Tag Archives: Uganda Christian University

New Chaplain shares personal aspirations and expectations for Uganda Christian University community

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


The Reverend-Engineer Paul Wasswa Ssembiro
The Reverend-Engineer Paul Wasswa Ssembiro

Introduction:
The Reverend-Engineer Paul Wasswa Ssembiro is no stranger to Uganda Christian University (UCU). A mechanical engineer, teacher and preacher, his careers have taken him different places, including UCU. He has been an Assistant Lecturer at Makerere University and Kyambogo University, has worked as a Provincial Secretary to the Church of Uganda and served as National Team Leader of African Evangelistic Enterprise. With his education and experience, he emerged in the new role of University Chaplain at UCU, Mukono, when the previous Chaplain, Rev. Nyegenye Rebecca Margaret Ajambo, left for another position at All Saints’ Cathedral, Kampala, earlier this year. His official, full-time appointment is effective November 2019. Uganda Christian University Partners spoke with him to learn about his inspiration in the role, his background, and expectations for the larger UCU community.  The interview is edited for clarity.

By Brendah Ndagire

What inspired you to accept the role as Chaplain at UCU?
I have been ministering to UCU since 1999, visiting this campus as a speaker during “Mission Week,” for the student/staff community worship and during chapel time. I have specific gifts, such as oratory skills, leadership, Christian ministry, and my general experience working with a university as it relates to its community. I have preached at Makerere University, Kyambogo University, and at UCU. Comparing audiences at public universities, I think that UCU is a wonderful fit for me.

The Rev. Eng. Paul Wasswa Ssembiro outside Principal’s Hall
The Rev. Eng. Paul Wasswa Ssembiro outside Principal’s Hall

What does your role as Chaplain entail?
It is a broad role. Primarily, it entails spiritual formation for the university community. Whatever we do as a ministry team within the chaplaincy falls into a wider umbrella of spiritual formation. We pray and believe that as people come to UCU to pursue their studies, they would encounter Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal Savior, and find wholeness. We pray that they would grow fully because that is something that is hard to realize in our Christian development.  Spiritual growth is not about information but about formation, and becoming more and more like Jesus. But we also have a resident community among staff members. The chapel ministry serves this community, and the community outside UCU.

Is that an institutional or personal view of the role?
It is a personal view which interfaces with the general institutional view.

What is a scripture that defines your work as a Chaplain?
That is a difficult question. One will be Ephesians 4:11-13, with text that talks about the fact that God appoints ministers for the sake of equipping other people and what other people would do in the ministry … and the goal of ministers God appoints is that people come to the full stature of Jesus Christ. The particular scriptures talks about apostles, teachers,  pastors, prophets, evangelists, and to me, chaplaincy fits into that.

What do you anticipate would be the most difficult part of being a University Chaplain?
The most difficult part would be the fact that the audience (young adults) is trying to discover what God is calling.  I think spiritual stability for  young people enrolled at UCU is a unique challenge that would make walking with them towards spiritual formation an uphill task. This is particularly (challenging) because young people are independent and they want to try out different things before they discover themselves.

The other challenge is that for now we do not have a chapel structure for community engagement throughout the week in terms of organizing activities related to spiritual development.

What do you think are the solutions to the above anticipated challenges?
Inevitably, Uganda Christian University needs to think about coming up with a comprehensive development plan for the chapel. That would include a sanctuary, that is, a place to worship, and hopefully with some outside space where students or staff can meet for other chapel activities. For now we are using Nkoyoyo Hall, and we are grateful. But in terms of a larger place where students or staff can come for prayer meetings, seminars in large or small groups, that is still lacking.

What do you find rewarding about your new role?
The most rewarding aspect of this role is recognizing that UCU is a great gift to Uganda and Africa at large, and it is rewarding to be a part of this community. Secondly, when God gives you the opportunity to pastor a community,  it is important to recognize that you are responsible for sending out people in the community as agents of transformation. Thinking about UCU in particular, it is important for me to recognize that I will be part of the process of three or four years forming the spiritual nature of its students. I think that is truly a great great reward. Part of our work as a Chaplaincy is participating in the training of Anglican priests in Uganda through Bishop Tucker School of Theology, and I consider it a privilege too, to be a part of that process.

What do you think are the major needs of the people (students and staff) you serve at UCU?
First, the staff at UCU needs to recognize that part of the work they are doing here is aiding students to integrate professional development with spiritual formation since UCU is primarily a Christian institution. For example, if I come to teach mechanical engineering, how I train students at UCU matters. The values and ethics I pass on apart from the scientific aspect of the program, would ensure that I am developing an engineering student who is primarily God fearing, a graduate who honors God, with the sense of mission, and who go in a job environment to make a difference and be different in a job market. Thus, UCU staff need to appreciate that calling to make a difference in the lives of the students they are teaching. I hope we walk that journey together.

To the student community, the need is that they are able to find/discover their purpose and calling in God, and also solidify it. There are so many opportunities for serving God in our country, and I hope that we if students are able to participate in spaces we organize at UCU, they would be better equipped to serve our nation fully.

 With your background in engineering, are you hoping to take on the role of teaching in that area at UCU at some point?
I have  a passion for teaching. That is why I call myself a teaching evangelist. I also love my engineering profession but as to whether that would translate into teaching within UCU’s engineering department, is dependent on how stretched I am in the chaplaincy role. But if I got that opportunity to teach engineering, I would see it as a platform for mentoring and supporting someone to develop professionally and rooted in Christian principles and ethical values.

Since you are based at the main campus in Mukono, how are you planning to reach out to students studying at UCU’s regional campuses?
The chaplaincy takes a central role in programming and setting up spiritual programs for students who are not studying at the main campus. We plan that Tuesday and Thursday community worship hours are available to all students through their deans, and/or an appointed chapel representative.

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More information about UCU’s Chaplaincy and Bishop Tucker School of Theology and Divinity at Uganda Christian University can be obtained at: http://ucu.ac.ug/bishop-tucker-school-of-theology.

To support UCU Theology students, contact Mark Bartels, executive director, UCU Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org, or donate directly at: https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/

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Acting UCU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Development and External Relations, Mr. David Mugawe (UCU Partners photo)

Church leases house, land for UCU SoM expansion

UCU School of Medicine, , , ,


Acting UCU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Development and External Relations, Mr. David Mugawe (UCU Partners photo)
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.

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

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Growth of unaffiliated churches raises questions about pastor authenticity

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


2014 representation of religious demoninations in Uganda

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

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

How do we know if pastors are genuine?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Butabika National Referral Hospital, in Kampala, Uganda, is the country’s only mental health facility.

UCU nursing graduates seek to fill gap in Ugandan mental health care

Faculty of Public Health, Nursing and Midwifery, UCU School of Medicine, , , ,


 

By Douglas Olum

When Conrad Ochola suffered depression in 2017, he heard a voice in his head.

He walked before his elder sister with whom he lived and threw off some of his clothes. The abnormal action shocked not only the sister but also the rest of the family. They were not aware that Ochola, then a new graduate of Uganda Christian University (UCU), had battled his mental state for some time. He hadn’t slept for months, with strange voices constantly screaming in his head. One of the voices persuaded him to throw himself in a pit latrine. He survived because the hole leading into the pit was too small to swallow him.

Through those months, Ochola, suffering in part due to the loss of his mother, lived in fear of death, saw things in twos and dodged meals because every time he ate, he would feel pain as though he was eating his own body parts. He never told anybody.

Butabika National Referral Hospital, in Kampala, Uganda, is the country’s only mental health facility.
Butabika National Referral Hospital, in Kampala, Uganda, is the country’s only mental health facility.

It was when the 24-year-old stripped naked that the family came to realize that he indeed needed mental health care. They rushed him to Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital, where he was diagnosed with depression. After months of medication in this only such facility in Uganda, Ochola recovered.

Ochola, a marketing executive at a Uganda investment company called Xeno, is an example of how proper mental health assistance can make a positive difference.

Daniel Ojok, a high school graduate, wasn’t so fortunate. He crashed himself onto a speeding truck in December 2018 along the Gulu-Juba highway, days after dropping suicide hints that nobody got. The late Ojok is like millions of Ugandans who need mental healthcare but do not get it.

One mass example is in northern Uganda where thousands still suffer the traumatic consequences of the two-decade Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency, hundreds have committed suicide and more still continue to do.

A recent World Health Organisation (WHO) report indicates that at least 1.7 million Ugandans (about 4.6% of the total population) suffer from depressive disorders and another 3% suffer from anxiety. Depressive disorder is a condition characterized by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, feelings of tiredness and poor concentration. Two years ago, the WHO ranked Uganda among the top six African countries heavily affected by mental health issues.

The Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau (UPMB), a charitable and technical national umbrella organization, reports that 98% of people with mental health issues in the country do not have access to care.

The problem is attributed to lack of community-based psychiatric care facilities, poverty that incapacitates many families from taking their mentally ill members for medication and the misconception that mentally ill people are connected to witchcraft, the latter often subjecting victims to rituals that, unfortunately,cause further harm to their mental states.

Butabika Hospital currently has up to 900 patients – double its capacity. A Butabika nurse who spoke on condition of anonymity said most times the extra patients are admitted because they have no where else to go.

Often, those afflicted with mental health issues roam the streets. Men and women dressed in rags, with dirty, twisted hair and many times carrying sacks of rubbish, stroll along streets of urban places across the country or seated in isolated places, mumbling junks of sentences.

