Members of the UCU student admissions team, including the author of this story (third from left, front row), pose for a photo taken before the COVID-19 restrictions.
By Eleanor Ithungu
According to the United Nations, the COVID-19 pandemic has created the largest disruption of education systems in history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 190 countries and all continents. These data, which are part of an August 2020 policy brief, include that 94 percent of the world’s student population has been effected because of institution shutdowns. In low-income countries like Uganda, the impact is 99 percent.
As a Uganda Christian University (UCU) worker in the admissions office over the past five years, I am among those who have had a front-row seat to the enrollment impact. The Mukono campus’ normally noisy reception area near a small office I share with one other staff is silent.
It’s been this way since March 20 when Yoweri Museveni, the president of the republic Uganda, ordered the closure of schools as one step to contain the coronavirus outbreak. At the time, we presumed that the closure would take only 32 days, and we would return to our normal schedules. Such was not the case as roughly one month turned into six.
The majority of universities in Uganda, including UCU, rely on aggressive outreach activities, sending institutional representatives out into communities, secondary schools and literally “scavenging” for students to join institutions. This year, that couldn’t happen because of the country’s lockdown with social distancing measures in place.
Around February, the peak season for the admissions section starts following the release of Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) results. In normal years, this is a season of many inquiries by phone and in person with applicants – mostly soon-to-be secondary school graduates – walking in and out of the academics building where admissions is housed.
UCU’s e-learning platform plays a major role in getting the university back on it’s feet.
While the majority of Uganda’s universities have had online platforms that prospective students would utilize to submit applications for admission, most of the institutions would still get the bulk of their students through manual processes whereby students pick up application forms, fill them out, and return them.
This year, our intake season never had a chance to peak. We barely started the 2020-21 year application and admission processes when the government closed institutions, including UCU. The excitement of prospective students walking the campus to see the library, classrooms, housing and exercise track didn’t exist. There were no academic counselors around to help students make decisions based on their scores and career aspirations.
For the past six months, not only were students not permitted on the campus, but they also could not travel to the university. When our travel restrictions were eased, transportation costs accelerated to further negatively impact the pockets of already financially strapped people, and curfews remained in place.
The closure of the schools disrupted UCU’s planned schedules, required staff reductions and caused us to think differently about how to serve current and future students. The admissions section where I work needed to work harder to find a way of reaching out and serving potential applicants. Luckily, the University Management Information System was ready to be used for online applications. Phone calls involved directing interested youth to the website to look at program offerings and download forms.
Another shift from face-to-face to the virtual world has been with pre-entry interviews for admission into the Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery and Bachelor of Dental Surgery programs. This time round, we held the interviews virtually instead of in person. We held Zoom interviews and written assessments on our e-learning platform for over 800 applicants for the Bachelor of Laws program. This was successful. We also relied on technology to admit students in different programs like Bachelor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration.
With adjustments to online learning, our education system has been able to focus on what is working well rather than what is not working at all. Those of us left on campus work diligently with appreciation for reduced pay as we are loyal to the unique education of a Christian-based higher education institution like UCU.
Together, we pray for our students who didn’t finish exams before the government’s education suspension order in March, and that the on-line examinations go well. We pray for our colleagues who are not working and are in need of food in their cupboards. While missing the embrace and community of believers and learners in person, we give thanks to God that our on-line learning was in place to save students travel time and money that might have been spent for campus housing and enables students to learn and obtain job skills.
UCU may look different when it bounces back, which it will. But what won’t change is the faith-based focus. To God be the glory.
(Eleanor Ithungu is a 2015 graduate of UCU with a bachelor’s degree in Business Computing. While working at UCU, she is pursuing post-graduate studies in Information Technology.)
UCU staff members discuss on-line learning enhancements in the Mukono campus eLearning Centre.
(NOTE: At the time this was written, the Ugandan government agreed to allow medical school students only to return to in-person education. There were unconfirmed rumors that physical delivery could be allowed for all schools by the end of September. If permitted, this could impact the UCU plan as outlined in this story.)
By John Semakula
Uganda Christian University (UCU) students, who missed their end of Easter Semester (January-May) examinations because of the country’s COVID-19 lockdown, have cause to smile. According to the office of the UCU Vice Chancellor, the students can take the Easter Semester examinations from September 15 to October 15, 2020.
“These will be done as take-home examinations, as it is the practice in universities all over the world,” read a statement from the VCs office dated September 4, adding, “Teaching for the Trinity (normally starting in May) and Advent (normally starting in September) semesters will commence on October 15.”
Students enrolled with UCU for the first semester of this calendar year missed their examinations when all the academic institutions in the country were closed on March 20 as part of a government-imposed, country lockdown to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. These students were mostly completed with their studies except for their final semester examinations. At that time, and despite UCU’s readiness to conduct on-line learning and administer take-home exams, the University’s efforts were denied by President Yoweri Museveni on grounds that the process would discriminate against individuals from poor families.
In early September, UCU had that approval, including from the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) that conducted an early August inspection. According to a letter dated August 26 and signed by the outgoing Vice Chancellor, Dr. John Senyonyi, after assessing UCU’s capacity to undertake online distance eLearning, the NCHE gave the University a green light to resume teaching virtually.
NCHE also cleared the University’s School of Medicine and the newly named School of Dentistry to continue operations after an inspection by the regulatory body conducted on August 10. Early this year, the NCHE had raised some concerns about the standards of most medical schools in the country, including the medical schools at UCU and Makerere University, and asked the institutions to improve or be denied a chance to offer the courses.
In a letter dated August 28, NCHE’s Executive Director, Prof. Mary J.N. Okwakol, noted that UCU’s medical and dental programs met the requirements for the training of medical doctors and dental surgeons within the East African Community (EAC) as set out in the guidelines.
“Upon qualifications, therefore, the graduates shall be eligible for reciprocal recognition within the EAC partner states,” she wrote. “The University may admit students to the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Dentistry programmes, ensuring adherence to the recommended number of students for each programme.”
Dr. Aaron Mushengyezi, UCU’s new vice chancellor, speaks at a press conference.
In his August 26 letter to UCU staff, Dr. Senyonyi commended those who worked hard to ensure that both assessments were successful. He said he was sincerely indebted to them.
The University has since advertised vacancies for first year students who would wish to take those science courses advising them to apply online for the courses.
The new Vice-Chancellor, Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, also confirmed NCHE’s clearance for UCU to continue teaching in a letter to staff dated September 4. He also revealed that the University Senate had as a result of the clearance by NCHE met on September 2 and passed several resolutions to pave way for the University to reopen for online distance eLearning.
Key among the resolutions, which Senate passed, was that the University would hold a virtual graduation – a first for UCU – for those students who will have finished their studies. The ceremony is scheduled for December 18, 2020.
Also important to note is that students who are supposed to be in session for both the Trinity (May-August) and Advent (September- December) semesters will first complete the Trinity Semester. To have access to inexpensive Internet services for online learning and while tuition costs are in discussion, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs, Dr. John Kitayimbwa, advised students to buy MTN cell phone sim cards to access Internet hotspots.
2014 representation of religious demoninations in Uganda
According to the 2014 census, roughly 84 percent of Ugandans are Christian, primarily Roman Catholics and Protestants (Anglicans, Lutherans, etc.). While exact figures are unknown, the number of born-again Christian churches – those without a specific denomination guiding Biblical interpretations and other church functions – is growing. This growth of what some Ugandans call evangelical churches and prosperity gospel prompted the government in 2018 to propose enacting a policy to regulate churches and pastors. This proposed regulation requires all religious institutions to register under one institution to be distinct from other non-government organisations and provides a formal procedure for anybody who wants to start a church.
In light of the born-again movement, two members of the Ugandan New Vision media staff, John Semakula and Maureen Nakatudde, recently posed the question about pastor honesty, sincerity and conduct to a number of Uganda clergy. This slightly edited version of responses is provided with New Vision permission.
How do we know if pastors are genuine?
Archbishop Emeritus Bishop Henry Luke Orombi The yardstick for measuring the genuine pastors is simple. A mango tree bears mangoes and not oranges. That’s why Jesus said that you would see them by their fruits and actions. Genuine pastors should walk the talk. If they behave in a mysterious, way then they raise a lot of questions from the public.
Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi (Vice Chancellor, Uganda Christian University)
Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi, Vice Chancellor of Uganda Christian University
A pastor who is full of himself, boastful and pompous is a contradiction to the Gospel of Christ. Genuine pastors are accountable to a church structure/fellowship.
