All posts by Patty Huston-Holm

About Patty Huston-Holm

Author, professor, communications consultant in Ohio, USA; and Mukono, Uganda, Africa. View all posts by Patty Huston-Holm →

UCU advice for internships, work

April 25, 2024News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication, UCU School of LawPatty Huston-Holm

For many university courses, students are expected to engage in internships or have work placements as one requirement for the award of their degree. Pauline Luba of the UCU School of Journalism gleaned information from some key university staff, an employer/alum and two students to learn how students should conduct themselves in the world of work, especially during internships. UCU Law alum, Chris Mogal, created a video to reinforce the message, including how to avoid harrassment.

**Rev. Paul Wasswa Ssembiro, university chaplain, UCU**

I am the university chaplain at Uganda Christian University (UCU). I’m in my fifth year here in this position. Internships come with temptations, “predators” and things that could be dangerous to a student. However, when students go into the internship with strong values, they can always cope. Know the value you attach to yourself, and you need a solid character base from which to draw the values. At UCU, we give opportunities to students to grow spiritually. Once you join any workplace, make your stance clear. Speak back to whichever predator, and the good news is the predators know that what they are doing is wrong.

**Frank Obonyo, UCU alumnus, Senior Public Relations Officer at LDC**

I am the Senior Public Relations Officer at the Law Development Center (LDC). From 2003 to 2006, I pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication at UCU. The transition from student to work is really different. As a student, there are lots of dos and don’ts in the guidelines at school to help keep someone in check, but when you move out to the professional world, it is all about you, and so there is interconnectedness between the two. The professional life is informed by the student’s life. There is no disconnect between the two; how you handle yourself as a student will reflect professionally on how you also will live the working life. My transition was formed when I joined UCU. Some of the things that I learned seem to be small, but mean a lot in life. For example, things like worship are not in every university. But when I joined UCU, I felt my level of faith improved because of the opportunity, such as the worship hour every Tuesday and Thursday. I am one of the people formulating the sexual harassment policy at LDC. If you know yourself, you will not give in. Alumni are a big force in change. They contribute to the reputation of an institution. So, we cannot leave them out. They can guide the students. We can invite alumni to speak to students on how they can be prepared to manage their life of work.

**Joel Tusiime Mwesigwa, 3rd year student of Bachelors of Law at UCU**

I have been an intern at places such as Pearl Advocates — a law firm and Resilient Africa Network, a partnership of 20 African universities in 13 countries. Our university usually guides us on where to go for internships. The talks they give us also provide insights into what to expect at the internship. There are some principles we need to uphold in order not to cast the university in a bad light. I have never faced sexual harassment or discrimination at the workplace, and I pray that my peers never get to experience such. Students need to be God-fearing. The university could counsel students on how to keep safe at work.

**Margaret Kiwanuka, teacher, Quality Assurance Coordinator at UCU**

UCU prides itself in professionalism and developing the character of students. We expect students to have integrity when they go to the workplace. We also expect our students to be diligent and to live by the core values we instilled in them. We expect them to serve others, and not to behave as if they are above everyone else. Servanthood and stewardship are some of the values we instil in them. They are also taught foundational courses that help them to conduct themselves out in the world. The university organises career affairs and invites several employers to speak to our students. In addition to this, UCU runs mentorship programs for the students.

The programs equip students with tips and tricks to deal with issues like sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace. In case of any harassment at the workplace, students need to identify who is harassing them and inform the authorities.

**Irene Nabwire, university counsellor, UCU**

At UCU, we offer several services that prepare students for internships and work placements. One of the key trainings that we have is the para counsellors training, where we discuss matters like the dos and don’ts in the world of work, as well as issues about sexual harassment. Students need to know the right steps to take in case of harassment. Harassment comes with a lot of consequences, including pregnancy. So, we try to “journey” with people who may find themselves in such situations.

We also teach the students about emotional stability — when you go to a workplace, there are little things that can provoke someone, but once you are emotionally stable, you can respond, as well as execute your duties.

Laetisha Asio Seth, student of Bachelor of Governance and International Relations, UCU

It’s advisable that one holds their values high when going into the world of work, for instance, being God-fearing, assertive, able to communicate and defend oneself. I advise that you just stay away from instances that could compromise you.

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

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‘We only treat… it’s God who heals’

April 23, 2024Faculty of Public Health, Nursing and Midwifery, News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of MedicinePatty Huston-Holm

By Irene Best Nyapendi
The first time Victoria Nantambi had a ward round, she was with a team of three other nurses. Together, they were entrusted with the task of treating an elderly woman who was suffering from a lung infection.

The woman also had an open ulcer. Although this was Nantambi’s first time working in a hospital, she did her best to help the woman. By evening, the patient’s condition had improved.

At 4 p.m. Nantambi, a final-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Nursing Science at Uganda Christian University (UCU), happily went home. When she returned the following day, she eagerly inquired about the status of her patient. The bed was empty. The patient had died.

“The death of my patient struck me, but also taught me that we only treat, and it’s God who heals,” she said. “We do our best to save lives, but the outcomes are not ours to determine.”

For such experiences, Nantambi says: “Nursing keeps me on my toes and that’s what I love about it.”

She says in order for students to garner as much experience as possible, they are always on the move, visiting different hospitals to get a feel of the operations there.

When it comes time for clinical rotations, they go to the hospital with objectives to achieve while applying the theory they learned in class. While there, they are supervised and have responsibilities dictated by their course unit and objectives.

Nantambi’s recent clinical practice at Mukono General Hospital was on safe motherhood and maternal health. She was tasked with assisting mothers in the labor suite, antenatal and postnatal wards.

However, she feared helping HIV-positive mothers to deliver because of the risk of infection.

On one of her days at Mukono General Hospital, they received an emergency. She quickly prepared the necessary equipment to assist the mother in delivering. During the process, the mother gushed out a lot of amniotic fluid, but Nantambi continued with the delivery process, albeit cautiously. It was after the delivery, that she checked the mother’s antenatal card and discovered that she was HIV-positive.

“I was worried about contracting HIV due to her excessive discharge,” Nantambi said. “However, I tested negative and the experience helped me know more about HIV.”

HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is passed on through blood, semen, vaginal fluid, anal mucus and breast milk and only outside the body if the uninfected person has broken skin. At that, such person-to-person transmission is rare.

For the days she works in the labor suite, Nantambi starts by cleaning the area, then assesses the condition of the women in labor, as well as assisting during delivery.

“Working in the labor suite has taught me that patients’ lives depend on the nurses. We have to be fully alert and attentive,” Nantambi said.

After spending the day attending to patients’ needs, scrutinizing and administering medications, conferring with senior nurses, she finally gets to report to the nurse in charge before she retires for the day.

One of the most rewarding experiences for her is witnessing the recovery of her patients, and subsequently receiving expressions of gratitude from them. Nursing involves touching lives. It gives Nantambi immense joy when her patients call to thank her for treating them.

