential information regarding individual health. It includes asking questions about symptoms, medical history, lifestyle and other relevant details.
“It’s important to gather that information from patients because it helps us understand what led them to seek medical care,” Atim explains. She adds that it also provides insights into the potential illnesses the patient may be experiencing.
For this particular patient, difficulty in breathing and chest pain were what had brought her to the hospital three days ago.
“How many times have you been admitted?” Atim asked the patient. Lying on a blanket spread on the floor was the mother of this young adult patient, who quickly replied, “She’s never been admitted before.”
After the clerking, Atim headed to the nurses’ station to jot down some of her findings.
“It’s better to listen so that you can go back and write,” Atim says, stressing that sometimes there’s a lot of information and so you have to note down, so you can to remember while presenting to the senior doctors when they come.
“Besides, at the end of the day, they also expect a report about the patients,” she notes.
As we make our way to another patient, we pass a hospital caretaker, whom Atim greets warmly: “How is Jajja?” she asks. Jajja is the Luganda word for grandparent. From what I observe, Atim’s relationship with the patients and other people around the hospital community is rooted in respect.
At the next patient’s bedside, we find Marie and Samuel, Atim’s student colleagues, who were clerking the patient. Atim joins them as they attend to this elderly woman experiencing shortness of breath and difficulty in lying flat.
According to Atim, this patient has cancer on the walls of the uterus. However, it has spread to the lungs. The patient is already going through her cycles of chemotherapy.
But the reason for her admission into the hospital is shortness of breath and difficulty lying flat. “She’s here to investigate the cause of her breathing issues, which she hasn’t experienced before, despite her cancer diagnosis,” Atim explains.
About three doctors later join Atim and her colleague to assess this patient. It’s at this moment that Atim and her two colleagues are meant to present their findings to these doctors, which they do, effectively.
Afterward, the same group moves to Atim’s previous patient. Atim presents her findings to the doctors. According to the feedback from the senior doctor leading the team, Atim’s findings have captured the most essential details.
The next session takes place in the intensive care unit, which I’m not allowed to access. However, according to Atim, their interest is a patient who underwent surgery and now requires a physician’s review. Since their facilitator was the one they had called for the review, he took them along, to assess the patient.
I observed that a day is almost nonstop action for a medical student. Atim says that they remain with no choice but to endure the demanding schedules because there is a lot to cover, and they need to acquire the knowledge to be able to practice effectively.
As we make our way to Luke Ward for Atim’s next session, we meet one of Atim’s instructors, who asks her to speak with her classmates to create time for a lecture later that day. She politely explains that their schedule was already crowded, with lectures going late into the evening.
At the Luke Ward, we joined Atim’s other classmates in a session where the case study was a patient with edema. According to Atim, edema refers to the swelling caused by the accumulation of excess fluid in the tissues, which can affect various parts of the body, including the limbs.
Following that session, the facilitator led the class into another round of history-taking, which involved revisiting what they had practiced earlier in the day — gathering patients’ medical backgrounds, symptoms, and other relevant information. Notably, Atim stood out as one of the most active participants in this group of about 15 students, frequently responding to the questions posed by the facilitator.
“History is important. It’s the first thing you do for the patient before you even send them to the laboratory,” Atim told me at the end of the class session. It was now 1.30 p.m and Atim had just 30 minutes for her lunch, before settling in for a lecture at 2 p.m.
As we wrapped up our appointment, Atim shared her passion for surgery, noting that it’s the field she hopes to specialize in.
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.
Acting UCU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Development and External Relations, Mr. David Mugawe (UCU Partners photo)
By Douglas Olum
In the words of the Rev. Dr. Stephen Noll, “Uganda Christian University (UCU) is the greatest investment of the Anglican Church in Sub-Saharan Africa.”
As the expressions of the first and former UCU Vice Chancellor resonate, the Church has not only prided in the university, but also has continuously pledged and rendered necessary supports as needs arise. One example of this support is manifested through the recent move in which the Provincial Church of Uganda leased for five years a building and land for the expansion of the UCU School of Medicine (SoM) that was opened in 2018.
