Tag Archives: UCU Alumni Experience

UCU Graduate Anna Betu at her job in Kyaka II Settlement, Kyegegwa District

UCU graduate work to ‘undo violence’ for ‘peaceful co-existence’ in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement

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By Brendah Ndagire

UCU Graduate Anna Betu at her job in Kyaka II Settlement, Kyegegwa District
2018 UCU Graduate Anna Betu at her job in Kyaka II Settlement, Kyegegwa District (Western Uganda)

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

Anna Betu, a 2018 Uganda Christian University (UCU) graduate and a recipient of the UCU Partners Sponsorship program, is wasting no time in doing what the late South African leader practiced and believed. Before July, when she attained her prestigious First Class Degree (a 4.5 of 5.0 Grade-Point Average) in Bachelors of Arts in Governance and International Relations, she was already working. She was employed as a Protection Assistant by the  Danish Refugee Council, accompanying predominantly Congolese and Burundian refugees resettled in Kyaka II Settlement, Kyegegwa District (Western Uganda).

There are about 25.4 million refugees of ethnic cleansing, civil war and genocide worldwide, according the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 2018 report. Just days before Anna Betu’s UCU graduation, this interview was conducted at the Kyaka settlement which supports more than 70,000 refugees from the Republics of Burundi and the Congo.

What inspired you to pursue the Governance and International Relations Program at Uganda Christian University (UCU)?
Anna Betu, a 2018 Uganda Christian University (UCU) graduate and a recipient of the UCU Partners Sponsor programI first wanted to study Procurement and Logistics but when I looked at the educational trends in Uganda, there were very many people who had (studied) procurement and logistics. In addition to getting an education that would lead to a job, I wanted to try out something different. Since my childhood, I have been fascinated by politics, governance and leadership. When I went to UCU, and saw that they had a program in Governance and International Relations, this seemed a good fit. I have always wanted to be a leader, and I felt like this program would be something that would help understand how to lead our own people and how different countries relate with each other.

How has your education at UCU prepared you for your vocation at the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) Uganda?
The Governance and International Relations Program is only (available) at UCU. I am the first UCU graduate to work (with DRC). I had classes on refugees, international law, peace-building, communication, public and international relations. My all-round education has enabled me to implement here most of the things I studied. Refugee conditions are an international relations issue. Because of what I learned at UCU, I am equipped with the expertise (to understand ) how we engage with particular (refugee) cases. I see that some governments are not standing up to what has been ratified within the international laws concerning refugees and their protection. When I look at the current conflict in the Congo and the rest of the world, I understand their root causes because that’s something we studied extensively throughout our program. As a result of the classes I took on international law and relations, I am the only person that assists our organization’s lawyer to ensure that the legal issues of refugees are settled.

As a beneficiary of the UCU Partners Scholarship, how was the scholarship helpful to you?
After eight years of being out of school due to financial difficulties, most universities did not look at me as a credible candidate for their programs. What I am giving back to the community is very little compared to what UCU Uganda Partners has invested in me.

The financial support I received from Uganda Partners is now benefiting 70,000 people here at Kyaka II Settlement.

Because a few individuals gave (money) towards my education, I am able to be in this position to give support to vulnerable people in settlement communities. The Uganda Partners’ scholarship has given me hope and inspired me to look beyond a Bachelor’s degree. I would love to have a Masters or even a PHD and become a Consultant on immigrants and refugees in Uganda and in Africa at large. This UCU Partners’ scholarship has laid a wonderful foundation. I am very empowered and very hopeful about my future, my children’s future, and the futures of refugees.

Anna (third from right) and Faith Atim, Refugee Reception Center Assistant, with the cooks at the refugee reception center, Kyaka II
Anna (third from right) and Faith Atim, Refugee Reception Center Assistant, with the cooks at the refugee reception center, Kyaka II

Tell us about your experience accompanying refugees in Kyaka II Settlement community?
I had my internship here. My performance as a student laid the groundwork for me to be a full-time DRC employee even before I graduated from UCU. I wanted to come back and they wanted me to come back. During my internship, I developed relationships with my clients that are building even more now. But as a full-time employee, I am more accountable to refugees. It is important to evaluate my success by looking at the progress and happiness of my clients. Some of my clients come to me when they are very sad, and after interacting with them, and solving their problems, I see them smiling. My success is then fulfilled by their smiles, and happy faces. Obviously, every context has its own challenges. Each refugee has his/her struggles. War affects women, children, and men differently. Some people come out of (the war areas) traumatized, disabled, unaccompanied, and my job is to walk with them in their healing journey. I pray for their healing, and every morning in my devotion, I set aside a time to pray for refugees and our staff who accompany them.

While Uganda has had an open-door policy towards refugees, other countries have closed their doors to migrants. Amidst this and other challenges faced by refugees here and beyond, what keeps you committed to the work you are doing at the Kyaka II refugee community with DRC Uganda?
The innocence of the people I work with keeps me committed to the work I am doing. They are victims of violence. I understand that I work with victims of violence and together as a (DRC) community, we are committed to find a plan that would make their lives better. I may be a drop in the ocean that is working against the daily structures that cause violence, but the truth is I am working from the bottom up approach to undo violence to educate young people and adults in the settlement on the impact of violence, what they can do to solve violence, and learn about peaceful coexistence.