Erick Rwamurenzi
When Rwamurenzi, a UCU student of Bachelor of Nursing Science, was 17, he got an injury while playing football. He said at the hospital, the nurse seemed too afraid to work on him that he wondered if she treated all patients the same way. This experience ignited a passion in him to care for patients.

“I prayed to God to help me become the person that will help people,” he says.

Rwamurenzi and his colleague nursing students reach the hospital by 8 a.m. and start their day with ward rounds and drug administration, and, later, post-conference discussions to share experiences and discuss what they saw in the wards.

During one of his days in the hospital, he attended to a 35-year-old woman who had been pregnant nine times, but had only given birth to five babies at full term. The rest were miscarriages. The day before, she had undergone a cesarean section, but due to strong uterine contractions, she experienced a severe uterine rupture that resulted in the loss of her uterus. Unfortunately, she was also HIV-positive, epileptic, and had lost her husband only a month before.

Despite her condition, Rwamurenzi did his best to save both the mother and the baby. He administered fluids, antibiotics, and offered psychological support. He monitored them and was happy to see them improve and be discharged from the hospital.

The most satisfying part of being a nursing student, according to the 27-year-old, is when he helps patients heal and they call to say thank you. The other part is the amount of assistance they get from the nursing administration that helps them find their footing in the hospital operations.

Rwamurenzi narrates that one of the challenges he has faced as a nursing student is when some senior health professionals on the wards do not want to engage with them in the name of being busy. However, he notes that clinical practices are vital as they provide nursing skills and enable them to familiarize with the hospital environment.

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American at UCU to receive honorary doctorate from Dartmouth

April 12, 2024News, Students, UCU School of Business, UCU School of LawPatty Huston-Holm

The honorary degree recipients at Dartmouth’s June 9 Commencement will be, clockwise from top left: Roger Federer, the Commencement speaker; Mira Murati, Thayer ’12; Paul Nakasone; Richard Ranger ’74; Roy Vagelos; Mung Chiang; Joy Buolamwini; Liz Cheney; and, center, John Urschel.

Dartmouth College, of Hanover, New Hampshire, USA, has announced that it will award Richard Ranger, missionary lecturer in Business and Law at Uganda Christian University (UCU), an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters at the College’s 253rd Commencement on June 9.

Each year, a member of the Dartmouth 50th reunion class is chosen to receive this award in recognition of service to the Dartmouth community and the broader world. Richard, a member of Dartmouth’s Class of 1974 that will celebrate its 50th Reunion in June, has been selected for this year’s honor.

Richard Ranger with members of the 2022 UCU-Dartmouth solar water heating project team (Phase 1). From left are Shalom Mukami, UCU Engineering ‘23; Veronica Yarovinsky, Dartmouth ’24; Richard; Daniel Tumusiime UCU Engineering ’22; Dr. Stephen Doig, faculty advisor and Senior Research and Strategy Advisor at the Irving Institute for Energy and Society, and Dartmouth ’82, Dartmouth ’24; Noah Daniel, Dartmouth ‘23; Ethan Aulwes, Dartmouth ’22.

Each year prospective honorary degree recipients—scholars, artists, innovators, public servants, philanthropists, and others who have made extraordinary contributions to their respective fields and society at large—are nominated by members of the Dartmouth community. The confidential nominations are reviewed by the Council on Honorary Degrees, which selects the honorands in consultation with the president and the Board of Trustees.

In addition to Richard Ranger, this year’s recipients are:

Joy Buolamwini, a computer scientist, artist, and founder of the Algorithmic Justice League;
Liz Cheney, former U.S. representative from Wyoming and vice chair of the House Jan. 6 committee;
Mung Chiang, president of Purdue University;
Commencement speaker Roger Federer, philanthropist and former tennis champion;
Mira Murati, Thayer ’12, chief technology officer of OpenAI;
Paul Nakasone, retired director of the National Security Agency and commander, U.S. Cyber Command;
John Urschel, a mathematician and former Baltimore Ravens guard; and
Roy Vagelos, philanthropist and retired chairman and CEO of Merck & Co. and retired chairman of Regeneron

At UCU along with his wife, Catherine, Richard serves as a missionary with the Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders (SAMS), based in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, USA. Prior to coming to UCU in 2020, Richard spent 43 years as a negotiator, environmental compliance manager, and community and government relations specialist in the oil and gas industry in the western United States, Alaska, and Washington, D.C. From that background, he now lectures in business and law at UCU. Dartmouth’s announcement describes this second career as reflecting “his lifelong commitment to service, his faith, and his sense of adventure.”

“I am humbled beyond belief at this award,” Richard says. “As many who know me know, I am deeply loyal to Dartmouth and to the education that I was blessed with there, and the gift of so many friendships from the Dartmouth community. As someone who has served my class as its Newsletter Editor for some 40 years, I know the many stories of achievement, character, and conscience that distinguish our class. Such a recognition could easily have gone to any of a number of my classmates and have been richly deserved. That it is coming to me is a gift beyond measure.”

Catherine and Richard Ranger during a July 2023 trip to Biharamulo and Maleba, Tanzania

Richard adds: “As a missionary, I’m also very conscious of the fact that it’s a rare missionary who is awarded an honorary degree. The four years we have spent in the company of people serving in mission and serving the needs of a broken world in so many ways have introduced us not just to colleagues, but to true heroes. I’m reminded of this every day here at UCU, which was initially founded by a missionary minister as a seminary, who got here to Uganda by walking from the Indian Ocean coast.”

At UCU, alongside UCU colleagues, Richard has taught Corporate Governance and Business Ethics in the School of Business, and Oil and Gas Law in the Faculty of Law.

Along with Catherine, Richard has served as a mentor for individual students. Together they host a weekly cell fellowship from the patio of their campus Tech Park apartment. And for the past two years, Richard has served as site coordinator for installation of a solar thermal water heating system for the campus dining hall – a joint effort by engineering students from Dartmouth and from UCU.

Richard Ranger lecturing in the UCU Corporate Governance and Business Ethics course for the Accounting and Finance students, 2023

“To have seen students from the two universities work together and build together across frontiers of distance and culture is simply the most rewarding job I have ever had,” Richard said.

As a person of faith, he gives any glory for the Dartmouth award to God, adding appreciation for the opportunity to serve at UCU.

“Not everyone is in such a position,” he said. “Our hope is that the highlighting of our story through the award Dartmouth is giving me will lead others to ask whether and how they might serve. Because it’s possible – and because in a broken world our hearts, hands, and talents are needed.”

Richard said he is “blessed to be able to do this work in a place that I love, in the company of the woman I love, among Ugandan friends” in a place that “challenges us to learn every day.”

“To have an honorary degree from my alma mater on top of all of that is an incredible blessing,” he said.