Training institutions such as the Uganda Christian University aim to lessen the Butabika overload and the number of victims on the streets.  The department of Nursing, for instance, is equipping student nurses with psychiatric nursing skills. Throughout their final semester of studies, students pursuing the Bachelor of Nursing Science, spend at least a day every week serving and learning at the Butabika Mental Hospital.

Mrs. Jemimah Mary Mutabazi, the head of the Department of Nursing at UCU, said as a department, they have been teaching mental health since the approval of their curriculum in 2006.

“It is part of curriculum because we want to equip our nurses with skills that enable them provide holistic care to their clients. Nurses work with people of different kinds including mentally ill patients and we want them to be able to handle all cases professionally,” Mutabazi said.

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

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Counselors Irene Ojiambo and Joseph Musaalo at the UCU-Mukono campus (UCU Partners photo)

Erasing mental health stigma – one person at a time

Faculty of Public Health, Nursing and Midwifery, , ,


Counselors Irene Ojiambo and Joseph Musaalo at the UCU-Mukono campus (UCU Partners photo)
Counselors Irene Ojiambo and Joseph Musaalo at the UCU-Mukono campus (UCU Partners photo)

Note:  This is the first of a two-part series focusing on mental illness in Uganda.  Part I demonstrates how Uganda Christian University (UCU) deals with the problem.  Part II will provide an example of a program making a difference outside of the UCU campuses.

By Patty Huston-Holm

For Irene Ojiambo, the desire to be a counselor came before she could speak the word. As a little girl, she saw people come into her house, crying and looking for her father, a priest. Instead, the distressed men and women got her mother who had them laughing on the way out. That, the young Irene knew, was the job she wanted.

For Joseph Musaalo, the call to counseling was progressive. The students he taught and the steady flow of needy children that his wife, Sarah, brought home found him increasingly wanting to do more. It was an 11-year-old female HIV/AIDS victim who showed up at his job with Compassion International who propelled him to action.

“We were shedding tears together,” Joseph recalled of that day and the pain that he and the girl both felt about the naming-calling she endured as well, for him, feelings of inadequacy to help. “I knew I didn’t want to feel that helpless again.”

So it was that Irene, who aspired to “make people laugh” and Joseph, who sought to stop the tears, became counselors.  Their offices slope down among the trees between the Uganda Christian University (UCU) medical building and the Noll classrooms on the Mukono/main campus. UCU has counselors at all five of its locations.

The first UCU counseling office opened in 2005 – eight years after the university was founded. A pastor was hired to do the job. In 2008, Joseph came on board, seeing UCU students and staff in a small room that was part of the Allan Galpin Medical Center.

“I immediately started making a case for locating the counselor services in a place that would provide more respect,” Joseph, now head of UCU counseling services, said. “There was – still is – a stigma about people seeking help for emotional problems. Some people say they are ‘mad’.”

Today, Irene, who came to UCU four years ago, and Joseph, at UCU more than a decade, offer counseling services in a building that was once a family home. They each see about five people a day or 50 total a week – usually by appointment and most often young females. They hold large meetings in a structure that used to house a resident’s car. A white tent for the twice-a-year para-counseling workshops is nearby.

“Counseling is about empowerment and not advice,” according to Joseph, known as “Uncle Joe” for his regular column in the university’s student newspaper, The Standard. “We listen, give coping solutions and empower people to make decisions, hopefully beyond a one-time crisis.”

Friends and family members give advice that may or may not be the best and could resolve a short-term problem related to bullying, abuse, diet, study habits, drugs and money. Counselors strive to enable individuals to not only resolve a single issue but to have to have the tools to avoid re-occurrence.

Mental health is less understood in developing countries like Uganda, according to Joseph.  Butabika Hospital, founded in 1955 in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, is the mental health national referral hospital for the entire country’s population of more than 40 million. One source notes that 98% of Ugandans with mental health issues have no place to receive services.

The UCU counselors are doing their best to fill that void for students and staff. The overriding issues of fear, anxiety, self esteem and depression are connected to such conditions as drug and alcohol use and abuse, HIV/AIDS and financial deficiency and pressure toward extra-marital and pre-marital sex and academic cheating.

The counselors, along with Richard Bwire, their administrative assistant, know the clients they see barely touch the surface of the campus need. In addition to the negative stigma with asking for help is the requirement that students and staff come to the counselors and not the other way around.

“They have to come to us,” Joseph said. “We know there are many out there who feel isolated with a problem, but they need to take the first step and ask for help.”

One way to help meet the need that is too large for counselors is staff and student training.  Since 2008, there have been 2,073 students and 396 faculty and staff receiving UCU para-counseling training to help themselves and others around them. Topics include self-awareness, and anger, stress and financial management as well as basic information about frequent mental and physical topics that a trained counselor addresses.  There are some conditions – such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder common to those coming from war-torn areas – that only a certified counselor should handle.

“We are a Christian university and we are Christians, but we always follow the path of the client first; we unwrap the problem,” Irene said. “Some people we see have been hurt by people professing to be Christians.”

One client, one workshop at a time, Uganda’s trained counselors “must change the way of thinking that somehow mental illnesses are less serious than physical ones,” according to Joseph. “And we need to realize that we all have some level and some moments of mental incapacity, but when they become large, we need help.”

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To learn more about the UCU, go to http://ucu.ac.ug/. To support UCU, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button. or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at mtbartels@gmail.com.

Inspecting the double-decker plastic composter after installation (UCU Partners photo)

University waste management project boosts agriculture, health among local community

Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, , , ,


Inspecting the double-decker plastic composter after installation (UCU Partners photo)
Inspecting the double-decker plastic composter after installation (UCU Partners photo)

By Douglas Olum

“A deteriorating urban environment is the enemy of sustainable development. Protecting the environment is not an alternative to economic growth—it is a precondition of efficient, economic development.”

Incinerator before installation (UCU Partners photo)
Incinerator before installation (UCU Partners photo)

In respect to this United Nations sustainable development goal, the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Faculty of Science and Technology’s Department of Engineering and Environment has a project focused on waste management. With the assistance of a $3,000 grant from UCU Partners through the university’s Institute for Faith, Learning and Service, the department built a prototype of two composters and an incinerator to help conserve the environment while also boosting agriculture and health in a low-income community in Mukono.

“People knew that they had the wastes, and they were concerned about its possible implications, but they did not know how to manage it,” Kenneth Econi Yikii, a teaching assistant and demonstrator at the department, said during an interview, “But from the time we set up that pilot project, there has been very positive response from the community that people want more of it.”

Rodgers Tayebwa, a lecturer at the department, said the project was conceived after an assessment that revealed the need among the community around the university.

“We realized that a lot of solid wastes were being produced but, while the community could use the wastes for boosting their agricultural output, they were being disposed as unwanted materials,” Tayebwa said.

Under the project, 10 students were selected based on a concept writing competition organized by the department. Their concepts were then merged with ideas from their lecturers to generate the designs for two plastic and metallic composters (double-decker composters), and an incinerator. The design came after a series of processes, including mapping the area, a baseline survey, waste characterization and selection of the pilot households.

At least 40 households were selected for the waste characterization process to determine the kinds of wastes most produced in the area. Bio-degradable wastes (dead organisms, kitchen waste, etc.) were found to be the most, followed by plastics.

At least two composters and an incinerator were installed in Basiima Kikooza village, in the outskirts of Mukono town.  This village was chosen after being identified by local authorities as the most vulnerable to the outbreak of hygiene-related diseases such as cholera because of their poor waste management. About 30 households are now benefitting from the project that has not only improved their health, but also their agricultural yield.

The beneficiaries dispose of their bio-degradable wastes (unwanted material that can rot), and continuously turn them from time to time to ensure oxygen circulation, until they are ready for transfer to the second decker that transforms them into organic manure.  From there, they are collected and spread directly into the farmers’ gardens.

According to Yiiki, the bananas and bean crops in the farmers’ gardens look greener. There are no flies gathering around in large numbers to feast on household wastes like food. Plastics and polythene bags, which do not easily decompose, are sorted and either incinerated or sold out to companies that recycle them. This has increased the household income of the members who sort out and sell recyclable items while reducing the potential breeding space for mosquitoes, which transmit malaria.

When the monitoring team last visited the project site in February, the farmers had already collected manure at least twice from each of the composters since their installation in January.

Tayebwa said the involvement of students has been key for their learning, and was also highly appreciated by the community. He said as they continue to monitor the pilot project, they hope that more funds will be availed for the same project in the future so that they are able to reach out and give back to more members of the community surrounding the university.

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

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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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UCU nursing students are blessing to government hospitals

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UCU student mixes drugs before administering it to a patient at Naguru Hospital while students, nurses and lecturers look on.
UCU student mixes drugs before administering it to a patient at Naguru Hospital while students, nurses and lecturers look on.

By Douglas Olum

When Ruth Nakanwagi woke up the morning of Wednesday, March 13, her two-year-old son, Rogers, was shaking with fever at a very high temperature and vomiting. She knew that the child needed emergency healthcare. But she did not have enough money to rush him to a private clinic where she expected faster treatment.

Nakanwagi, a fruit vendor in Nakawa, a Kampala city suburb, painfully took her child to Naguru Referral Hospital, a government facility located about six kilometers (3.7 miles) east of the city centre, with little hope that the child would get medication in time.

A UCU student administers medicine to a patient in the Medical Ward at Naguru Hospital while a Senior Nurse looks on.

