Tag Archives: UCU Alumni

Boaz Mbagaya (left) poses with staff at the Mbale People’s Hospital that evolved from People’s Life Care Foundation, the non-profit that he founded.

Tragedy propels Save the Mothers alum into advocacy for maternal health

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Boaz Mbagaya (left) poses with staff at the Mbale People’s Hospital that evolved from People’s Life Care Foundation, the non-profit that he founded.
Boaz Mbagaya (left) poses with staff at the Mbale People’s Hospital that evolved from People’s Life Care Foundation, the non-profit that he founded.

By Pauline Luba
In 1984, as Boaz Mbagaya reported back to school, he was not at peace.  His expecting mother was ill, and Mbagaya worried for the worse. That very week that the 18-year-old reported to school, he was called back home. His mother and the unborn baby had died. 

Mbagaya’s mother lost her life to complications she developed during childbirth. That incident left such an indelible mark in the life of Mbagaya that he made an immediate decision to lead the fight against maternal and child mortality. 

“We should do everything in our power to stop mothers from dying,” said Mbagaya, who grew up in a family of 16 children.

Because there were many children, most of them had to support themselves and their father, George Mbagaya, and raise money for their school fees. Boaz Mbagaya supported his father by farming and brewing local gin, which they later sold for fees.

Mbale People’s Hospital, a non-profit facility in eastern Uganda.
Mbale People’s Hospital, a non-profit facility in eastern Uganda.

After secondary school, Mbagaya joined Makerere University in Uganda, to pursue a course in Mental Health and Community Psychology. He pursued the Master in Public Health Leadership (MPHL) under the Save the Mothers program at Uganda Christian University (UCU) — a course that would later provide him the platform to fulfill his earlier passion for healthier expectant mothers. 

With this program, Mbagaya believed he could do something to change the narrative of the high mortality rate, especially in rural Uganda.

“The course helped me see the many challenges that the community faces,” said Mbagaya, who also studied clinical medicine at Mbale College of Health Sciences.

During the MPHL program, students would move to different geographical areas to learn about maternal needs. 

According to the Save the Mothers website, the program offers the Master of Public Health Leadership to working professionals from a wide range of disciplines, and not only the health discipline. Save the Mothers East Africa hosts the MPHL at UCU.

The program started at UCU in 2005, with the aim of training multi-disciplinary professionals and contributing to improving maternal and child health in developing countries. The students pursuing the course study on a part-time basis over two years, completing the modular program with an intensive community outreach project. 

According to the 2022 Uganda Government statistics, the Maternal Mortality Ratio is at 189 per 100,000 live births while the infant mortality stands at 34 per 1,000 live births. Globally, according to the United Nations, by 2020, there were 223 deaths per 100,000 live births.

Upon completing school, Mbagaya started a non-profit facility, the People’s Life Care Foundation, to help him promote and strengthen the health care system in Uganda. That foundation gave birth to Mbale People’s Hospital, a facility located in eastern Uganda. Mbagaya is currently the Managing Director of the facility.

Among the many outpatient and inpatient services provided at the facility is obstetrics and gynecology. Mbagaya also has broken sweat, trying to combat obstetric fistula. According to the United Nations Population Fund, obstetric fistula is a tragic childbirth injury, where a hole develops between the birth canal and the bladder and/or the rectum. It is caused by prolonged, obstructed labor without access to timely, high-quality medical treatment. 

The hospital began identifying mothers suffering from obstetric fistula for treatment. Some of the patients would even be transported to the hospital. So far, according to Mbagaya, 14 women have undergone reconstructive surgery and gotten rid of the hole. 

“There was a 51-year-old who finally got help after living with the condition for a long time,” Mbagaya said. He noted that many of the women who got medical relief had lost hope while some had lost their husbands to other people.

Barter trade
According to Mbagaya, whenever his mother got pregnant, she would offer goodies to the midwife, in anticipation for “better attention” when she went to the health facility to give birth. Mbagaya narrates that even when the health personnel visited his mother at home after delivery, she would offer them foodstuffs. It is this gesture, Mbagaya says, that, many years later, pushed him into accepting produce as exchange for services rendered at the Mbale People’s Hospital for those who do not have the money to pay the fees. 

He said he noticed how many people in the community were farmers and had produce, all of which had monetary value. Therefore, he set up a system where people, especially in the event of emergencies, could pay with produce, instead of money, which they didn’t have. As long as people put items that quantify the service they would be receiving, all would be well. This arrangement made Mbagaya popular among the people.  

