Tag Archives: Uganda Christian University

UCU Partners Consultant Doug Fountain (third from left) with affiliates from Johnson and Johnson Global Community Impact, Novartis Social Business and Kabarak University, Kenya at the UCU School of Medicine. (UCUPartners Photo)

USA Consultant Message: Partnership value for Uganda Christian University School of Medicine (Part I)

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UCU Partners Consultant Doug Fountain (third from left) with affiliates from Johnson and Johnson Global Community Impact, Novartis Social Business and Kabarak University, Kenya at the UCU School of Medicine. (UCUPartners Photo)
UCU Partners Consultant Doug Fountain (third from left) with affiliates from Johnson and Johnson Global Community Impact, Novartis Social Business and Kabarak University, Kenya at the UCU School of Medicine. (UCUPartners Photo)

By Brendah Ndagire
In Uganda, there is 1 doctor per 65,000 people, and 1 dentist per 175,000 people. With more health workers, Ugandans will have better access to adequate healthcare, live longer, and have more dignified lives. Higher learning institutions in Uganda such as Makerere University and Uganda Christian University (UCU) are already recognizing this great need for more medical workers.

In February 2019, Doug Fountain, former faculty and administrator at UCU, returned to Uganda and UCU to conduct a series of consultation meetings. He saw the persistent challenge of inadequate health workers as a need for “not just filling clinical or hospital positions with just anybody to increase the number of doctors or dentists in Uganda,” but “to have high quality and trained doctors and dentists come out to fill these gaps.” Medical practitioners and other stakeholders need to continually ask, “what do we have to do to increase access to affordable, quality health care in Uganda?” He added that if educational institutions in Uganda do not invest in providing high-quality medical education, the health sector systems suffer.

Medical education institutions, such as Uganda Christian University, need to start connecting these dots, Doug asserted. Part of that connection for training institutions involves building and sustaining strong internal and external partnerships. Partners during Doug’s recent Uganda trip and who echoed his assertions were affiliates of the Christian Medical and Dental Association (USA), Johnson and Johnson Global Community Impact (Kenya), Novartis Social Business (Kenya) and Kabarak University (Kenya). Sitting together at the UCU School of Medicine, they sought to learn from UCU’s new experience of launching a medical school in September 2018.

Pictured after one meeting are (left to right) Dr. Jim Smith of the Christian Medical and Dental Association (USA); UCU Head of Nursing Jemimah Mutabaazi; Doug Fountain; Dr. Miriam Mutabazi (acting SoM director, fourth from left); Deputy Vice Chancellor David Mugawe; and a representative from Johnson and Johnson Global Impact, Kenya. (UCUPartners Photo)
Pictured after one meeting are (left to right) Dr. Jim Smith of the Christian Medical and Dental Association (USA); UCU Head of Nursing Jemimah Mutabaazi; Doug Fountain; Dr. Miriam Mutabazi (acting SoM director); Deputy Vice Chancellor David Mugawe; and a representative from Johnson and Johnson Global Impact, Kenya. (UCUPartners Photo)

Dr. Miriam Mutabazi of the UCU School of Medicine, and Executive Director of Save the Mothers, also was part of the partnership-seeking consultation meetings. While meeting with different stakeholders, other partners were identified. Among local partners targeted to be at the table were the Church of Uganda, Mengo Hospital, Makerere University, Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports, and the Ministry of Health.

“The formal role is that the University is operating under the Ministry of Education and Sports and the Ministry of Health through its branches, such as Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Council,” Doug said. “They approve the curriculum and the teaching facilities. They also certify the medical training.”

Doug defined the informal role that “both sectors should play, include creating a conducive context for the school.” Informally, the players create policies and standards for the practice for the school. According to Doug, these include “internship management, clinical practice management, and helping hospitals navigate how to do placements for students.”

The system would benefit if both the Ugandan Education and Sports and the Health Ministries were active in resource mobilization, Doug said. He also observed an education gap, noting there are “very few donors or organizations invested in supporting medical education, particularly among high-quality private providers.”

Among East African partners who can also be viewed as external collaborators, Doug identified Kabarak University in Kenya, and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center in Tanzania for UCU to consider. These universities have the same values of a Christ-centered higher education, integrated with science and medical education.

“We are seeing that Uganda is participating in the East African-wide set of medical standards,” Doug said. “That is helping to set an international or high bar for what quality health care means. (With about) 27 medical school across East Africa, if they are all held to the same standards, that is great. The whole region needs more high-quality medical practitioners, but it is good to have this higher level of standards. And by Uganda participating in that broader community, we expect overall health care quality to improve.”

Doug believes that the UCU School of Medicine can benefit from these coordinated partnerships in the form of faculty development workshops or curriculum development across institutions that are trying to define what it means to be a Christian and a medical practitioner.

“The partners that exist in East Africa are relevant,” Doug said. “Some of the multinational corporations that exist, such as Johnson and Johnson or Novartis, have global headquarters in North America or Europe, but they run their Africa strategy through an office in, for instance, Nairobi. The people in Nairobi have to know what is happening here in Uganda. That may look or feel like an internal partner when in fact they are also global partners.”

The School of Medicine students can benefit from the experiences of people who work with these companies, and who also have a comprehensive perspective on private and public medical practices in East Africa. According to Doug, the UCU School of Medicine can help in filling in gaps that exist in Uganda’s health sector, but it cannot do it on its own.

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In Part II, Uganda Christian University Partners will share an interview with Doug to explore further why building partnerships is an important aspect of sustaining UCU School of Medicine.

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More information about the Uganda Christian University School of Medicine can be obtained at https://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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Samuel Kakuru (left); the Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi, UCU Vice Chancellor (center); and Andrew Kato (right) at a University Public Lecture in 2015. (Uganda Christian University Partners photo)

Twin brothers use technology to transform Uganda businesses, schools and more

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Samuel Kakuru (left); the Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi, UCU Vice Chancellor (center); and Andrew Kato (right) at a University Public Lecture in 2015. (Uganda Christian University Partners photo)
Samuel Kakuru (left); the Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi, UCU Vice Chancellor (center); and Andrew Kato (right) at a University Public Lecture in 2015. (Uganda Christian University Partners photo)

By Brendah Ndagire

In today’s globalized world, technology is an increasingly significant tool in improving and sustaining businesses. With the introduction of smartphones, cheaper computer brands and the influx of telephone companies, an estimated one million Ugandans have access to computers. This number could be higher but with poor and inadequate infrastructures, some people, especially in rural areas, are still struggling to have access to personal technology devices and the Internet. However, due to the presence and growth of a diverse private sector, which sparks competition and creativity, Uganda is making progress in advancing technology. With access to information, communication and technology, there is a positive shift in how small, medium-sized, and large-scale businesses are conducted in Uganda. Uganda Christian University alumnus Andrew Kato, with his twin brother Samuel Kakuru, are representative of this shift. They are co-founders of a company called The Wit Limited, which uses technology-based solutions to transform all forms of businesses in Uganda. Uganda Christian University Partners spoke with Andrew Kato to understand the role of his company.

Samuel KakuruConducting a Tech Training with students at Sheema Secondary School, Mbarara (Western Uganda)
Samuel Kakuru conducting a Tech Training with students at Sheema Secondary School, Mbarara (Western Uganda)

What did you study at UCU?
I received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Computing in 2015. My brother studied the same program; we both graduated on top of our classes. Our desire is to practice what we have always been passionate at, and that eventually translated into this business company.

Who are your clients at The Wit Bistech Solutions Center?
We work with local businesses, schools, institutions and non-government organizations. For example, we have worked with an NGO that works with orphans to create, design and maintain its website. We are mostly targeting local businesses to give them the latest information technology (IT) tools, and training business owners to become more acquainted with business management skills. We look at how they do their businesses and we seek ways we can improve them.

What might be future partnerships?
We hope to partner with local universities, to shape and open up opportunities for recent graduates. We want to support them to think about how they can get practical skills in implementing a business. We intend to start a Business Learning Community where we offer training to students pursuing business and IT-related programs at universities. Then those students can offer to volunteer, be trained and be connected to local entrepreneurs where they can learn practically as they help out in running businesses using the latest technologies and requisite business skills.

When you look at Uganda clients, what aspect of technology are you promoting?
Looking at the business as a whole, we ask our clients, “How are you managing your accounts? Who are your top customers? Which ones are your top selling products/services?” Many local businesses just do business without thinking deeply about how they manage their finances, and how general business operates. Many do not separate their personal finances from the business finances. They need to learn how to do record keeping, and how to track their transactions, manage inventory levels, and attract customers. Our company introduces and trains them on how to do computerized accounting. We start with cheap technology such as Microsoft Excel, or QuickBooks. Then, we support them to think about how they can do proper marketing. Today, all the marketing is almost done online. And we support our clients to learn about the power of digital marketing and to setup their strategies.