“I tried to borrow money from my neighbors and friends so that I could take the child to a clinic but I failed. I didn’t want to bring him here because I thought I would find a long line and reluctant workers who would not quickly attend to the child but I was surprised by how they attended to him so fast,” Nakanwagi said, smiling vaguely.

The hospital, housed in two, long, double-stair buildings, indeed had patients lined up on benches, both at the children’s and adult sides of the Outpatient Department (OPD), waiting to be served. Others were at various locations, awaiting other medical procedures such as X-rays, CT scans or antenatal check-ups.

Those already served were either exiting the gate or seeking refuge from the scorching sunshine under trees in the hospital compound. And Nakanwagi and her son were part of those leaving, just about two hours after their arrival time.

Rogers was diagnosed with malaria, one of the leading killer diseases in Uganda. And their shocking good experience was because that morning, second-year Bachelor of Nursing Science students from Uganda Christian University (UCU) were at the same hospital for their practical training. The students had quickly assessed the child’s condition and facilitated the treatment processes.

Across the OPD, Children’s, Medical, Antenatal and Surgical Wards, the students, donned in white coats with the UCU logo printed on the upper left, were taking history, counseling and administering drugs to patients. Others were in the theatre, helping with surgical processes.

Human resource shortage remains a huge challenge in Uganda’s government hospitals. With a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:11,000 (International Council of Nurses, 2013 report), the situation is further worsened by absenteeism and negative attitude towards work among the personnel who are poorly paid. Consequently, Ugandans who can afford it, turn to private healthcare service providers who charge them exorbitantly.

But with the interventions by trainees from UCU, the story is changing in some government hospitals like Naguru.

Aidah Balamaga Nabiryo, a Senior Nursing Officer in charge of the Medical Ward at Naguru Hospital, said while the number of patients often overwhelms them, the learning visits by the UCU nursing students come as a blessing to them because they not only reduce their workloads but also speed up their service delivery.

“We have a big human resource gap here.” Nabiryo said. “For instance, in the whole of this Medical Ward, we are only two established staff members and we get overwhelmed by the tasks. But when these students come, they relieve us because they are very hardworking and also very good in nursing processes like injections, psycho-social support, cleaning of patients and identifying those in need.”

She said unlike students from other universities and nursing schools that go for similar trainings when they don’t know what to do, UCU students are very well prepared and they know exactly what to do under nearly every circumstance.

“When they don’t know something, they inquire and shortly afterwards, you find them doing it very well. Apart from their medical skills, we even tap into their computer skills that help us in report writing and presentations,” Nabiryo added.

Every week, different groups of the students are taken for practical trainings for at least four out of the five working days in various government hospitals including Naguru, Kawolo and Butabika Mental Hospital. They participate in collaborative health care service provision with the hospital personnel and their lecturers.

During those processes, they are exposed to medical, surgical and child health care procedures.

Irene Nagadya, one of their lecturers, said such exposures help the students integrate the theories they learn in class with practical application in the field.

“We show them how to do and also allow them practice investigations, insertion of tubes and other basic and specific nursing care skills. Through these, we are build professionalism that will result into competent health workers,” Nagadya said.

While such hospitals are just training grounds for the students, their services cannot be taken for granted considering the huge gaps that they fill. It is therefore, no doubt that their release into the health sector will not only save many lives like Rogers’, but also speed-up and improve the quality of service delivery in Uganda’s hospitals.

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If you are interested in supporting UCU school of nursing students and their training or other programs and services at UCU, contact UCU Partners’ Executive Director Mark Bartels at  mtbartels@gmail.com, or click on the Donate button on the Partners Web site.

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Uganda Christian University School of Medicine students are (left to right) Peter Kabuye, Richard Ogwal, Ayikoru Hilda Diana, Birungi Beatrice, Ampumuza Davis and Ronnie Mwesigwa (UCU Partners photo)

UCU Year One – School of Medicine Student Reflections

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Uganda Christian University School of Medicine students are (left to right) Peter Kabuye, Richard Ogwal, Ayikoru Hilda Diana, Birungi Beatrice, Ampumuza Davis and Ronnie Mwesigwa (UCU Partners photo)
Uganda Christian University School of Medicine students are (left to right) Peter Kabuye, Richard Ogwal, Ayikoru Hilda Diana, Birungi Beatrice, Ampumuza Davis and Ronnie Mwesigwa (UCU Partners photo)

Note: Uganda Christian University (UCU) Partners selected a sample of the UCU School of Medicine inaugural class with feature stories on each in 2018 and the intent for an annual follow up. Here, at the end of two semesters, are edited responses to two questions posed by the Partners team of Brendah Ndagire, Pauline Nyangoma, Douglas Olum, Frank Obonyo, Alex Taremwa and Patty Huston-Holm.

Qn1. What is one new experience?

Mwesigwa Ronnie, surgery and medicine
The new experience I have this semester is the practicals. Also, I am having two more tests before the end of the semester. The lecturer had travelled out of the country, and she just returned. So we are having the tests before we begin our exams the other week (in about two week’s time).

Ampumuza Davis, surgery and medicine
There are plenty of off-putting myths about being a medical student, but in reality, it is enjoyable, interesting and highly rewarding especially in light of what we are working towards. This semester has exposed me so much and ignited me to go beyond the basic lecture material and satisfy my curiosity about what I have been taught especially in anatomy classes. Clearly, I am confident that I will make a crucial difference to my patients.

Beatrice Birungi, surgery and medicine
Towards the end of March, our class had a clinical exposure. It was so amazing to see a mother deliver a baby naturally without going through a caesarian operation. I was very happy because it gave me hope that with skills and commitment, I will save lives of babies and mothers who die in my country due to ill-equipped facilities and poorly trained health workers.

Kabuye Peter, dentistry
Clinical exposure sessions are amazing. We divide ourselves into smaller groups that rotate around the different departments of medicine (medicine, pediatrics, surgery and gynecology and obstetrics) weekly. These sessions enable us to apply our theoretical knowledge.

Richard Ogwal, dentistry
I enjoy clinical exposure (practical sessions) in the hospital wards, the lecturers are friendly and full of words of encouragement, students are cooperative in discussing academic work, and l thank God l am passing the progressive examination tests. Leadership. I have no new roles and responsibilities yet but I am still holding the previous post as the boys’ representative.

Ayikoru Hilda Diana, dentistry
The clinical exposures this semester have been very interesting and helpful in mastering the lectured work. For example, this semester we did embryology and whenever we went to obstetrics and gynecology, the gynecologists showed us the anomalies we learned. One day, we witnessed a mother giving birth to a baby and thereafter studied the placenta. In pediatrics, we were taught how to diagnose on two different occasions. The first time, we were taught about pneumonia and the pediatrician then asked us to try to diagnose and categorize a child who seemed to have the same signs as those of pneumonia. We went through all the procedures from interviewing the parent of the child and looking at the signs he presented. In the end we diagnosed the child with severe pneumonia, which turned out to be wrong. He simply had asthma. On the second occasion, we were taught about diarrhea in infants and repeated the procedure for diagnosis and indeed the child had come to hospital with severe diarrhea with dehydration, but by then she had improved. Without this exposure, I would never have related theory to reality.

Qn2. Other than money, what are two challenges you face now?

Mwesigwa Ronnie, surgery and medicine
My only challenge this semester is the workload. They have introduced us to practicals that we did not have last semester. We have two practicals every week after which we have to write reports. And that means we also have to write two reports every week in addition to the lectures and tests that we may have. That has cut down on the time I would have for reading that would refresh my mind.

Ampumuza Davis, surgery and medicine
I knew being a medical student would involve working harder than I have ever worked in my life, but I didn’t realize how hard that would be. I have a lot other responsibilities alongside my studies that involve looking for school fees and supporting my siblings. Secondly, the school has no sports facilities, gym and much more at the main campus. The school also should work towards acquiring updated textbooks in the library and expand our learning rooms for they are congested.

Beatrice Birungi, surgery and medicine
We have a lot of reading that we barely have time for personal life. This is a challenge because my life is not balanced without the social aspect. However, I am trying to work out my own schedule to ensure that I have a better-balanced life. At the medical school, we still adequate space.  We are 60 in total, and there is no room for reading and in lecture rooms.

Kabuye Peter, dentistry
My first challenge is commuting from home. It is cheaper than staying at the university hostels, but challenges my studies with time on the road. The second challenge is learning space with 60 students in small lecture rooms that are often hot and not air-conditioned.

Richard Ogwal, dentistry
The experience I have had so far has made me realize that medical school is so demanding not only on matters of academic concentration but also on time, scholastic materials and personal requirements. We are still doing mostly medicine-related work as opposed to dentistry, but l am comfortable because there are many similar things that I used to do as a Clinical Officer. With so much academic work, including foundation units, filled with assignments, report writings and recently introduced practical sessions, there’s almost no time for leisure or checking in with my family that expects me to pay tuition for my siblings. It is a stress factor that I am afraid could affect even my performance. We have no facilities for sports that could help lessen the stress.

Ayikoru Hilda Diana, dentistry
There’s so much to do in such a little time in medical school. I have to attend lectures the whole day, find time to write reports, assignments and do personal study. It’s really hard to fit all these in. One week, I had three very long reports to write for biochemistry and physiology practical. I also had two essays to write and a test. I learned not to procrastinate anything, from personal study to assignments because they eventually pile up and become very hard to complete. I also changed my strategies of studying. I discuss more with my classmates to improve understanding. It also is important to actively participate in lectures and labs. For example, dissection for anatomy opens up your mind about a particular topic and saves you some time as you read. The other problem I’ve faced is having enough time for family, friends and fun. Most people assume that I’m always busy and find it unnecessary to invite and inform me, which causes me to feel alone. Going out refreshes my brain. I also ensure that I go to church on Sundays so as to interact with people and my family after the service.