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Young creatives demonstrate projects at career exhibition

April 10, 2024Faculty of Engineering, Design & Technology, News, Students, UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication, UCU School of LawPatty Huston-Holm

The Uganda Christian University (UCU) Honors College recently collaborated with Usanii Village-Africa, a non-governmental organization, the UCU Directorate of Student Affairs, and the university’s 26th Guild Government to conduct a career exhibition. Themed “Navigating Horizons; a Journey Through Diverse Careers,” the exhibition, held at the UCU main campus in Mukono, was intended to showcase ideas from different faculties and schools, in addition to linking the students to industry players. The Faculty of Engineering, Design, and Technology was recognized as the top exhibitor, with the School of Business and the School of Law following in that order. Partners Intern Kefa Senoga talked to some exhibitors.

**Atwiine Barinaba demonstrating his art skills.**

I use the proceeds from the sale of the art pieces to support myself at school. The cost of the art pieces ranges from sh10,000 (about $2.6) to as high as sh2.5million (about $644). The business of selling art is not one where someone can depend solely since the money does not come in every day.

Art can also be a service. For example, it would be a better option to hire an artist to perform the work of interior design, rather than one without any knowledge of art. I have also started private classes for children, so I can teach them the subject of art outside the classroom setting.

**Okot Innocent, Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering**

The technologies we’re exhibiting represent clean cooking solutions. Among the technologies is a stove that utilizes bi-ethanol, derived from fermented starch-producing foods like sugarcane waste, maize and sorghum. It’s considered a sustainable clean-cooking method because we get the bi-ethanol without burning charcoal or cutting down trees.

When bi-ethanol is poured into this stove, it produces a blue or luminous smokeless flame, which is ideal for cooking. By using this stove, we not only decrease reliance on burning fuels, but also mitigate gas emissions, contributing to a cleaner environment.

We are also exhibiting a gasifier, another cooking technology, where you can put in your biomass, for example charcoal, wood or briquettes. This technology produces some soot or smoke, but it is thin. When this smoke goes out, it mixes with the clean air, but the effect is less because it’s thin, with fewer particles or pollutants.

**Michael Ainomugisha conducts an interview for his podcasts.**

We have fruits in our stall because we can’t talk about fitness without talking about nutrition. Fruits are an essential component in ensuring a healthy and fit body. In our community, many eateries do not include fruits on their menu. We, however, prioritize the inclusion of fruits as we preach the gospel of fitness

As the UCU Fitness Club, we support our members to access their essential fruits. We support students on different fitness endeavors – some people come to us with a request to reduce their weight, while others just want to keep fit.

Our club works with different organizations to foster holistic health like mental, physical and spiritual, among their employees. Currently, our activities are primarily conducted at the main campus, but we intend to expand our presence to other university campuses in the near future.

I am showcasing an innovation of a podcast, which is best explained as an audio storytelling platform, for issues to do with mental health.

Last year, when the New Vision newspaper published an article stating that 14 million Ugandans were affected by mental health issues, they did not delve deeper into the specific impact of that on the youth. In the Ainomugisha Podcast, there’s an episode titled “Life Experiences,” where youth openly share how they overcome mental health challenges.

I once interviewed a woman who shared her journey of using alcohol as a coping mechanism to forget the challenges she was facing at the time. She also explained to us how she managed to stop taking alcohol. Subsequently, she started a sobriety platform. Our podcast aims to share such experience to inspire others who could be facing similar challenges.

**Byaruhanga Joshua Morris, Bachelor of Laws**

As the School of Law, we created a user-friendly “UCU Law” app to help both legal professionals and the laypeople. The app is intended to make it easier to draft tenancy agreements and to access legal documents in text and audio format, including statutes, acts, laws and cases.

We chose tenancy agreements because it affects a majority of Ugandans who are either owners of property or tenants in the properties they occupy. Processing a tenancy agreement on the app only requires entering the necessary information requested on the portal, such as name, address, and contact details, among others.

The developers created the app with students in mind, since many of them seek accommodation in hostels outside the university. The other advantage that can be accrued from using the app is access to a statute board that allows students to easily access the statutes through the platform.

The app, which is available for free access through the UCU International Humanitarian Law blog, also provides audio cases, which law students can take advantage in their course.

Dickson Tumuramye, head of the Honors College at UCU

According to Tumuramye, they organized the exhibition to provide a platform for students with different innovations.

“Since we are in an era of innovations and employment, this was an opportunity for the students to showcase their work to potential employers who could either hire them or offer them placements for internship opportunities,” Tumuramye says.

He added that the organizers wanted to showcase what UCU students can do.

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No more stains for girls in northeastern Uganda

April 8, 2024News, Students, UCU School of Education, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

Martha Nanjuki Najuka, a fourth-year student of Bachelor of Laws, guides pupils on how to make reusable pads.

By Irene Best Nyapendi
At Kalotom Primary School in northeastern Uganda, Patricia (full identity withheld) started her menstrual cycle with no knowledge what the blood discharge was about and that it had stained her skirt. The girl, age 14, was not only confused but shattered emotionally by classmates who mocked her.

Gerald Emmanuel Abura, the brains behind the “Pad a Girl” initiative

“I was in class when I heard the girls and boys laughing at me, saying my dress was stained,” Patricia said. “I didn’t know. When I saw the blood, I felt embarrassed. Tears just flowed down my cheeks.”

At home, Patricia’s mother says she has no money to buy her daughter sanitary pads. As a result, the teen resorts to catching the discharge with old pieces of cloth. On days when the flow is too heavy, she stays away from school, hence missing class.

Patricia is not alone. Hers is a story of many.

Elizabeth (full identity withheld), a Senior Four student at St. Daniel Comboni in Napak District, also uses old pieces of cloth.

On days when Elizabeth runs out of cloth, she relies on more frequent bathing. Additionally, for her, this first period marked the onset of a battle against cultural pressure to be a woman – get married, have babies. This, she is told, is a solution to the embarrassment of bleeding and no money to afford pads.

To finance her education but not pads, Elizabeth brews and sells local alcohol.

“My friends always tell me to get a boyfriend who will buy me pads,” Elizabeth said. “Sometimes it gets really hard and it hurts when I don’t have any spare clothes to use.”

Students of Matany Primary listening to the UCU team

Lillian, a pupil at Matany Primary School in Napak, has relied on pieces of cloth from her mother’s old bed sheets every time she’s in her periods. When the periods of the 16-year-old start unexpectedly at school, she ties a sweater around her waist and immediately returns home.

The stories of Lillian, Elizabeth and Patricia exemplify the silent suffering of many adolescent girls for whom poverty denies the basic dignity of menstrual hygiene.

A 2020 report by Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports says one out of every four girls aged 12 to 18 drops out of school upon the onset of menstruation, leading to the increase in absenteeism rates from 7% to 28% during their menstrual cycle.

Jackline Atim, the Deputy Headteacher of Matany Primary School, is a witness to the harsh reality faced by adolescent girls.

“It is a common thing here for girls to lack pads,” Atim said. “Desperation drives some of them to consider dropping out.”