The acting UCU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Development and External Relations, Mr. David Mugawe, said the given land located on Namirembe Hill, near the SoM current site, will be used to build additional classrooms to accommodate between 80 to 100 students. The SoM student body will increase by roughly 60 a year to 300 by 2023.
He also said the building given by the Church will be repartitioned to serve as a laboratory for studying microbiology as well as provide additional classroom space.
This development comes at a time when the university is preparing to admit the second lot of 60 students from more than 400 SoM applicants for the academic year starting August 2019. Mr. Frank Obonyo, a UCU Communications Officer, said the current school facility cannot accommodate a larger number of students than what the school has at the moment.
Mr. Mugawe says the university shall not renew the tenancy after the five years because “We hope that by that time we shall have already built our permanent home that shall accommodate students for all the five years and with more laboratories, all in one place.”
The permanent home is to be constructed at the current site. An American consultant and architect, Mr. Michael Reid, was in Uganda between late March and early April to study the site in order to generate the artistic impression for the home. The university has received the artwork and is expected to kick-start a major fundraising drive and contract awarding for the infrastructural development soon.
“We are excited that the School of Medicine is growing,” Mr. Mugawe said. “We want to move away from the practice of responding to the same need every year. And we believe our five-year strategic plan will get us there.”
However, he called for partnership from various individuals and institutions to help the university meet its goal.
“Operating a sensitive project like the School of Medicine is a journey you cannot walk alone. That is why we are calling for partners to support us, whether with their expertise, financially or technically,” Mr. Mugawe added.
When the school opened in August last year, a total of 60 pioneer students were admitted to pursue the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, and the Bachelor of Dental Surgery.With the School now training doctors, both the government of Uganda and the university administration are hopeful that UCUSoM graduates will be part of the positive transformation of the country’s health service delivery.
During the school launch in September last year, the Uganda Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, said that while there are many institutions training doctors and nurses in the country, professional ethics has been a huge challenge among the health practitioners, with many of them abandoning patients, stealing drugs from government hospitals or unnecessarily soliciting for money from patients.
The Minister, who also is a pediatrician, expressed hope that the doctors from UCU, just like graduates of other professions who have exhibited uniqueness in the country, would come up to fill the gap by serving patients with not only medical expertise but also diligent and Christian hearts.
I regard myself as a “mini UCU ambassador” whenever I travel with my husband (Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi) on a mission to represent Uganda Christian University (UCU) abroad. Official ambassadors, often called diplomats, get anywhere from 15 million shillings to $187,000 a year to represent their countries. Neither of us gets anything close to that for representing the university.
Our greater reward is not money, but God’s almighty blessings. I am blessed to stand with my husband and play whatever role God sees at any point in time.
This year, we set off in late January to our first stop in the not-so attractive, cold winter weather of Washington D.C., ready to tell the world about UCU. Most of what I know about UCU is acquired, not as an insider, but as an observer, especially from interaction with my husband, John, who is the head of this majestic University. I listen in, critique (at times), worry (sometimes) and pray (most times) for UCU. Over the years I have seen the amazing transformation of the university, and I have been blessed to be a prayer partner in its growth curve.
Senyonyi’s bundled up with snow in the background in the USA state of Virginia
This year, 2019, the UCU School of Medicine, the latest baby born in UCU, was constantly on our lips. A government-accredited program with 700 applicants interviewed and rolled down to 63 student-doctors-in-training was a great achievement in this 21-year-old institution. Of these, seven are foreign students from five nations in Africa. The medical school is an expensive but much needed venture that will positively change Ugandan and African health services.
John and the UCU partner members were tasked to highlight this amazing school and get support in kind and otherwise. Once in a while I would throw in sentences/words of encouragement, explanations and illustrations about UCU. In the midst of all these, John’s message was primarily about the Christian influence and how having a Christian doctor would go a long way in impacting nations for Christ.
On similar trips, we have often been stopped by UCU graduates who jog our minds with “I studied at UCU.” When we meet them in airports, lounges, in immigration, on streets, we get help (favour) faster than any of the other passengers. Workplaces in Uganda and across the world have been awestruck with UCU graduates and their Christian work ethic – a sign that UCU graduates are having the much-needed impact.