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Those interested in helping students like these become part of the solution to Uganda’s health care system or providing other support to UCU can contact UCU Partners Executive Director Mark Bartels at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org or go to https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/.

For more of these stories and experiences, visit https://www.ugandapartners.org.

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Cultural shock: Uganda and Norway

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

By Barbra Nambozo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Ruth Rose Akongo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cultural experiences

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mark Bartels, UCU Partners Executive Director, left, with Bwambale Bernard Mulcho with his parents at his October 2018 graduation day. (UCU Partners Photo)

A Parent Voice: UCU Partners scholarship makes difference in lives of disadvantaged students

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Mark Bartels, UCU Partners Executive Director, left, with Bwambale Bernard Mulcho with his parents at his October 2018 graduation day. (UCU Partners Photo)
Mark Bartels, UCU Partners Executive Director, left, with Bwambale Bernard Mulcho with his parents at his October 2018 graduation day. (UCU Partners Photo)

By Brendah Ndagire

Note: In October 2018, UCU Partners spoke with some parents of students who are beneficiaries of its student scholarship program. Pastor Baluku Moses is the father of Bwambale Bernard Mulcho, now a UCU alumnus of its Bachelor in Education program. Bwambale graduated with 4.3 of 5.0 grade-point-average (GPA), and at the time of his graduation he shared that he wanted to teach high school students and eventually pursue a masters program in theology. He and his parents are from Kasese District in southwestern Uganda, neighboring the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kasese district is known for its tourism. It is where Queen Elizabeth National Park is located, and it is home of the Rwenzori Mountain ranges. While popular for tourists, when to comes to learning, the region struggles to educate its children beyond high school level. Bwambale is one of the few young people who are able to make it out of the district and have access to higher learning institutions in the urban and central regions of Uganda. With the support of UCU Partners, his parents were able to send their son to Uganda Christian University. In this edited interview, Pastor Baluku provides insights into how he feels about his son’s university education.

Bwambale Bernard at Uganda Christian University. (UCU Partners Photo)
Bwambale Bernard at Uganda Christian University. (UCU Partners Photo)

How long did it take you to get to the graduation in Mukono?
From Kasese, it takes a total of nine hours with seven hours from Kasese to Kampala, and about two hours from Kampala to Mukono.

What does it mean for you to see that your son has graduated?
I have great joy because it was one way of elevating our family, community, and serving God. I am truly happy about it because I know my son has realized his dream.

How meaningful was the UCU Partners scholarship to you as a parent?
It is a great contribution towards my son’s education, and without it, we would not have made it. We have had some financial constraints in the past years. For example, we also were paying school fees for his siblings, and I also was studying at Uganda Baptist Seminary, so the whole household needed money to study, and it was hard for me to raise all the finances needed. We are thankful to God for UCU Partners’ support towards his tuition.

Why is having an education in this country important for you and your family?
It is important because when you are not educated you have a lot of challenges. And when you are educated, you understand the world differently. I believe education opens up doors for us to move anywhere in the world.

Why did you choose UCU for your son’s education?
Because of the good Christian morals it passes on its students. UCU is a more expensive education institution than others.  But regardless of that fact, people want to send their children here. Its values and quality education make the university special. It also is why we are very grateful for the UCU Partners’ scholarship program.

How have you contributed to Bwambale’s education?
I work with the Baptist Church as a pastor on volunteer basis, so I earn a small stipend. And my wife sells second-hand clothes. That is how we have earned our living, which in turn we have used to contribute in small amounts to our son’s education. It is common in Uganda for many priests/pastors to volunteer to work full without any financial remuneration. Most of us depend on farming. Our land is very productive, but the main challenge is inadequate rainfall for farmers who reside in the low land regions of Kasese. In the rainfall season, we grow maize, grounds nuts, beans, and keeping animals such as goats and cows. And that is how we are able to meet our financial responsibilities in most cases.

What challenges do young people experience in Kasese district?
The main challenge is poor and limited education access. Most children are only able to go to universal primary and secondary school. Very few can afford to go a private school or to higher learning institutions/universities.

What do you want other parents to learn from your experience?
To keep on trusting God, and not be discouraged by challenges as they support their children through university education.

Bwambale, what stood out from your UCU experience?
I have found UCU as a unique place for me to have the opportunity to access its educational services. I take great pride in the core values the institution has passed on to me, of leaderships, integrity, servanthood and Christ-centeredness. These values will continue to influence my work life and especially the way I will interact with people I encounter in future.

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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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Overheated computer

Dust & power surges – two biggest laptop enemies in Uganda

Faculty of Engineering, Design & Technology, , , , , , , , ,


Overheated computer
Overheated computer

(Note: Technology use is growing in East Africa, including in Uganda. But the country’s infrastructure and population understanding of care connected to a personal computer have not kept pace. This story is provided to inform readers both in Africa and the Western world of the all-too-frequent negative consequence of owning a laptop in Uganda.)

 By Patty Huston-Holm

On the morning that I was walking to meet one of the guys who knows more about computers than anyone on the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Mukono campus, I witnessed spoilage.

A male student, talking into his phone that was sandwiched between his right shoulder and ear, accidently dropped his laptop computer (followed by the phone) into the gravel and dust below.

“Sorry,” I said, watching him retrieve both devices from the stony slope along the Science and Technology building. “I hope they aren’t spoiled.”

UCU Director of University ICT Services, Perez M. Matsiko, in his office on the Mukono campus (UCU photo)
UCU Director of University ICT Services, Perez M. Matsiko, in his office on the Mukono campus (UCU photo)

While Americans only refer to children and food as spoiled, spoilage in Uganda means damaged goods, namely electronics. Having worked with UCU students since 2012 and having one of my own Ugandan daughters show up with a fairly new, expensive and ruined Mac Air in 2018, I have heard and seen my share of spoiled computer woes.

The UCU Director of University ICT Services (UIS), Perez M. Matsiko, has seen and heard more.  Despite the sign that clearly states UIS is not a center for computer repairs, students and staff descend on him and other library third-floor information technology geeks with their puzzled looks, begging tactics and broken devices.

UCU’s Mukono campus electrical technician, Simon Kyalahansi (UCU Partners photo)
UCU’s Mukono campus electrical technician, Simon Kyalahansi (UCU Partners photo)

Matsiko and UCU’s electrical technician, Simon Kyalahansi, get it. If students did, too, it would save time, frustration and money. While a computer’s age and careless dropping can certainly impact its performance, much of the malfunction can be avoided.

Five tips to protect computers
Together, UCU’s information technology and electrical experts, offer five tips with added insights on the top two:

  1. Dust – Protect your computer with a cover, and clean it often.
  2. Power stability – Charge technology only in locations where power is stable to avoid power surges and voltage instability. When powering up, use both voltage converters and surge protectors, and avoid plugging too many gadgets into a power strip.
  3. Overloaded Data – Clean out old files, especially entertainment media, to allow more storage space for data that matters.
  4. Temperature – Protect your computer from the cold and heat. It should not get colder than 18 celcius (64 Fahrenheit) or hotter than 30 celcius (86 Fahrenheit).
  5. Food and drink – Spilled beverages and cake crumbs can damage the keyboard and inside components.

Electrical current – ‘hot and dirty, like the roads’
Dust, which Uganda has a lot of, combined with electricity, which Uganda doesn’t have enough of, is the biggest problem, according to Matsiko. Dust gets into the computer motherboard, which holds together the main components of a computer, and can cause overheating and a short circuit.

“The fan starts working hard,” he said. “It tries to cool everything down, but sometimes it can’t. Uganda’s electrical current is hot and dirty like the roads.”

“Dirty energy” is a term applied to power in developing countries like Uganda, according to Simon. Most of the country is hydro-powered by dams in Jinja with anticipation that the government will soon generate more from Isimba and Karuma areas. Roughly 20 percent of Ugandans have access to electricity. Access drops to 10 percent in rural areas.

The cleanest energy such as solar power and wind turbines has not caught up with widespread implementation in Uganda. Dirty, electric power stability is the second largest reason for the country’s personal device breakdowns.

“It’s ‘dirty’ here because of high voltage and lack of regulations,” Simon said. “We have regulations on campus, but not so if you are powering up a device outside our gates. Non-regulated power outlets are likely not surge protected.”

Voltage is the push that causes a charge to move through a wire and into a phone or computer. At 240 volts, the electrical energy capacity in Uganda is higher and hotter than, for instance, in the United States where voltage is regulated at 120 and in Europe, where voltage is 220.

Charge on and not off campus
“Our electrical lines are above the ground and impacted by weather,” Simon explained. “If you live on campus and are charging from here, we have a system that adjusts for that.”

Simon, who has worked at UCU for eight years, explained the basic workings of the Mukono campus power system, identified by wires from and cables surrounding a building near the library. Realizing that “above 240 volts, a computer will burn,” the UCU system is designed to “step down” voltage. Just as with a personal computer, a mainframe motherboard does its work, including a shift to a generator to protect a power surge.

“If the lights go out, the generator kicks in for 36 seconds to give the main system time to adjust,” he said. At that, he added, adjustment is harder if multiple devices are plugged into one power strip.