 How are you supporting people who are doing business in rural areas?
We have a very flexible team that is dedicated to train and work with them. We support rural business owners to learn how to manage their cash flows first. We train them to design small models of managing their money, for instance, to have a book to track their cash in, and cash out. At the end of the day or week, they are able to track how much they have made and spent using a cash flow statement. Step by step, we introduce them to simple methodologies. For example, from creating a table in their book to indicate cash in and cash out, we introduce them to a simple templates in Microsoft Excel.

What areas in Uganda are you focusing on?
We have opened our offices in Mbarara, but being an Information Technology (IT) company, we are not limited by geographical scope. For example, here in Kampala, we have a law firm that invited us to look at how they manage their finances and then offer a solution. We have supported them to come up with a better computerized tool to monitor their finances. We also have supported a Day Care Center with another software to improve their childrens’ learning abilities.

Where do you see the Uganda Christian University role in this company?
It was a life-changing experience to study at Uganda Christian University. UCU prepared us to have a holistic approach to life. It was very important to us to understand that the work we want to do is not for us, but the community and God. At UCU, I was a student leader in our department of Business and Finance. Now, I personally apply every leadership experience I had at UCU in my current work with the company.

What challenges have you experienced?
The main challenge is acceptability and adaptability. Many people, businesses, and schools are not embracing and/or adapting to these technological changes in our country. And we have to constantly think about creative ways we can engage with them. Secondly, we are still a new company, and we are still struggling to keep up with the cost of operation.

What message do you want to give young entrepreneurs coming out of UCU?
Current students need to take advantage of learning from local businesses near UCU. UCU’s Business Faculty needs to continue developing partnerships with local businesses, to create a platform where students can be integrated with the real business community as they learn from each other. Such businesses should act as a business laboratory for all UCU students especially those with interest in Business and offering solutions to community problems.

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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.orgor go to https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/

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Jovan Kyambadde, teaching assistant, UCU Department of Agricultural and Biological Science, with nakati from the Mukono campus planting area (Photo by UCU Student Samuel Tatambuka)

Sub-Saharan Africa vegetable makeover part of what makes UCU best at exhibition

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Jovan Kyambadde, teaching assistant, UCU Department of Agricultural and Biological Science, with nakati from the Mukono campus planting area (Photo by UCU Student Samuel Tatambuka)
Jovan Kyambadde, teaching assistant, UCU Department of Agricultural and Biological Science, with nakati from the Mukono campus planting area (Photo by UCU Student Samuel Tatambuka)

NOTE: Uganda Christian University (UCU) captured first place among 48 higher education institutions in the 11th Annual Exhibition of the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) in Uganda in March. Among displays representing UCU and contributing to this honor was the nakati experiment described in this article.

 By Patty Huston-Holm

Nakati juice (Photo by UCU Student Samuel Tatambuka)
Nakati juice (Photo by UCU Student Samuel Tatambuka)

What’s liquid, full of vitamins, green and with a name common to most East Africans?

Nakati juice.

Ummm. Yes, but perhaps it needs another title.  While some Ugandans have fond childhood memories of chewing onnakati as their parents wove a tale of how it would increase their intelligence, most turn up their noses at the green, leafy vegetable’s bitter taste and the remembrance of times when the family could afford little else.

Nakati, which also is known as African eggplant, needs to rise above its bad reputation, according to two Uganda Christian University (UCU) Food Science and Technology students and their teaching assistant. They aim to do just that by using it as the main ingredient in beverage and food recipes that reinforce nutritional value and good taste.

Jovan Kyambadde, teaching assistant, UCU Department of Agricultural and Biological Science, and students Athieno Sheilla and Alexis Ossiya, explain that the nutrition part is that nakati is full of iron and vitamins. Adding sweet-tasting ingredients masks the unpleasant flavor. After dodging raindrops to pluck nakati leaves from their Mukono campus garden and purchasing fruit outside the campus gate on the afternoon of March 6, they chopped, cut and blended the juice, sharing a not-so-secret recipe.

  • Four medium size mangos and one-fourth of a pineapple for flavor, one lemon for increased vitamin C and preservative, one freshly picked bunch of nakati (main ingredient) and honey for sweetener.
Nakati juice ingredients(Photo by UCU Student Samuel Tatambuka)
Nakati juice ingredients(Photo by UCU Student Samuel Tatambuka)

Nakati is the main ingredient because it has certain special health benefits such as cancer-fighting compounds, and anti-aging properties, and aids proper bone and brain development. Mangoes and pineapples likewise are rich in vitamins and antioxidants that help to prevent cancer, improve skin complexion and greatly boost immunity.

The taste-testers on this day were five nearby students, who gave mixed reactions about thickness, sweetness and whether they would prefer this no-added-sugar, vegetable and fruit juice over the more common, sugar-added, fruit-only beverages.

“We plan to do more testing with students in the large cafeteria,” Sheilla said. “We think we could make money and help others do it.”

While one end result is making money for the inventors and healthier lifestyles for their customers, this project also is about helping Uganda’s local farmers with their profits, Jovan explained, adding, “Everywhere you look in Uganda, there’s nakati.”

The students prepared the drink using an electric blender. But for locals without electricity and a mechanical mixer, the juice still can be made with added shredding, pounding and hand pressure, using a sieve to filter out the juice.

Under the title “Better Vegetables, Better Lives,” the UCU Department of Agricultural and Biological Science works with a dozen other partners to improve production and use of African indigenous vegetables for greater nutrition and income.  The plan is to not only share nakati products on the university campus, but also to teach local farmers how to do the same.

According to UCU Professor Elizabeth Balyejusa Kizito, changing dietary and lifestyle preference is one main reason that vegetables like nakati and another green leafy vegetable called doodo are being cast aside for less indigenous and less healthy fried chips and samosas. Sub-Saharan children have the highest rates of anemia and malnutrition in the world. UCU is on an action research mission to change that.

Each Wednesday morning, the students and staff of the Department of Agriculture and Biological Sciences at UCU board a bus, and after a 45-minute drive, are dropped off to work with local farmers.

“The farmers have come to regard themselves as university teachers, which they are in that they put our students’ learning in real context,” Jovan said. “At the same time, our students are teaching the farmers what they know about crop rotation, germination, higher yield and marketing.”

Nakati, for example, is going to waste when it could be used for juice, biscuits and other products. In addition to experimentation with nakati beverages, the students are exploring use of the vegetable with g-nuts and other ingredients for snacks.

“When I was a little girl, I was told that eating nakati would make me more intelligent,” Sheilla said. “I know now that’s not true, but using nakati in recipes is pretty smart.”

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To support this program or others at UCU, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button or contact Uganda Christian University Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at mtbartels@gmail.com

Ruth and John Senyonyi in Escondido, California.

Being an Ambassador for UCU and Christ

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Ruth and John Senyonyi in Escondido, California.
Ruth and John Senyonyi in Escondido, California.

By Dr. Ruth Senyonyi

I regard myself as a “mini UCU ambassador” whenever I travel with my husband (Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi) on a mission to represent Uganda Christian University (UCU) abroad. Official ambassadors, often called diplomats, get anywhere from 15 million shillings to $187,000 a year to represent their countries. Neither of us gets anything close to that for representing the university.

Our greater reward is not money, but God’s almighty blessings. I am blessed to stand with my husband and play whatever role God sees at any point in time.

This year, we set off in late January to our first stop in the not-so attractive, cold winter weather of Washington D.C., ready to tell the world about UCU. Most of what I know about UCU is acquired, not as an insider, but as an observer, especially from interaction with my husband, John, who is the head of this majestic University. I listen in, critique (at times), worry (sometimes) and pray (most times) for UCU. Over the years I have seen the amazing transformation of the university, and I have been blessed to be a prayer partner in its growth curve.

Senyonyi’s bundled up, inside the home of Murray and Ginger Black, with snow in the background in the USA state of Virginia
Senyonyi’s bundled up with snow in the background in the USA state of Virginia

This year, 2019, the UCU School of Medicine, the latest baby born in UCU, was constantly on our lips. A government-accredited program with 700 applicants interviewed and rolled down to 63 student-doctors-in-training was a great achievement in this 21-year-old institution. Of these, seven are foreign students from five nations in Africa. The medical school is an expensive but much needed venture that will positively change Ugandan and African health services.

John and the UCU partner members were tasked to highlight this amazing school and get support in kind and otherwise.  Once in a while I would throw in sentences/words of encouragement, explanations and illustrations about UCU. In the midst of all these, John’s message was primarily about the Christian influence and how having a Christian doctor would go a long way in impacting nations for Christ.

On similar trips, we have often been stopped by UCU graduates who jog our minds with “I studied at UCU.” When we meet them in airports, lounges, in immigration, on streets, we get help (favour) faster than any of the other passengers. Workplaces in Uganda and across the world have been awestruck with UCU graduates and their Christian work ethic – a sign that UCU graduates are having the much-needed impact.

This UCU graduate impact was enough to jerk UCU into getting a foot in the door of training health service providers.

The message this time raised a host of questions. What will a Christian UCU graduate doctor look like? What worldview will they bring on board in an increasingly hostile secularized environment? What can they offer in the already failing medical world of Uganda? What is needed to ensure an effective Christian faith-based training? What resources are needed?