Finally, what is your advice to current UCU students?
Understand your God-given purpose. We are occupying a very globalized space. Take time to identify your space and operate from that space to transform your community. And identify a problem in your community and be part of solving it. Finally, be passionate about something you are doing and love it.

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For more information about how you can sponsor a student who might make a difference as Anna is, contact Mark Bartels, UCU Partners executive director, at mtbartels@gmail.com.

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UCU Graduate Mark Muzira Supports Refugees with Mental Health Issues Over Four Years

UCU Alumni, , , , ,


By Brendah Ndagire

Celebrating World Refugee Day in Itambabiniga Settlement

In recent years, Uganda has been ranked by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as the most favorable country for refugees from neighboring countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and South Sudan. Once refugees are resettled in Uganda, they are given many opportunities. These include access to land, employment, starting small- and medium-sized businesses, and quality education. All of these are necessary for helping refugees to integrate in different communities across Uganda and to take care of their families. It creates an opportunity for them to live a dignified life—a life that is different from their counterparts left behind in conflicting communities.

This month, Uganda Christian University Partners is highlighting the experiences of some Uganda Christian University (UCU) alumni who are accompanying Burundian and Congolese refugees in distinct roles at Kyaka II settlement community. Mark Muzira is a UCU alumni who graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and Social Administration. He has been working with refugees for over four years with the past two years as a Psychosocial Counselor with the  American Refugee Committee (ARC). Before joining ARC, he was working with an urban refugee program in Kampala, at a refugee resettlement organization called Inter-Aid Uganda. (This interview has been edited for clarity.)

Mark Muzira on World Refugee Day

What inspired you to study at Uganda Christian University?

I was motivated to join Uganda Christian University because of the quality of education that was guaranteed there. The UCU motto, “a center of excellence in the heart of Africa,” inspired very many secondary school (high school) graduates, including myself, to attend the institution. But it is not just their quality education; it also was their identity with Christian values of servant leadership. The three-to-four years I spent at UCU, my professors equipped me with soft and hard core skills needed to thrive in my current work within the non-government development field.

What are some of your experiences since graduating from UCU?

For a while I volunteered with different non-government organizations in Kampala. I was really interested in working with urban youth. I did some online job searching and that’s where I found Inter-Aid Uganda. While I was there, I worked as a Youth Liaison in their urban refugee program, mentoring teenagers and leading their peer-to-peer program. It was with Inter-Aid that  I found my passion in working with refugees resettled in Uganda. I am currently based in Kyaka II settlement community. I think the time I spent studying at UCU equipped me with certain Christian values, such as treating people from different cultural backgrounds with respect, on top of being a great role model in communities where we are working and living. I owe a lot to UCU for making me a leader, and planting in me seeds of excellence in ways I interact with refugees here.

How did you hear about American Refugee Committee?

While working with Inter-Aid Uganda, we had a partnership with ARC in working in the Urban Refugee Program. During my spare time, I would do research on ARC, and I found that the refugee work they were doing was both complex and interesting. Later, I found out that they needed a psychosocial counselor. I applied for the job, and I got it.

How many refugees are you working with?

With the refugee influx we are experiencing in Kyaka II settlement, we are currently receiving new refugees every week. We are having over 60,000 refugees coming in every day. And the fact that the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo is on-going, we expect more and more refugees will be entering the border of Uganda and eventually to Kyaka II settlement.

Share with us about your work with ARC.  How is it different from other Implementing Partners (IPs) in Kyaka II Settlement?

My role is to identify refugees who may need mental health and counseling support, and refer clients who may need extra help to an expert in therapy. There are many non-profit organizations working to implement different refugee resettlement activities in the area. However, each organization is mandated by the UNHCR to implement a specific project. In that respect, ARC’s mandate is to provide mental health and psychosocial support to refugees resettled in Kyaka II and neighboring communities. ARC also implements youth activities geared towards enhancing mental health including sports such as football, and competitions in music, dance and drama (MDD). This makes mental health and awareness our main focus and contribution to the wider wholistic approach to rehabilitating and reintegrating refugees.

Other partners, such as the Danish Refugee Council, implement Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) projects and education. Still others implement livelihood related projects such as agriculture. We do this in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Office of the Prime Minister.

Refugee women presenting a song during World Refugee Day

What has been your highlight working with refugees in Kyaka II for the last two years?

The resilience and positive attitude of refugees towards their future. Refugees experience very difficult challenges.

Many (refugees) are not aware that they are struggling with the trauma arising from the daily witness and experience of armed violence.

Additionally, they struggle integrating into the community, finding a job and building a new life here. Because they engage in different community integration  processes, they eventually emerge from being unemployed to employed, to leaders in their own communities, to business owners, and to musical artists.

Finally, Nelson Mandela once that, “education is a powerful tool that can be used to transform the world.” How do you translate those words in your life at UCU and now with ARC?

Education has definitely been a wonderful tool to have in my life. If it were not for the good quality education I received from the UCU, I would not be able to work with a respectful organization such as ARC. My education has created for me a foundation to be where I am and be able to give back to the refugee communities. The classes (such as counseling, gender, and research methodologies) I took during my time at UCU are now fundamental to my work here with ARC and the wider community.

For more information about how you can sponsor a student who might make a difference as Mark Muzira is, contact Mark Bartels, UCU Partners executive director, at mtbartels@gmail.com.