The motherboard works hardest during the season of strong winds and heavy rain, generally February, April and November. When it’s dry, the equipment battles dirt and dust.

“She is bigger than yours,” Simon said, comparing the UCU motherboard inside the UCU mainframe equipment to one inside a personal computer. “But she still gets dusted and cleaned.”

Like spoiled food that makes us sick or spoiled children whose demands annoy us, it is technology’s insides and how we protect them that really count.

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

Rev. Eric Noel at St. James Cathedral in Ruharo, Mbarara Municipality. (UCUPartners Photo)

Reverend Eric Noel: Transitioning from primary teaching to priesthood

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


Rev. Eric Noel at St. James Cathedral in Ruharo, Mbarara Municipality. (UCUPartners Photo)
Rev. Eric Noel at St. James Cathedral in Ruharo, Mbarara Municipality. (UCUPartners Photo)

Note: Reverend Eric Noel serves as one of the curates at St. James Cathedral in the Ruharo neighborhood of Mbarara municipality (southwestern Uganda). After graduating with a Master of Divinity in 2015 from Uganda Christian University Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, he was posted to the country’s western Ibanda district where he served for one year before he was transferred to St. James Cathedral, which has an estimated congregation of 2,000. Similar to most churches, more women attend St. James Cathedral than men.  Ages vary among four Sunday services that include a children’s service, two youth services (attracting urban youth, including neighboring university students) and a service for the elderly that is conducted in Lunyankole, the native language of Mbarara. Recently, UCU Partners spoke with Rev. Noel to learn about his priestly experience. Part of his story is shared below.

By Brendah Ndagire

How did you come to study at the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology?
I started out as a primary school teacher within Uganda’s education system, and as a simple small-scale farmer. My career trajectory was very different from other theology students UCU. Many students joined UCU when they had served in the church for a long time, including as lay leaders. They came with Biblical interpretation knowledge and experience. But for me, I began with teaching and farming, with limited Bible interpretation skills. However, it is not surprising that most teachers in Uganda end up becoming church leaders, because teachers can do practically anything.

Rev. Noel at St. James Cathedral
Rev. Noel at St. James Cathedral

How did UCU prepare you for your priestly role?
UCU prepared me very well. The knowledge and experiences I was exposed to were very important for the work I am doing at St. James Cathedral. It is interesting to look back and recognize that the moment I was ordained, God opened up a door for ministry in Ibanda and now here in Ruharo.

What theology class stood out for you?
Biblical Interpretation and Church History. Everything was very new to me, and it was fascinating to learn how to interpret the Bible, and to know how the Church started and grew into a very powerful institution globally.

What scripture defines your work?
John 3:16, which states, “For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” At St. James Cathedral, we make it clear that it is upon people to choose life, and live, and that to not do so, they perish.

What about a scripture that defines you as a person?
I love the scripture where God says, “Let us create man in our own image…”, it has taught me to really love myself because I am the real image of God. I never used to love myself, as a dark-skinned man. But when I started to think about that particular verse in the Bible, and knowledge that I am made in the image of God, I learned to love myself.

How many other churches within the area are Anglican?
There are many Churches of different denominations, but for administrative purposes, St. James’ Cathedral as a parish has four other daughter Churches affiliated to the main parish Church, and we have nearby parishes such as Kyamugolani, All Saints Church in the center of the town, and others. There are more Churches in rural areas that are a part of St. James Cathedral as a deanery. It is called a deanery because it is a center with the seat of the Bishop.

What is it like for you to minister to the congregation in this community?
In an urban setting, it can be challenging because of time management. Since we have four services every Sunday, we feel like we are rushing the service to prepare and get to another service. Secondly, people in the urban setting are transient, and this presents a challenge when it comes to pastoral visits. Sometimes, I can go to what I believe is someone’s house, and I find that she or he moved to another neighborhood.

What do you find rewarding about your role?
I served the government for 20 years as a primary teacher and head teacher in the public education system. The money I was earning there was greater than the money I was going to make in the church setting. My desire and intention has always been to serve the Lord regardless of income. Ultimately, whatever remuneration I get, I am grateful to God.

Do you have any other economic activity apart from your spiritual role?
I am a farmer as well. However my farm is located away from Mbarara municipality, and that brings certain challenges of supervision, and monitoring. I have coffee, banana, and tree plantations. That is something I have always done while I was teaching as well since 1995. I am doing really well especially when I enjoy the fruits of my farming labor.

What is the most difficult part of being a priest in this community?
Moving from one parish to another really affects building relationships, community, children and the priest’s family life. Moving impacts children’s education performance. Sometimes moving to new parishes makes it difficult for a priest to have a “home.” This may be challenging especially when we are thinking about retiring.

What is your biggest reward serving the Lord?
As He says, those who love Me, I also love them. When we pray and commune with God we understand serving the Lord, brings peace; loving Him promises eternal life; then, I know my greatest reward is in Heaven.

Thinking about the local Church in Uganda, what do you think is the biggest challenge facing the Church in Uganda?
False teachings within different Churches. People have developed ideas on how they can squeeze money from poor people. Since our people are faced with many economic and social problems, bad people take advantage of that situation to get money from poor and underclass people. With so much unemployment among Ugandan youths, some Church leaders declare to them that, “now is the time you are going to get employed, or to go overseas on a plane.” With those false and empty promises, many young people and adults leave authentic Church spaces for prosperity Churches. Such promises have dire consequences, including suffering and human trafficking.

***

More information about Bishop Tucker School of Theology and Divinity at Uganda Christian University can be obtained at: http://ucu.ac.ug/bishop-tucker-school-of-theology.

To support UCU Theology students, contact Mark Bartels, executive director, UCU Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.orgor donate directly at: https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/

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Rev. Canon Odora interacts with a member of the congregation outside St. Phillip’s Cathedral in Gulu shortly after a service on January 1, 2019. (UCU Partners photo)

Rev. Canon Odora: Ministering in post-war Northern Uganda

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


Rev. Canon Odora interacts with a member of the congregation outside St. Phillip’s Cathedral in Gulu shortly after a service on January 1, 2019. (UCU Partners photo)

Rev. Canon Odora interacts with a member of the congregation outside St. Phillip’s Cathedral in Gulu shortly after a service on January 1, 2019. (UCU Partners photo)

By Douglas Olum

(In the morning of Thursday, December 6, I took a walk through a small town called Lacor, about three miles west of the larger and better-known Gulu Town in Uganda. I was on my way to meet a clergyman to write his story. It was only 9 o’clock, but already I saw men, both young and old, most of them dressed in torn, dirty clothes flocking alcohol shops that line the road. Many are people who lost their property to wealthy land grabbers. All are languishing in chronic poverty, thereby using alcohol as a mean of escaping unemployment and other stability problems. This, then, is an account of one pastor doing his work in Northern Uganda.)

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In the face of poverty, trauma and alcoholism, Christian preachers in Northern Uganda are faced with double-edged challenges as they strive to balance their ministry and the dire circumstances under which their flock live.

The situation is worse in rural areas where illiteracy is at its peak. In many sections, children cannot access schools. The health facilities, if any, are non-functional. And, due to the subsistence nature of agriculture, which is their only source of livelihood, people cannot afford decent lives. But these are the flocks that clergymen and women in the region herd.

“As a priest in this area, many people come to you to ask for food stuffs, financial assistance and other issues such as conflict resolution and mediation, addiction and failure to meet personal needs,” Reverend Canon Francis Willy Odora says.

Rev. Canon Francis Willy Odora, delivering a message at St. Phillip’s Cathedral in Gulu
Rev. Canon Francis Willy Odora, delivering a message at St. Phillip’s Cathedral in Gulu

Rev. Canon Odora is the Vicar at St. Phillip’s Cathedral in Gulu, about 275 miles north of Uganda’s capital, Kampala. His daily chores include: ministering at the Cathedral, office planning, counseling, praying with the sick, weekly ministering on a local radio (102 Mega FM) station, teaching at the Janani Luwum Theological College and pastoral visits to churches, families and elderly people who cannot walk to the church.

As he sets out to go to work in the morning, his wife, Mrs. Grace Odora, also leaves for the garden. She does most of the farming, but sometimes her husband accompanies her before he goes to work.

Residing in a small, one-level, two-bedroom house within the diocese’s premises, Canon Odora and his wife often are approached by needy persons. They seek food, school fees and other basic necessities. They only give food.

“Those that ask for what to cook, we give them food stuffs because we do not buy our food. We produce it. And it is easier for us to give because that is the only thing we have,” Canon Odora says.

Following the more than two decades of insurgency in the region, Canon Odora says, the level of desperation among Christians is extremely high. Besides the relief syndrome that has left the people constantly expectant and dependent, they are also faced with social and emotional injuries among the community, including trauma among those who returned from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) captivity and those who lost their dear ones to the conflict. These victims of what is also known as the “bush war” need reparation.

“People who have lived desperate lives and are socially injured demand a lot of attention,” he says. “The good thing is that we had a partnership with a group called ‘Healing the Orphaned Hearts,’ that trained us, the clergy and catechists on trauma healing.”

At 58 years, Canon Odora feels exhausted, yet the demand for his service among the community is continuous. He wants to retire from priesthood. However, his greatest worry is the replacement.

Like him, tens of other senior priests are in the evenings of their service as they are counting down years before they clock their retirement age of 65. These older clergy do not match the number of new entrants into priesthood.