This UCU graduate impact was enough to jerk UCU into getting a foot in the door of training health service providers.
The message this time raised a host of questions. What will a Christian UCU graduate doctor look like? What worldview will they bring on board in an increasingly hostile secularized environment? What can they offer in the already failing medical world of Uganda? What is needed to ensure an effective Christian faith-based training? What resources are needed?
The message this time was different in that the focus was on the context to the need for such training. We explained that in Uganda there was much need given the statistics: only 500 dentists nationally and 1 doctor to every 25,000 persons. Training a doctor is a tall order and is one of the uphill tasks before UCU that we had to explain.
That aside, the hospitality of our hosts continues to be a highlight the 2019 USA trip. In Washington, DC, we were in the safe hands of a couple that is praying to relocate to Uganda. In Virginia, we were excited to see the beautiful snow flakes falling outside the warmth of a host’s home; a Ugandan couple braved the icy roads to come for a meal. The hospitality and the wonderful meals with warm, God-filled conversations are memorable. Over 60 people braved the cold to hear about UCU at one such meal, which was organized by the wife and a member of the board for Uganda Christian University Partners, a USA-based nonprofit supporting UCU for more than 15 years. I marvel at the dedication and love of UCU by the Uganda Christian University Partners Board.
John is often given opportunity to the pulpit and my continuous prayer was that he, as a missionary to the USA as well as a UCU ambassador, is used by God to proclaim the word without fear and in its entirety. US sermons last for less than 20 minutes, but the word continues to bless and enrich the listeners. John begins by telling members of congregations about UCU then turns to God’s word. I particularly remember his preaching in Washington, DC, and in Virginia on how familiarity to God can choke Christian faith (Luke 4:21-32). It’s a gentle reminder that as Christians, bred and grown and surrounded by other Christians, we could easily take the gospel for granted (familiarity) and lose sight of him (Jesus Christ) who is central in our Christianity.
In another wonderful sermon, given in Boston at an Anglican church and later at a “Ugandan” church, my husband illustrated God’s needed presence. Fear is one thing that can grip a person to inactivity. At a time when the disciples were locked up in a room in fear of persecution, Jesus appeared to them and proclaimed peace. In a world filled with fear (loss, illness, retirement, crises), Jesus continues to speak and give peace. The disciples were then given the Holy Spirit to continue the mission that Jesus had started. We were strengthened when we were reminded that as forgiven Christians we are on a mission to proclaim his word without fear.
The School of Medicine, Mercer University, in Macon, Georgia, gave us insight into what we needed to accomplish over the years to succeed with the UCU School of Medicine. The President and faculty members received us very warmly and expressed willingness to support UCU materially, through teaching and in various other ways.
My personalized blessing this trip is that I got time with God and with my husband. We are busy working adults with leadership responsibilities, and therefore these times away give us more opportunity to fellowship and seek the Lord together. With retirement not far away, the Lord clearly reminded us that He had anointed us purposefully and was going to surely accomplish His work through us – no matter what stage of life we are in.
I am blessed to be a mini ambassador for UCU and a maxi ambassador for God — not for money, but for our Lord and Savior.
Senyonyi’s, at right, with UCU Partners Board and some spouses at a meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.
By the Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi, Vice Chancellor, Uganda Christian University
Once a year since becoming the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Vice Chancellor in 2010 – and thanks to the generosity of UCU Partners and new and long-time American friends – I travel to the United States. Usually, my wife, Dr. Ruth Senyonyi, accompanies me for a month of sharing about Uganda’s culture, communicating the successes and needs of the university and providing the Word of our Lord. Ruth not only provides the much-appreciated marital support but also speaks easily about UCU, offering insights that I miss.
Our annual trip to the USA happened from January 24 to February 20, 2019. We started out in Washington DC, and proceeded to visits within the states of Virginia, Georgia, Massachusetts and California. We lived out of a suitcase, adjusting to dress codes for informal meetings, dinners, church services, the annual UCU Partners Board meeting, and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Presidents’ Conference. While USA faith-based universities face stronger pressure from the secular world than UCU, it was reassuring to note that we share the same resolve regarding adherence to Christ’s teachings in our campus life and curriculum.