However, amidst this suffering, somehow, Good

A pupil shows off a pad she received from the UCU team

Samaritans, once in a while, provide hope. One example was the recent visit to the area by students of Uganda Christian University (UCU) under the “Pad a Girl” initiative. This initiative helps financially-stressed girls in their menstrual periods stay in school by providing for them and teaching them how to make reusable sanitary towels.

Led by Gerald Emmanuel Abura, a UCU student pursuing Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration, the initiative was borne by the experience that Abura’s female classmate faced many years ago.

“My friend got up from her seat, and little did she know that her skirt was stained,” Abura narrates. “I was in shock when other students started laughing at her, instead of helping her.”

Abura’s friend didn’t return to school again.

On March 22, Abura and 26 other UCU students visited three schools in northeastern Uganda — Matany Primary School, St. Daniel Comboni Secondary School and Kalotom Primary School. For this outreach, UCU provided transport and contributed towards meals and accommodation for the team that traveled to northeastern Uganda.

A UCU student donating household items to members of the community

They taught both teachers and students how to make reusable pads, and also distributed the materials for making pads. The outreach also involved lessons on the law, menstrual health and the importance of education

The students distributed 600 reusable pads and 768 packets of disposable pads, ensuring that no girl misses school due to lack of a sanitary towel. The charity benefited more than 300 students, over 100 community members, including 41 widows, and more than 100 church members.

Irene Nabwire Ojambo, UCU’s head of the Counseling Department, said the “Pad a Girl” initiative extends beyond supplying pads. The initiative teaches girls how to track their menstrual cycles, empowering them to take control of their health and education.

Miriam Teko, one of the teachers at Kalotom Primary School, said: “Some parents do not provide for their children. I’m so grateful to UCU students who have given our students pads.”

Grace Agape Asiimah, a final-year student of Bachelor of Laws at UCU, used the opportunity to teach the students about their rights. “You have a right to education. Don’t work when you should be in school.”

The UCU students also reached out to the members of the community, distributing shoes, clothes, and other household items.

Asiimah Onyang Lillian, a mother struggling to make ends meet after her husband abandoned her, expressed gratitude for the support received.

“Every day is a struggle for survival, but thanks to the UCU students, who have given me clothes, pads, soap and sugar,” she said. “I feel blessed amidst my hardships.”

Last year, the “Pad a Girl” initiative was in Bukwe, central Uganda, for the same purpose. This year’s campaign was funded by Period Equity, Kisoboka Africa – It’s possible, Compassion Uganda, UCU students and staff.

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Congress provides hope for parents of special needs children

March 8, 2024News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

By Kefa Senoga
In 2018, a patient in a Ugandan hospital labor ward developed a ruptured placenta. As expected, this emergency required all the attention of the medical staff on duty. Many of the women who were in labor in the same ward could only be assisted after handling the urgent situation.

Akut Suzan, who was among the other women in labor at that time, says when she eventually gave birth to her son, she and her son were exhausted.

“He did not cry at all,” Akut narrated during a recent seminar at Uganda Christian University (UCU) main campus.

Dr. Jeremy Waiswa (holding microphone) addresses the audience at the event. With him are some of the faculty.

“When I was discharged, he turned yellow and got jaundice. He got sepsis in the umbilical cord, and that part got paralyzed,” she recalled, adding, “By the time we returned to hospital for review, I was told the baby had already been affected, so they could not reverse his situation.”

The result is that for the rest of her life, Akut, who works as a house-help for a living, has to contend with mothering a child with cerebral palsy and other health issues.

At five years now, Ajono Daniel cannot walk by himself; his hands cannot hold anything and he has developed a conversion disorder. He is currently using a walker for movement.

At his age, Ajono would ordinarily be in his second year of a kindergarten class in Uganda. But that is not the case. He has not even started school.

Some of the special needs children who attended the event

Ajono and Akut were at the UCU main campus on February 16 to participate in a seminar for children with special needs, as well as their parents, and stakeholders. The two-day seminar, held under the theme “Unlocking the Potential Towards Inclusive and Equitable Education for Children with Special Educational Needs in Uganda,” started on February 15.

Akut, a resident of Makindye, a suburb of Kampala, says she has sought, without success, admission for her son in many of the schools that do not offer specialized care for children with special needs. The few that agreed to admit him, she said, increased the tuition fees, with the justification that Ajono needs specialized care. In addition, they asked Akut to hire a special caregiver for her son while at school.

Amidst all these challenges, Akut remains positive. Her husband and the father of Ajono has not abandoned the two. He has endeavored to provide the little that he gets to support his son, in addition to showing him “unconditional love.”

“He is not ashamed to carry him, even in public,” she says.

Special needs children perform in Nkoyoyo Hall at the event.

Information at the UCU seminar further reminded Akut that she isn’t alone.

At the dialogue, which took place on the first day of the event, the primary discussion centered on inclusive education, aiming to spark potential actions or policy interventions for the betterment of children with special needs.

The second day of the event was focused on fostering interaction with special needs children, along with their parents and teachers. The objective was to gain insights into their challenges and to advocate support. Akut said by attending the congress, she was able to share with parents who are facing the same dilemma.

When at home “you may think that the situation of your child is the worst, yet there are people out there in worse situations,” Akut said at the congress organized in collaboration between the UCU School of Social Sciences and Promise International, a US-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to empowering and educating children with special needs and their families in Uganda.

Some children with special needs prepare to perform at the event.

Representatives from the government, the academia, the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), among others, took part in the congress. Uganda’s minister in charge of disability affairs, Hellen Grace Asamo, was among the special guests.

Sarah Bugoosi, the Commissioner for Special Needs in Uganda, urged parents to embrace and support their children with special needs, and not to listen to negative public opinion about their children.

Dr. Jeremy Waiswa, the coordinator of the partnership between UCU and Promise International, said they fronted the partnership, so that UCU, given its strong foundation on Christian principles, can make a difference in the lives of children with special needs.

Waiswa said they took advantage of the congress to organize a medical camp for the children. The UCU School of Medicine provided 12 medical students who assisted the medical workers from the university’s Allan Galpin Medical Center to run the medical camp.

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Rural Uganda women defy odds to create a livelihood for families

March 6, 2024News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

By Kefa Senoga
Achito Loyce is not someone who prides in being defined by her past. She does not want challenges to define her. And that is precisely the reason she has defied all odds to transform not just her life, but that of her children, as well as siblings.

From an early age, Achito, a resident of Soroti in northeastern Uganda, shouldered the responsibility of caring for her seven siblings. Following the passing on of her father and her mother’s ailing health, Achito became both the breadwinner and a mother figure for her family. In fact, her clan members forbade her from marrying because there was no one to take over the responsibility of looking after her family members.

Achito Loyce says her restaurant has not only transformed her life, but also for those who depend on her.