“I once spent a month only eating the foodstuffs that had been offered to me in exchange for healthcare,” Mbagaya, now age 57, said.

He hopes that one day, one of his four children will also develop interest in medicine and follow in his footsteps, to ensure the legacy of the family, as well as the hospital continues.

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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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Community-Based Monitoring course (CBM) students test the safety of water in one of the villages.

Tanzania exchange program exposes UCU students to world of community work

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Community-Based Monitoring course (CBM) students test the safety of water in one of the villages.
Community-Based Monitoring course (CBM) students test the safety of water in one of the villages.

By Irene Best Nyapendi
Seven Uganda Christian University (UCU) students have had a resume-building experience during a five-week internship at a university in Tanzania. The students participated in a Community-Based Monitoring (CBM) course at Mzumbe University’s main campus in Morogoro, Tanzania, from March 30 to May 5, 2024. 

CBM is a co-creation course facilitated and co-ordinated by the Institute of Development Policy (IOB) – University of Antwerp, Belgium and Mzumbe University.

The course, which brought together students from the United States, Uganda, Tanzania, Belgium, Bangladesh, DR Congo, Cameroon, Ghana, Peru and Indonesia, was aimed at equipping students with skills and knowledge in community-led development and sustainability. It was delivered through theoretical sessions, skills labs and action labs, where students worked directly with local communities to identify development challenges and use evidence to influence designing of alternative interventions by duty bearers.

The students who participated in the CBM course
The students who participated in the CBM course

The UCU team included Amenyo Sarah, Bigala Cathryn, Baraka Peter, Lubega Daniel, Mubeezi Simon and Vincent Manimani, who are students of Master of Development Monitoring and Evaluation; and Sagal Macrina, who is pursuing a Postgraduate Diploma in Development Monitoring and Evaluation.

The invitation to the UCU School of Social Sciences was based on the collaboration that IOB-University of Antwerp has had with UCU. 

The facilitators were led by Prof. Nathalie Holvoet from the University of Antwerp. Other facilitators included Dr.  Sara Dewachter (IOB-University of Antwerp), Doreen Kyando (Mzumbe University), Dr. Alellie Sobrevinas (De La Salle University), Solomon Mwije (UCU), and Dr. Christina M. Shitima (Mzumbe University)..

Dr. Waiswa Jeremy, the UCU Head of Postgraduate Studies and Research – School of Social Sciences — noted that the students who participated in the program this year formed the inaugural cohort.

According to Waiswa, the course enhances students’ skills and enables them to implement the theories they learn in class.

“While we teach theoretical concepts in the classroom, this program provides students with the opportunity to put their knowledge into practice,” Waiswa said. “This helps our students concretize their understanding and allows them to test theoretical frameworks in real-world scenarios, discerning what works and what doesn’t.”

Cathryn Bigala, presenting research findings during the CBM program
Cathryn Bigala, presenting research findings during the CBM program

Solomon, a UCU lecturer, said during the program, they undertook three CBM projects on education, water and food security.

He explained that by working on real-world projects, UCU students developed essential skills in presenting their findings and engaging with the communities. 

He said those who participated are expected to become change agents and share knowledge with colleagues. The students learned about how local communities in Tanzania are addressing issues related to development challenges. They acquired skills in data collection, analysis and community engagement.

What beneficiary UCU students said
Cathryn Bigala, a second-year student pursuing Master of Development Monitoring and Evaluation, said her most memorable moment in Tanzania was visiting villages to meet respondents affected by food insecurity and water scarcity. 

The findings revealed that poverty and natural disaster situations like pests, floods, and elephants that destroy crops have devastating effects on locals. 

Sagal Macrina, presenting research findings during the CBM program
Sagal Macrina, presenting research findings during the CBM program

“This has caused fear among the locals, and as a result, people have abandoned farming for quarrying as an alternative to fend for their families,” Bigala said.

Through the program, Bigala says she acquired practical skills in community data collection and analysis, respondent interviewing, and monitoring development projects at the community level. 

Bigala noted that the program prepared her to think critically about community concerns, be an advocate for the underprivileged, and collaborate with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Sagal Macrina, a finalist pursuing a Postgraduate Diploma in Development Monitoring and Evaluation, says she participated in a CBM water project to test water safety, identify unsafe water sources, and present results to the community. 