Jack Ellis (Honorary Consul of Uganda in Georgia), Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi (Vice Chancellor UCU), Dr. Ruth Senyonyi (Mini Ambassador, UCU), Dr. Bill Underwood (President, Mercer University).
As expected, this year there was keen interest in the new UCU School of Medicine, particularly as it relates to Christianity. It is a truism that technology often accelerates faster than the ethical implications of such advancements; the latter matter most for Christians and certainly for social wholeness. Probably no field of study is more affected than the medical disciplines since their direct customer and object of trade is the human being.
Furthermore, all recognise the capital-intensive nature of medical schools. UCU has invested much so far but it is the nature of medical schools to demand heavy investment on a continuing basis after the initial input. It is therefore beyond question that a University needs a steady revenue base for a medical school, far exceeding tuition collections from students.
The subject of the medical school was paramount during our UCU Partners’ Board, in the churches and other functions where I preached or spoke, and at Mercer University, Macon, Georgia. Mercer University is one of America’s oldest higher education institutions with a medical school started there nearly 40 years ago.
Our contact with Mercer came unexpectedly through the kindness of Uganda’s honorary consul to Georgia, Hon. Jack Ellis, a former mayor of Macon, Georgia, who visited Uganda in 2017. Hon. Ellis introduced us to Mercer President Bill Underwood, who opened the door for a possible partnership with Mercer.
The Consul also connected us to MedShare, a non-profit, humanitarian organization with one of three American medical equipment distribution centers in Georgia. MedShare aims to strengthen the world’s health care systems with various initiatives such as shipping new and “good-as-new” medical equipment around the world to boost health care. This could come in handy to equip both the UCU School of Medicine teaching hospital and to provide needed learning hardware for our students. We are submitting an application to MedShare.
The interest to support our efforts was profound. We declared the need for prayer support, academic exchanges and research, personnel support and certainly medical equipment.
UCU Partners has been advocating such support since last year, and some help has trickled in. Indeed, Ruth and I spoke at a dinner at the Church of the Epiphany in Virginia, sponsored by UCU Partners Board members. The interest was strong at both the individual and corporate church level. After the dinner on a Saturday evening, I preached at their warm Sunday morning services.
It is worthy of note that the USA has many nationalities. Many of these maintain strong connections with their home countries and send significant financial support to their countries of provenance. One such is a Ugandan Anglican church situated in Boston, Mass., and that worships in the Luganda language. I had preached there before, and they welcomed me again into their pulpit. They have a stronger interest in UCU and are ready and open to enhanced relationships with the University.
Our concluding stops were in the California locations of Escondido and Imperial. New Life Presbyterian Church, Escondido, had booked me for preaching since June of 2018. Nearby was the stop at Imperial to make connection with a donor to the Bishop Tucker School of Divinity Theology that we had never met.
Overall, these were very successful United States meetings in terms of promise for growth for all of UCU. We thank God for the relationships, the promise and our safe travels without incident. We thank God for this partnership in the Gospel – we went as envoys from UCU, and so we were received (Philippians 4.10-20). Praise the Lord!
School of Medicine Librarian Kalungi(UCU Partners photo)
By Patty Huston-Holm
In the midst of building a library from scratch, Victoria Kalungi, medical and health sciences librarian at the new Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Medicine (Mengo), saw an opportunity to grow both paper and electronic resources not just for the students she serves but the whole university.
Aligned with her passion to help others acquire knowledge and her graduate level work at the South African University of Pretoria, she launched into a study about the challenges and opportunities for increasing UCU research access on line. Additionally, her study includes some strategies for getting more UCU student dissertations and theses into electronic form.
Such was the focus of the discussion by two dozen UCU faculty members who convened at the Mukono campus on the last Friday in February. To these colleagues, Kalungi asserted that e-resources “embrace the changing reading culture and information-seeking behavior of library users.”
Pluses with e-resources are: printing cost savings, student access without coming to campus, wider visibility for UCU as research is being used elsewhere and elimination of issues with dust, termites and rats that damage paper-bound copies.