Paul is an example. The Church at Antioch sent him out, and each time he returned from his mission journeys, he was sure to visit that church and to give accountability. He and Barnabas went to the Jerusalem Church to square with them the Gospel they taught and preached, “lest we had laboured in vain,” he says. A genuine pastor is a shepherd not a wolf. He feeds the sheep rather than himself. Paul, the Pastor, wrote to Timothy, Titus and Philemon Epistles for this reason, and to instruct them on pastoral work. They show his tender care and concern for them though he faced hardships himself. Like Jesus, the Chief Shepherd, he served rather than was served by the sheep.
A genuine pastor lives the Word he preaches. He must be one who has been to the Cross of Jesus for salvation, and understands repentance from sin, so that he can point others to the Cross. If the pastor lives in sin, no amount of preaching can validate his ministry. A genuine pastor exemplifies Gospel transformation in his life before all. Theological Training is not superfluous to church ministry. In the early church, Aquila and Prisca instructed Apollos in the right way. Paul mentored Timothy and others, and wrote letters as instruction manuals for the Church. The early disciples equipped the future pastor for the work of ministry, for the Holy Spirit instructs His ministers through His people. An untrained pastor is likely to be a danger to his church.
Bishop David Kiganda (Senior Pastor/Founder of Christian Focus Center) The Bible says that people will be judged by their fruits. The challenge is that many Christians look at the gifts of their pastors and not the fruits. They think that you are a great pastor because of your car and the size of your account. The followers who believe in the gifts are wrong and should never blame Jesus when the judgement time comes.
Jesus left behind a yardstick for us to tell the genuine pastors. Being an orator will attract crowds to your Church but will never take you to haven. It’s character that is your fruit that will take you to heaven. Look at them by their character not fruits. The gift of a woman would be her beauty that draws men towards her but character (good discipline) is what will keep her in marriage.
Msgr. John Wynand Katende (The Fr. of Foyer the Charite, Namugongo) Genuine pastors are given to us by God and are in Church stories/history. True pastors are like cultural leaders in Buganda and any other well-established cultural institution. You know that after the current king has passed on, his successor is this. Sometimes, they are elected in a genuine way like the Pope. Genuine pastors come from God. Unfortunately today you can see someone telling lies, but the flock sticks to him/her. The pastors who are not genuine are created by the need of the society to get quick answers to problems, yet no cross means total loss.
Pr. Moses Solomon Male (Executive Director of Arising for Christ) Most of the pastors in Uganda serve according to what they want to achieve. But there are signs to tell who is a genuine pastor and who is not. If a pastor demands for the tithe or offertory in dollars, just know he has turned Christianity and the Church into a lottery. Others who are not genuine put a lot of emphasis on the tithe and argue that it should be charged on the follower’s gross income, which should not be the case. Tithe should be charged from a person’s net income and in the Old Testament, the money that was realised was used by Church leaders to help the poor and the sick, which is not the case today. The tithe collected by the Churches benefit the priests.
When you go to many of the pastors with a problem, they will just offer prayers for you. None of them will give you any form of physical help. Emphasis on the miracles is also an indicator that the pastor is not genuine. Believers should be built to handle their own problems, including being empowered to pray for themselves and not to expect miracles. A person should not be a follower in a Church for years without achieving spiritual growth. . . Most of these pastors who are not genuine instill fear in the flock while others excite them. Genuine pastors also respect family and that is why Jesus respected for Joseph as his earthly father.
Christianity is not coercive but persuasive. Beware of a pastor when he puts emphasis on fasting all the time. Endless fasting is like forcing Jesus to do certain thing for you.
Msgr. Gerald Kalumba (Parish Priest Christ the King) In the Catholic Church, a genuine priest must be sent by a person with authority. As long as the person with authority is genuine, the one who is sent is genuine. The challenge with most of the pastors is that they just wake up and say they are pastors when they are not sent by anyone. The Bishops in the Catholic Church are genuine because they are in the footsteps of the apostles of Jesus Christ. They also follow a line of Church history that has been around for over 2000 years.
Senior Pastor Simon Lwanga (Gospel Assembly Church, Makerere) Anyone who wants to be a pastor should have a desire to minister to people. He should be a husband of one wife and should be able to lead his household well. As a father, the pastor should be able to take care of his family members very well. If he cannot take care of his own family, how can he be able to take care of the entire church, which is a bigger institution. Since the husband is the head of the family, he also represents Christ who is also the head of the church. The pastor becomes automatically a spiritual father to the people in church since he is like God. A genuine pastor should be with the thorough knowledge of the word of God so that he can be able to feed God’ flock very well. His conduct also in the community should be with no fault so that he can bring many to Christ.
Dr. Richard Bogere (Pastoral Team Leader, Christ Chapel International) A pastor must have the balance of the content of God’s word, character that conforms to both the Living Word (Jesus Christ) and His written word. Any Christian under the pastoral oversight of a man or woman who may be a good preacher but living an evident sinful life should leave. On the other hand, if your shepherd is ignorant of God’s word and you are not growing spiritually leave. Remember the body of Christ is bigger than that local church. Believers should form a habit of praying to God to lead them to a church whose shepherd preaches the Word and lives the Word (I Timothy 4:16)
Pr. Patrick Kisutu (Mutundwe Christian Fellowship) A genuine pastor should have a discerning spirit. In the Bible Jesus knew when Peter was canal and had to rebuke him. If a person preaches a one sided gospel, he or she is not genuine. The pastor should be able to preach a balanced message. You can have a prosperity message but in the end go hell. Being wealthy is not the most important thing but the salvation of your soul. You can have all the cars, land and houses, but end up in hell.
Pr. Rose Rutabuzwa (Mount Zion Church International, Kirombe) The Bible says you will know them by their fruits. If the pastor speaks the words and does the opposite, then they should not be followed. Whatever the pastor does should be rooted in the word of God. If they are lighting candles, giving water and selling testimonies, then you should find out whether what they’re doing is biblical. If it is not, then they are doing their own things.
Pr. Milly Kiingi (Fountain of God’s Glory, Kagoma) He or she should be Christ like. The anointing is not what makes the person but the character. Jesus had compassion for the people. The pastor should be like Jesus who was a good shepherd and laid down his own life for the sheep. The good shepherd tends to the sheep. He is not only interested in their milk and meat but cares for their wellbeing. He checks to see if the animals are not feeling well and administers help instead of stepping on them.
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To support UCU, including its training of pastors, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at mtbartels@gmail.com.
UCU student mixes drugs before administering it to a patient at Naguru Hospital while students, nurses and lecturers look on.
By Douglas Olum
When Ruth Nakanwagi woke up the morning of Wednesday, March 13, her two-year-old son, Rogers, was shaking with fever at a very high temperature and vomiting. She knew that the child needed emergency healthcare. But she did not have enough money to rush him to a private clinic where she expected faster treatment.
Nakanwagi, a fruit vendor in Nakawa, a Kampala city suburb, painfully took her child to Naguru Referral Hospital, a government facility located about six kilometers (3.7 miles) east of the city centre, with little hope that the child would get medication in time.
A UCU student administers medicine to a patient in the Medical Ward at Naguru Hospital while a Senior Nurse looks on.
“I tried to borrow money from my neighbors and friends so that I could take the child to a clinic but I failed. I didn’t want to bring him here because I thought I would find a long line and reluctant workers who would not quickly attend to the child but I was surprised by how they attended to him so fast,” Nakanwagi said, smiling vaguely.
The hospital, housed in two, long, double-stair buildings, indeed had patients lined up on benches, both at the children’s and adult sides of the Outpatient Department (OPD), waiting to be served. Others were at various locations, awaiting other medical procedures such as X-rays, CT scans or antenatal check-ups.
Those already served were either exiting the gate or seeking refuge from the scorching sunshine under trees in the hospital compound. And Nakanwagi and her son were part of those leaving, just about two hours after their arrival time.
Rogers was diagnosed with malaria, one of the leading killer diseases in Uganda. And their shocking good experience was because that morning, second-year Bachelor of Nursing Science students from Uganda Christian University (UCU) were at the same hospital for their practical training. The students had quickly assessed the child’s condition and facilitated the treatment processes.
Across the OPD, Children’s, Medical, Antenatal and Surgical Wards, the students, donned in white coats with the UCU logo printed on the upper left, were taking history, counseling and administering drugs to patients. Others were in the theatre, helping with surgical processes.
Human resource shortage remains a huge challenge in Uganda’s government hospitals. With a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:11,000 (International Council of Nurses, 2013 report), the situation is further worsened by absenteeism and negative attitude towards work among the personnel who are poorly paid. Consequently, Ugandans who can afford it, turn to private healthcare service providers who charge them exorbitantly.
But with the interventions by trainees from UCU, the story is changing in some government hospitals like Naguru.