The message this time was different in that the focus was on the context to the need for such training.  We explained that in Uganda there was much need given the statistics: only 500 dentists nationally and 1 doctor to every 25,000 persons. Training a doctor is a tall order and is one of the uphill tasks before UCU that we had to explain.

That aside, the hospitality of our hosts continues to be a highlight the 2019 USA trip.  In Washington, DC, we were in the safe hands of a couple that is praying to relocate to Uganda. In Virginia, we were excited to see the beautiful snow flakes falling outside the warmth of a host’s home; a Ugandan couple braved the icy roads to come for a meal. The hospitality and the wonderful meals with warm, God-filled conversations are memorable.  Over 60 people braved the cold to hear about UCU at one such meal, which was organized by the wife and a member of the board for Uganda Christian University Partners, a USA-based nonprofit supporting UCU for more than 15 years. I marvel at the dedication and love of UCU by the Uganda Christian University Partners Board.

John is often given opportunity to the pulpit and my continuous prayer was that he, as a missionary to the USA as well as a UCU ambassador, is used by God to proclaim the word without fear and in its entirety. US sermons last for less than 20 minutes, but the word continues to bless and enrich the listeners. John begins by telling members of congregations about UCU then turns to God’s word. I particularly remember his preaching in Washington, DC, and in Virginia on how familiarity to God can choke Christian faith (Luke 4:21-32). It’s a gentle reminder that as Christians, bred and grown and surrounded by other Christians, we could easily take the gospel for granted (familiarity) and lose sight of him (Jesus Christ) who is central in our Christianity.

In another wonderful sermon, given in Boston at an Anglican church and later at a “Ugandan” church, my husband illustrated God’s needed presence. Fear is one thing that can grip a person to inactivity. At a time when the disciples were locked up in a room in fear of persecution, Jesus appeared to them and proclaimed peace. In a world filled with fear (loss, illness, retirement, crises), Jesus continues to speak and give peace.  The disciples were then given the Holy Spirit to continue the mission that Jesus had started. We were strengthened when we were reminded that as forgiven Christians we are on a mission to proclaim his word without fear.

The School of Medicine, Mercer University, in Macon, Georgia, gave us insight into what we needed to accomplish over the years to succeed with the UCU School of Medicine. The President and faculty members received us very warmly and expressed willingness to support UCU materially, through teaching and in various other ways.

My personalized blessing this trip is that I got time with God and with my husband. We are busy working adults with leadership responsibilities, and therefore these times away give us more opportunity to fellowship and seek the Lord together. With retirement not far away, the Lord clearly reminded us that He had anointed us purposefully and was going to surely accomplish His work through us – no matter what stage of life we are in.

I am blessed to be a mini ambassador for UCU and a maxi ambassador for God — not for money, but for our Lord and Savior.

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For more stories about UCU, visit https://www.ugandapartners.org.  If you would like to support the university and its faculty, students and programs, including the new School of Medicine, contact Mark Bartels, Executive Director, Uganda Christian University Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org or go to https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/

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Senyonyi’s, at right, with UCU Partners Board and some spouses at a meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.

2019 USA trip yields prayer, UCU medical school assistance

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Senyonyi’s, at right, with UCU Partners Board and some spouses at a meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.
Senyonyi’s, at right, with UCU Partners Board and some spouses at a meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.

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

Once a year since becoming the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Vice Chancellor in 2010 – and thanks to the generosity of UCU Partners and new and long-time American friends – I travel to the United States. Usually, my wife, Dr. Ruth Senyonyi, accompanies me for a month of sharing about Uganda’s culture, communicating the successes and needs of the university and providing the Word of our Lord. Ruth not only provides the much-appreciated marital support but also speaks easily about UCU, offering insights that I miss.

Our annual trip to the USA happened from January 24 to February 20, 2019. We started out in Washington DC, and proceeded to visits within the states of Virginia, Georgia, Massachusetts and California. We lived out of a suitcase, adjusting to dress codes for informal meetings, dinners, church services, the annual UCU Partners Board meeting, and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Presidents’ Conference. While USA faith-based universities face stronger pressure from the secular world than UCU, it was reassuring to note that we share the same resolve regarding adherence to Christ’s teachings in our campus life and curriculum.

Jack Ellis (Honorary Consul of Uganda in Georgia), Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi (Vice Chancellor UCU), Dr. Ruth Senyonyi (Mini Ambassador, UCU), Dr. Bill Underwood (President, Mercer University).
Jack Ellis (Honorary Consul of Uganda in Georgia), Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi (Vice Chancellor UCU), Dr. Ruth Senyonyi (Mini Ambassador, UCU), Dr. Bill Underwood (President, Mercer University).

As expected, this year there was keen interest in the new UCU School of Medicine, particularly as it relates to Christianity. It is a truism that technology often accelerates faster than the ethical implications of such advancements; the latter matter most for Christians and certainly for social wholeness. Probably no field of study is more affected than the medical disciplines since their direct customer and object of trade is the human being.

Furthermore, all recognise the capital-intensive nature of medical schools. UCU has invested much so far but it is the nature of medical schools to demand heavy investment on a continuing basis after the initial input. It is therefore beyond question that a University needs a steady revenue base for a medical school, far exceeding tuition collections from students.

The subject of the medical school was paramount during our UCU Partners’ Board, in the churches and other functions where I preached or spoke, and at Mercer University, Macon, Georgia.  Mercer University is one of America’s oldest higher education institutions with a medical school started there nearly 40 years ago.

Our contact with Mercer came unexpectedly through the kindness of Uganda’s honorary consul to Georgia, Hon. Jack Ellis, a former mayor of Macon, Georgia, who visited Uganda in 2017. Hon. Ellis introduced us to Mercer President Bill Underwood, who opened the door for a possible partnership with Mercer.

The Consul also connected us to MedShare, a non-profit, humanitarian organization with one of three American medical equipment distribution centers in Georgia. MedShare aims to strengthen the world’s health care systems with various initiatives such as shipping new and “good-as-new” medical equipment around the world to boost health care. This could come in handy to equip both the UCU School of Medicine teaching hospital and to provide needed learning hardware for our students. We are submitting an application to MedShare.

The interest to support our efforts was profound. We declared the need for prayer support, academic exchanges and research, personnel support and certainly medical equipment.

UCU Partners has been advocating such support since last year, and some help has trickled in. Indeed, Ruth and I spoke at a dinner at the Church of the Epiphany in Virginia, sponsored by UCU Partners Board members. The interest was strong at both the individual and corporate church level. After the dinner on a Saturday evening, I preached at their warm Sunday morning services.

It is worthy of note that the USA has many nationalities. Many of these maintain strong connections with their home countries and send significant financial support to their countries of provenance. One such is a Ugandan Anglican church situated in Boston, Mass., and that worships in the Luganda language. I had preached there before, and they welcomed me again into their pulpit. They have a stronger interest in UCU and are ready and open to enhanced relationships with the University.

Our concluding stops were in the California locations of Escondido and Imperial. New Life Presbyterian Church, Escondido, had booked me for preaching since June of 2018.  Nearby was the stop at Imperial to make connection with a donor to the Bishop Tucker School of Divinity Theology that we had never met.

Overall, these were very successful United States meetings in terms of promise for growth for all of UCU. We thank God for the relationships, the promise and our safe travels without incident. We thank God for this partnership in the Gospel – we went as envoys from UCU, and so we were received  (Philippians 4.10-20). Praise the Lord!

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For more stories about UCU, visit https://www.ugandapartners.org.  If you would like to support the university and its faculty, students and programs, including the new School of Medicine, contact Mark Bartels, Executive Director, Uganda Christian University Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org or go to https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/

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Servant hood: Hand-washing students’ clothes yields money and Good Samaritan attention

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Justine Nanyanzi washes clothes at her residence
Justine Nanyanzi washes clothes at her residence

By Olum Douglas

It was lunchtime when I first met Justine Nanyanzi. Her colleagues had scattered to various eateries. But to her, this was not a time for food, but for meeting or private reading.

As I reached out for her hand with a smile on my face, I noticed she was struggling to forge a smile back. Wearing a light dress with black-and-white flowery tint, and a pair of sandals with several traces of sewing on the strings’ base, Nanyanzi’s lips were dry and coarse, with white, scaly peals that clearly revealed dehydration and hunger. The weaves on her head were half-finished, leaving a large portion of her jumbled hair bare.

At that moment, it became clear to me that the story I had read online was true. In early February, an online paper in Uganda that reports events at universities, Campus Bee, broke the account of Nanyanzi under the headline, “The story of the UCU girl who is washing fellow students’ clothes for tuition.”

The story went viral and a few days later, a local television, NTV-Uganda, interviewed Nanyanzi and broadcasted her story. The focus was on her washing business, which was unusual because the Ugandan perception is that university students are middle-class and above such odd jobs.

A few minutes into our chat, I asked Nanyanzi what inspired her to begin washing fellow students’ clothes. She smiled and said the answer was long.