Achito and her seven siblings were being raised on land their mother’s family had given their father. However, upon the passing on of their father, Achito says her maternal relatives had a change of heart on the land – they sent them off, reasoning that the children were supposed to return to their paternal relatives. And they neither knew the paternal relatives nor where they lived.

After many months of wandering, Achito and her siblings finally settled on land donated to them by a Good Samaritan. The family knew full well that the odds were stacked against them. For that, they engaged in casual work for willing members of the community, in order to eke a living.

The family members saved some money, which they used to set up a restaurant in Tuburi Town Council, Soroti district. Achito says the restaurant has not only transformed her life, but also for those who depend on her. She has been able to meet the needs of her family, including educating her four sons. The boys are now grown children, and each of them is living in their independent homes. From the restaurant, she has also been able to save money and build a permanent house.

Five kilometers away from the home of Achito is Anayo Mary, a widow. Anayo was living with her husband in Adjumani, northwestern part of Uganda. However, upon his death, she says she faced economic hardships that made it almost impossible for her to take care of her four children. She gave in and returned to her parents in Soroti.

Anayo Mary with some of the chairs she rents out to people organizing parties

Currently, Anayo runs small businesses, which she complements with farming. She is actively involved in livestock farming. Additionally, she engages in the sale of agricultural produce, such as millet, tomatoes, wheat and soya. She also owns 100 plastic chairs, which she rents out to people who have parties in the community.

The solid business acumen of Anayo and Achito are not by accident. The two have undergone training in running businesses, including basics of how to save money, book keeping and accounting, customer care and record keeping.

Destiny Community Development Initiative (DECODI) is one of the organizations that have held the hands of Anayo and Achito, and shown them how to keep afloat in the world of business.

Elotu Mercy, an alum of Uganda Christian University, who is the head of business and investment at DECODI, notes that many of their beneficiaries, just like Anayo and Achito, have been able to improve their livelihood using interventions, such as those provided by DECODI.

The organization mobilizes and applies its resources, leverages its networks, and avails its expertise to engage with, and

directly meet the psychological, economic and social basic needs of vulnerable women and their homesteads, focusing on single mothers in northeastern Uganda.

It is not easy for one to do proper bookkeeping when they are illiterate. Therefore, DECODI runs programs on adult learning to equip its beneficiaries with literacy skills that can enable them to successfully run their businesses. Both Achito and Anayo are graduates of the organization’s literacy classes.

One of the current learners in the adult education program, Amoding Sarah, says they have learned about keeping proper sanitation at home. She says one of the reasons for joining the program was because she wanted to learn how to keep proper hygiene in her home.

“I have been able to learn about a balanced diet and now I am able to feed my family well and nutritiously,” Amoding says.

Micheal Eberu, an official at DECODI, said although their target is women, they also include men in their programs, reasoning that in many communities, when women get more economically empowered than the men, it can create domestic violence. On many occasions, men can sabotage women’s projects because they feel marginalized. As Eberu elaborates, they often implore the men to work with the women.

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Young entrepreneurs showcase products at business expo

March 4, 2024News, Students, UCU School of BusinessPatty Huston-Holm

By Kefa Senoga
The first student-organized business expo at the Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Business (SoB) was held at the university’s main campus from February 9-10.

Sekiziyivu Denison, president of the UCU School of Business Society, said the event was intended to promote student commerce, as well as expose them to legal ways of running a business. To participate in the expo, each exhibitor was charged sh20,000 (about $5.1), while alumni paid sh50,000 (about $13). The expo attracted about 80 businesses.

Angella Kongai, an official from Uganda Revenue Authority — the country’s taxman, said her entity’s role at the exhibition was to create tax awareness.

“We were told that many students with such businesses are not aware of what happens after setting up a business,” Kongai said. “We have educated them on how to register their businesses, that’s why we came with some literature like the taxation handbook.”

She said they also explained to the exhibitors how to compute the amount of tax they are supposed to pay based on their businesses.

Some participants shared (below) their experience.

Miiro Joseph, Bachelor of Science in Information Technology

Using the knowledge and skills I acquired in class, I set up Shelby Gamers, a gaming technology company. Today, I am here to showcase various gaming technologies, including virtual reality and gaming consoles, such as PlayStations, featuring popular games like Mortal Kombat and FIFA soccer.

Many people have had the opportunity to visit our stall and experience augmented reality and virtual reality. Although I have made some money at the exhibition, my primary goal was to market our business. We are the only company in Mukono operating virtual reality games, so we wanted to let people know that we exist.

This business has greatly supported me in terms of income for upkeep at university. I use that money for meals and other basic needs while at campus. Upon realizing the benefits of this business, I started on a journey of training some youth in the community on technology so that they can also empower themselves.

We intend to introduce an app which people can use to request for boda boda services, such as delivery of food, parcels and for transport.

Tumwesigwa Emma, Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering

I am here to sell Happi bathing oil and soap. The body jelly is our latest product on the market. We launched this project a year ago, as a group of four friends. All of us are students of UCU, pursuing Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering. The main ingredients of the 100% natural oil are sunflower and honey. We make the products ourselves and then distribute them to supermarkets and retailers. We use social media platforms to reach different potential customers.

Inventors of the students and staff planner team

As a group of students from the Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance, we are offering a planner for students and staff of the university. We started this project as an entrepreneurship assignment from the business school incubation hub. When we excelled in the project, we actualized the idea. Our current objective is to scale up the production. We are optimistic that the product will be well received by the UCU community.

We pooled resources from our savings to start this business after we got the branding guidelines from the UCU communications and marketing office.

We came up with this idea because we thought it’s important for staff and students to plan their days. Sometimes they forget their assignments, so we wanted to have something that can remind them about that. The planner, which costs sh20,000 (about $5.1), covers the entire semester. More than 50 students bought copies of the planner from our stall.

Arobu Chelsea sells groundnuts in wine bottles

Arobu Elsie, Bachelor of Science in Economics and Statistics

In order to put what I learned in class into practice, I started a business of selling roast ground nuts, which didn’t require a lot of capital.

Some of the ground nuts are flavored with chili. I do not put any oil or salt in the ground nuts, in order to serve even those who, for health reasons, do not take them.

Josephine Mareete, lecturer, Department of Art and Design

Josephine Mareete at the stall selling student art pieces

We are here to showcase some of the creative works of our students, such as fabric work, woodwork, ceramics and paintings. Our primary goal of participating in this exhibition is to promote and market the offerings of our department.

We have actively sought feedback to identify areas for improvement, especially concerning marketing strategies and price ranges of our products. The products available for display are pieces for coursework completed by. For instance, some ceramic pieces are at sh5,000 (about $1.3); art pieces at sh10,000 (about $2.54) and woodwork ranges from sh50,000 (about $13) to sh100,000 (about $25.4).

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UCU Fitness Club empowers minds, bodies, spirits

March 1, 2024News, Students, UCU School of Business, UCU School of LawPatty Huston-Holm

Some participants in the UCU Fitness club

By Bena Nekesa
In the heart of Uganda Christian University (UCU), amidst the bustling academic endeavors and vibrant Mukono campus life, the UCU Fitness Club emerged.