Aidah Balamaga Nabiryo, a Senior Nursing Officer in charge of the Medical Ward at Naguru Hospital, said while the number of patients often overwhelms them, the learning visits by the UCU nursing students come as a blessing to them because they not only reduce their workloads but also speed up their service delivery.
“We have a big human resource gap here.” Nabiryo said. “For instance, in the whole of this Medical Ward, we are only two established staff members and we get overwhelmed by the tasks. But when these students come, they relieve us because they are very hardworking and also very good in nursing processes like injections, psycho-social support, cleaning of patients and identifying those in need.”
She said unlike students from other universities and nursing schools that go for similar trainings when they don’t know what to do, UCU students are very well prepared and they know exactly what to do under nearly every circumstance.
“When they don’t know something, they inquire and shortly afterwards, you find them doing it very well. Apart from their medical skills, we even tap into their computer skills that help us in report writing and presentations,” Nabiryo added.
Every week, different groups of the students are taken for practical trainings for at least four out of the five working days in various government hospitals including Naguru, Kawolo and Butabika Mental Hospital. They participate in collaborative health care service provision with the hospital personnel and their lecturers.
During those processes, they are exposed to medical, surgical and child health care procedures.
Irene Nagadya, one of their lecturers, said such exposures help the students integrate the theories they learn in class with practical application in the field.
“We show them how to do and also allow them practice investigations, insertion of tubes and other basic and specific nursing care skills. Through these, we are build professionalism that will result into competent health workers,” Nagadya said.
While such hospitals are just training grounds for the students, their services cannot be taken for granted considering the huge gaps that they fill. It is therefore, no doubt that their release into the health sector will not only save many lives like Rogers’, but also speed-up and improve the quality of service delivery in Uganda’s hospitals.
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If you are interested in supporting UCU school of nursing students and their training or other programs and services at UCU, contact UCU Partners’ Executive Director Mark Bartels atmtbartels@gmail.com, or click on the Donate button on the Partners Web site.
(Note: Technology use is growing in East Africa, including in Uganda. But the country’s infrastructure and population understanding of care connected to a personal computer have not kept pace. This story is provided to inform readers both in Africa and the Western world of the all-too-frequent negative consequence of owning a laptop in Uganda.)
By Patty Huston-Holm
On the morning that I was walking to meet one of the guys who knows more about computers than anyone on the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Mukono campus, I witnessed spoilage.
A male student, talking into his phone that was sandwiched between his right shoulder and ear, accidently dropped his laptop computer (followed by the phone) into the gravel and dust below.
“Sorry,” I said, watching him retrieve both devices from the stony slope along the Science and Technology building. “I hope they aren’t spoiled.”
UCU Director of University ICT Services, Perez M. Matsiko, in his office on the Mukono campus (UCU photo)
While Americans only refer to children and food as spoiled, spoilage in Uganda means damaged goods, namely electronics. Having worked with UCU students since 2012 and having one of my own Ugandan daughters show up with a fairly new, expensive and ruined Mac Air in 2018, I have heard and seen my share of spoiled computer woes.
The UCU Director of University ICT Services (UIS), Perez M. Matsiko, has seen and heard more. Despite the sign that clearly states UIS is not a center for computer repairs, students and staff descend on him and other library third-floor information technology geeks with their puzzled looks, begging tactics and broken devices.
UCU’s Mukono campus electrical technician, Simon Kyalahansi (UCU Partners photo)
Matsiko and UCU’s electrical technician, Simon Kyalahansi, get it. If students did, too, it would save time, frustration and money. While a computer’s age and careless dropping can certainly impact its performance, much of the malfunction can be avoided.
Five tips to protect computers Together, UCU’s information technology and electrical experts, offer five tips with added insights on the top two:
Dust – Protect your computer with a cover, and clean it often.
Power stability – Charge technology only in locations where power is stable to avoid power surges and voltage instability. When powering up, use both voltage converters and surge protectors, and avoid plugging too many gadgets into a power strip.
Overloaded Data – Clean out old files, especially entertainment media, to allow more storage space for data that matters.
Temperature – Protect your computer from the cold and heat. It should not get colder than 18 celcius (64 Fahrenheit) or hotter than 30 celcius (86 Fahrenheit).
Food and drink – Spilled beverages and cake crumbs can damage the keyboard and inside components.
Electrical current – ‘hot and dirty, like the roads’ Dust, which Uganda has a lot of, combined with electricity, which Uganda doesn’t have enough of, is the biggest problem, according to Matsiko. Dust gets into the computer motherboard, which holds together the main components of a computer, and can cause overheating and a short circuit.
“The fan starts working hard,” he said. “It tries to cool everything down, but sometimes it can’t. Uganda’s electrical current is hot and dirty like the roads.”
“Dirty energy” is a term applied to power in developing countries like Uganda, according to Simon. Most of the country is hydro-powered by dams in Jinja with anticipation that the government will soon generate more from Isimba and Karuma areas. Roughly 20 percent of Ugandans have access to electricity. Access drops to 10 percent in rural areas.
The cleanest energy such as solar power and wind turbines has not caught up with widespread implementation in Uganda. Dirty, electric power stability is the second largest reason for the country’s personal device breakdowns.
“It’s ‘dirty’ here because of high voltage and lack of regulations,” Simon said. “We have regulations on campus, but not so if you are powering up a device outside our gates. Non-regulated power outlets are likely not surge protected.”
Voltage is the push that causes a charge to move through a wire and into a phone or computer. At 240 volts, the electrical energy capacity in Uganda is higher and hotter than, for instance, in the United States where voltage is regulated at 120 and in Europe, where voltage is 220.
Charge on and not off campus “Our electrical lines are above the ground and impacted by weather,” Simon explained. “If you live on campus and are charging from here, we have a system that adjusts for that.”
Simon, who has worked at UCU for eight years, explained the basic workings of the Mukono campus power system, identified by wires from and cables surrounding a building near the library. Realizing that “above 240 volts, a computer will burn,” the UCU system is designed to “step down” voltage. Just as with a personal computer, a mainframe motherboard does its work, including a shift to a generator to protect a power surge.
“If the lights go out, the generator kicks in for 36 seconds to give the main system time to adjust,” he said. At that, he added, adjustment is harder if multiple devices are plugged into one power strip.
The motherboard works hardest during the season of strong winds and heavy rain, generally February, April and November. When it’s dry, the equipment battles dirt and dust.
“She is bigger than yours,” Simon said, comparing the UCU motherboard inside the UCU mainframe equipment to one inside a personal computer. “But she still gets dusted and cleaned.”
Like spoiled food that makes us sick or spoiled children whose demands annoy us, it is technology’s insides and how we protect them that really count.
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To support UCU programs related to technology, for student scholarships and more, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button or contact Uganda Christian Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at mtbartels@gmail.com.
Rev. Canon Odora interacts with a member of the congregation outside St. Phillip’s Cathedral in Gulu shortly after a service on January 1, 2019. (UCU Partners photo)
By Douglas Olum
(In the morning of Thursday, December 6, I took a walk through a small town called Lacor, about three miles west of the larger and better-known Gulu Town in Uganda. I was on my way to meet a clergyman to write his story. It was only 9 o’clock, but already I saw men, both young and old, most of them dressed in torn, dirty clothes flocking alcohol shops that line the road. Many are people who lost their property to wealthy land grabbers. All are languishing in chronic poverty, thereby using alcohol as a mean of escaping unemployment and other stability problems. This, then, is an account of one pastor doing his work in Northern Uganda.)
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In the face of poverty, trauma and alcoholism, Christian preachers in Northern Uganda are faced with double-edged challenges as they strive to balance their ministry and the dire circumstances under which their flock live.
The situation is worse in rural areas where illiteracy is at its peak. In many sections, children cannot access schools. The health facilities, if any, are non-functional. And, due to the subsistence nature of agriculture, which is their only source of livelihood, people cannot afford decent lives. But these are the flocks that clergymen and women in the region herd.
“As a priest in this area, many people come to you to ask for food stuffs, financial assistance and other issues such as conflict resolution and mediation, addiction and failure to meet personal needs,” Reverend Canon Francis Willy Odora says.
Rev. Canon Francis Willy Odora, delivering a message at St. Phillip’s Cathedral in Gulu
Rev. Canon Odora is the Vicar at St. Phillip’s Cathedral in Gulu, about 275 miles north of Uganda’s capital, Kampala. His daily chores include: ministering at the Cathedral, office planning, counseling, praying with the sick, weekly ministering on a local radio (102 Mega FM) station, teaching at the Janani Luwum Theological College and pastoral visits to churches, families and elderly people who cannot walk to the church.
As he sets out to go to work in the morning, his wife, Mrs. Grace Odora, also leaves for the garden. She does most of the farming, but sometimes her husband accompanies her before he goes to work.