“During the water project, we implemented a flag system to indicate safe and unsafe water sources,” Macrina said. “We put green flags to indicate safe water sources and also put up red and orange flags to indicate the unsafe water sources prompting government action, where necessary.”

The program also helped her develop interpersonal and communication skills.

“Through the program, I learned better communication skills as I had to present findings to the community and other stakeholders,” Macrina noted.

Simon Mubeezi, presenting research findings during the CBM program
Simon Mubeezi, presenting research findings during the CBM program

She also appreciated the experience of working with peers from diverse cultural backgrounds, which broadened her worldview and helped her appreciate the nuances of working in a multicultural team.

Simon Mubeezi, a second-year student of Master of Development Monitoring and Evaluation, said he acquired skills in research methodology and data analysis.

By engaging directly with the local community through data collection, he says he gained insights into the farmers’ adaptive and coping strategies to climate change and their agricultural practices.

“This program showed me the importance of integrating local knowledge with academic research to effectively address food security concerns,” Mubeezi noted.

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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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Jean Paul Nageri (middle) with his award for Most Innovative Export company early this year. Third Right is Uganda’s Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja while second-right is the Head of the European Delegation to Uganda, Ambassador Jan Sadek. Second-left is Uganda’s Minister for Investment, Evelyne Anite.

UCU alum’s innovation reduces post-harvest losses

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Jean Paul Nageri (middle) with his award for Most Innovative Export company early this year. Third Right is Uganda’s Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja while second-right is the Head of the European Delegation to Uganda, Ambassador Jan Sadek. Second-left is Uganda’s Minister for Investment, Evelyne Anite.
Jean Paul Nageri (middle) with his award for Most Innovative Export company early this year. Third Right is Uganda’s Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja while second-right is the Head of the European Delegation to Uganda, Ambassador Jan Sadek. Second-left is Uganda’s Minister for Investment, Evelyne Anite.

By Kefa Senoga
In 2017, the father of Jean Paul Nageri planted more than 100 acres of bananas in Busia, eastern Uganda. As is usually the norm, towards harvest time, a middleman promised to buy all the bananas at harvest. The harvest time came, but the middleman never showed up. The result? Most of the bananas either got rotten in the garden or were sold at a give-away price.

The pain of that loss was so unbearable for Nageri that the next year, he was in the laboratory, working out a solution to mitigate the gravity of the depletion his father suffered. He suspected there was a solution, but did not know exactly what it was. And the tests in the laboratory led him to something that was more like putting into practice the course he had studied at Uganda Christian University (UCU), where he received a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Entrepreneurship. 

Nageri explaining his innovation at a conference.
Nageri explaining his innovation at a conference.

Nageri sought to extend the shelf life of many fruits and vegetables by slowing down their rate of spoilage while being kept at room temperature without any form of refrigeration – a move that democratizes food storage and removes barriers to enable everyone to keep food fresh, regardless of whether you have a cold room or not. In Uganda, room temperature is about 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit).

So, how does Nageri’s innovation work?

He explained that using the skins of oranges, mangoes, bananas and other fruits in the lab, he was able to extract compounds, which he later turned into powder. The powder is blended with water, which is then used for coating the fruits and vegetables. The coating, which he has named Ka Fresh and is produced by his firm, Sio Valley Technologies, is edible.

“Most of the knowledge I am applying now is what I obtained in class at the university,” he said. “I am working with other scientists who are also applying the same knowledge in biotechnology.”

Nageri with his jam products during his university days
Nageri with his jam products during his university days

For this innovation, Sio Valley Technologies was early this year awarded the Most Innovative Export company at the third annual Uganda/EU Business Summit. Nageri received the award from Uganda’s Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja. The Head of the European Union Delegation to Uganda, Ambassador Jan Sadek, was also present at the awards gala.  

The World Food Program estimates that as of last year, more than 333 million people in the world were facing acute levels of food insecurity; they did not know where their next meal would come. The situation is compounded by the fact that the cost of delivering food assistance was at an all-time high because of the increase in the prices of food and fuel.

Despite the hunger situation, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that 30-40% of total food production is lost before it reaches the market. But with the Ka Fresh solution, Nageri aims to overcome this challenge, so that farmers can have more bargaining power over their produce while in the market without fear of it getting rotten while on the shelf.