Justine Nanyanzi at the university
Justine Nanyanzi at the university

Born in Mukono District to a peasant-turned-evangelist and his wife, Justine Nanyanzi is the first-born in the broken family of three children. When she finished her Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) in 2014, Nanyanzi who excelled highly in mathematics, economics and geography, had to stay home for at least a year because she did not have any source of funding to take her to the next academic level.

During that time, she got employed as a cleaner at a local hotel. In 2016, the hotel owner rewarded the hard-working employee with a place to sleep and sponsorship at Uganda Christian University (UCU), where she pursued the Bachelor of Procurement and Logistics Management.

She completed her first-year without much challenge. Trouble started in her second year. The facility housing the hotel where she worked was sold to a new owner who pushed Nanyanzi’s boss and university sponsor out with no funds to continue supporting Nanyanzi.

Nanyanzi dropped out of school and got a job as maid to save for her university tuition and help pay rent at her new residence that she shared with a friend and single mother of three. But the money she earned was barely enough for food and rent. That’s when she turned to classmates.

“I told my classmates that I am tired of life and suffering. And if they ever heard that I was dead, it should not surprise them,” Nanyanzi said, “At that time, I was feeling alone, worthless and full of hate for everyone. I wanted to die because I knew that would save me from suffering and would not hurt anybody.”

To her amazement, UCU students collected over 1.7 million shillings ($460 American) for her tuition. Some gave her food. With the student assistance and another job cleaning university offices, she still fell short of needed finances by about 500,000 shillings ($135).

That’s where washing clothes came in. In Uganda, washing of clothes is predominantly done by hand. Individuals either wash their own or hire people of lower economic status and education to wash for them. Nanyanzi humbled herself for that job among her fellow students.

Her servanthood yielded publicity, including the call from a stranger to help further. That Good Samaritan took her to a bank. The man, who asked to be anonymous, paid her tuition and other fees for all the remaining semesters.

Nanyanzi said she asked the man if he was an angel and not human. He laughed before explaining that he and his siblings also grew up with much hardship. After pulling out of poverty, they resolved to help whoever they could help.

“It took me time to accept that, indeed, that was not a dream,” Nanyanzi said. “And because of that, whenever I pray these days, even when something is really bothering me, I have that confidence that the God that catered for my tuition is able to do everything.”

With a Cumulative General Point Average (CGPA) of 4.44 of 5.0 for her previous three semesters, there is little doubt that Nanyanzi is headed for a first-class undergraduate degree.

After that she desires to obtain a master’s degree in Statistical Economics.

“I may not have food or rent today but I believe my God is always with me. Like Jesus said, ‘man does not only live by bread alone.’ When I lack food, I pray to God and I believe he is preparing my happy days ahead,” Nanyanzi concludes.

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If you are interested in supporting Uganda Christian University students in need, contact Mark Bartels, Uganda Christian University Partners’ Executive Director, at  mtbartels@gmail.com.

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School of Medicine Librarian Kalungi(UCU Partners photo)

Moving UCU into digital age

UCU School of Medicine, , , , ,


School of Medicine Librarian Kalungi(UCU Partners photo)
School of Medicine Librarian Kalungi(UCU Partners photo)

By Patty Huston-Holm

In the midst of building a library from scratch, Victoria Kalungi, medical and health sciences librarian at the new Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Medicine (Mengo), saw an opportunity to grow both paper and electronic resources not just for the students she serves but the whole university.

Aligned with her passion to help others acquire knowledge and her graduate level work at the South African University of Pretoria, she launched into a study about the challenges and opportunities for increasing UCU research access on line. Additionally, her study includes some strategies for getting more UCU student dissertations and theses into electronic form.

Such was the focus of the discussion by two dozen UCU faculty members who convened at the Mukono campus on the last Friday in February. To these colleagues, Kalungi asserted that e-resources “embrace the changing reading culture and information-seeking behavior of library users.”

Pluses with e-resources are: printing cost savings, student access without coming to campus, wider visibility for UCU as research is being used elsewhere and elimination of issues with dust, termites and rats that damage paper-bound copies.

Challenges with e-resources are: widening the knowledge gap between the “haves” with access to the Internet and the “have nots” who can’t afford smart phones and connections; easier theft of author content; and getting traditional faculty and student thinkers to change and be trained to use a new format.

In late February 2019, UCU had more than 600 e-items in its library repository. In addition to theses and dissertations, these include journal articles, public lectures, speeches, books and book chapters and conference articles and proceedings.

Conversation surrounding both printed and electronic versions of research centered around a concern with plagiarism, author- vs. university-owned research, authors guarding their knowledge and the importance of holistic strategies that engage expertise in curriculum, library science and information technology when making change.

“How does Uganda become authenticated in this digital age?” asked Peter Ubomba-Jaswa of the School of Research and Post-Graduate Studies (SRPGS). He added that UCU should do its part in nurturing “fresh thinkers, innocent thinkers” to generate new ideas.

SRPGS Dean Kukunda Elizabeth Bacwayo concluded the session with appreciation to the presenter for “seeking us out for this discussion.”

David Bukenya, UCU’s Deputy Chief University Librarian, was not at the presentation, but he has long been a proponent of digital libraries and open access for improving UCU’s intellectual output, enhancing the institution visibility, attracting funders and preserving information.

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For more stories about UCU, visit https://www.ugandapartners.org.  If you would like to support the university and its faculty, students and programs, 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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Dr. John Smith working a math problem on the white board in his UCU Tech Park apartment (UCU Partners photo)

Farewell to UCU’s longest-serving lecturer from the UK

Science and Technology, , , , ,


Dr. John Smith working a math problem on the white board in his UCU Tech Park apartment (UCU Partners photo)
Dr. John Smith working a math problem on the white board in his UCU Tech Park apartment (UCU Partners photo)

By Patty Huston-Holm

Legend has it that the Rev. Dr. John Denmead Smith loves mathematics so much that he counts his steps every day when walking to teach his classes on the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Mukono campus.

“Well, I suppose I have done that,” the noted math teacher reflected in his British accent. “I hadn’t thought much about it really, but I do know precisely how long it takes me to get there.”

The rapid steps from his T1 apartment in UCU’s Tech Park area to a single-level building below the campus’ student dining hall took 10 minutes. The last week of February 2019, he walked them one last time. On March 11, he boarded a plane in Entebbe to fly to his Beverley, England, home – for good.

John Smith with a former student, Alex Kamoga, who calls the math instructor “a great pillar in my life…he paid all my school fees.” (UCU Partners photo)
John Smith with a former student, Alex Kamoga, who calls the math instructor “a great pillar in my life…he paid all my school fees.” (UCU Partners photo)

“Dr. John,” as he is known, has been a fixture at UCU for 13 years.  Hailing from the United Kingdom, he is UCU’s most tenured teaching faculty from the Western World.

“I won’t be back this time,” John said while stuffing clothes and papers into an opened green suitcase on his apartment couch. “I’m not sure how I feel about it really. But I thought about leaving a year ago. I am 75, you know.”

In truth, John, born in 1944 in the United Kingdom, will turn age 75 on June 13. In the days before leaving the university campus and with the acknowledgment of the difficulty in summarizing a quarter-century of living, he checked off six key areas:

  • Bachelor, master’s and doctoral degrees in mathematics from Keble and St. John’s colleges with the University of Oxford (England);
  • One year of teaching math at the Royal University of Malta in the Mediterranean at age 22;
  • Two years at the College of the Resurrection (known as Mirfield) in England to become a priest at age 28;
  • Thirty-two years (age 30 to 62) teaching math at an elite, boys’ boarding school called Winchester College;
  • Thirteen years as a math lecturer at Uganda Christian University; and
  • A girlfriend or two but never married.

Why mathematics?
“From when I was a small child, I always liked numbers, adding and multiplying them. I was about 17 when geometry hooked me in. I found the shapes and sizes and properties of space fascinating. It just went on.”

Why the priesthood?
“Even as a child, it occurred to me that I might want to be a priest some day. Then, when I was at Malta, a priest suggested the vocation.  And somehow, it did work out that way. At Winchester, I was a chaplain and a math teacher. I would go into the boarding houses and say prayers with the boys before their confirmation class. I was never a parish priest, but I did work part time in a parish.”

What about family?
“I was told our family original name was “Smelt” and not “Smith.” Ihad a brother, David, who died. I have an older sister who lives two miles down the road (in England) and lots of nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews. I enjoy company, but I don’t mind being on my own. Look at Albert Einstein. We remember him for his intelligence and theory of relativity and not necessarily his family.”

Why Africa?
“For a long time, I wanted to come and serve in Africa.”

Why UCU?
“When I was preparing to retire from Winchester, my Bishop (the late John Taylor, a former missionary in Uganda) suggested Uganda Christian University as a place for me to carry on both as a priest and a teacher.  Stephen Noll (former UCU Vice Chancellor) agreed. While I haven’t functioned formally as a priest here, inevitably being a priest influences the way that you live and work and how you relate to people.”