Challenges with e-resources are: widening the knowledge gap between the “haves” with access to the Internet and the “have nots” who can’t afford smart phones and connections; easier theft of author content; and getting traditional faculty and student thinkers to change and be trained to use a new format.
In late February 2019, UCU had more than 600 e-items in its library repository. In addition to theses and dissertations, these include journal articles, public lectures, speeches, books and book chapters and conference articles and proceedings.
Conversation surrounding both printed and electronic versions of research centered around a concern with plagiarism, author- vs. university-owned research, authors guarding their knowledge and the importance of holistic strategies that engage expertise in curriculum, library science and information technology when making change.
“How does Uganda become authenticated in this digital age?” asked Peter Ubomba-Jaswa of the School of Research and Post-Graduate Studies (SRPGS). He added that UCU should do its part in nurturing “fresh thinkers, innocent thinkers” to generate new ideas.
SRPGS Dean Kukunda Elizabeth Bacwayo concluded the session with appreciation to the presenter for “seeking us out for this discussion.”
David Bukenya, UCU’s Deputy Chief University Librarian, was not at the presentation, but he has long been a proponent of digital libraries and open access for improving UCU’s intellectual output, enhancing the institution visibility, attracting funders and preserving information.
UCU dentistry student, Peter Kabuye (UCU 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, including this one, were interviewed after the completion of the first semester.)
By Brendah Ndagire Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Medicine student, 20-year-old Peter Kabuye from Kimbugu, Mpigi district, Uganda, hopes to fill the huge gap in his country’s dental needs. He hopes he can be an instrument of change through providing dental services, especially in rural areas where there is the greatest need. Even though he comes from a family where his parents are mostly interested in the arts and business careers, Kabuye is not shying away from his primary interest in sciences. Part of his story is shared here.
How did you get drawn to the dental surgery? In high school, I had a dental appointment with Dr. Timothy Mawano, at his dental clinic. And the way he talked about dental surgery and his experience in the dental field, it made an impression on me. I asked more questions about it and he encouraged me to study dentistry. He essentially inspired me to study this program. But, I also am continually inspired by the owner of Jubilee Dental Clinic; his name is Dr. James Magala, a father of my colleague here at UCU. Going forward, the main reasons for being part of this program are to address the need of dentists in my community, and contribute something good to our country.
In your community, where have you identified the need for dentists?The main need is lack of financial resources to construct dental clinics in Kimbugu Village, Mpigi district. Secondly, there are some dentists in my village but there are not qualified professionals. They do not have resources to conduct dental services. Most people in my rural village if they, for instance, have a cavity, the only option they have is to extract their tooth. If the same people were living in Kampala, they would be exposed to more options such as dental cleaning and refilling the cavity.
Peter at UCU’s School of Medicine in Mengo, Kampala.(UCU Partners photo)
Have you always wanted to be a dentist? It has always been a combination of medicine and dentistry because when you study medicine, you can also decide to end up in dental surgery. But I was more drawn to understanding/studying the parts of the head, mouth, teeth, etc., and that’s what dental surgery is all about.
What challenges have you observed so far that contribute to a shortage of dentists in Uganda? The main challenge is that it is expensive to study science programs in Uganda. For example, most Ugandans can only afford to study science programs at Makerere University, if they are sponsored by the government (since it is a public university). And there are only a few universities teaching dental surgery, namely, Kampala International University, Makerere University, and currently Uganda Christian University. The economic problem, coupled with limited universities teaching dentistry, contribute greatly to this shortage.
Why study at UCU? I wanted to study at a university that embraces God. The second reason was that compared to other universities, UCU has smaller classes and I wanted to study at a university where I can study in small groups and get the best out of your lecturer.
What has been so far the most positive aspect of studying at UCU?Small classes which contribute to team building, relationship building and a better learning environment are a plus. Secondly, community worship is conducted on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It helps us to take time to get to know more about God. And lastly, professors are very engaging and love teaching us.
What classes do you find interesting so far? Anatomy. It is so new to me, and gives me a new language. I derive my current happiness in the process of discussing different and new concepts in that class. I also like Bio Chemistry but currently it is getting harder to engage with.