Some fruits and vegetables that have been coated with Nageri’s solution, he says, are now able to stay fresh for up to three times their natural shelf life. Nageri says tests in the laboratory have indicated that tomatoes that have been coated with Ka Fresh, for example, are able to stay for more than 70 days under room temperature without refrigeration.

Nageri’s innovation should come as good news for exporters who are currently scratching their heads for solutions to the rising cost of air freight. Currently, according to the World Bank, it costs 12 to 16 times more to transport a commodity through air than sea and yet exporters opt for air transport because some commodities cannot last the more than 30 days it takes most of the ships to travel from African ports to Europe.

The journey to the Ka Fresh innovation saw Nageri team up with a friend, Lorna Orubo, to make tomato jam as a student at UCU and then mayonnaise, as his final-year project to meet the requirements for the award of his degree.

 “If you are building the right solution to a challenge, capital will always follow you and the right people will always want to surround themselves with you,” Nageri says, noting that for now, he is more focused on fine-tuning his innovation than looking at what he stands to benefit from it.

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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. Also, follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook

Rev. Dr. Richard Muwonge Mulindwa during his graduation in South Africa

‘Life was hard’ – Rev. Dr. Mulindwa, new PhD recipient

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Rev. Dr. Richard Muwonge Mulindwa during his graduation in South Africa
Rev. Dr. Richard Muwonge Mulindwa during his graduation in South Africa

By Kefa Senoga
For the first time in 15 years, the Rev. Dr. Mulindwa Richard Muwonge is not in a university class. He is also not chasing after a deadline for a class assignment. And this is because he recently completed his education, earning a Doctor of Philosophy in Biblical and Religious Studies from the University of Pretoria in South Africa.

Mulindwa, the Church Relations Manager at Uganda Christian University (UCU), joined Uganda’s Kyambogo University in 2009 to pursue  Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies. Upon receiving that award, he immediately enrolled for Master of Science in Public Health at UCU and thereafter, Master of Divinity, also from UCU. 

Now, there is a PhD for a boy whose parents passed away before he was 12 years old and his grandmother-guardian just four years later. This is nothing short of a miracle for the youth who could hardly afford to eat. When Buule Samson and Mary Katusabe departed, the role of looking after their son rested with the latter’s grandmother who died by the time the grandson was age 16. At the time, he had just completed Senior One at Lugazi High School in central Uganda. 

UCU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance David Mugawe (left); UCU Chaplain, the Rev. Eng. Paul Wasswa Ssembiro (center); and the Rev. Dr. Mulindwa (right) at the GAFCON conference in Kigali last year.
UCU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance David Mugawe (left); UCU Chaplain, the Rev. Eng. Paul Wasswa Ssembiro (center); and the Rev. Dr. Mulindwa (right) at the GAFCON conference in Kigali last year.

“After the death of my grandmother, I became independent and survived on my own. Life was hard, tough and full of struggles,” Mulindwa said, explaining how he took up odd jobs to raise money for his school fees.

However, he was only able to raise money for Senior Two. By Senior Three, he was no longer in position to raise the amount of money required for his fees. 

“When the school where I was studying got wind of my dilemma, they employed me,” Mulindwa said.  “I was cooking porridge at school, cleaning classrooms and doing casual work. In return, I would not pay school fees.” 

He notes that despite his commitments at school, he would find two days in a week to work in some garages to earn more income.

Through that arrangement, Mulindwa was able to stay in school up to the second term of Senior Five, when he dropped out because the school got a new headteacher who cancelled the work-study plan. 

Mulindwa kept out of school for the next seven years. During this break from formal education, he found support from the family of the Rev. Capt. Titus Baraka. Their paths crossed when Baraka became the parish priest of Mulindwa’s home area in Mukono district.

With the support from vision for Africa, Mulindwa pursued a certificate program in motor vehicle mechanics at the Nakawa Vocational Training Institute. He was later employed by the  Mukono diocese as a driver and mechanic.

Mulindwa says he seized the opportunity of working in the diocese to get a bursary in the church-founded schools to continue with formal education. He joined Mukono High School to complete Senior Five and later moved to Kisowera Secondary School for Senior Six.

“Studying as an old man was a challenge as I often got mocked,” he recalled. “But I had to swallow my pride and go for what I wanted.”

His bachelor’s degree at Kyambogo University was sponsored by Good Samaritans from the USA, the Master of Public Health Leadership at UCU was sponsored by Save the Mothers while the Master of Divinity was through a scholarship from the Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology.