At UCU, John Smith taught undergraduates, generally around 35 in a class and mostly in foundational courses, but also in such subjects as financial management and linear algebra. He reached roughly 2,500 students in 13 years.

“I tried to help them, to make them think,” he said. “I hope I did.  I yelled at a few students, which wasn’t right, I suppose. I caught a couple cheating and that required a lot of meetings. But mostly it was enjoyable here.”

While most students at his school in Winchester were white, John was amazed at “how quickly I didn’t see color” in the students at UCU. A few students became special friends over the years with more than a few getting their tuition and other expenses paid by the math teacher they call “father.” Some came for dinner that his Ugandan helper fixed once a week in his modestly furnished apartment.

When he wasn’t teaching, he mostly stayed in the apartment. John’s occasional, always brisk walks out the university gate were generally to buy rolex (an egg-and-bread local food) on the street.

Prior to coming to Uganda, John published a couple research papers that garnered academic attention. He pulled out one on yellowed, stapled paper.  The title was “Ptolemaic Inequities with Odd Powers.” Ptolemy’s theory is that inequality becomes equality when four points on placed a certain way on a circle.

“Not sure why I kept this,” he said, turning it over. “It was important to me at a time, but not so much now.”

Discarding items is part of moving on. A small TV set went to the housekeeper. In early March and from John’s UCU apartment, eight pairs of shoes were scattered on the floor and books and clothes were on a table, trying to make it into three bags with 13 years of accumulation. A worn, open Bible rested on four, stacked plastic chairs.

“I have 27 people I would like to say goodbye to and give a few more things to,” he said, referring to the number of names handwritten on a piece of paper.  “Twenty-seven. That is a pretty good sum total, don’t you think?”

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The faculty members at Uganda Christian University are mostly from Uganda, but other professors come from around the world to provide curriculum.  To support programs at UCU, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at mtbartels@gmail.com.

New video conveys shift in mission goal

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Diane Babirye, right, UCU student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in journalism and media studies, produced the video. BrendahNdagire, UCU graduate and UCU Partners communications assistant, was an editor. (UCU Partners photo)
Diane Babirye, right, UCU student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in journalism and media studies, produced the video. Brendah Ndagire, UCU graduate and UCU Partners communications assistant, was an editor. (UCU Partners photo)

How can you best pull a country out of poverty?  Education support.

And what does that education support look like?  Books, supplies, technology, buildings, faculty and student scholarships.

Such is the message of a new video from Uganda Christian University (UCU) Partners, a Pennsylvania-based non-profit focused for the past 15 years on providing funds for these necessities at UCU.

The video contains part of this interview conducted on graduation day at the UCU-Mukono campus in October 2018 with UCU Partners Executive Director Mark Bartels. (UCU Partners photo)
The video contains part of this interview conducted on graduation day at the UCU-Mukono campus in October 2018 with UCU Partners Executive Director Mark Bartels. (UCU Partners photo)

“There is a shift in the idea of missions and ministry overseas,” said UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels. “Rather than bring as many Americans as we can to help, we know the best people to address Uganda’s challenges and problems are Ugandans.”

Bartels, who lived in Uganda with his wife, Abby, and children for 10 years until 2014, asserts that UCU is best equipped to deliver quality, university education for East Africans. UCU’s strength is not just because of its strong academic programs in eight faculty areas, but because Christian character building takes place alongside the high-level knowledge and skills.

The five-minute video contains remarks from Bartels and UCU’s Financial Aid Officer Walter Washika as well as testimonials and appreciation from seven scholarship recipients.It was produced by Diane Babirye, UCU student studying journalism and media studies; and edited by Brendah Ndagire, UCU graduate and UCU Partners communications assistant; and Patty Huston-Holm, UCU Partners Communications Director.

The video is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlie4AmRJCk

***

For more stories and experiences, visit https://www.ugandapartners.org.   To assist a UCU 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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What price to be Jesus’ disciple? For one Ugandan, it was life.

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


Frank Obonyo, author of story, at marker recognizing the late archbishop (UCU Photo)
Frank Obonyo, author of story, at marker recognizing the late archbishop (UCU Photo)

By Frank Obonyo

The road from the capital city of Kampala to Mucwini, Uganda,is mostly paved, but it still takes eight hours to travel the 380-mile journey. Our driver attempted to make the trip enjoyable through uplifting music and pointing out various attractions, but the voyage was still long.

When we finally reached the northern, scorching-hot Kitgum District of Mucwini, I thought about Nathanael’s disappointing reaction to Philip’s claim in John 1:46 when he and others saw the Messiah. Nathanael asked if anything good could come out of Nazareth. I also wondered how something good could come out of Mucwini given the dry heat and its distance away from Uganda’s business hubs.

Something good did come out of there. It was former Church of Uganda Archbishop Janani Jakaliya Luwum who stood for what he believed.  As with Jesus of Nazareth, thatstand cost him his life on earth.  Luwum died in February 1977 after being falsely accused of treason against then Ugandan President Idi Amin.

Annually, a memorial service and national celebrations are held at Luwum’s ancestral home in Mucwini. On February 16, 2019, I was among Uganda Christian University (UCU) staff and students who joined the rest of the country to celebrate this amazing man’s life.

UCU staff members join local residents for Luwum’s life celebration in Mucwini, Uganda (UCU Photo)
UCU staff members join local residents for Luwum’s life celebration in Mucwini, Uganda (UCU Photo)

The Rt. Rev. Alfred Olwa, Bishop of Lango Diocese and formerly a member of the UCU faculty, led the service for 10,000 people, including me, government dignitaries, 13 Bishops and other church leaders.

Bishop Olwa encouraged the congregation to desist from living in the past because “God is doing a new thing.” He advised them to focus onto the future by emulating Archbishop Luwum’s virtues.

Archbishop Luwum’s indelible influence and the ultimate price he paid in Uganda is not new information,but it merits a reminder.

The Sunday Vision of February 17, 2019, reported that an infuriated Idi Amin on February 13, 1997, summoned Archbishop Luwum and his wife for a meeting at the State House in Entebbe. Amin told Luwum that 11 boxes of automatic guns and other weapons were found near his residence at Namirembe in Kampala. Despite his protests, Luwum was beaten and shot. In the midst of the accusations, the Archbishop remained calm and maintained his plea that he was an innocent man. While the official government account of his death describes a car crash, it is generally accepted that he was murdered on the orders of Amin.

I cannot precisely liken the Archbishop’s suffering to that of Jesus Christ, but I imagine he endured heavy beatings because he knew that he was innocent and was dying for the right reasons. In life, such difficult situations are hard to grapple with and there’s nothing one can do to prevent them from happening but as a Christian, how should we respond?

Luwum was convicted by the love of Jesus Christ. He knew there was hope at the end of it all. He was a true revolutionary and a hero who did not hope only to leave his children a bigger car, house and land but he thought about his whole country of Uganda and her people.  He knew that he was part of the process to free Uganda from Amin’s tyranny.  His death gives us a sense of what it means to be loyal, truthful and making Uganda a better place than we found it. We need to be focused, trust in the Lord and remain hopeful even to the point of death.

What price are we paying for the betterment of others, our communities and our countries?

In Luke 14:26, Jesus says that if anyone “comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and also his own life,” he cannot be a disciple of Christ. While those words seem harsh, the point is that a true follower of Jesus models His ideals. Luwum emulated Christ’s suffering by challenging Amin’s unjust rules and cruel acts.

Today, the church and Christ’s teachings face counter forces. How do we react? Do we stand up, or we are we simply contented and unbothered?  When the son of man returns, how many Luwums will He find on earth?

I believe Luwum did not accept being defined by where he was raised.  My guess is that he believed that opportunities should never be wasted. Little wonder he skyrocketed through the church ranks. Similarly, all of us can make an impact in life regardless of our origin, wealth and paper status. All we need is hope, focus on the Word, perseverance to teach and to keep God’s commandments and actions beyond complacency.

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Frank Obonyo works in the Uganda Christian University Communications and Marketing Department.
***
For more of these stories and experiences, visit https://www.ugandapartners.org.  If you would like to support the university and its faculty, students and programs, 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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The Rt. Rev. Associate Professor Alfred Olwa, Bishop for the Lango Diocese, shows his welcome, joyous spirit at the March 1, 2019, UCU graduation(UCU Partners photo)

Lango Bishop urges new UCU graduates to develop ‘servant’s heart’

Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, , , , ,
The Rt. Rev. Associate Professor Alfred Olwa, Bishop for the Lango Diocese, shows his welcome, joyous spirit at the March 1, 2019, UCU graduation(UCU Partners photo)
The Rt. Rev. Associate Professor Alfred Olwa, Bishop for the Lango Diocese, shows his welcome, joyous spirit at the March 1, 2019, UCU graduation(UCU Partners photo)

By Patty Huston-Holm

The night before the Rt. Rev. Canon Professor Alfred Olwa delivered his message at the Uganda Christian University (UCU), Mukono, graduation on the first day of March, he prayed that the 400 graduates and their parents, lecturers and professors would get it.