So far what challenges have you experienced as a student at UCU? My current and major challenge is commuting for a long time to get to school every day. I live far from Mengo Hospital where UCU School of Medicine is located. And I have observed that because I spend so much time commuting, I rarely get time to rest and concentrate on studying my books. That had a negative impact on my grades last semester. I hope to move soon to a closer neighborhood.
Beatrice Birungi at UCU School of Medicine (UCU 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 of these students.)
By Frank Obonyo As I sat down to write her story, one thing became clear. Beatrice Birungi’s aspirations are comparable to those of Dr. Bernard Rieux in the novel, The Plague.
In his fictional account, Rieux was one of the first people to urge the public to take stringent measures to fight the deadly epidemic that struck the French Algerian City of Oran. When it is placed under quarantine, Dr. Rieux continues to battle the plague despite signs that his efforts make little or no difference. Although he is separated from his wife, he does not allow his personal distress to distract him from his battle to relieve the collective social suffering.
Just like Oran City, Beatrice’s village Bumate in Bundibugyo District Western Uganda was swept by an Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic in 2010 when she was just eight. Four of her relatives died because of the deadly virus, and the surviving ones were not allowed to take part in the burial ceremonies. In any African tradition, telling one that they cannot bury their loved ones can be tormenting.
As a little child, she saw her surviving relatives quarantined by the government to reduce any further spread of the virus. Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids—and the disease can cause people to excrete blood and other bodily fluids as they die. Thus, the precaution of the quarantine occurred.
Beatrice then made up her mind to study and become a medical doctor in order to raise awareness about Ebola prevention and treatment with the hope of saving her community. She is one of the pioneers of the Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Medicine.
“I want to become a doctor so that I can help my people should that kind of epidemic strike again,” Beatrice said. “I felt that there was much more that would have been done such as educating health workers on better understanding of the disease and strengthening clinical care.”
Time and time again, it has been necessary for Beatrice to have a strong will and determination. She has never been the type of student who looked down on herself. She has a heart to help the community and believes that an African girl deserves to achieve much even amidst all odds.
Medical Laboratory head, the Rev. Bernard Simeon Bakunda, demonstrates the Estimation of Haemoglobin by Sahli’s Technique to student Beatrice Birungi. (UCU Partners photo)
“Girls should not be put in this little picture of a small person who is only supposed to be beautiful and speak nicely,” she said. “They also can become doctors.”
She chose UCU’s School of Medicine because she was told by her dad and three other siblings who studied at UCU that she would receive a holistic education – one that addresses the hands, head and heart.
“We have a tight schedule at the School of Medicine but it is all about setting priorities right,” she said. “Our school is new, but there is a bright future for it. I love the small class because it enables us to interact with lecturers so freely, and we hope to get more and better equipment which will be used to train us into better medics.”
Beatrice also is a writer. She started working on a fictional story in 2017 and believes she will be a published author within the next two years.
Against equal opportunity challenges common to most African girls, Beatrice decided she would not allow negative people to keep her from achieving her goals. She has hope and a “no-give-up” spirit.
“I am proud to say that I have always been determined to pass and graduate as a medical doctor even though my society often believes that the girl child is only good for marriage,” she said.
Ayikoru Hilda, UCU School of Medicine Denistry Student (UgandaPartners Photo)
(In 2014, the Uganda Ministry of Health reported only 200 dentists in the entire country. In the same year (the latest available data), more than 51% of Ugandans had dental diseases, and 76% of children under age 5 and 93% of adults reportedly suffered tooth decay. If dentists were distributed geographically equitable throughout Uganda, there would be 1 dentist serving about 175,000 people – a deficit in itself but an even greater problem because Ugandan dentists tend to be located in urban and not rural areas despite the fact that Uganda’s national health policy requires that every district has at least one dentist. The rural community challenge especially hits home for Ayikoru Hilda Diana, a “freshman” student in the Bachelor of Dental Surgery program within the recently opened Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Medicine. She’s from the sparsely served area of Arua in Uganda’s northern region. In this interview, Ayikoru Hilda shares her hopes and dreams for the field of dentistry in Uganda.)