He plans to use his PhD to advance the mission of spreading Christianity through teaching, learning and research to contribute valuable insights to the church, engaging in pastoral work, preaching the gospel, and serving as a role model to inspire others to pursue further studies.

Mulindwa’s area of research was marriage, with a focus on “the drivers of infidelity among members of the clergy in the Church of Uganda.” 

He believes that without the patience of his family members — wife Deborah and children — he would not have completed his PhD program. Despite being sponsored for his education, in many instances, he still had to contribute some funds towards the expenses, thereby depriving his family of some of their basic needs.

He notes that balancing family time with work, and studies was not easy for him. But he did it. Mulindwa also serves as the chaplain for Makerere College School.

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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.

Also, follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook

The award that was given to UCU Arua Campus

UCU Arua Campus wins regional quality award

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The award that was given to UCU Arua Campus
The award that was given to UCU Arua Campus

By Kefa Senoga
Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Arua Campus has won a prestigious regional award as the best higher institution of learning in West Nile for 2022. The West Nile Quality Brands Awards are given to entities that operate in the northwestern part of Uganda.

The criteria for selecting the awardees involved assessing their economic sustainability, operational effectiveness, level of technology adoption, progressive leadership and culture, as well as social and community contribution, commitment and perseverance. 

While receiving the award at a hotel in the northwestern district of Arua on December 9, 2022, the UCU Arua Campus Director, the Rev. Julius Tabbi Izza, said it represents the voice of the community about what they know regarding UCU and that it tasks the administration of the university with continuing to offer quality services to the community. 

“Four institutions were nominated alongside UCU and it was upon the public to vote, so this is a testimony regarding what the public knows about UCU and, it gives us confidence that the community loves what we do and that they trust us,” Tabbi said.

The nomination and voting processes constituted 70% of the brand score, while the results from the judging panel constituted 30%. The university campus garnered 63.32% out of 70% of the votes from the public.

The West Nile Quality Brands Awards was set up to recognize excellence among companies, businesses, start-ups and individuals who have made a positive contribution to the region. The awardees must demonstrate excellence in the service they offer, show evidence of innovation and customer service, as well as professionalism and inclusiveness in the work they engage in. 

The awards organizers said the UCU Arua Campus was awarded for demonstrating its ability to equip students with quality, innovative skills, as well as providing hands-on skills courses that meet the market demands of professionals.

Taking advantage of its state-of-the-art online technology, the awards committee said UCU was the first university to embrace online learning for students prior to and during the Covid-19 pandemic, and that this helped many complete studies within the stipulated time. It added that all the achievements were possible because “UCU’s transformational leadership has enabled organizational learning.”

Albe Akasa, the president of the West Nile Quality Brands, said: “Winning portrays the trust that people have in UCU since these are largely people-centered competitions; it, therefore, shows that UCU is performing well, from the perspective of the people it serves.” 

As part of the benefits that UCU is entitled to as a winner, the university’s profile and advertisement will be published in the awards Winners Directory Book. Also to be profiled will be a documentary showcasing UCU’s activities.

The UCU Arua Campus was established in August 2003. Formerly, it was St. Paul’s Regional Theological College, offering diploma and certificate courses in Theology, as well as training of Lay Readers. 

The campus, which started with 80 students and 27 academic and non-academic staff now boasts a student enrolment of over 600 and about 100 staff. 

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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.

Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Matende Wilson with his mother on his graduation day in October 2018. (UCU Partners Photo)

UCU Partners Scholarship support for single mothers

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Matende Wilson with his mother on his graduation day in October 2018. (UCU Partners Photo)
Matende Wilson with his mother on his graduation day in October 2018. (UCU Partners Photo)

By Brendah Ndagire

One of the challenges of being a single mother – worldwide and in Uganda – is meeting the responsibility of educating children. The 2016 World Bank report shows that 26.90% of households are ‘Female Headed’ in Uganda. The reality is that Ugandans estimate the percentage of both female-headed homes and/or single-parent homes to be higher.

And the challenge is that Uganda as a nation struggles with the problem of research deficiency, largely due to the fact that majority of the population lives in rural areas, where such data, if collected, can be easily skewed.