Residing in a small, one-level, two-bedroom house within the diocese’s premises, Canon Odora and his wife often are approached by needy persons. They seek food, school fees and other basic necessities. They only give food.
“Those that ask for what to cook, we give them food stuffs because we do not buy our food. We produce it. And it is easier for us to give because that is the only thing we have,” Canon Odora says.
Following the more than two decades of insurgency in the region, Canon Odora says, the level of desperation among Christians is extremely high. Besides the relief syndrome that has left the people constantly expectant and dependent, they are also faced with social and emotional injuries among the community, including trauma among those who returned from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) captivity and those who lost their dear ones to the conflict. These victims of what is also known as the “bush war” need reparation.
“People who have lived desperate lives and are socially injured demand a lot of attention,” he says. “The good thing is that we had a partnership with a group called ‘Healing the Orphaned Hearts,’ that trained us, the clergy and catechists on trauma healing.”
At 58 years, Canon Odora feels exhausted, yet the demand for his service among the community is continuous. He wants to retire from priesthood. However, his greatest worry is the replacement.
Like him, tens of other senior priests are in the evenings of their service as they are counting down years before they clock their retirement age of 65. These older clergy do not match the number of new entrants into priesthood.
Many of the younger men and women coming on board are pursuing only Certificates and Diplomas in Divinity. Canon Odora says clergy with lower credentials are sometimes undermined by some members of the congregation. They are deemed incapable of analyzing, interpreting or preaching the word to congregation expectations.
“We have had instances where some parishes have rejected some clergy because of their education background or their fluency in the English language,” he says. “These are common especially in the urban areas. You know, society has changed today. The level of understanding of the people has also changed. So, they now require clergy who are highly educated who meet their standards.”
He thinks having more people pursue theological education at higher levels will keep the Church abreast of the changing society and also save it from losing believers to the mushrooming Pentecostal Churches that preach prosperity and wealth instead of true evangelism.
But, while his reasoning could be a necessity for the continuity of the Anglican Church of Uganda, the Diocese of Northern Uganda, where he belongs, is faced with a huge financial challenge: it cannot support the education for its current and future clergy. A huge reason for the gap is the financial status of most Christians that affect not only tithing but also weekly collections.
Patrick Lumumba, the Diocesan Secretary, says many times they have secured half-scholarships from Uganda Christian University (UCU) for their clergy to upgrade but have failed to raise the other half of the tuition to push them to conclusion. As a result, many of them have dropped out.
The need is great. Uganda Christian University and UCU Partners are doing what they can by offering half-scholarships to students from every diocese in Uganda. While there are still many who need help, this scholarship program graduates dozens of new clergy every year.
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If you are interested in supporting UCU clergy training or other programs and services at UCU, contact UCU Partners’ Executive Director Mark Bartels at mtbartels@gmail.com or click on the Donate button on the Partners Web site.
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)
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 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
I regard myself as a “mini UCU ambassador” whenever I travel with my husband (Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi) on a mission to represent Uganda Christian University (UCU) abroad. Official ambassadors, often called diplomats, get anywhere from 15 million shillings to $187,000 a year to represent their countries. Neither of us gets anything close to that for representing the university.
Our greater reward is not money, but God’s almighty blessings. I am blessed to stand with my husband and play whatever role God sees at any point in time.
This year, we set off in late January to our first stop in the not-so attractive, cold winter weather of Washington D.C., ready to tell the world about UCU. Most of what I know about UCU is acquired, not as an insider, but as an observer, especially from interaction with my husband, John, who is the head of this majestic University. I listen in, critique (at times), worry (sometimes) and pray (most times) for UCU. Over the years I have seen the amazing transformation of the university, and I have been blessed to be a prayer partner in its growth curve.
Senyonyi’s bundled up with snow in the background in the USA state of Virginia
This year, 2019, the UCU School of Medicine, the latest baby born in UCU, was constantly on our lips. A government-accredited program with 700 applicants interviewed and rolled down to 63 student-doctors-in-training was a great achievement in this 21-year-old institution. Of these, seven are foreign students from five nations in Africa. The medical school is an expensive but much needed venture that will positively change Ugandan and African health services.
John and the UCU partner members were tasked to highlight this amazing school and get support in kind and otherwise. Once in a while I would throw in sentences/words of encouragement, explanations and illustrations about UCU. In the midst of all these, John’s message was primarily about the Christian influence and how having a Christian doctor would go a long way in impacting nations for Christ.
On similar trips, we have often been stopped by UCU graduates who jog our minds with “I studied at UCU.” When we meet them in airports, lounges, in immigration, on streets, we get help (favour) faster than any of the other passengers. Workplaces in Uganda and across the world have been awestruck with UCU graduates and their Christian work ethic – a sign that UCU graduates are having the much-needed impact.
This UCU graduate impact was enough to jerk UCU into getting a foot in the door of training health service providers.
The message this time raised a host of questions. What will a Christian UCU graduate doctor look like? What worldview will they bring on board in an increasingly hostile secularized environment? What can they offer in the already failing medical world of Uganda? What is needed to ensure an effective Christian faith-based training? What resources are needed?
The message this time was different in that the focus was on the context to the need for such training. We explained that in Uganda there was much need given the statistics: only 500 dentists nationally and 1 doctor to every 25,000 persons. Training a doctor is a tall order and is one of the uphill tasks before UCU that we had to explain.
That aside, the hospitality of our hosts continues to be a highlight the 2019 USA trip. In Washington, DC, we were in the safe hands of a couple that is praying to relocate to Uganda. In Virginia, we were excited to see the beautiful snow flakes falling outside the warmth of a host’s home; a Ugandan couple braved the icy roads to come for a meal. The hospitality and the wonderful meals with warm, God-filled conversations are memorable. Over 60 people braved the cold to hear about UCU at one such meal, which was organized by the wife and a member of the board for Uganda Christian University Partners, a USA-based nonprofit supporting UCU for more than 15 years. I marvel at the dedication and love of UCU by the Uganda Christian University Partners Board.
John is often given opportunity to the pulpit and my continuous prayer was that he, as a missionary to the USA as well as a UCU ambassador, is used by God to proclaim the word without fear and in its entirety. US sermons last for less than 20 minutes, but the word continues to bless and enrich the listeners. John begins by telling members of congregations about UCU then turns to God’s word. I particularly remember his preaching in Washington, DC, and in Virginia on how familiarity to God can choke Christian faith (Luke 4:21-32). It’s a gentle reminder that as Christians, bred and grown and surrounded by other Christians, we could easily take the gospel for granted (familiarity) and lose sight of him (Jesus Christ) who is central in our Christianity.
In another wonderful sermon, given in Boston at an Anglican church and later at a “Ugandan” church, my husband illustrated God’s needed presence. Fear is one thing that can grip a person to inactivity. At a time when the disciples were locked up in a room in fear of persecution, Jesus appeared to them and proclaimed peace. In a world filled with fear (loss, illness, retirement, crises), Jesus continues to speak and give peace. The disciples were then given the Holy Spirit to continue the mission that Jesus had started. We were strengthened when we were reminded that as forgiven Christians we are on a mission to proclaim his word without fear.
The School of Medicine, Mercer University, in Macon, Georgia, gave us insight into what we needed to accomplish over the years to succeed with the UCU School of Medicine. The President and faculty members received us very warmly and expressed willingness to support UCU materially, through teaching and in various other ways.
My personalized blessing this trip is that I got time with God and with my husband. We are busy working adults with leadership responsibilities, and therefore these times away give us more opportunity to fellowship and seek the Lord together. With retirement not far away, the Lord clearly reminded us that He had anointed us purposefully and was going to surely accomplish His work through us – no matter what stage of life we are in.
I am blessed to be a mini ambassador for UCU and a maxi ambassador for God — not for money, but for our Lord and Savior.
Senyonyi’s, at right, with UCU Partners Board and some spouses at a meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.
By the Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi, Vice Chancellor, Uganda Christian University
Once a year since becoming the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Vice Chancellor in 2010 – and thanks to the generosity of UCU Partners and new and long-time American friends – I travel to the United States. Usually, my wife, Dr. Ruth Senyonyi, accompanies me for a month of sharing about Uganda’s culture, communicating the successes and needs of the university and providing the Word of our Lord. Ruth not only provides the much-appreciated marital support but also speaks easily about UCU, offering insights that I miss.
Our annual trip to the USA happened from January 24 to February 20, 2019. We started out in Washington DC, and proceeded to visits within the states of Virginia, Georgia, Massachusetts and California. We lived out of a suitcase, adjusting to dress codes for informal meetings, dinners, church services, the annual UCU Partners Board meeting, and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Presidents’ Conference. While USA faith-based universities face stronger pressure from the secular world than UCU, it was reassuring to note that we share the same resolve regarding adherence to Christ’s teachings in our campus life and curriculum.