Many of the younger men and women coming on board are pursuing only Certificates and Diplomas in Divinity. Canon Odora says clergy with lower credentials are sometimes undermined by some members of the congregation. They are deemed incapable of analyzing, interpreting or preaching the word to congregation expectations.

“We have had instances where some parishes have rejected some clergy because of their education background or their fluency in the English language,” he says. “These are common especially in the urban areas. You know, society has changed today. The level of understanding of the people has also changed. So, they now require clergy who are highly educated who meet their standards.”

He thinks having more people pursue theological education at higher levels will keep the Church abreast of the changing society and also save it from losing believers to the mushrooming Pentecostal Churches that preach prosperity and wealth instead of true evangelism.

But, while his reasoning could be a necessity for the continuity of the Anglican Church of Uganda, the Diocese of Northern Uganda, where he belongs, is faced with a huge financial challenge: it cannot support the education for its current and future clergy. A huge reason for the gap is the financial status of most Christians that affect not only tithing but also weekly collections.

Patrick Lumumba, the Diocesan Secretary, says many times they have secured half-scholarships from Uganda Christian University (UCU) for their clergy to upgrade but have failed to raise the other half of the tuition to push them to conclusion. As a result, many of them have dropped out.

The need is great. Uganda Christian University and UCU Partners are doing what they can by offering half-scholarships to students from every diocese in Uganda. While there are still many who need help, this scholarship program graduates dozens of new clergy every year.

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If you are interested in supporting UCU clergy training or other programs and services at UCU, contact UCU Partners’ Executive Director Mark Bartels at  mtbartels@gmail.com or click on the Donate button on the Partners Web site.

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Rev. Tomson Abaho – Challenges and rewards at St. James’ Cathedral in Ankole Diocese

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


Rev. Tomson Abaho at his office in St. James’ Cathedral, Ankole Diocese  (UCU Partners photo)

 Note: This story is part of a series designed to communicate the life of priests in Uganda. One such priest is the Rev. Tomson Abaho Kankuba, who has been working since 2017 as curate (assistant to the dean) at St. James Cathedral Ruharo in the western Uganda Ankole Diocese. In 2014, he graduated from Uganda Christian University (UCU) with a Master of Divinity degree and was ordained, accepting a post at All Saints Cathedral in Mbarara Municipality. The UCU Partners Clergy Scholarship Fund supports students like Rev. Tomson at Bishop Tucker School of Theology and Divinity. This interview is edited for clarification.

By Brendah Ndagire

How did you get drawn into Church ministry?
I grew up in the church and in a Christian home. My father is a retired priest. My brother and I got drawn to Church ministry because of the experiences we observed our father go through as a priest in this diocese. As a child I observed that his life as a priest was quite tough because of the environment we lived in. For example, he used to ride bicycles long distances for about 40 up to 50 kilometers (25 to 31 miles) to do pastoral visits or go to Church. This was hard a time. Today, the services have been brought closer to people. Priests these days travel shorter distances to go to church and preach the gospel to the people.

Rev. Tomson Abaho at St. James’ Cathedral, Ankole Diocese.   (UCU Partners Photo)
Rev. Tomson Abaho at St. James’ Cathedral, Ankole Diocese.   (UCU Partners Photo)

What did you do before you became a priest?
I was a primary teacher, teaching English and music. I have a bachelor’s degree in education.

Share with us about your experience working at St. James’ Cathedral in Ruharo.
I have liked being part of St. James’ Cathedral. Each one of us is gifted differently. I love teaching, counseling, preaching, and children’s ministry. And I have been given the opportunity to do what I am passionate about as a priest.

What is it like to move around ministering to people in the community?
The pastoral work here in the urban setting is interesting. Because most people are employed, to visit them, you have to make an appointment or visit them over the weekends. For old or sick people, you have to organize to meet them at their homes, to pray with them and offer them sacraments, take Holy Communion, and share and comfort them. You have to be very flexible in time for ministering.

What do you see as the most rewarding aspect of your role?
People accepting Christ. It gives me joy when I preach, counsel, and when I teach and someone fully realizes that Christ truly saves. It gives me comfort and peace in my heart. The joy it gives me when someone accepts Christ feels like that of a football player scoring a goal.

Outside of the Church’s salary, do you have another source of income?
For priests who serve within the urban setting, we do not have enough time to do anything outside of our Church work. Time is generally limited. By 7:30 in the morning, I am expected to be here at my office and leave around 6 p.m. from Monday to Sunday. It is impossible to think about having another source of income through business or farming. The other challenge is limited access to land where a priest can farm within an urban setting. We cannot do large-scale commercial farming.

What is a scripture that defines your work?
1 Peter 5:6, “Humble yourself before the mighty hand of God.” In all I do, I love to humble myself. In we all we do, we need to be humbled whether in simple or big experiences. When you humble yourself, God lifts you higher.

What is a scripture that defines you as a person?
Psalm 139 describes how God knows me in and out. It shows that there is no single thing about me that God does not know. He knows me. And that is important for me to recognize because He knows me, He plans our work, and I am follower of Christ because He knows me. As Jeremiah says, “He formed us in our mother’s wombs, and knows every single hair on our heads.” I find that powerful.

What is the most difficult part of being a priest?
In ministry, you can’t completely know the people you are leading. It is challenging to lead people you do not truly know. For example, it is difficult to observe Christians fighting, some cheating, causing conflicts, and Church leaders who are not exemplary to their flocks. Secondly, the general lack of financial resources to run day-to-day Church activities. But amidst of all this, we are still standing and God is faithful.

How did UCU prepare you for your priestly job?
The education I attained from UCU is very important because the people we are serving and leading are highly educated. Sometimes, the “pews are higher than the pulpits.” This means that you stand from the pulpit and recognize the congregation is challenging you. The education I acquired from UCU has equipped me so well to fit in a community where we can reason together, we can share experiences and when I am interpreting the Bible, it feels good to know I am doing it with people who are also Biblically knowledgeable. The urban setting has so many people who are very educated, some are teachers, while others, students in universities. The education priests get at UCU helps them to match the knowledge of the congregants.

How was that experience for you?
Before UCU, I had the experience of serving in my local church as lay leader/chaplain and had training in chaplaincy. When I joined, it was starting afresh to learn more about theology, theory and practice. And the great aspect of being a student was learning how to engage with people in the field. The practice of theology is different from the theoretical aspect of it.

The local Church in Uganda usually faces many challenges. What do you think are challenges facing the local Church in Ankole Diocese?
Leadership in government and politics has generally influenced the leadership in our Church in some way. The Church and the government are inseparable. Most people do not recognize that but the government cannot exist without the Church, and the reverse also can be said. And we have to work together to transform our communities. But we have seen that politicians come to Church and use their money to influence the Church. That breeds corruption because many people are money oriented. It also shuts down dialogue because Church leaders are not expected to speak on political or government related issues.

The second challenge is these mushrooming Churches. There are so many “prophets, and prophetesses” forming churches in Mbarara. And people are following them without finding out where they are trained, how they are grounded in theology. Many of our congregants divert to these churches because they promise them riches.

What opportunities do you see that the local Church can seize to transform its community?
Training priests. When we train them, they will know what to do. Human resource is a good tool we can use to transform the Church, community, and nation at large. Education also is a powerful and transformative tool. Priests need to be educated and grounded in good theology so that they can teach, preach, and interpret the Bible. From there, people will be able to convert and know what to believe, and our society will change, and we will have a strong Church in Ankole diocese.

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More information about Bishop Tucker School of Theology and Divinity at Uganda Christian University can be obtained at: http://ucu.ac.ug/bishop-tucker-school-of-theology. To support UCU and her sister Universities’ clergies, contact Mark Bartels, executive director, UCU Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org or donate directly at: https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/

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Rt. Rev. Dr. Joel Samson Obetia

Ugandan Pastors ‘Preach, Teach and Reach Out’ Under Trees and in Huts

Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, , , ,


Rt. Rev. Dr. Joel Samson Obetia
Rt. Rev. Dr. Joel Samson Obetia

By Patty Huston-Holm

 Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 1 Peter 5: 2-3

Biblical scriptures guiding pastors are many. There are directions regarding what a church leader should not do – don’t over indulge in alcohol, for example. And there are directions for what that leader, the pastor, should be and do – like teach, feed “the sheep” and heal the sick.

In Uganda, pastors and the people they serve take this role to heart and practice.

“Pastors here are expected to do about everything,” said Rt. Rev. Dr. Joel Samson Obetia of the (Anglican) Church of Uganda. “African pastors in general are multi-task persons.”

On an August morning and from his office on the Uganda Christian University (UCU) campus in Mukono, the retired bishop from Madi and West Nile Diocese shared stories and his thoughts on a Ugandan pastor’s role. One example involved g-nuts, also known as ground-nuts.

G(round)-nuts – popular Ugandan snack
G(ground)-nuts – popular Ugandan snack

G-nuts, a staple legume crop grown in East African soil, is a relatively inexpensive source of protein, magnesium, iron and fiber. Ugandan adults and children eat them as a snack or as part of a paste over rice, potatoes and a starchy banana called matooke. The tiny nut covered in a thin, reddish, edible skin is meant for the mouth – not the ear.

But it was a g-nut in a boy’s ear that had a Ugandan pastor up in the middle of the night and driving a mother and her child to a hospital, Bishop Obetia recalled. Another recollection involved a 14-year-old who fell gathering mangos, suffered a ruptured liver and died.  It was a bishop who helped with the three-hour transport to bury the body.