Organizations such as the Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA- Uganda) and Single Parents Association of Uganda (SPU) that work primarily on women issues, report that Ugandan women are single mothers for different reasons. Causes include death of the father to a disease or accident and/or father accusation of a crime and/or incarceration; unemployment of both parents; and willful abandonment of pregnant women.

Nabiryo Annet, mother of Uganda Christian University (UCU) graduate Matende Wilson Paul and four other children in Mukono, is one such single mother.  And like most other single mothers, she has struggled since she first learned the news of her pregnancy. When she had her son at age 16, his father abandoned her. She had to raise Wilson with her father.

“My father played the role of the father and grandfather at the same time,” said Annet.

When Annet got pregnant, her friends advised her to get an abortion because she could not possibly support her son on her own. But she refused. Looking now at her grown son who has a UCU Diploma in Business Administration, and all his academic accomplishments, Annet often thinks about the damage she could have done if she had aborted him.

But God has accompanied Annet through the USA-based UCU Partners nonprofit organization. Wilson Paul is a recipient of a UCU Partners’ scholarship. She remembers a time when Wilson graduated from high school. She did not know where to get the money for him to proceed to the university. When her son told her that he was receiving tuition support from a UCU Partners benefactor, she was filled with joy and gratitude. She did not know how he had managed to apply, or how he got accepted by UCU’s Financial Aid Office, but she felt that God had answered her prayers.

“I am grateful to UCU Partners’ scholarship and his sponsor specifically,” Annet said. “What stands out to me is that UCU Partners does not only give financial support, but sometimes some sponsors also give  career guidance to their students. My son would go on to be a chemistry teacher and mentor to high-school students upon the guidance of his sponsor at UCU.”

Today, Wilson’s mother is very hopeful about his future. When UCU Partners interviewed him, he had plans of going back to UCU for further studies. In January this year, he enrolled in UCU’s bachelor program in Business Administration, while serving as a Finance Assistant to the school where he is teaching chemistry.

There are more than 50 higher education institutions in Uganda, but these single mothers choose UCU because they want their sons to be rooted in Christ, and identify with UCU’s values of stewardship, community, integrity, and servant leadership.

When UCU’s financial aid office, in collaboration with UCU Partners, looks at which student to grant tuition support, they usually listen and learn the story of the student who is applying for support. Very rarely does the financial aid office get to hear the story and experiences of their parents.

Annet is not the only single mother UCU Partners has supported.

Odongokola Joshua with his mother on his graduation day in October 2018. (UCU Partners Photo)
Odongokola Joshua with his mother on his graduation day in October 2018. (UCU Partners Photo)

Stella Amonyi, is another mother the organization has supported. Her son, Odongokola Joshua El Shadai, also graduated with a Diploma in Business Administration in October 2018. He and his mother live in Kampala, but they are originally from the Northern district of Uganda, Lira.

Stella has worked as a mother to 47 orphaned and street children at Agape Christian Children Home/Center, in Nsambya, Kampala, for the last 11 years. With the sudden death of her husband, she held a job and raised their four children. Her husband died when Joshua, the youngest of the four children, was just three months old.

“My son never got a chance to meet his father. I thank God for caring for my son through UCU Partners,” said Stella.

When she learned that Joshua was receiving a scholarship from UCU Partners, she was very thankful to God.

“I have always prayed that God uses my sons and daughters for expanding His Kingdom. If it wasn’t for God, they would be nothing,” said Stella. Today, with a UCU diploma in hand, Joshua is enrolled in UCU’s bachelor program in Business and Administration. He wants to be an accountant.

Most parents in Uganda are responsible for their children’s education from kindergarten to the university. When UCU Partners supports students at UCU, they indirectly support their parents. This is why parents, such as Annet and Stella, are very grateful to UCU Partners who have empowered their sons through access to university education.

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For more of these stories and experiences, visit https://www.ugandapartners.org.  If you would like to support 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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(BarefootLaw Photo)

UCU graduates in BarefootLaw seek justice in un-just world (Part II of II)

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By Brendah Ndagire

Timothy Kakuru, BFL Program Director (BarefootLaw Photo)
Timothy Kakuru, BFL Program Director (BarefootLaw Photo)

This second of two segments follows last week’s story of how UCU Law graduates are making a difference in the lives of Ugandans with the non-profit BarefootLaw (BFL) organization. This week features an interview with BarefootLaw’s Program Director, Timothy Kakuru,  to understand why BFL is doing the type of legal work across Ugandan communities. This interview is edited for clarification purposes.