“Hopefully, two or three people will understand,” he said. “Actually, many more.”

Service was the message from the northern Uganda Lango Diocese Bishop – not just that day but on all days.  Education is a significant achievement, but the greater purpose, he said, is using God’s gifts of intellect, compassion and hard work to serve others.

Bishop Alfred Olwa in the faculty procession at UCU graduation(UCU Partners photo)
Bishop Alfred Olwa in the faculty procession at UCU graduation(UCU Partners photo)

“Now that I’m out in the field, I see even more that people desperately need to serve and be served,” said Rev. Olwa, who was Dean of the UCU Bishop Tucker School of Theology before the Church of Uganda elected him as a bishop nearly two years ago. “A degree is certainly something to celebrate, but if you think that it’s the degree that gives you status, and you focus on that status, you start to claim certain rights, and you become a bitter worker.”

On the evening before his graduation day remarks and after eight hours of travel from his home in Lira, the Bishop asserted that the best workers are those who “serve God by serving others.” He is especially troubled by some workers withthe 280,000 children in 188 primary schools in his diocese as he has observed their misunderstanding of leadership and authority (Mark 10: 43-44).

“Inspire others, help others,” Rev. Olwa said. “Be role models.”

Having a servant heart isn’t easy in a secular world that defines success by credentials and prestige, according to the Bishop. He advised that the closer a person walks with Christ and stays connected to Biblical scripture, the easier it will be to see how “the little things make the bigger difference.”

Specifically addressing men and women going into his career path of theology, he talked about the importance of having a curriculum that is well informed by scripture and infused with practical experience and the understanding of the need to “get your hands dirty.”

“Priests need to be with, understand and serve their flocks,” he said. “We want priests with conviction to God’s mission. That mission may be different if you are in a rural vs. urban area and with the poor vs. wealthy. Remember how Jesus was with his disciples.”

Regardless of the academic area studied at a university or career interest, all people are called to be priests, according to Rev. Olwa, quoting I Peter 2:9. (“ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”)

“I urge you, dear graduands, to be different,” he said, addressing the black-robed men and women under white tents on the UCU track. “Never arrive at the state of life where you are too important to help with menial tasks.”

For example, the apostle Paul, as exhausted as he was, gathered wood for a fire to warm people after a shipwreck (Acts 28:3). Jesus did such humble, lowly tasks as washing feet, fixing breakfast and serving lepers. Laughing, the bishop added that people are shocked to know that he washes plates and cups, cleans his house and sometimes cooks his own food.

To the graduands, Rev. Olwa said:  “Sometimes you will get jobs where you will serve upward to those in authority. And sometimes you will get an opportunity to serve downward to those in need. Either way, do well to develop a servant’s heart . . .Don’t seek the limelight. . . and don’t argue with your bosses.”

Personally, he said, “It took the Holy Spirit to teach me, but the practice to remind me…I have lived in both worlds.”

He reminded the UCU graduates that many people made sacrifices and served them as they were studying in school. Not just to repay these individuals but especially in a time when public service is “at its lowest” in many parts of Africa, the service of Christian-focused men and women from UCU is needed.

 “One way to show gratitude to God is to go out and help others with humility and sacrifice,”the bishop concluded, praying, “As we serve others, may we always be available, faithful and serve with dedication.”

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Developing countries with strong university programs are more likely to move out of poverty. UCU especially makes a difference in East Africa because of the infusion of Christian principles into the curriculum. To support programs at UCU, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at mtbartels@gmail.com.

Christian Heddergott at Uganda Christian University (UCU Partners Photo)

Germany student reflects on experience studying in Uganda

Science and Technology, , , , , ,
Christian Heddergott at Uganda Christian University (UCU Partners Photo)
Christian Heddergott at Uganda Christian University (UCU Partners Photo)


NOTE: Over the years, hundreds of students have come from around the world to study at Uganda Christian University (UCU). Christian Heddergott is one of these students. A master’s student of Environmental Engineering from Leipzig University of Applied Sciences in Saxony, Germany, he began taking UCU classes in August 2018. Some of his experience is reflected here in an interview edited for clarity.

By Brendah Ndagire

How did you hear about Uganda Christian University?
Leipzig University of Applied Sciences in Saxony, Germany, and UCU have a partnership. I was checking some study abroad databases, and I identified UCU. I have always wanted to do a semester abroad and recognizing that my University has a partnership with UCU, I decided to have a semester in Uganda. I had never been to Sub Saharan Africa, and  this was a great opportunity for me, mostly because it gets difficult to travel and experience new ideas, culture and perspectives later in life. It is usually easier when you are younger and a student. I have always been interested in new cultures in new countries, and that’s part of why I am here.

Can you briefly describe what you study?
I am a student in the master’s program in Environmental Science. And I am here for two semesters. Initially, I was supposed to be here for one semester (August to December). Currently, I am considering doing a master thesis and after speaking with my supervisor, I decided to stay for another semester. To be honest, I really like it here in Uganda. Living in a new country for a few months is a short period. To really settle down, to get to know people, and cultivate meaningful friendships, it takes a long time. That is why I am staying for another semester.

How is your program (Environmental Engineering in Germany) different from UCU’s Environmental Science?
The difference is that in Germany, the Environmental Engineering Program focuses more on renewable energy, high technical stuff and sanitation. Because in Uganda there is more need for environmental sanitation, in UCU’s program, there is more focus on sanitation, water treatment, and waste management. I noticed that one problem, which also is discussed in lectures here at UCU, is that Mukono as a city struggles with waste and water channel management. When it rains, water channels are filled with trash and plastics, which creates health problems. For example, when the rain water is not able to move, it becomes breeding grounds for mosquitos, and people get exposed to malaria-carrying mosquitos and so forth. The general similarity between Germany and Uganda is identifying, studying and solving environmental problems.

What about the difference in class sizes and the teaching methods?
Class Sizes: Here at UCU, I am having many classes on water and sanitation, and in class we are 10 students. In my university, within my class, we are 25. My university has around 6,100 students, and my faculty has 790 students (all engineering). One huge difference is that Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK Leipzig) offers a combination of practically oriented teaching and application-oriented research. Our regionally unique selling point is the wide range of engineering programmes. Together with the areas of economics and cultural studies, we offer a wide variety of degree programmes and research opportunities at seven faculties. In general, my university is relatively a small university within Germany.
Method of Teaching: My classes here are very dialogue-based compared to German classes where the lecturer comes, summarizes his/her materials and then leaves the class. I would say that there are challenges to each method. The main challenge with dialogue-based classes are that they can be a little bit distracting especially when everyone wants to discuss, (students) can get off topic, and the lecturer has to collect everyone and bring them back to the original topic. On the other hand, in my classes in Germany, the main point is to make a class more efficient, the challenge being that lecturer may give you a bunch of materials, in the shortest time possible,  but with little time to process and engage with material.

What classes have stood out for you here at UCU?
Water, waste management and sanitation. It was really interesting to learn about basic things such constructing a pit latrine, or identifying and protecting water sources/tables. All of these are related to daily human needs we take for granted back home.

What do you think is the most positive aspect of studying at UCU?
UCU is an international university, attracting students across Africa, North America and Europe. It has good international community that supports international students. The university is used to the process of having international students. I find that special and rich in a way that I am not only building relationships with Ugandan students, but also with other international students. For example, everyday I meet students from the central African Republic, Burundi, Nigeria, South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, etc. I find that really interesting. I don’t know where I could have had the opportunity to meet so many people in a formal context with different cultural backgrounds and experiences.

Other aspects?
The UCU campus, the way it is organized. It is really beautiful. Everywhere you look, it is really clean, and it looks like they put in a lot of work and care to make it look nice. I find it interesting  that the university has an actual campus. I say that because at my home university, there are just several buildings in the middle of town, no place to hangout, no campus. Just imagine a university in the middle of Kampala.

UCU is a Christian university and your university back home is not. How has that impacted your study abroad experience/process?
I have learned that undergraduate students study courses outside of their specializations including the New and Old Testaments, Worldviews, Health and Wholeness, and Understanding Christian Ethics. In Germany, our program is very scientific and when you are studying mechanical engineering, it is very rare to combine science and Christianity. Here, everything is linked to the Christian identity. Students have community worship, there are street preachers, and the main campus has a church. That has been biggest difference and observation for me. I can’t speak for all universities in Germany but my university is not related to any religion.

What observations have you made on socio-cultural differences between Uganda and Germany?
In Uganda people seem to be relaxed and you can have small talks with literally everyone on the street, in the supermarket, in the food line at the dining hall, etc. But in Germany, people seem to be busy all the time. You wouldn’t just talk to everyone you do not know, especially when you are in small town in a village people would look at like, “what are you doing?”

I grew up in small village, and people there they know each other, but if someone came out of town and started greeting everyone, people would strangely look at that person. In Uganda, it is the opposite, people are always curious, asking questions and are welcoming. I think that is the biggest difference. And the common thing we all have is that people genuinely care about family and friends.