“Pastors here preach, teach, and reach out to about every part of the community,” he said. “They administer the sacraments, but they also do school scholarship fundraising, engage in political matters, give advice about sickness and finance and sacrifice from their own family time and budgets to give to the larger body of the church.”

Even today and wearing the title “retired,” Bishop Obetia’s work is tireless. He counsels from his office and his home on the campus and serves as a practicum placement coordinator for theology students. If a pastor’s family is to survive, the wife and children must understand that many times the needs of others in God’s flock come first.

Bishop Obetia recalled growing up with a father who was a church lay pastor preaching at 14 churches and supervising four parish teachers. When Obetia became a pastor, it was understood by his five children that as visitors came, they would be displaced from their sleeping rooms. When elevated to Bishop, the responsibility still exists.

“When you accept a leadership role in the church, your own family – your wife and children – pay the price of sharing you,” he said. “The presence of a pastor is valued at most gatherings, whether these are directly affiliated with the church or not.”

Of Uganda’s 44.4 million people, roughly 4 of 5 are Christian.  One-third of Ugandans are affiliated with the Church of Uganda, which has 37 dioceses headed by a bishop. The number of individuals with the title “pastor” and the exact number of churches are more difficult to pin down.

“Many of our churches are still under trees,” Bishop Obetia said. “Our churches are like broadcasting stations . ..”

Whether under trees or in a mud-and-wattle hut or stately brick building, the church is the hub of community activity. In addition to sermons, churches are the location for marriage introduction ceremonies, weddings, funerals, and for settling disputes. Beyond the pastor’s opening and closing prayers, he or she is often the mediator for political arguments and the moderator of social and economic concerns.

“Sundays, especially, can get very long,” the Bishop said.

A downfall of the title “pastor” in Uganda is the number practicing without credentials, training and a full understanding of the Bible. While some “overnight” pastors who get a calling without formal preparation are properly sharing the Word, others are not. Preaching false doctrines perpetuates misinterpretation of God’s message and Jesus’ teaching.

In its 21st year, UCU attempts to combat this problem by providing a quality spiritual and academic education. The mission is to “equip students for productive, holistic lives of Christian faith and service.” The historic Bishop Tucker Theological College, which trained clergy and educators during its 84-year history from 1913 until it evolved into UCU in 1997, upholds that mission. What is now known as Bishop Tucker School of Theology and Divinity  (http://ucu.ac.ug/academics/faculties/bishop-tucker-school-of-theology) is Uganda’s oldest theological School affiliated to the Church of Uganda. The main disciplines are Theology, Divinity and Child Ministry.

“Here, we train in character…that our lives speak louder than our words,” Bishop Obetia said. “We reinforce that academic excellence and character work together.”

Less-credentialled pastors, combined with tribal traditions, illiteracy, corruption and choices are a challenge for Uganda, according to the Bishop. The hope is always in Jesus Christ, which overcomes all else, he added.

“The Gospel has not been extinguished,” he said. “There is no culture that cannot be saved. In today’s world, we just need to work a little bit harder.”

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Over the next week, UCU Partners will feature stories of theology graduates practicing as pastors in various regions of Uganda. Individuals desiring to contribute to theology scholarships at UCU can contact Mark Bartels, UCU Partners executive director, at mtbartels@gmail.com for more information.

Also, visit UCU Partners on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

How technology is shaping journalism in East Africa

Faculty of Engineering, Design & Technology, UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication, , , , , ,


Alex Taremwa, Ugandan journalist, checks out camera angles.

By Alex Taremwa

In the words of the late author Norman Mailer, “Some of us, finding that we were not smart enough to become lawyers, talented enough to become novelists or with hands too shaky to perform operations, became journalists.”

Globally, journalism has gone through significant 21st century transformations but East African media stands as the most threatened. This is somewhat due to substandard journalism training and the controlled political environment, but mostly, the digital disruption.

The digital age has had a considerable impact on the journalism profession. The media eco-system is constantly changing with new technologies and mediums re-defining the relationship between the news media and the public. As American scholar and author Mark Briggs noted, learning the skill and technology is the easy part. Recognizing we are part of a new information eco-system is the steeper hill to climb.

In East Africa today, journalism fails in four major areas: content creation, distribution, monetization and coping with the ever-changing consumption habits of the audience. Showbiz and celebrity websites in Uganda and East Africa at large have more visitors that mainstream media. Kenya’s most popular website – Tuko – is a purely entertainment site that has almost double the number of visitors of East Africa’s highest circulation newspaper, Daily Nation.

In Kenya, the Tuko entertainment site was among those who “broke the Internet” talking about a controversial tourist campaign focused on curvy women while an issue of serious national impact – reviving a national airline – has struggled to gather traction. Mainstream media have had to develop separate websites for viral content in order to compete.

The present era of dynamic new media is being referred to as a golden age of storytelling – the element that stimulates human interest and emotion but taking advantage of the contemporary disruption and the acceleration of technology to tell better stories and connect with more audiences.

Daily Nation – East and Central Africa’s biggest-selling paper – has seen its sales drop from 160,378 copies a day in 2009 to 105,000 by December 2018. It is even severe in Uganda where the highest-selling daily is a local language newspaper (Bukedde), and the two oldest, mainstream presses of the government-owned New Vision and independent Daily Monitor cannot reach a combined 50,000 copies sold.

Author Alex Taremwa comments on the state and future of the media during a panel discussion at Aga Khan University.

While doing my undergraduate degree at Uganda Christian University (UCU), I made it my business to write letters to the then Head of Department (and now dean), Professor Monica Chibita, asking her to include a digital aspect in the course curriculum. During that 2012-2016 time period, the role social media would play in a newsroom was unthinkable.

When renowned Kenyan investigative journalist, John Allan Namu visited my class in early April 2019, he said that the Daily Nation had, at first, thought itself too big to join the microblog platform, Twitter.

Today, social media provides not just jobs but also critical insights about fans and the potential audience through listening, testing and engagement. In today’s world, each social media user is a small media owner. They don’t need a newspaper to broadcast content when they have Facebook Live, Instagram and Snap Chat.

Some public figures like Kenya’s President H.E Uhuru Kenyatta have more online following than most Kenyan media houses. Like most of the world’s high-profile people, he isn’t fully reliant on traditional media to deliver his messages.

With Google, Amazon and Facebook dominating almost 80% of the advertisement revenue online, turning good content into money in East Africa and the world over is a daily preoccupation of media executives, academia, and journalists alike.

Content creation costs money, and distribution platforms are expensive to support and maintain. Therefore, knowing how to monetize content and distribution is crucial. Just as the New York Times has found the goose that lays its golden eggs in on-line subscriptions and digital journalism, media in East Africa is yet to crack the puzzle on whether we go the NYT way or adopt micro-payments, a la carte purchases or just hang onto the advertisement model.

Without a doubt, the multi-mediality that digital has brought to journalism is impacting for readers/viewers/listeners who get a full experience of the story beyond written words and photos. This revolution includes virtual and augmented reality, 360• video that most developed newsrooms such as the BBC, the Associated Press, the NYT and the Washington Post and Reuters are adopting.

Technology is increasing pluralism and making it hard for governments to stifle the freedom of the press. The watchdog role of journalism is even stronger with new digital research tools. If implemented with understanding and adherence to what journalism was designed to do, the content is richer with better visualisation and data interpretation with an audience that is no longer the passive consumer but an active player.

On the flipside, social media has eroded the gatekeeping role of journalism, killed the element of surprise in breaking news and made it possible for even those not schooled in the practice of journalism to join our space and compete for the same eyeballs as the professionals. Fake news, disinformation and click baiting need to be combated. It is easier for trained journalists to become lazy and less credible copycats who violate intellectual property by pasting other people’s versions of news. Professional journalists need to invest time and understanding into new tools such as Google Earth and crowdsourcing.

As Uganda’s Daily Monitor Editor Daniel Kalinaki once noted, it’s still true that journalists need to invest in public interest, relevant and solutions-oriented journalism. The alternative to this is to ask the last journalist to switch off the lights when they leave the newsroom.

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Alex Taremwa is a native Ugandan currently pursuing a Masters in Digital Journalism at Aga Khan University and a Uganda Christian University (UCU) Mass Communication graduate. He also is the editor of Uganda’s Matooke Republic.

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

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Douglas Alum, far right, at age 12 and shortly after his release from the Lord’s Resistance Army and another returnee, far left. Others pictured are Douglas’ family. All consumed World Food Program supplements in the 1990s.

Karamoja food poisoning: Wake-up call for Christian values in relief service

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Douglas Alum, far right, at age 12 and shortly after his release from the Lord’s Resistance Army and another returnee, far left. Others pictured are Douglas’ family. All consumed World Food Program supplements in the 1990s.
Douglas Olum, far right, at age 12 and shortly after his release from the Lord’s Resistance Army and another returnee, far left. Others pictured are Douglas’ family. All consumed World Food Program supplements in the 1990s.

By Douglas Olum

At the peak of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels’ insurgency in Northern Uganda in the 1990s, the World Food Programme (WFP) distributed a food supplement called BP-100 biscuits in what were known as the Internally Displaced People’s camps.

As a child then in that area, I ate some of the biscuits and exchanged some for books or pens with my school colleagues.  It was a high-energy, ready-to-use, therapeutic food that did, as I recall, ease our hunger. Because we had no lunch at school and our parents would spend their days looking for what to cook, we had biscuits for lunch while being well aware that when we returned home at the end of the day, we would hardly find anything to bite.