Jack Ellis (Honorary Consul of Uganda in Georgia), Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi (Vice Chancellor UCU), Dr. Ruth Senyonyi (Mini Ambassador, UCU), Dr. Bill Underwood (President, Mercer University).
As expected, this year there was keen interest in the new UCU School of Medicine, particularly as it relates to Christianity. It is a truism that technology often accelerates faster than the ethical implications of such advancements; the latter matter most for Christians and certainly for social wholeness. Probably no field of study is more affected than the medical disciplines since their direct customer and object of trade is the human being.
Furthermore, all recognise the capital-intensive nature of medical schools. UCU has invested much so far but it is the nature of medical schools to demand heavy investment on a continuing basis after the initial input. It is therefore beyond question that a University needs a steady revenue base for a medical school, far exceeding tuition collections from students.
The subject of the medical school was paramount during our UCU Partners’ Board, in the churches and other functions where I preached or spoke, and at Mercer University, Macon, Georgia. Mercer University is one of America’s oldest higher education institutions with a medical school started there nearly 40 years ago.
Our contact with Mercer came unexpectedly through the kindness of Uganda’s honorary consul to Georgia, Hon. Jack Ellis, a former mayor of Macon, Georgia, who visited Uganda in 2017. Hon. Ellis introduced us to Mercer President Bill Underwood, who opened the door for a possible partnership with Mercer.
The Consul also connected us to MedShare, a non-profit, humanitarian organization with one of three American medical equipment distribution centers in Georgia. MedShare aims to strengthen the world’s health care systems with various initiatives such as shipping new and “good-as-new” medical equipment around the world to boost health care. This could come in handy to equip both the UCU School of Medicine teaching hospital and to provide needed learning hardware for our students. We are submitting an application to MedShare.
The interest to support our efforts was profound. We declared the need for prayer support, academic exchanges and research, personnel support and certainly medical equipment.
UCU Partners has been advocating such support since last year, and some help has trickled in. Indeed, Ruth and I spoke at a dinner at the Church of the Epiphany in Virginia, sponsored by UCU Partners Board members. The interest was strong at both the individual and corporate church level. After the dinner on a Saturday evening, I preached at their warm Sunday morning services.
It is worthy of note that the USA has many nationalities. Many of these maintain strong connections with their home countries and send significant financial support to their countries of provenance. One such is a Ugandan Anglican church situated in Boston, Mass., and that worships in the Luganda language. I had preached there before, and they welcomed me again into their pulpit. They have a stronger interest in UCU and are ready and open to enhanced relationships with the University.
Our concluding stops were in the California locations of Escondido and Imperial. New Life Presbyterian Church, Escondido, had booked me for preaching since June of 2018. Nearby was the stop at Imperial to make connection with a donor to the Bishop Tucker School of Divinity Theology that we had never met.
Overall, these were very successful United States meetings in terms of promise for growth for all of UCU. We thank God for the relationships, the promise and our safe travels without incident. We thank God for this partnership in the Gospel – we went as envoys from UCU, and so we were received (Philippians 4.10-20). Praise the Lord!
School of Medicine Librarian Kalungi(UCU Partners photo)
By Patty Huston-Holm
In the midst of building a library from scratch, Victoria Kalungi, medical and health sciences librarian at the new Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Medicine (Mengo), saw an opportunity to grow both paper and electronic resources not just for the students she serves but the whole university.
Aligned with her passion to help others acquire knowledge and her graduate level work at the South African University of Pretoria, she launched into a study about the challenges and opportunities for increasing UCU research access on line. Additionally, her study includes some strategies for getting more UCU student dissertations and theses into electronic form.
Such was the focus of the discussion by two dozen UCU faculty members who convened at the Mukono campus on the last Friday in February. To these colleagues, Kalungi asserted that e-resources “embrace the changing reading culture and information-seeking behavior of library users.”
Pluses with e-resources are: printing cost savings, student access without coming to campus, wider visibility for UCU as research is being used elsewhere and elimination of issues with dust, termites and rats that damage paper-bound copies.
Challenges with e-resources are: widening the knowledge gap between the “haves” with access to the Internet and the “have nots” who can’t afford smart phones and connections; easier theft of author content; and getting traditional faculty and student thinkers to change and be trained to use a new format.
In late February 2019, UCU had more than 600 e-items in its library repository. In addition to theses and dissertations, these include journal articles, public lectures, speeches, books and book chapters and conference articles and proceedings.
Conversation surrounding both printed and electronic versions of research centered around a concern with plagiarism, author- vs. university-owned research, authors guarding their knowledge and the importance of holistic strategies that engage expertise in curriculum, library science and information technology when making change.
“How does Uganda become authenticated in this digital age?” asked Peter Ubomba-Jaswa of the School of Research and Post-Graduate Studies (SRPGS). He added that UCU should do its part in nurturing “fresh thinkers, innocent thinkers” to generate new ideas.
SRPGS Dean Kukunda Elizabeth Bacwayo concluded the session with appreciation to the presenter for “seeking us out for this discussion.”
David Bukenya, UCU’s Deputy Chief University Librarian, was not at the presentation, but he has long been a proponent of digital libraries and open access for improving UCU’s intellectual output, enhancing the institution visibility, attracting funders and preserving information.
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)
“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.
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)
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.
+++ 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/
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.
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.
+++ COMING THURSDAY (February 28, 2019)…The UCU Partners blog will publish an interview with one of its international students.
———- 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.
Robert Kamugisha, center, with two staff members at the Uganda Nursing School (UCU Partners photo)
By Patty Huston-Holm
“This will hurt,” the nurse said, preparing to inject a vaccination into the arm of the six-year-old boy. “But it will help you be protected for the rest of your life.”
That boy was Robert Kamugisha, now age 37 and one of the leaders of a nursing school located 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the western Uganda area where he grew up and received that immunization. He has a small injection scar with a memory of how that experience propelled him to his career in medicine.
“Her words made me feel like a part of this at that very young age,” he recalled.
Signage of nursing school in the western Uganda area of Bwindi (UCU Partners Photo)
Robert is the academic registrar at the Uganda Nursing School (Bwindi), where students can get a certificate after about 2.5 years and a diploma in about 3 years. Uganda Christian University (UCU) provides the accreditation for the school. UCU’s School of Nursing relationship with the new school in Bwindi is one example of how the university reaches under-served areas.
While westerners know Bwindi best for gorilla trekking in the Impenetrable Forest, East Africans recognize the area’s rural poverty. Behind what most tourists see is the economically and educationally poor Batwa (pigmy) tribe. The Kellerman Foundation, based in Texas, has been instrumental in serving needs of this population.
“Infant mortality is a problem here,” Robert said. That’s the topic of his soon-to-be finished master’s dissertation with UCU, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2013. He got that degree with the assistance of a scholarship from the Uganda Christian University Partners organization.
From practicing nurse to oversight for nurses at Bwindi Community Hospital, Robert’s career climb accelerated to a leadership position for a new school when two gorilla trekkers from the United States agreed to fund the building construction in 2013. Rotary International, through the Rotary Club of Reno, Nevada (USA), and the Rotary Club of Kihihi, Uganda, furnished the school.
The first class of 36 graduated in March of 2017. Today, there are nearly 300 Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda students studying at the Bwindi facility.
Taking care of people, including nursing students, is second nature to Robert. As the first born of five children, he grew up with the family responsibility for his younger brother and three younger sisters with little financial support for himself.
Robert and his wife, Uwimbabazi Sarah, have two children.A woman from Israel sponsors Sarah’s studies at UCU through UCU Partners.
“At some point, I want to be in a position where I can support someone other than my own family,” Robert said. “Ugandans can and should give back that way.”
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If you are interested in supporting students who are making a difference in Uganda such as UCU Partners Scholarship Recipient Robert Kamugisha is, contact Uganda Partners’ Executive Director Mark Bartels at mtbartels@gmail.com.
Some of many UCU graduates working in Bwindi, Uganda (UCU Partners photo)
(NOTE: In September 2018, UCU Partners Communications Director, Patty Huston-Holm, visited Bwindi, Uganda to interview a handful of UCU alumni, including UCU Partners scholarship recipients. The list coming out of this remote, Western Uganda area was larger than expected. At that, it is believed there are even more UCU success stories than these 15 compiled and shared here. The story of one UCU graduate – Robert Kamugisha, academic registrar at the Uganda Nursing School – is not captured below; it will be published in expanded form this Thursday, February 7.)