Would you recommend UCU to students from your home university?
I would definitely recommend it. I would tell them to think about studying at UCU. Since it is a Christian university, they need to be flexible to adhere to the rules such as the campus curfew, no alcohol, smoking in public, etc. But it is really a great university and that’s why I decided to stay for another semester.

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For more of these stories and experiences, visit https://www.ugandapartners.org.  If you would like to assist a current UCU 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 International Connections

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Linda Uhligo, a UCUstudent from Germany, with a UCU Sunday School child. (UCU Partners photo)

By Twesiime Jordan McGurran

Universities and colleges around the world are seeking to form partnerships, collaborations, and connections with other educational institutions, governments, civil society organizations, churches, and various types of organizations. These partnerships are designed to enhance the work within the universities – in their molding of students, research potential, service to the larger society, financial or technological growth, and the building of goodwill among communities from different regions of the world.

Uganda Christian University (UCU) has been working on building such connections since the University’s formal inception in 1997.

The longest in existence and widest impacting in terms of student numbers outside the continent of Africa is the Uganda Studies Program (USP), a study abroad program of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). This USA-based Christian higher education consortium is composed of more than 180 institutions around the world, including UCU. Twice a year – in the Advent (September) and Easter (January) semesters – the UCU community welcomes about 25-30 students from North America. Mark Bartels, Uganda Christian University Partners executive director, and his wife, Abby, started USP about 15 years ago. In that time, USP has skillfully hosted over 800 students at UCU.

While there are several clusters of international students who come from other parts of Africa, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan and Kenya, USP is the largest contingent of students who come to UCU from outside the African continent.

Beyond USP, UCU also has several current and ongoing international collaborations between UCU and other schools, governments, or civil society organizations.  These include but are not limited to:

  • The Faculty of Journalism, Media, and Mass Communications,between 2014 and 2018, in partnership with the Norwegian Teacher Academy (NLA) and the University of Kwazulu-Natal of South Africa under the Norwegian Programme for Capacity Development in Higher Education and Research (NORHED),has provided faculty opportunities for postgraduate studies, including MA and PhD studies, in communication-related courses in Norway.  Additionally, in the past, occasionally NLA undergraduates have come to study at UCU.
  • The child-focused international NGO, Compassion International, regularly has a contingent of students at UCU who are have been supported through their university studies by their Compassion sponsors. They have their own association and fellowship on campus.
  • The Law Faculty maintains several relationships with law schools outside of the country. Among these are: 1) partnership with the University of Cincinnati (Ohio) College of Law, where a few UCU graduates have gone for postgraduate studies and from which some Cincinnati visits have occurred at UCU: and 2) Regent University (Virginia)’s Law School collaboration with UCU for over five years in various capacities that include hosting some short-term study trips and internships for Regent students in Uganda.
  • UCU’s Social Work and Social Administration Department has collaborated for several years with the Social Work department at Radford University in Virginia related to social work educational experiences and research in Uganda.
  • Trinity International University, Illinois, has sent students (usually during May) for “Global Experience” trips to see Uganda and engage with UCU students.
  • Internationale Hochschule Liebenzell, a German theological college, is a new partnership with students coming from Germany to study at UCU for at least a semester.(Later this week, UCU Partners will post a separate story on one of these students.)
  • Bethel University (Minnesota) has a 14-year (since 2005), bilateral partnership with the Nursing Department that has borne much fruit for UCU – including a degree completion and masters program in nursing.  There have been eight groups of UCU students who have spent 6-10 weeks at Bethel, while some students from Bethel also have come to learn at UCU. 
  • Recently, UCU has been in talks with Tsinghua University, a well-ranked post-secondary institution in Beijing, China, to formalize a partnership related to research, educational exchange, and technological development.

Beyond these international connections, UCU students can be found pursuing further studies, completing internships, or employed in places such as the UK, Belgium, India, China, and the United States.

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COMING THURSDAY (February 28, 2019)…The UCU Partners blog will publish an interview with one of its international students.

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For more information about how you can support Uganda Christian University to continue to form these international partnerships and/or to become a partner, please contact Mark Bartels, UCU Partners executive director, at mtbartels@gmail.com. Also, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Matende Wilson (UCU Partners Photo)

UCU Partners business program scholarship recipients

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(NOTE: In the fall of 2018, Brendah Ndagire, UCU Partners’ Communications Associate, came on the Uganda Christian University Mukono campus to interview some UCU Partners scholarship recipients. For a 10-day period, UCU Partners features a summary of their feedback. To support students like these, contact Mark Bartels, executive director, UCU Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org  or donate directly at: https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/)

 

Matende Wilson (UCU Partners Photo)
Matende Wilson (UCU Partners Photo)

Name: Matende Wilson Paul

Program: Diploma in Business Administration (graduated)

How has the scholarship helped you in your course of study?
It has given me a chance and opportunity to learn, and participate in forums such as, leadership and para-counselling forums which I enjoy.

How would do you want to use your degree and why?
Among the many options I am exploring, I want to become an accountant. My program focuses mostly on accounting and I want to become that. I used to have a bias in mathematics in high school but when I joined the university, I chose to focus my career in accountant and be a tremendous accountant internationally. Depending on whether I receive funding for further studies, I would want to do a certified public accounting so that i can be a professional accountant.

What do you want to say to your sponsor?
Thank you for the work you have done in helping me attain education.

 

Odogola Joshua Eli (UCU Partners Photo)
Odogola Joshua Eli (UCU Partners Photo)

Name: Odogola Joshua Elishadai

Program: Diploma in Business Administration (graduated)

How has the scholarship helped you in your course of study?
I wouldn’t have accessed this higher education without the blessings of this scholarship. God through this scholarship has been the centre of my studies here.

How would do you want to use your degree and why?
I want to be a lecturer and a job creator. I think unemployment is one of the biggest hindrances to accessing education in Uganda. When parents lost their jobs, things become worse in our lives, and I give thanks for my scholarship to attain higher education at Uganda Christian University. Now that I have finished studying business administration, I want want to be a job creator and employ especially single mothers in my community to be able to earn income to educate their children. To God be the Glory!

What do you want to say to your sponsor?
Your support and donation through Uganda Partners is like resurrection of the dead to life! Thank you so very much, God used to restore my hope. I never thought I would join a university. May God bless you!

Kalule Toney (UCU Partners Photo)

UCU Partners social work, art program scholarship recipients

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(NOTE: In the fall of 2018, Brendah Ndagire, UCU Partners’ Communications Associate, came on the Uganda Christian University Mukono campus to interview some UCU Partners scholarship recipients. For a 10-day period, UCU Partners features a summary of their feedback. To support students like these, contact Mark Bartels, executive director, UCU Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org  or donate directly at: https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/)

Kalule Toney (UCU Partners Photo)
Kalule Toney (UCU Partners Photo)

Name: Kalule Toney

Program: Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration

How has the scholarship helped you in your course of study?
It has exposed me to the world here. It has helped me to acquire knowledge, made friends and have been able to redefine myself.

How would do you want to use your degree and why?
I want to be an advocate and an activist for girl education, employment opportunities and human rights. I want to get a platform for sensitizing fellow youths about the value of education. I hope someday to start an organization for training vulnerable groups of people in my community.

What do you want to say to your sponsor?
Thank you so much!

 

Bwambale Bernand (UCU Partners Photo)
Bwambale Bernand (UCU Partners Photo)

Name: Bwambale Bernard Molcho

Program: Bachelor of Arts with Education (graduated)

How has the scholarship helped you in your course of study?
It has helped me to focus on my studies and I am proud to graduate with a great GPA! The scholarship helped to restore hope of completing my degree. If I had got this opportunity earlier, I would have got a first class degree.

How would do you want to use your degree and why?
I want to become an artist, to make art pieces to fundraise for the well-being of other unprivileged people particularly in acquiring skills through formal education. I want to be an art teacher and inspire young people in high school to view a bright future beyond the life of lack of enough resources.

What do you want to say to your sponsor?
Thank you even though I think it is not enough other than praying for blessings to them, their family, and their work.

Gaborya Charles (UCU Partners Photo)

UCU Partners communications, journalism program scholarship recipients

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(NOTE: In the fall of 2018, Brendah Ndagire, UCU Partners’ Communications Associate, came on the Uganda Christian University Mukono campus to interview some UCU Partners scholarship recipients. For a 10-day period, UCU Partners features a summary of their feedback. To support students like these, contact Mark Bartels, executive director, UCU Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org  or donate directly at: https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/)

Gaborya Charles (UCU Partners Photo)
Gaborya Charles (UCU Partners Photo)

Name: Gaborya Charles

Program: Master of Journalism and Media Studies

How has the scholarship helped you in your course of study?
It has been a great and fundamental push towards my study and without It I do not think I would have been able to take up a master’s degree.

How would do you want to use your degree and why?
I want to have a deeper understanding of development, communication and gender. And I want to use the degree in the field of development, specifically gender-based development.

What do you want to say to your sponsor?
I want them her/him to know that I am very appreciative of her/his support.