By Brendah Ndagire How did you get drawn to Dental Surgery? During high school I loved sciences. With my interest and academic proficiency in Biology, Chemistry and Physics, I wanted to go medical school. When I was presented with the opportunity to go to Uganda Christian University’s School of Medicine, I knew that I wanted to study Dental Surgery because I have always found dentists interesting people. Besides, there are few dentists in Uganda. I have always wanted to make an impact in my community, and I thought since there are few dentists in my country and especially in the area where I was born, I would make a better impact in that field.
Apart from the shortage of dentists in Uganda, what challenges have you observed? The current challenge with dentistry field is that in most cases when some people with a toothache go to a dental clinic in Uganda, a dentist just extracts the tooth. Yet, there is more to being a dentist than just pulling out a tooth. It seems like most dentists here are only taught how to remove a tooth instead of examining different ways they can engage with patients about dental and oral hygiene and treatment.
Hilda, center, with other Dental Surgery students at the UCU Kampala Campus.(UgandaPartners Photo)
Why study at UCU School of Medicine? There are only two Ugandan universities that have a bachelor’s degree program in Dental Surgery, namely, Makerere University and Uganda Christian University. I chose UCU because I come from a Christian family, and two of my siblings have studied/are still studying at UCU. Beyond that, it is really the integration of a Christian perspective with different classes. For example, this semester, I had three science classes, Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, and humanity classes such as Understanding the New Testament and Old Testament. I love having a christian perspective on issues affecting our daily lives.
In Arua District, where do you see a need for dentists? There is a lot of need for dentists in the Arua District. I remember every school term, whenever I used to go for a dental check up as a requirement for school entry, I had never seen an actual dentist. For more than 7 years, I had never seen an actual dentist! I also have lived in Fort Portal, Kabarole District, and I never saw a dentist there either. I am saying “actual” because the only thing they knew how to do was a check up and pulling out a tooth. But dentistry goes beyond tooth extraction. And the only time I have seen an actual dentist is in Kampala and neighboring urban areas, where dentist examine the oral conditions of a patient, recommend measures to take to prevent dental diseases and so forth.
Recognizing the challenges and reality of dentists in your community, what do you hope to do differently as a dental surgeon? I want to primarily teach people about the importance of teeth and oral hygiene. My mother was a midwife, and I used to go with her at the hospital. One day, a woman came and without telling the doctors what problem she had with her tooth, she asked them to remove the tooth. And I thought to myself, “you can’t just remove teeth. Learn about the problem causing the toothache, and find out whether it can be prevented or treated without removing the entire tooth.” As a dentist, the first approach is to teach people about everything regarding teeth and oral hygiene.
(UgandaPartners Photo)
Where do you hope to practice as a dentist? I would like to work in my home district of Arua because I see the greatest need for dentists there. I hope to work as a dentist, but I also hope to teach dentistry to the people there. I believe working as a dentist in Arua would help people in my community but I also think teaching them would make a greater impact. If I can do both, the better.
What has so far been the most positive aspect of studying at UCU School of Medicine?Professors/lecturers teach to make sure that we excel in our classes. Not many professors/lecturers love to teach. Some teach to fail students but I think our professors really love teaching us. I can see that they really care about us, and about the university’s good reputation.
Who do you look up to as you pursue this journey? My mother and father have been my inspiration in this field of medicine. My mother was a midwife; she passed away in 2014. And my father used to be a veterinary doctor. At UCU, I am inspired by Dr. Albert Kasangaki, the head of dentistry who also studied dental surgery and everything related to oral surgery.
Outside rural Rugarama Hospital in Kabale, Uganda (UCU Partners Photo)
It’s not unusual for a doctor to be from the Kabale village of Uganda. The rural, southwestern community that is about a 30-minute drive from the border of Rwanda has been a breeding ground for many who dreamed and realized a career in medicine. Yet, with degree in hand, they don’t come back.
“Most of them are practicing in the UK or the United States – or at least in an urban location,” said Dr. Gilbert Mateeka, superintendent of Kabale’s Rugarama Hospital since 2008. “It’s not easy to get doctors wanting to work in a rural area.”