The club visionary is Charles Miti, age 31, a student working toward a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance, School of Business. While he struggled with a weight of 94 kilograms (207 pounds), he knew that body image was more than physical fitness. He envisioned a journey of holistic transformation that encompasses mental resilience and spiritual growth not just for himself but others. Since its inception a year ago, the club has become a cornerstone of support and empowerment for its members, touching the lives of students in profound ways.

UCU Fitness Club participant, Joseph Kyeswa, warming up

The story of the UCU Fitness Club began when Charles engaged in a walk of 78.4 kilometers (48.7 miles) from Kampala to Jinja during the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic. The journey garnered others’ attention on social media platforms and further ignited a passion for health and fitness within Charles.

“I was inspired to create a space where others could embark on their own transformative voyages,” he said. “Walking is at the center of what we do, but it’s so much more. Fitness is medicine and is everything. Once you choose the road of fitness, you are cured physically, mentally and spiritually.”

With the support of like-minded individuals such as Edonu Emmanuel, a UCU School of Law student, the club took root, fostering a sense of unity and camaraderie among its members. Charles’s brother, a medical doctor, Joseph Ssebanenya, played crucial roles in the club’s inception. At the 2024 program launch in February, the brother provided insights about health and fitness. Additionally, Charles’s family, including two sisters and their parents, who are retired farmers, formed a supportive foundation for his endeavors.

Through activities like hiking, swimming, and other physical challenges, the club members forged bonds that transcended mere acquaintanceship, evolving into a tight-knit community.

The American Medical Association reports exercise as a top contributor to a healthy and longer life. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the World Health Organization (WHO), regular exercise not only extends lifespan by up to 10 years, but also promotes overall health, reduces the risk of chronic diseases and enhanced cognitive function, leading to improved productivity and quality of life.

For Charles and the 50 other participants, the club represents more than just physical activity; it is a sanctuary of happiness and personal growth. Rejecting the allure of vices like clubbing and substance abuse, Charles and others have found fulfillment in the pursuit of holistic wellness.

“Through prayer, fellowship, and shared experiences, our members discovered the transformative power of nurturing both body and spirit,” he said.

The journey of the UCU Fitness Club has not been without its obstacles. From mobilizing members to overcoming usual college temptations of parties and societal misconceptions about fitness, the club faced its fair share of challenges.

Contrary to perceptions, the pursuit of fitness did not detract from academic pursuits; rather, it complimented them. Members found that physical activity enhanced their cognitive abilities and provided a welcome respite from the rigors of academic life. Discussions during club activities often led to insights that translated into academic success, demonstrating the symbiotic relationship between physical and mental wellness.

As the club gained momentum, it became a beacon of hope. Through support and encouragement, individuals struggling with issues ranging from self-esteem to addiction found solace and strength within the club’s embrace.

“Through collective efforts, we have created a supportive community where individuals thrived, not just academically, but also emotionally and spiritually,” Charles, now weighing 74 kgs (163 lbs.), reflected.

As Charles looks towards the future, he knows that the club’s journey is far from over. With each new member welcomed and each new challenge overcome, the legacy of the UCU Fitness Club should continue to thrive, empowering more minds, bodies, and spirits.

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UCU students share internship experiences

February 28, 2024News, Students, UCU School of Business, UCU School of Education, UCU School of Journalism, Media and CommunicationPatty Huston-Holm

Many students from the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Main/Mukono Campus and other campuses and constituent colleges are engaged in internships at different places of work. The internships are intended to enable students gain work experience while satisfying requirements for their university qualifications. Pauline Luba talked to some education, business and journalism students currently doing internships to learn their perceptions of this knowledge and training.

Christy Assimwe is an intern at an international school. — Christy Asiimwe is an intern at an international school.

Christy Asiimwe, Bachelor of Arts in Education, third year, main campus. Intern at Acorns International School.

I am having a good experience. It is great that I get to serve as an intern at an international school. Due to the differences in the curriculum, many national universities will advise one to stick to a school that teaches the national curriculum. However, I like the fact that I will be able to learn about the International Baccalaureate curriculum so that I can see how it fits in our new national curriculum. I also like the exposure and the supportive environment. It has taken me some time to get a feel of what it means to work in the classroom. But I know I will, soon.

Ninsiima Barbra looks forward to improving her accounting skills.

Ninsiima Barbra, Diploma in Business Administration, Second year Bishop Barham University College, Intern at Pride Microfinance, Kabale branch.

I will be spending two months as an intern at this microfinance institution. We are two UCU students here. To get here, I have to travel four kilometers (2.5 miles), which is quite far, but I am determined to make it happen without any challenges. I look forward to improving my accounting skills and understanding the banking system.

Jonathan Okello wishes he could continue working after the internship.

Jonathan Okello, Bachelor of Arts in Education, third year, main campus. Intern at Mpoma School, Satellite Campus.

I was welcomed to the school well. There are other interns from different other institutions. At such postings, one can easily tell a student from UCU, based on how they dress and conduct themselves. The challenge we sometimes face is that since we have one more semester to study, we have to leave the schools and return to the university yet in some cases, some of the schools would like to retain us as staff. It feels like there will be a gap left when we return to the university. The co-operation and guidance from the other staff members at the school have been exceptional.

Dickson Twecungwire, Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication, third year Bishop Barham University College. Intern at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, communications department.

My earlier days of internship first proved a challenge because at the university, we were taught the theory regarding public relations, which I am majoring in. Now, here, you have to put what you learned into practice. I like the fact that I get to write articles for the hospital newsletters and press releases. I also like that I get to do graphic design work. I’m currently working hard so that I can impress the management here and get retained as full-time staff.

Ainembabazi Shivan is an intern at her former school.

Ainembabazi Shivan, Bachelor of Arts in Education, third year Bishop Barham University College. Intern at St. Theresa’s Girls School, Kanungu District.

I am an intern at a school where I was a student. And now I get to go back and share my knowledge with the students. The students here are quite friendly, which makes the working environment welcoming. Since this is my last internship before graduation, I hope to gain all the necessary skills and the experience that will enable me to succeed in the world of work.

Aaron Gamushabe has been posting content on the university website.

Aaron Gamushabe, Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication, third year Bishop Barham University College. Intern at Mbarara University of Science and Technology.

I like the fact that there are people ready to guide me, especially my supervisor. The team is also quite friendly. I have learned many new things, such as posting content on the university website, and writing reports. I hope to get more practical skills and come out as a real professional who is ready for the world of work.

Ainembabazi Annah says the work environment is welcoming.

Ainembabazi Annah, Bachelor of Arts in Education, third year, Bishop Barham University College. Intern at Rwentobo High School.