Uganda map showing Karamoja area
                             Uganda map showing Karamoja area

Roughly two decades later, similar supplements are being provided in the Karamoja districts of Kaabong, Kotido, Abim, Moroto, Napak, Nakapiripirit and Amudat in the Eastern and Northeastern parts of Uganda. The nutritional need there today is a war of a different type.

The bore holes in these seven districts cannot yield water and the valley dams built for their livestock dry down for eight of 12 months a year. From September through April, the scorching sun cracks the clay soil, the trees are stripped bare of their leaves and the stunted grasses are wilted. Whirlwinds form dust storms sweep through the villages, carrying away nearly anything that stand in their way.

The districts that form the region cover approximately 27,000 square kilometers (10,400 square miles) of an arid and bush expanse, and is home to at least 1.2 million people (Uganda Investment Authority, 2016) who are often forgotten.

A 2011 survey by the Uganda Department of Geological Survey and Mines at the Ministry of Energy revealed that Karamoja is rich in minerals such as gold, limestone, uranium, marble, graphite, gypsum, iron, wolfram, nickel, copper, cobalt, lithium and tin. Despite the hard work and long hours by local men, however, they can hardly afford to provide for their families.

Additionally, such adverse climatic conditions affect food production. People and their animals migrate to find food. But hunger strikes, costing many lives of both livestock and humans, especially among children and elderly who cannot trek long distances.

In an attempt to combat such mortality, the United Nations, through the WFP, has since the 1960s, just like God did for the Israelites in the wilderness (Exodus 16:13-17), provided food relief to the community. However, in 2011, the relief agency brought a new policy that only provided for food distributions to children. Alas, when men, women and children are hungry, food is consumed by all.

Unfortunately in early March, the agency found itself in an unforeseen crises when the very relief it intended caused sickness. At least four people died and more than 220 others were admitted to various hospitals in the districts of Napak and Amudat following the consumption of a food supplement, ‘Super Serial’ that was distributed. People who consumed the food supplement, purportedly meant for expectant mothers and malnourished children, vomited and developed general body pains and weaknesses, mental illness, high fever and headache.

In April, a joint investigation by the Government of Uganda and WFP into the causes of the deaths and illnesses was taking place. The food samples, as well as blood and other extracts from the sick and the dead were taken to laboratories in Mombasa (Kenya) and South Africa for specialized analyses. At the same time, the UN agency that has supplied food to needy Ugandans for decades, is researching its supplement expiration dates and overall policies for management of food reserves.

As the supply has been halted and the beneficiaries have been asked to return whatever was not yet consumed, the incident reminds both the organization and its workers of the need for education and Christian values in exercising duties and caring for the less fortunate. That’s part of the responsibility of education and being good stewards of Christianity.

As a student at Uganda Christian University, I recall how faith was integrated into all our learning. Thinking back on those days, I can’t help but wonder not only about the lack of attentiveness to the details of expiration dates for food provided to Karamoja, but also about the attentiveness to a population of people that is every bit as equal in God’s eyes.

For these 1.2 million of Uganda’s 42.8 million people, what happened in March of this year is an efficiency, effectiveness and Christian values wake-up call.

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

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Doug Fountain (left) with some of the UCU School of Medicine of students in Mengo, Uganda. (UCUPartners’ Photo)

Partners American Consultant Message: Partnership value for Uganda Christian University School of Medicine (Part II)

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Doug Fountain (left) with some of the UCU School of Medicine of students in Mengo, Uganda. (UCUPartners’ Photo)
Doug Fountain (left) with some of the UCU School of Medicine of students in Mengo, Uganda. (UCUPartners’ Photo)

By Brendah Ndagire

In February 2019, Uganda Christian University Partners’ USA- based Consultant, Doug Fountain, conducted a series of consultation meetings in Uganda and other African countries. He met with medical education experts involved with the Christian Medical and Dental Association (USA), representatives from Johnson and Johnson Global Community Impact and Novartis Social Business, medical education leaders from Kabarak University, Kenya, and local leaders from the Ministry of Health and Mengo Hospital.  This interview, edited for clarity, explores why building partnerships is an important aspect of growing and sustaining Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Medicine.

Could you briefly introduce yourself?
My name is Doug Fountain. I am a consultant with Uganda Christian University (UCU) Partners, in support of the Uganda Christian University School of Medicine. Also, I am Executive Director for a Christian organization called Christian Connection for International Health. I’ve worked in health care for almost 30 years.

What does your role with UCU Partners entail?
As a consultant, I am supporting UCU Partners to develop a strategy for providing the resources needed to support the School of Medicine. In the past, I worked with UCU and helped to start the Department of Health Sciences. About a year ago, I finished working with an NGO and set up a consulting group to support organizations like this, and UCU Partners was actually the first organization that reached out to ask, “Can you help us with the School of Medicine?” I have been working with (UCU Partners) since June 2018.

Why are partnerships important to the School of Medicine?
There is no way that UCU can start a medical school on its own. It has to have partnerships that bring a combination of human resources, education materials, books, financial support, and research opportunities. The financial support helps implement the first phase of the project, such as to build the school and attract and retain high-quality staff. Partnership takes the form of donation of products, goods, (and) services like volunteers to work.

Dr. Miriam Mutabazi (left), Doug Fountain (second from left), and their consultation team, meeting with Dr. Henry Mwebesa (right) of Ministry of Health, Uganda. (UCUPartners Photo)
Dr. Miriam Mutabazi (left), Doug Fountain (second from left), and their consultation team, meeting with Dr. Henry Mwebesa (right) of Ministry of Health, Uganda. (UCUPartners Photo)

What can UCU do to best equip current medical and dental students?
It is going to take a combination of supporting them to have the right attitude and to have the right technical skills. This gets formed in part by the Christian character of training – an attitude that emphasizes dignity of the patient, compassionate care and high ethical standards. Those are critical, but then (the university) has to make sure that it is providing training that is current and informed by evidence-based practice. The medical field is always evolving with new information, research, and new insights. The medical school has to give the most important information to students as they come through. Medical practitioners have to think fast because what they memorized 30 years ago may no longer be the best practice. They have to take some time taking in new information, conducting research and figuring out how to adapt their practice to new evidence.

Uganda Christian University is a provincial institution of the Church of Uganda (CoU). Where do you see the role of the CoU in the School of Medicine project?
The Church’s role is critical. There are very few instances in the world that I know of, where such a large Church structure has both a well-developed university and hospitals, including Mengo. The Church is providing a vision for health that says, “we will seek to have the CoU health services be the best health services available.” We hope to see this thinking grow to include more support for medical training in the CoU system and, eventually, employment of graduates. There should be a syncing between the School of Medicine, the broader Church and all its health facilities in Uganda.

What already existing private or public health institutions can be partnership opportunities for UCU?
A university could offer to do research projects with UCU in which they support a part of the training that is happening. For instance, imagine training in cancer care. There may be research funding available to help UCU figure out oncology patient care better and the partner may provide some equipment, training and financial resources to help the School of Medicine do this. There are also grants that come from foundations and corporations. Corporations are interested in building capacity of the health systems to provide good quality care. I think there are many partners out there who haven’t yet thought about how to engage with medical education. For example, if (an institution) is doing a malaria control program, then can the NGOs think about sending people for advanced training?

During your time here, you also met with one of UCU’s potential partners, Medical Teams International. As a Christian NGO, where do you see its role in accompanying UCU School of Medicine?
Medical Teams International provides medical care for over 800,000 refugees in Uganda. And it is not just refugees; they also provide health care for more than 400,000 people through their network of 58 health facilities. So they employ lots of medical doctors, clinical officers, and nurses. Since it is a faith-based institution, they are potential employers for future UCU School of Medicine graduates.

What do you see as the challenges involved with the UCU School of Medicine?
I don’t think there is anything easy about raising resources for the School of Medicine. Sometimes people assume that medical and dental students are better off, they are privileged, and heading to jobs that would be better-paying jobs. The reality is most of the students who have come to participate in these programs do not have the means to pay for their basic education. It is really a testimony to the faith of students who have come to study that they will find the resources. We need to educate our donors to be able to support the School of Medicine. One of the threats to high-quality medical education is when universities start up programs but cannot get quality resources together. They start occupying clinical training spaces, and starting producing graduates that are crowding the field, and they haven’t been able to measure up to the quality of other high-quality programs. UCU has been able to measure up so far, and have a high-quality program.

Recognizing other challenges, such as the limited space for learning, the need for laboratory equipment, lack of full-time staff, the expense of medical school, and the need for quality medical doctors in Uganda, how do we mobilize people to support this needed initiative?
Keep raising awareness of the need and continuously telling stories of the amazing students who are part of the School of Medicine. We have very committed students who want to make a change in the health sector and do a great job serving people. We have to tell their stories.  Since this is a pioneer class, you have to create the path. This means UCU has to find the basic resources. Currently, it has 60 students. In 5 years, there will be 300 students in total. It would need more classroom space. And UCU is already thinking about that.

As a UCU Partners Consultant, what gives you hope and joy when you think about this project?
There is a lot of good faith from students and partners that the university is a high-quality (University). If it is committed to something, it will see it through well. UCU has a great history with its Nursing program, Law program and other programs that have made a huge impact in the country and beyond. It is easy to believe that the School of Medicine would do the same. What we see with the Nursing program alone, 14 years after it was launched, is it helping to change the face of nursing in Uganda.  What would it look like if 14 years from now a Christian medical program is able to change the face of medical care in Uganda?

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

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