UCU graduates and UCU Partners scholarship/financial aid recipients
Sylvia Kokunda Education officer, Batwa Development Program
2014 UCU graduate with Bachelor of Public Administration and Management
“The best part of UCU was what I learned about spiritual morals. UCU is the best university in educating a complete person.”
Sarah Tumuramye Cashier, Batwa Development Program
2018 UCU graduate with Bachelor of Business and Administration
“At UCU, I not only got knowledge but I learned to know Jesus Christ better.”
Rev. Elizabeth Abanelinela Director of finance and administration, Bwindi Community Hospital
2015 UCU Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology graduate with Master of Divinity
“At UCU, faith is integrated into all aspects of the profession and social life.”
Nahabwe Haven Public health worker, Bwindi Community Hospital
2011 UCU graduate with Bachelor of Public Health
“At UCU, I learned to respect people regardless of their backgrounds and values.”
Orikiriza Patricia Volunteer, Bwindi Community Hospital
2017 UCU graduate with Bachelor of Development Studies
“The best part of getting an education at UCU is the Christian values.”
Ritah Katumba Kinkizi Diocese health coordinator
2009 UCU graduate with Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration
“At UCU, I learned to work with commitment, compassion and respect for all. I recommend parents send their children to UCU because of the education focused on wholeness in all aspects of life.”
Praise Joyce Mugisha Accountant, Bwindi Development Program
2014 UCU graduate with Bachelor of Business Administration
“I am passionate about accountability. If I am faithful to God and do the right thing, I will be with the Father.”
Rev. Canon Jovahn Turyamureeba and his wife, Penny (UCU Partners photo)
Rev. Canon Jovahn Turyamureeba Executive Director, Batwa Development Program
1990 UCU/Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology graduate with Bachelor of Divinity
1999 Virginia (USA) Theological Seminary graduate with Master of Theology
“At UCU/Bishop Tucker Theological College, I was trained to be a servant leader who is called to serve and not to be served.”
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UCU graduates but not UCU Partners scholarship recipients
Constance Koshaba Manager/instructor, Women’s Craft Center, Batwa Development Program
2009 UCU graduate with Bachelor of Industrial and Fine Art
“I feel I am giving back by helping women learn skills like sewing, weaving and jewelry making.”
Samuel Okello Clinical instructor (nursing), Uganda Nursing School, Bwindi
2015 UCU graduate with Bachelor of Nursing
“At UCU, I not only got knowledge and skills but had moral values reinforced and instilled.”
Geneva Masika Warden, Bwindi Community Hospital
2006 UCU graduate with Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration
“UCU improved my chances of having a career by exposing me to opportunities. I’m happy to be part of the UCU family.”
Barnabas Oyesiga Communications team leader, Bwindi Community Hospital
2011 UCU graduate with Bachelor of Public Health
“It was a friendly environment with holistic teaching that reinforced Christian values in academic and social life.”
Niwaha Bright Communications officer, Bwindi Community Hospital
2016 UCU graduate with Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communications
“Being able to work on the student newspaper better equipped me with skills and expanded opportunities for my career.”
Kabasomi Harriet Personal assistant to executive director, Bwindi Community Hospital
2012 UCU graduate with Bachelor of Public Health
“The Christian environment at UCU helped me spiritually and emotionally. It’s the best university that I would recommend someone to join.”
Rev. Caleb Turyabagyeni Chaplain, Bwindi Community Hospital
2011 UCU Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology graduate with Bachelor of Divinity
“The most positive aspect of UCU is the Christian environment. I’m proud to say I’m a UCU alum.”
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If you are interested in supporting students who are making a difference in Uganda, contact Uganda Partners’ Executive Director Mark Bartels at mtbartels@gmail.com.
Also, follow our Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn pages.
Lovincer Katana, Uganda Christian University Partners scholarship recipient at 2018 graduation (UgandaPartners Photo)
UPDATE: Since this story was written in October, the subject of the interview has been ordained and currently volunteering with the Uganda Christian University’s Chaplaincy (December 2, 2018).
By Brendah Ndagire
Her family said “no.” But God said “yes.” It wasn’t quite that simple as Lovincer Katana, the oldest of seven children, straddled her dream of being a pastor with the acknowledgement that she wouldn’t make much money to support herself and her family.
Lovincer, a Uganda Christian University (UCU) M.Div’18 graduate, found a role model in her home priest, the now retired Rev. Kisitu Frederick. As a teenager and young woman in her 20s, she remembered how he talked at great lengths about his positive experiences as a student at Bishop Tucker College, which was renamed Uganda Christian University 21 years ago. Now age 28, Lovincer recalled being particularly inspired by the way Rev. Kisitu used to teach and engage the scripture for his congregation at St. Nicholas Church Kalerwe. She wanted those skills and that gift.
With a passion for theology, she knew the obstacles. Being a priest in Uganda does not usually come with financial gains. Most priests have to have another source of income as a teacher or a professor to economically sustain their families. As such and with the cultural expectation for children to support parents and younger siblings, most Ugandan mothers and fathers don’t encourage their children to study theology and take on priestly roles.
Such was especially true for Lovincer. Not only was she the first-born daughter of seven children, but she grew up in one of the harshest environments of Kampala, in the Kalerwe slums. Her parents wanted her to study something that would deliver not just herself but the rest of the family from the economic poverty of their neighborhood. To adhere to the pressure and accept her responsibility, she obtained her first degree in education from one of Uganda’s public universities, Kyambogo University in 2012, with the hope of gaining full-time employment as a secondary school teacher.
Lovincer graduated and got that job, but it was short lived. She worked for a few months as a teacher on the pay-roll at Gayaza High School, a Uganda girls school before being laid off. At the same time, she served at her home church in Kalerwe and was not discouraged as she continued to see God leading her to deeper service.
Lovincer with her fellow M.Div graduates at the graduation ceremony in July 2018 (UgandaPartners Photo)
In May 2015, after a rigorous application process for a three-year Master Program in Divinity, she was thrilled to find out that she was one of the 20 theology students in her class who would be receiving Uganda Christian University Partners financial support towards tuition. In 2018, Lovincer got that degree. Uganda Christian University Partners recently caught up with her to learn about her experiences at the university and where God is leading her. (This interview is edited for clarity.)
Briefly, share with us what has stood out for you as a theology student at UCU?
UCU is a unique university all around. What has stood out for me in the past three years were two days of the week – Tuesday and Thursday. At 12 Noon, students and faculty members would take time to pause whatever they were doing, and come to gather at Nkoyoyo Hall for community worship. I felt a unique sense of belonging in Christ and identity with God that transcended classes, ages, expertise, and our distinct backgrounds. It is our way of paying attention to what God is doing in our lives. And beyond theological classes I took, I really appreciated the foundational class on Worldviews. It exposed me to different perspectives and understanding about how other people perceive the world. It was important for me because often times as people we want to make sure our own worldview is dominant. We make sure we push it onto others without creating room for us to understand why other people think the way they do or why and how they were raised differently. And from there, we are able to understand to share what we believe or how we view the world around us. It is important to primarily understand where the other (person) is coming from so that we can share our perspective of God and the world from an understanding position. Finally I appreciated the practical aspect of our divinity classes, where we were equipped to exercise church ceremonies such as baptism, officiating weddings and so forth.
Lovincer’s Ordination Ceremony at All Saints Cathedral, Nakasero. (UgandaPartners Photo)
Reflecting on your life before and during UCU to your graduation, where do you see God’s role in making this graduation happen?
God has been there for me really from the start. Every time I tell people that it is God who can liberate a girl like me from the slums of Kalerwe…come here at UCU and sit in a class with students with significantly different life experiences. Through Uganda Partners God has paid for my tuition, food, and accommodation at UCU. It was God who made it possible for me to afford to live a comfortable life and have access to all the resources I needed to study at UCU. It is not a day-to-day opportunity that God touches someone’s heart over the oceans to care for the education of an economically poor woman from Kalerwe. Today I celebrate this graduation joy because God in His mercy gave me the opportunity to live out my dream. And that I do not take for granted.
The Uganda Partners scholarship was very meaningful to me in ways I cannot exhaust saying. There were very many people struggling with tuition for an entire semester. We could raise some money for a few of them, and as we thought about our own blessing, we set aside a time on our Monday morning devotion to pray for people in the United States who make it possible for us to have access to tuition and other scholarly needs.
How have you gotten closer to God throughout your studies?
The UCU setting itself makes anyone get closer to God if only they pay attention to their surroundings. Apart from the time set aside for community worship on Tuesdays and Thursdays, UCU has a talking compound. If you are walking around, you notice these scriptures embroidered on almost every building speaking to you. I remember there was a time I felt really discouraged after our Hebrew exam. I was trying so hard to understand Hebrew and when we finished I felt like I did not do enough to get my desired grade. Then, I was walking by the Nursing Building and I don’t remember the scripture entirely but I do remember how meaningful and encouraging it was on that day. It (the scripture) remained my source of encouragement throughout my life at UCU, and it was one of the ways I stayed and/or have gotten closer to God.