This is a private school in Ntungamo district, western Uganda. The work environment is welcoming and we are learning quite many things as interns. There are some things that we never imagined in the world of work, but with the internship, we get the real experience of what it means to be in the world of work. For instance, we can only leave the workplace after 5 p.m. Now, that is something I did not expect, but thank God, I am now getting to learn it.

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Medical outreach provides dental relief to rural Ugandan community

February 26, 2024News, Students, UCU School of DentistryPatty Huston-Holm

UCU’s Maria Kabogozza examines one of the children at the outreach.

By Kefa Senoga
How can medical practitioners better serve a transportation and economically challenged community that travels close to 50 kilometers (31 miles) to seek dental services?

That is one question that has been bothering the faculty at the Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Dentistry (SoD). To get the answers, the faculty partnered with the Christian Medical and Dental Association (CMDA) of the United States, Reach Unreached Needs (RUN) Foundation and the Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) to extend a health camp to the community at Kasiso village in the central Uganda district of Luweero.

Dr. Bill Griffin interacts with some of the UCU dental students at the outreach.

The camp, conducted on February 8, was composed of a team of dental specialists, as well as UCU Bachelor of Dental Surgery students who are currently conducting clinical practice as part of their degree course requirement. The specialists offered free dental services like fillings, teeth cleaning, restorations, extractions and surgeries.

“Today, they brought in a child who had undergone tooth extraction at the main hospital in Kasana,” said Joseph Lubowa Ddiba, the coordinator of Village Health Team (VHT) members in Luweero district. “Unfortunately, the child’s wound became septic. He is one of the people who have received treatment here.”

VHTs is a group of laypeople hired by the Ugandan government to empower people in their communities to take part in making decisions that affect their health.

Dr. Brian Rushaju, a dentist and the director of the RUN Foundation, said they found many cases of tooth decay among the people. Others had swellings and tumors, something he noted is an indication that many people in the community do not have access to dental services.

The nearest health facility which provides dental services is Kasana Hospital. To visit the health facility, Ddiba said one needs sh30,000 (about $8) for transport for a return journey. And many of them cannot afford that.

UCU School of Dentistry students and staff who participated in the outreach

“For someone who cannot even afford transport to the hospital, how can they pay for medical care?” Ddiba asked rhetorically, indicating that many community members treated the camp as a godsend opportunity.

Juliet Seruyange, a resident of Kasiso village, said she received a comprehensive dental examination at the outreach. A thorough cleaning and washing of her teeth, she said, made a big difference between how she arrived for the camp and how she left.

Dr. David Ciesla, the coordinator of HVO and a pediatric dentistry professor at the Oklahoma University in the United States, said many of the people he attended to had cavity issues.

“What I see here is the need for providers and a combination of lack of health education,” Ciesla said, noting the need for extra training for not only the workforce, but also the patients.

Dr Arabat Kasangaki, a lecturer from the UCU SoD, said where they discovered that some of the teeth were irredeemable, they extracted them or proposed to the patients to go to the UCU School of Dentistry, where he runs a dental clinic for fourth year and fifth year SoD students. Kasangaki said at their clinic, they have dentures for those who don’t have teeth and that they can fabricate sets of teeth for people to improve their life.

Dr. Bill Griffin, the dental director at CMDA, said at such outreach activities, he also takes the advantage to mentor UCU dental students. He noted that he has been conducting online monthly mentorship lectures for the SoD students.

Esther Masaba, Mark Wesonga and Maria Kabogozza – some of the UCU fifth-year SoD students who were part of the people in the camp – said they completed pediatric fillings, cleanings and examinations, noting that the exercise gave them opportunity to obtain more hands-on experience.

Griffin is currently collaborating with the faculty at the UCU SoD and specialists like Ciesla to develop a residency program that will include at least a year of learning about issues such as dental implants and sedation.

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From life of hopelessness, art gives Okello a livelihood

February 23, 2024Faculty of Engineering, Design & Technology, News, StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

Reagan Okello’s art depicting people with animal heads

By Irene Best Nyapendi
One of the reasons Reagan Okello loves art is it gives him the latitude to express himself beyond what the eyes and cameras can see. By doing so, Okello is able to tell a story that is different and “complete.”

Take, for instance, one of the pieces with an imposing presence in Okello’s art gallery. The piece depicts eight people dancing in a nightclub. On a closer look, some of the people have animal heads in place of human heads. This is one example, Okello argues, that art has an edge over the human eye and the camera. No camera could ever capture people with animal heads.

So, what is the story behind the animal heads’ art piece?

Okello's art gallery that doubles as his sitting room — Okello’s art gallery that doubles as his sitting room

Okello says ordinarily, during the day, the actions of many people is something close to purity, which would be represented by white color. However, after nightfall, the same people assume different behavior, which is why each of the people in the art piece is painted wearing a colorful outfit. And because some people partake of intoxicants at night, they become less able to control what they do or say. To Okello, such people then begin to behave like animals. And that is the reason he put animal heads on some of the people.

Currently a final-year student of Bachelor of Industrial Fine Art at Uganda Christian University (UCU), Okello says his dream is to offer a unique service to his clients once he fully joins the world of work. He says he would like to share with his client the passion, the peace and the fulfillment he gets while engrossed in his work. His dream is to offer a service where clients pay him to guide them through the process of drawing, so that they can recreate the same image he would have drawn for them. This way, he argues, clients can also experience the joy and the satisfaction that comes with drawing.

To refine his craft, Okello usually tries out painting using different styles, materials at his disposal and techniques. His love for painting and work with ceramics has endeared Okello to the community at UCU and beyond.

In March last year, Okello participated in an international visual art competition for tertiary institution students from Uganda and the Nigerian community in Uganda and Nigeria.

A cross-cultural competition was held with the theme “My Impression of Nigeria, My Impression of Uganda.” Ugandan students focused on “My Impression of Nigeria.” while Nigerian participants produced artwork based on the theme, “My Impression of Uganda.”

In the competition, Okello was 22nd out of over 300 competitors from Uganda and received a certificate and drawing materials as a reward.

Currently, Okello devotes his Saturdays to teaching children how to draw and paint.

“It’s these children that I hope to employ in my art gallery in the future,” Okello said. “I want to set up the biggest art gallery in Uganda.”

From the sale of his art pieces, Okello uses half of the proceeds to support his single mother who brews alcohol for a living. He lost his father in 2007.

Amidst the challenges of struggling to contend with a life with a peasant mother unable to afford his tuition fees, Okello was on the verge of giving up on education at a young age. However, the turning point came when Watoto, an organization that brings hope and healing to vulnerable women and children in Uganda and South Sudan, offered Okello support for his education. He also was given support for basic needs of life.

Okello says art allows him to tell a “complete” story.

“Watoto became my new family,” he said. “It was there that I found a sense of belonging and discovered my passion for art.”

Initially, Okello did not take art as a serious discipline. In fact, in A’level, his mind was on pursuing physics as a subject, even though he struggled to comprehend the subject matter. Upon discussing his academic struggles with his mentor, Marvin Ayebare, Okello was advised to drop physics and replace it with art. Okello hesitated, but he eventually gave in.