What attracted you to Uganda Christian University Law School?
When I applied for the law program at UCU, it had a very good reputation among legal practitioners in Uganda. Before I came to UCU, all I knew about (studying) law is that you were in the program to graduate and make money. That I would become a lawyer, go to court, (argue a specific case) and get money – to somehow become rich. After I got to UCU, I learned that they were other ways to use my law degree. Primarily, UCU School of Law put a Christian aspect to legal practice, which changed the dynamics (of practice) for many of us (law students and graduates). I know many UCU graduates who are working within the non-profit field, because for the most part, the law program at UCU was about service, doing work for the greater good of the community, than serving to gain some sort of financial gain. Most other law schools in Uganda teach law in (the lens) of justice, but in UCU, it was not only through (the perspective of) justice but also in terms of Christian ethics.

How is the Christian ethic approach different?
Justice is what is right, according to the law. The difference lies in how a crime is prosecuted. For example, if someone burns your house, justice for you would be in terms of (monetary) compensation. To put a Christian aspect to that example, then one seeks to understand why the other person burnt your house, and seek to reconcile the two parties. The big gap is that often time in the legal system, there is no element of reconciliation, where as at UCU we were taught to try to reconcile the two parties by looking at the whys and the hows of a specific wrong action, and then solve the issue amicably.

How did BarefootLaw evolve?
The BarefootLaw was incorporated in 2013 as non-profit legal agency.  The idea of BarefootLaw came from Gerald Abila in 2012 who begun a Facebook Page to share legal information. I met him at Law Development Centre in 2013 and he shared the idea with me, I liked it and agreed to join him and slowly the team grew from there. The grand idea was to make justice available to people through giving them legal information. The crux of it was that if people knew their rights, then they would be able to enforce them. They would not really need legal representation because they would be able to avoid (potential) conflicts. For example, if that businessman knew that defilement was a crime, he would avoid having relationships with young girls. Many people are not aware that certain actions are legal offenses. The idea was to provide as much legal information that people would know that they would avoid engaging in crimes.

Left to right, Isaac, Timothy and Gerald, Co-founders of Barefoot Law. (BarefootLaw Photo)
Left to right, Isaac, Timothy and Gerald, Co-founders of Barefoot Law. (BarefootLaw Photo)

What did the implementation process of the idea look like?
We thought using technology would be our best strategy. Gerald (CEO) had already opened up a FaceBook page and I came on board to partner in writing content and publishing. Later, we came up with the an idea of doing sms, small call centers, website platforms and other mechanisms including community outreach and legal training with people in rural communities. We thought this would be our way of empowering people with legal information so that they may be able to avoid crime, or know what to do in case of a criminal offense.

But why BarefootLaw as a non profit legal agency and not as a profit-making law firm?
I had worked with the Uganda Law Council during my time at LDC, and had witnessed how many people had been taken advantage of. The Uganda Law Council disciplines lawyers. There were cases where lawyers were accused of taking someone’s property such as land, and in other cases a son of an elderly man working with corrupt lawyers to take away his father’s land. I thought I was already in a toxic law field. There were backlog of cases dating to 1994, and just so many unethical issues that was disillusioning, and I was not ready to jump into such a legal (justice) system.

I had always wanted to do something more meaningful and impactful to the ordinary person with my law degree. BarefootLaw to me was an opportunity for us to have every individual be ‘their own lawyer’ – we thought if people knew just enough information about law or human rights, they would be able to know if, for instance, you are entitled to bail once you have been arrested and detained for more than 48 hours. BarefootLaw is about making sure that ordinary people are empowered by understanding their human rights.

How do you reach out to people?
We have a very big social media presence. We have over 200,000 Facebook followers on our platforms, and in that sense most people do come to us for legal help. We do have community outreaches in some Districts, such as Soroti, Arua, Apach, Lira, and we try to get as many people as possible. We have an SMS and call center platform where most people can reach us. In a day, we can get about 50 cases. Some days are more others days less. Some cases are serious, others are not.

What has stood out for you working with BFL?
Most of the lawyers who work with us at BFL are from UCU. They are UCU graduates. And this shows that we are attracting young lawyers to do things differently within the Uganda legal system. As you may know, money drives most people, including in Uganda. And at BFL we try to challenge that by providing our services at a free cost in most cases. The admirable thing about BFL is that people who work with us are aware that they are not doing it primarily for the money.