Where do you see God taking you now as a Priest?
I know for certain that God is calling me to serve His people in the Church. Right now I do not know where He is leading me as far as a physical location is concerned, but the ministry skills I have acquired from UCU makes me believe that God wants me to share my story and His work in me with others. Every time I share my story with people, they take time to truly understand that someone who grew up in the slum, a place of lack, where I constantly struggled to find food and other basic needs would study at a great university such as UCU and excel in her studies and graduate on time. For many people it is hard to connect the two (i.e., abject poverty with academic excellence). But God in His own way is able to raise all of us in our own slums, and for that I intend to use my story, experiences and skills I have gotten from UCU to encourage lives, be part of someone’s life, and give fully back to the community in any way I can.
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If you are interested in supporting Divinity Students who are struggling with tuition at Uganda Christian University, contact Uganda Partners’ Executive Director Mark Bartels @mtbartels@gmail.com.
Mugero in his office at the Refugee Law Project (UgandaPartners photo)
By Brendah Ndagire
As of November 2018, precisely 1,181,322 refugees are within the borders of Uganda. According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, most of these are from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, but also come from Burundi, Somalia, Rwanda, Eritrea, Sudan, Ethiopia and other countries. Uganda Christian University Law alumnus, Jesse Mugero, works as a legal officer with the Refugee Law Project (RLP), located in the Old Kampala area. He provides legal aid to refugees, asylum seekers and deportees and field training with the State Government’s Office of the Prime Minister. He also engages with non-governmental affiliates such as those associated with international criminal law who fight against sexual violence. Uganda Christian University Partners recently caught up with Mugero to learn more about his work with RLP. This interview follows a series of blogs on UCU graduates who are accompanying refugees in Uganda. The interview is edited for clarity.
Briefly, describe what you do
I work as legal officer with the Refugee Law Project, a Makerere University project started in the 1999 as an outreach project of the School of Law, to examine issues related to justice, conflict, migration and human rights. The Refugee Law Project is not a non-government organization nor a purely a government agency. Even though are we are part of the university, we do most of our work independently. In my role, I provide legal assistance to refugees, asylum seekers from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and few coming from Pakistan and Syria. I also work with people facing deportation and conduct capacity building. I mainly train state employees, such as the Uganda Police Force and the Military, basically sharing with them about international criminal law, because our (armed) forces are the people who for the most part have the first interaction with the refugees in places where they are assigned to keep peace, or at the border. It helps to train and support them to understand who a refugee, or an asylum seeker is, such that they know what to do, and how to protect them once they encounter them.
Explain more what capacity building looks like with RLP.
Depending on the training, it is meant to improve the knowledge of participants in a certain area. For example, we can have a conversation on sexual violence. The common understanding is that sexual violence only affects women, but from our Uganda experience especially in Northern Uganda, which suffered a two-decade war led by the Lord’s Resistance Army, we learned that sexual violence also affects men. Capacity building is then geared towards helping participants to understand the different ways in which this crime (sexual violence) occurs. This would then help them in documentation and collection of sufficient evidence of what has happened for possibly future trials. Capacity building broadens the knowledge base, and improves the ability to counter certain aspects of crimes committed against vulnerable groups. For example, this year, we have trained over 500 soldiers of the UGABAG (Uganda Battle group who go to Somalia), and over 300 members of the police force in the districts of Kitgum, Adjumani, Gulu, Arua, Kiryandongo, Hoima, and Mbarara. We train them about refugee rights, including their freedom from torture, freedom of movement, and right to life as well as how they own property, obtain legal representation, and apply for employment. We also help them understand sexual violence in international law, and torture, and abuse of human rights, which unfortunately is on the rise but people need to understand that it is wrong to commit torture. When people (policemen and army personnel) understand that, hopefully they will be part of the solution.
Article about Jesses’ father who inspired him to work with refugees
Apart from the Office of the Prime Minister, and its refugee department, who else do you partner with?
We partner with other refugee agencies such as the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and other partners in Adjumani District. We basically compliment each other. For example, DRC may refer clients to us for legal assistance, and we do the same in situations where they have more experience supporting refugees. We also partner with Inter-Aid in Kampala, which works with urban refugees, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for protection and resettlement in other countries especially for refugees from Rwanda and Congo who are usually hunted for political reasons here.
How does the legal process of representation look like in your experience?
There are two kinds of legal representation. One of them is helping an asylum seeker, someone who has just come into the country, and wants assistance in obtaining asylum. In Kampala, we help them to go to the Old Kampala Police Station to apply for asylum after which their application will be taken to the refugee eligibility committee which would grant or not grant refugee status. If not granted, they can appeal to the decision to the Refugee Appeals Board.
The other part of legal representation is the traditional one where a refugee can come for support in courts of law in case one of their relatives is legally in trouble. It is important to highlight that our services are free of charge, so we work with refugees because in most cases these are people of a lower economic status, and we help them to, for instance, secure police bond and bail. Sometimes language barrier is a big issue, and sometimes it is understanding what is considered a crime in Uganda and what is not. There may be a conflict of laws. For example, in South Sudan girls are married off when they are 16 years old, and in Uganda that is considered defilement. In this case, it is important to explain to a South Sudanese man that it is both illegal to marry and have sex with a 16-year-old in Uganda.
Why work with RLP?
I have always been inspired by the example of my father. He was a student in China in 1978. A Chinese journalist wrote an article at that time about a black medical student working with Vietnamese refugees in China. That black student was my father. My mother kept the article somewhere in our home, and when I found it, I was particularly inspired by him. I have wanted to be part of and living for a cause that is bigger than myself. And creating an impact that will last for generations to come.
What do you think was the most positive aspect of getting an education at UCU?
The education at UCU helped me to understand that life is one indivisible whole. I learned to integrate my faith into my career interests. When I joined the Honors College , I was exposed to brilliant students who challenged me to grow in different ways. I was challenged to strive for excellence. I also grew in my leadership and found many opportunities to serve within the Honors College and UCU community generally.
What classes stood out for you that currently have a huge impact on your career with RLP?
My best class was the Christian Legal Political Thought. It was very interesting because it helped me to appreciate the wide perspectives of law and justice within a Christian lens. To recognize that as a Christian, we live in a pluralist society/world, that there will always be different opinions on particular policy issues outside of the Christian perspectives and how to respectively engage with them is important.
Where do you see God’s work in the lives of the refugees you are accompanying?
I see God in His being sovereign. When I think about the challenging experiences of refugees, very few (1% of refugees world wide) get an opportunity to be resettled in (economically) rich nations, and it can be a daunting thought for many of them. I see God working in the refugees who are happily living here in Uganda with little/limited economic resources, and becoming very creative with the little they have. For example, many refugees from the Congo have succeeded in the clothing industry. They make their own fabrics, sell them and are able to pay for school fees for their children.
Jesse conducting legal training in Moyo District
What are your most proud moments working with refugees?
On a teenager who allegedly stole a phone: One of the most profound experience working with the refugees has been working with refugee mothers. One time there was a woman whose son had been arrested for allegedly stealing a phone. When the woman came to me, she was both very disappointed and sad for her son. I spoke with her, and gave her some advice such as securing a police bond, and how to cooperate with the police. And I will never forget the smile she had when she came back to me the following week. She was so happy and grateful for her freed son. And she makes these really beautiful African and Congolese fabrics, and she offered that if I ever need any fabric, she would make it for me at a discount.
On a single mother who faced eviction: Another time I felt proud was when I helped to accompany a refugee woman whose husband was killed on the way from DRC. She has six children to raise on her own. She was getting evicted by her landlord who had given her only two days to leave his premises. I intervened and spoke with the landlord and she was later given a one-month grace period to look for a new apartment. Knowing that she had another month with a roof over her family, it gave me satisfaction in ways financial achievements cannot.
On training armed officers: Sometimes when we are training military or police officers on the need to respect human rights and stop the habit of torture, one of the officers said to me, “I am going to implement what you have taught me today because torture is not something I personally want to commit, but I do it because I want to follow directions from our leaders.” It is promising and transformative to hear someone committing to engaging more humanly with the perceived other/enemy.
One of the key messages we put forward is that refugees are human beings just as any other human beings. That forced migrants also have rights, and have entitlements under Uganda’s laws. We also need to emphasize that Uganda has been hosting forced migrants since world II and that this is not something new to our society.