 

Odongkara Emmanuel (UCU Partners Photo)
Odongkara Emmanuel (UCU Partners Photo)

Name: Odongkara Emmanuel

Program: Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication

How has the scholarship helped you in your course of study?
It has created a good environment for me to learn, and share ideas with other fellow students, and lectures It has transformed the way I think.

How would do you want to use your degree and why?
I want to become an investigative journalist and a writer. I have a passion for writing and serving others. I am influenced by great writers such as Ben Carson who inspires and leaves you challenged.

What do you want to say to your sponsor
Thank you for your support, and thank you for believing in UCU!

 

Byron Otto (UCU Partners Photo)
Byron Otto (UCU Partners Photo)

Name: Byron Otto Andrew

Program: Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication

How has the scholarship helped you in your course of study?
It has helped me in every way of my life and my education’s journey in general.

How would do you want to use your degree and why?
I want to be the best in journalism, reporting specifically on children’s and women’s issues affecting their humanity. I also want to be what God wants be to be in His Kingdom. I had a hard childhood that makes me cry often times. From surviving death, life on the streets, to living without parents, my life has been a very challenging journey to where I am at the university. I have learned to respect humanity,God, and appreciation to what is happening in the humanitarian sector, and I want to use my communication degree to report on what is happening in the humanitarian community. That is why I am studying journalism at UCU. I remember when I was a child I wanted to be President of Uganda. Now, and if God allows it, I want to represent the children on streets and tell my testimony.

What do you want to say to your sponsor?
Thank you and may God Bless you! You are my parents now and would love to meet you someday!

Kucel Newton (UCU Partners Photo)

UCU Partners agricultural science, engineering program scholarship recipients

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(NOTE: In the fall of 2018, Brendah Ndagire, UCU Partners’ Communications Associate, came on the Uganda Christian University Mukono campus to interview some UCU Partners scholarship recipients. For a 10-day period, UCU Partners features a summary of their feedback. To support students like these, contact Mark Bartels, executive director, UCU Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org  or donate directly at: https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/)

Byakatonda Gerald (UCU Partners Photo)
Byakatonda Gerald (UCU Partners Photo)

Name: Byakatonda Gerald

Program:
Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Entrepreneurship

How has the scholarship helped you in your course of study?
It has provided funds for my tuition, accommodation and other fees at the university.

How would do you want to use your degree and why?
I want to do many things. First,I want to be a crop scientist. I have worked with farmers and found out that they have challenges such as crop diseases, poor yields, among others. Becoming a crop scientist will give me the opportunity to offer solutions to such problems. Secondly, I want to start FARMHELP-AFRICA, an organization that would seek partnership with farmers and other stakeholders.I will also become a professional farmer of coffee and oil palm in Uganda. Lastly, I want to be agricultural-entrepreneur and christian-principled leader for young people who lack a professional example to direct them into farming business.

What do you want to say to your sponsor?
I want to thank them for their genuine support towards my academic journey.

 

Kucel Newton (UCU Partners Photo)
Kucel Newton (UCU Partners Photo)

Name: Kucel Newton

Program: Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Entrepreneurship

How has the scholarship helped you in your course of study?
It has been of great help to me since I am always guaranteed to do my examinations.

How would do you want to use your degree and why?
I want to become a professional farmer with a holistic background in caring for consumers of what I will produce.  I see the rising population in Uganda and the World at large; hence, there is a need to improve food supply for this rising population. I have also seen farmers selling products contaminated with chemicals not minding about the consumers and with this; I am looking at producing good and safe food for my consumers.

What do you want to say to your sponsor?
May God bless her in everything.

 

Mutesasira Ivan (UCU Partners Photo)
Mutesasira Ivan (UCU Partners Photo)

Name: Mutesasira Ivan

Program: Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering

How has the scholarship helped you in your course of study?
I have attained knowledge and skills in the engineering field, and how to appreciate and live with others.

How would do you want to use your degree and why?
I want to become a good engineer who will work with people in society. I also want to help other people/children who have problems with studying when I become a practising engineer. Further in the future, I want to be a professor of Civil Engineering.

What do you want to say to your sponsor?
I appreciate the support, love, and efforts they have put in to see that I become an important and great engineer who will benefit the society I live in. May God bless her!

UCU Partners procurement program scholarship recipients

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(NOTE: In the fall of 2018, Brendah Ndagire, UCU Partners Communications Associate, came on the Uganda Christian University Mukono campus to interview some UCU Partners scholarship recipients.  For a 10-day period, UCU Partners features a summary of their feedback. To support students like these, contact Mark Bartels, executive director, UCU Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org or donate directly at: https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/)

Ochora Walter (UCU Partners Photo)
Ochora Walter (UCU Partners Photo)

Name: Ochora Walter

Program: Diploma in Procurement and Logistic Management

How has the scholarship helped you in your course of study?
It has helped me to study at a Christian University and getting knowledge which I can apply after my studies.It has also helped me to meet different people not only in Uganda but other parts of the world.

How would do you want to use your degree and why?
I want to help other needy people in our society by offering and giving back to them what God has done for me. Of course, I want to acquire a job to do after my studies. I also am looking forward to continuing with education if God wants me to continue; I will be appreciative of that as well.

What do you want to say to your sponsor?
I appreciate them for what they have done in my life and other children/students to be part of UCU. 

Nakungu Patricia (UCU Partners Photo)
Nakungu Patricia (UCU Partners Photo)

Name: Nakungu Patricia

Program: Bachelor of Procurement and Logistics Management

How has the scholarship helped you in your course of study?
I am able to concentrate on my studies because I don’t have to worry about incomplete tuition.

How would do you want to use your degree and why?
I want to become a very successful business woman that’s what I have always wanted. And I want to put my degree to use by becoming a procurement officer with a difference.

What do you want to say to your sponsor?
I want to thank them so much for the opportunity they have given me to be part of a great institution and attain a quality education.

 

Oweta Paul (UCU Partners Photo)
Oweta Paul (UCU Partners Photo)

Name: Oweta Paul

Program: Diploma in Procurement and Logistics Management

How has the scholarship helped you in your course of study?
It has brought a bright future which seemed darker a few years ago. The scholarship has brought hope in my life.

How would do you want to use your degree and why?
I want to work as a procurement officer in the military. I am inspired by my uncle who studied a similar program, and when he graduated he joined the military and went on to live his other dream of opening a powerful church and charity home which helps needy children in his community.

What do you want to say to your sponsor?
Thank you maximumly!

UCU Partners health program scholarship recipients

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(NOTE: In the fall of 2018, Brendah Ndagire, UCU Partners Communications Associate, came on the Uganda Christian University Mukono campus to interview some UCU Partners scholarship recipients.  For a 10-day period, UCU Partners features a summary of their feedback. To support students like these, contact Mark Bartels, executive director, UCU Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org or donate directly at: https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/)

 

Name: Nansereko Idah

Program: Bachelor of Community Health(Renamed Bachelor of Public Health)

 

 

How has the scholarship helped you in your course of study?
It has enabled me to timely pay my tuition and utilize university facilities and services.

How would do you want to use your degree and why?
I am already a clinician, when I finish my degree in community health, I would like to build a health facility in my village to bring health services to people there and offer job opportunities to people in different departments

What do you want to say to your sponsor?
Thank you for your efforts to keep in school.

UCU Partners nursing program scholarship recipients 

Faculty of Public Health, Nursing and Midwifery, Scholarship, , , ,

(NOTE: In the fall of 2018, Brendah Ndagire, UCU Partners’ Communications Associate, came on the Uganda Christian University Mukono campus to interview some UCU Partners scholarship recipients.  For a 10-day period, UCU Partners features a summary of their feedback. To support students like these, contact Mark Bartels, executive director, UCU Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org  or donate directly at: https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/)

Name: Uwimbabazi Sarah

Program: Bachelor of Nursing Science

How has the scholarship helped you in your course of study?
The scholarship covers my fees, and I attend classes with no worries. This has helped me to perform better in classes.

How would do you want to use your degree and why?
I will go back to my hospital  and deliver holistic nursing care to the people within and outside the hospital with interest in maternal and child health for the betterment of our community and nation.

What do you want to say to your sponsor?
I want to express to her how much I am grateful. Thank you for making me who I am today.

Name: Murezi Mereth

Program: Master of Nursing Science

How has the scholarship helped you in your course of study?
I have had timely access to university services including lecture rooms and library. And I have been able to focus on my academic work without interruptions.

How would do you want to use your degree and why?
I want to engage in teaching activities so as to strengthen the nursing profession further. Secondly, I want to become an education specialist and largely engage in policy formulation.

What do you want to say to your sponsor?
I am very thankful for his/her support and devotion in seeing  progress in the academic arena in Uganda.

Name: Monday Edson

Program: Master of Nursing Science

How has the scholarship helped you in your course of study?
It has relieved me a lot. I have been able to attend all my classes without worries, and this has improved my concentration in class. I love my program and I have been able to take of my family alongside studying.

 

How would do you want to use your degree and why?
I want to be a university lecturer and a researcher in the nursing field.

What do you want to say to your sponsor?
Thank you so much!