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Stories such as Timothy’s and the experiences of the people they have walked with to seek free legal support, are the reason why Uganda Partners supports law students so that they may have access to empowering and Christ centered education – a type of education that is making a huge difference in their communities. If you are interested in supporting students who are making a difference in the communities around Uganda such as Timothy Kakuru and the UCU graduates team at BarefootLaw, contact Mark Bartels, UCU Partners’ Executive Director, at  mtbartels@gmail.com. Also follow our Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn pages.

Timothy and BFL colleagues in Belgium receiving the 2017 King Baudouin African Development Prize.

UCU graduates in BarefootLaw seek justice in un-just world

UCU Alumni, UCU School of Law, , , , , ,


By Brendah Ndagire

Timothy and BFL colleagues in Belgium receiving the 2017 King Baudouin African Development Prize.
Timothy and BFL colleagues in Belgium receiving the 2017 King Baudouin African Development Prize. (BarefootLaw Photo)

 “What,” an anxious young man began, “does punishment for defilement mean?”

It was 2014. James (not his actual name) hopelessly asked the question to lawyers at BarefootLaw (BFL), a nonprofit legal organization founded in the Ntinda, greater Kampala area, Uganda.

The lawyers responded: “The maximum punishment for defilement is life in prison, and if it is aggravated defilement, someone may be subjected to capital punishment.”

The BFL legal team then received a message from James detailing what happened to his 12-year-old sister in Eastern Uganda’s Lganga District. A powerful businessman was accused of sexual abuse/defilement of the young girl. The man was caught in the act and taken to the police, but the offender negotiated with the police and was let go. He had paid the child’s mother some compensation to get the mother to drop the charges.

But the older brother couldn’t forget. He knew that his younger sister had been raped and deserved more than a monetary payoff by the perpetrator and a brush off by police. Despite the mother’s refusal to press on past her compensation and no help from Ugandan legal prosecutors, James reached out to BFL to reopen and proceed with the case.

According to BFL lawyers, no one should be able to compensate his way out of a rape/defilement charge. BFL took on the case of James and his sister. Two years later, there was a conviction of three year’s imprisonment for the perpetrator. Not enough, but some vindication.

“The news of the conviction made our year,” said UCU Law graduate Timothy Kakuru. “It made us realize that no matter how hopeless the case may be we have to keep encouraging the person we are helping to get justice.”

Timothy Kakuru leads a workshop with BFL beneficiaries. (BarefootLaw Photo)
Timothy Kakuru leads a workshop with BFL beneficiaries. (BarefootLaw Photo)

Stories like James’ are part of many successful stories Timothy’s BFL  creates every year. Timothy shared another story of a young woman who was working in a security company. She was sexually harassed by one of her male bosses. Many times she had reported the abuse but nothing happened to the culprits. In Uganda, oftentimes when the victims of sexual violence report such abuses they are met with such accusations as: “You invited it… it was your fault…the way you were dressed.” The victims of sexual violence are often blamed for what has happened to them.

Another young woman, working in the IT department of an organisation got a video recording of her being harassed by security officials. She hoped she could use the video to sue the company, but the company decided to fire her and tried to get her arrested for stealing their company video.  By the time she came to BFL for justice, she was very terrified because officials were threatening her.

Barefoot Law guided her to notify her employers of her intention to sue, detailing all the laws broken by her bosses at the security company, and listing out how much (money) she could ask for in terms of compensation. The lawsuit according to Timothy,  would have included sexual abuse, wrongful termination, and  mental suffering/health. The letter got into the hands of the Human Resource Manager and later in the hands of the director of the company. To protect its image, after receiving a letter from her,  a week later, the company m informed her that it would compensate her.

“In the end, she decided not to go ahead with the lawsuit because it was going to be a very long and tiring process, and she was happy with the decent financial compensation received. This helped to restore her dignity,” said Timothy.

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COMING UP: Next week, UCU Partners will share more of an interview with BarefootLaw co-founder Timothy Kakuru.  Included will be more details how Barefoot Law got started and how more lives have been transformed by this non-profit organization.

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If you are interested in supporting students who are making a difference in the communities around Uganda such as Timothy Kakuru and the UCU graduates’ team at Barefoot Law, contact Mark Bartels, UCU Partners’ Executive Director, at mtbartels@gmail.com. Also follow our Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin pages.