This story is just one of many examples of how Uganda Christian University graduates are making a difference in their country. If you would like to assist a current student or otherwise support the university, contact Mark Bartels, executive director, UCU Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org or go to https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/.
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On paper, Matende Wilson Paul is a Uganda Christian University (UCU) business student. He has a diploma and is working on a bachelor’s degree.
In his head, “I’m a scientist,” he said. In between studies, Wilson Paul, as he prefers to be called, teaches chemistry at his alma mater, Vision High School, Nakifuma (Mukono District).
It’s a strange combination – one that he admits with uncertainty about where it will take him. For now, however, he has written a chemistry book (the science part) and is selling it (the business part). It’s called “D1-I Must Pass Chemistry.” (The D1 is a protein with many functions and interactions.) His book has been reviewed and verified as accurate and valuable by academic teachers of science and chemistry. As of autumn 2018, he sold 70 copies at 15,000 shillings ($4) each.
“I don’t care about making money,” Wilson Paul, age 22, said. “I just want to help students get through chemistry easier than I did.”
In truth, chemistry came easy for Wilson Paul despite no chemistry teacher or class when he was at Vision High School. He and eight classmates formed a class. They studied without books and lab equipment. Despite their passion and learning, they knew the lack of a formally approved curriculum and deficient experimentation tools would cripple them when applying for entrance into related university programs.
“I have no paper to say what I know,” he said.
And like many students, funding to continue education was a barrier. Born to teenage parents who eventually separated, Wilson Paul was raised by his grandmother, going to primary school behind Mukono’s Colline Hotel.
He “felt like a failure” until he met Mary Chowenhill, a Florida resident living and teaching entrepreneurship at UCU. Together, they started teaching Sunday School in 2013, including one trip to western Uganda’s Masindi village to guide 400 children. They lost touch. Then, two years ago, they reunited with Mary’s proposal that Wilson Paul study business at her sponsorship. It happened through UCU Partners.
“It was like bringing me back from the dead,” Wilson Paul said. “I can’t tell her how much that meant to me or how much she means to me now.”
While Wilson Paul is uncertain about his future after finishing at UCU, he knows he will have one foot in science and one in business.
“I want to do both,” he said. “Mary reminds me that God has a purpose for everything and everybody, including me. I’ll keep searching.”
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If you are interested in supporting students who are making a difference in the communities around Uganda such as UCU Partners Scholarship Recipient Wilson Paul is, contact Uganda Partners’ Director @mtbartels@gmail.com or click on the “Donate” button in the upper right corner of this page.
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Sarah Tumuramye, left, with Ivan Atuyambe, a UCU alum who paid for Sarah’s university education (UCU Partners photo)
By Patty Huston-Holm
Ivan Atuyambe has been spat upon, abandoned, beaten and starved. Conversely, the 31-year-old Uganda Christian University (UCU) graduate who works out of Tanzania is saved, loved, educated, and determined to give back.
His dream job is Secretary General of the United Nations, or something akin to a high-ranking international civil servant. His goal is to drive transformational leadership and good governance in Africa. Ivan is on his way now as he leads a regional leadership development initiative called the East Africa Youth Leadership Summit (www.youleadsummit.org), which aims to raise a new breed of leaders in East Africa. He also founded the Africa Centre for Integrity and Anti-Corruption. (www.acacia-africa.org)
During a 12-hour drive from Uganda’s central Kampala to western Bwindi, Ivan, who obtained his first of three academic degrees at UCU through a UCU Partners scholarship, told his story of desperation, redemption and inspiration.
Desperation
“I felt worthless, hated, miserable, with tears as the only thing coming from me,” he recalled of his early childhood.
To the best of his recollection, he was age 5 when he watched his mother walk out the door, abandoning marriage and motherhood in frustration from her drunk and abusive husband. Subsequently, the four children – Ivan, a brother and two sisters – became more frequent victims of their father’s anger. Nobody, including their father or his other two wives, wanted Ivan or his siblings.
One of Ivan’s designated caregivers was a woman he called “auntie.” She beat him with a broom and threatened to kill him. Another was a stepmother who resented raising another woman’s child, threatening divorce if the boy was in the house.
“I hatched a plan to kill myself by drowning in a huge river,” Ivan recalled. “I went to the river and went down three times, but came back up in fear.”
The early morning suicide attempt came when Ivan was about age 7. Confused and directionless, he walked away from the riverbanks, thinking that others might see some use in him as a cattle caretaker. He knew if he did that successfully for a year, he could get a heifer or bull of his own. Without food and water and wearing an oversized sweater and no trousers, he walked over the hills of Kabale into Rukungiri. As the day darkened, he was spotted by an Anglican pastor, who took him to his home.
“Nobody wanted to touch me or get near me,” Ivan recalled of that first experience walking into the pastor’s house. “I was dirty, miserable looking, half dressed. They gave me a long coat and mat for sleeping. I laid on it at night and picked it up each morning before everybody woke.”
To stay in the house, he was required to dig potatoes and do other family chores, including cooking and delivering food to children at their schools. Things improved when his abandoned child status got him a primary school scholarship through the African Evangelistic Enterprise. But they got worse as the pastor’s wife grew to believe he was the biological son of the pastor and another woman. The wife and her daughters exhibited anger by withholding food and spitting in his footsteps.
The pastor told Ivan not to despair and to “be patient.”
He was. He continued to carry water, clean and cook for the family while thriving at school. He completed Primary 7 at age 14 before the funding stopped.
Redemption
At age 12, while still in Primary 4, Ivan was saved.
“I didn’t know much about God,” Ivan said. “There was a woman evangelist speaking at a mission from John 15: 4-7 and about doing work in His name, and God being the only reliable father.”
With a less-than-stellar biological father, Ivan found peace in the message that he had a heavenly Father who loved him. He turned his life over to Christ, and joined an older person’s evening fellowship, which fulfilled his new hunger for the Word and for feeling valued amidst ill treatment at home. He also began to lead Bible fellowship at school.
At age 13, Ivan learned his father had died. In 2001, he searched and found his mother. Inflicted with HIV/AIDs from a lifestyle of prostitution, she apologized for abandoning her son and asked for forgiveness. Weeks later, she died.
Shortly thereafter, a United Kingdom couple that met Ivan at a Christian conference, agreed to pay his school fees through much of his secondary education. It was during his first days as a secondary school student that Ivan recalls “the most amazing aspect of his life.” The Rev. Dr. Edward Muhima, then National Team Leader of the African Evangelistic Enterprise, came to the school as a guest preacher. A short time later, Ivan was welcomed into the loving, welcoming family of Muhima, who was then bishop of the North Kigesi Diocese in the Western Uganda District of Rukungiri.
“I shared a room with the son,” Ivan said. “Almost immediately, I was treated equally as one of the children and by the children. Even today, these are my only and closest relatives – parents and brothers and sisters. I love them; they love me. This is my God-given family.”
Through life as a Bishop’s son, he met a couple from Washington, D.C., and a woman from Dallas, Texas. Together, they paid his higher education through Uganda Christian University Partners.
Inspiration
Being angry about mistreatment was never an option for Ivan.
Looking back on his life, he focuses on the caring pastor who picked him up from the street on that day of his suicide attempt; the scholarship sponsors, including UCU Partners that supported Ivan’s bachelor’s degree in Public Administration and Management at UCU; and the retired Bishop and his family that Ivan calls his own. He also has been blessed to receive scholarships for two post-graduate degrees from universities in Germany and Austria.
Today, the people and organizations that gave to him have inspired Ivan to give to others. One of his first giving back to UCU and UCU Partners was to sponsor the sister of a friend to get her degree from UCU.
“I thought he was joking at first,” said Sarah Tumuramye, the recipient of Ivan’s scholarship for her UCU Business Administration degree she attained in 2018. In a break from her job as cashier at the Batwa Development Program (Bwindi, Uganda), she said she is “so grateful.”
Ivan has sponsored four girls total – two university graduates (including Sarah), one currently in an undergraduate program and one in primary school. He also supports people living on some land he purchased.
Ivan’s full-time job is as the Regional Training and Development Advisor at the Danish government’s MS Training Centre for Development Cooperation, in Arusha, Tanzania. His work of engaging governments, development NGOs and youth leaders takes him across Africa and to Asia, Europe and Arab regions.
“So many people believed in me and supported me,” Ivan said. “I’m investing in others the way they invested in me. And I know the honor and glory for any blessings go to the Lord.”
Chris Nsanze, left, a dentist, poses with Ivan, who says Chris was one of his role models growing up (UCU Partners Photo)
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If you are interested in supporting students who are making a difference in the communities around Uganda such as UCU Partners Scholarship Recipient Ivan Atuyambe is, contact Uganda Partners’ Director @mtbartels@gmail.com.
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