70% of Uganda’s doctors serving 12% of country’s patients According to a 2016 report of Parliament Watch, an initiative of the Uganda Centre for Policy Analysis, 70% of Ugandan doctors work in cities serving 12% of Uganda’s population.
“There was never any question that I would come back,” Dr. Gilbert said. “Most people see being a doctor as something prestigious. I see what we do as that of a servant.”
Rural or urban, the Uganda health problems are the same. Non-communicable conditions of hypertension and diabetes are on the rise. While tuberculosis is nearly wiped out in developed countries, the infectious disease exists and is on the rise among the Ugandan 15-49 age group, largely because of HIV-weakened immune systems. Malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia are commonplace.
Rural challenges – lower literacy, less technology While doctors are needed everywhere, rural areas tend to be more challenged by illiteracy among the population and substandard technology in facilities. Residents outside of cities aren’t as open to lessons about nutrition and malnutrition and cautions about traditional healers and witch doctors.
“The healers are unregulated,” Dr. Gilbert said. “While they aren’t all bad, the spectrum of who they are and what they practice is so broad that people can’t know what they are getting.”
“Bonesetters,” for example, may be able to attend to some medical problems with success. On the other hand, more complicated fractures if attended to by a bonesetter can result in a deformed limb, chronic bone infection and other complications. The risk is much less with a licensed medical doctor.
In the midst of a September work day, Dr. Gilbert, age 45, reflected on what brought him to a career in medicine. There was no dramatic event but simply his childhood exposure to the problems that members of the congregation brought to his father as a pastor and watching a UK nurse, Jenny Tustian, who lived nearby. As a 10-year-old, he was most impressed with how the British nurse embraced not only her job but also the understanding of the Rukiga language.
“I knew early on that I wanted to do something to help people,” he said.
In a toss up between careers in medicine and in the clergy, medicine won, largely due to a scholarship from China Medical University in Shenyang, China. When finished, he knew he was coming home to practice.
“It was a bit of a shock at first,” Dr. Gilbert recalled. “The medical technology, hospital systems and the organized reliable supplies I learned with were no longer at my disposal. In the first month while on internship at Mulago National Referral Hospital, for any procedure on the patient, I kept looking for a standard procedure room and appropriate ready-to-use sterile procedure set but in vain.”
Creative with God attending He laughed at the remembrance of seeing another doctor being “the procedure room” by making rounds at Mulago Hospital with gauze swabs and syringes falling from his pockets.
On completion of an internship at Mulago in Kampala, he came back to Kabale to work with Rugarama Hospital, a Church founded Hospital. For a number of years he was the only medical doctor at the facility.
With some adjustments, much is the same today for the five Rugarama doctors weaving in and out of triage, emergency, abandoned baby, eye care, dental care and maternity sections to see an average of 120 patients a day. While the scope of services has widened significantly at the Rugarama Health facility to include surgery and health training, the daily care routine and cost to patients has remained much the same for 10 years. The cost to deliver a baby, for example, is 90,000 shillings, or just over $25.
Hospital grounds, viewed from top of maternity building (UCUPartners Photo)
“In a sense, it’s more creative this way,” he said. “You must think outside the box to do everything with nothing.”
For Gilbert A. Mateeka, there has never been a look back to a career where he might be making more money and be better known. He is pleased to be in rural Kabale – living with his wife (an English lecturer at Bishop Barham University College/UCU Regional Campus) and four children, including one who was once an abandoned baby at the hospital.
“This profession is a ministry,” he said. “We respect our patients as God’s children. God is watching by the patient’s side as an attendant to both the patients and us the health workers. Our mission is to show the love of Christ in whatever service we offer our patients.”
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For more information about how you can support Uganda Christian University School of Medicine so that future doctors can make a difference as Dr. Gilbert is, contact Mark Bartels, UCU Partners executive director, at mtbartels@gmail.com.
“There was never any question that I would come back,” Dr. Gilbert said. “Most people see being a doctor as something prestigious. I see what we do as that of a servant.”
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