As he stepped into the art class, Okello was amazed by the stunning artwork displayed on the walls. He felt unsure of his own abilities and wondered if he could ever create anything as beautiful. After years of sitting in the art class, Okello’s abilities started to match those of the artists whose works were pinned on the wall at the time he joined the class. For instance, some of his art pieces which were his final year project in A’level fetched him money. His first payment for one of the pieces was sh200,000 (about $52). When he received this payment, Okello says he resolved not to drop art. As such, making a decision for his university course became easy.

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Agricultural sciences students empower farmers at field day

February 21, 2024Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, News, StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

Students use their charts to demonstrate potential symptoms of diseases in plants to agriculture enthusiasts.

By Irene Best Nyapendi
On January 24, farmers around Mukono went to the Uganda Christian University (UCU) main campus with samples of their crops that were affected by pests and diseases. On any other day, these farmers would not have been welcomed with these damaged crops. However, on this Wednesday, in a collaborative exercise, UCU’s students of agriculture examined diseased crops to establish the different diseases while also offering some tried-and-tested solutions to the farmers.

Students interacting with farmers in the demonstration gardens.

This field day exercise, organized by UCU’s Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, offered a platform where students taught farmers about good management practices at their different demo plots. The plots had crops such as Nakati (solanum Aethiopioum), collard greens, squash, sorghum grass, corn, grain amaranth, spinach and bulb onions.

The Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Dr. Rosemary Bulyaba, explained that for UCU, working with farmers is more than simply an event; it’s a corporate social obligation.

She noted that farmers are important for the livelihood of UCU because the university depends on the food crops they cultivate.

“If you ate today, it means a farmer grew crops, so farmers are so important to us,” Bulyaba said, noting that agriculture is a practical field, and that students cannot learn everything in class. In the field, they identify emerging diseases and real-life challenges, and come up with solutions.

Last year, third year students of Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Entrepreneurship participated in outreach activities in the gardens set up at the university’s demonstration plot. At the outreach, 30 farmers from Bugujju turned up for the event that provided a platform for the exchange of ideas between the students and the farmers.

The UCU Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Dr. Rosemary Bulyaba, addressing farmers.

At UCU, agriculture students are trained to be certified plant doctors so that they can identify what’s wrong with plants by simply looking at them.

One of the highlights of the January 24 field day was the plant clinic, where UCU agriculture students diagnosed diseased crops and made recommendations to the farmers, drawing from classroom knowledge.

Charity Rojo, a fourth-year student of Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Entrepreneurship (BASE), is one of the people who examined samples of sick plants brought in for diagnosis.

“For fungal diseases, we looked for leaf spots with concentric rings, and for bacterial diseases, we looked for wet spots,” Rojo explained.

For pests, she said they looked for holes in the leaves, and that if the stem was affected, they looked for boring on the stem.

According to Rojo, fungal diseases are the most common because they can easily be spread by rain and wind, for example, maize smut which is transported by wind from one maize cob to another.

She advised farmers to maintain good field hygiene and only get seeds for planting from recommended suppliers.

Mildred Julian Nakanwagi, a field technician within the UCU department of agriculture, takes farmers through the best farming practices of growing onions.

Joseph Odongo, a farmer from Kazinga village in Mukono district., said he learned about the option for organic spray for onions, instead of chemicals.

“The students taught me how to make a spray for my onions by mixing ash, red pepper, onions and garlic, and allowing it to ferment,” Odongo explained.

Filda Acan, a small-scale farmer, was happy to discover zucchini, something she said she can grow in her compound. “Today, I saw plants I had never seen in the market. I was excited to learn about zucchini, and I’m, surely, going back to plant it.”

Kefa Othieno, a third-year student of Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Entrepreneurship, explained that he was able to get practical experience by interacting with the farmers.

“Today, I’ve been able to apply the knowledge I learned in the classroom to a real-world setting,” Othieno said.

The students from the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences in the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences also encouraged fellow students and farmers to embrace a healthy lifestyle. Kelly Senoga, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, emphasized that physical size alone doesn’t determine one’s state of health, explaining that both underweight and overweight individuals can face health challenges.

Senoga explained to the students and the farmers that being overweight can lead to obesity, with associated health risks, such as high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer.

The students studying Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Technology also presented to the farmers value-added agricultural products, such as bread made from pumpkin. The bread contains 10% pumpkin and is high in vitamins A and C.

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UCU student narrates journey from homeschool to formal education

February 19, 2024Faculty of Engineering, Design & Technology, News, StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

Precious Abangira Nimmusiima says during homeschooling, a morning devotional prayer was always part of the program before the learning began.

By Pauline Luba
For 12 years, Precious Abangira Nimusiima didn’t know what it meant to sit inside a classroom in a formal school setting. From Primary Three until she completed secondary school, Abangira was studying from home under the tutorship of her parents. She has now joined Uganda Christian University (UCU) to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.

“I liked the flexibility which came with the homeschooling program.” Abangira, a daughter of missionary parents, said. “If I had to miss for a few days because of trips, it was okay since I didn’t miss school or have the class leave me behind.”

Each morning, Abangira and her brother woke up between 6 and 7 a.m. to do house chores, after which they prepared for class. They would dress up in uniforms and proceed to the section of their home dedicated for classes. The section was equipped with a chalkboard and other essentials necessary in a classroom.

According to the 21-year-old, a morning devotional prayer was always part of the program before the learning began. She said either of the parents would supervise their learning, depending on who was free that day. The curriculum is a learner-centered discovery method of learning.

Part of what Abangira learned included Bible studies, mathematics, English and grammar, science and history for their primary education and subjects such as geography, government, Literature and Economics once they joined secondary school. While the classes did not include extra curricular activities, Abangira often participated in sports and music. In the case of the Christian Liberty Academy homeschooling system, which Abangira was using, the parents of the children supervise them on a day-to-day basis, and then grade their work. The final grading and certification is done at the school campus in the USA.

Abangira was also part of a group for homeschooled children that often met once a week to socialize with other children, especially those in the same program.

Homeschooling has not been a common practice in Uganda. However, it gained popularity during the 2020-2021 lockdown of schools in Uganda, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2011, before many Ugandans got exposed to this form of education, parents of Abangira decided to homeschool their children as a result of their exposure to the system, which to them resonated with the family values they espouse. Francis and Allen Mutatiina, who serve with LIFE Ministry Uganda/, often travel to spread the word of God. Abangira says her parents would travel both within and beyond Uganda.

Kenya and Rwanda are some of the countries the Mutatiinas traveled to as a family. As such, the couple, now married for 23 years, would easily supervise their children’s education everywhere they went.

And the Mutatiinas knew that their homeschooling model was biblical. In addition to increased time parents spent with their children in their formative years, Abangira’s parents also often found justification for homeschooling in Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Abangira now says some of the practices they often followed at home have remained ingrained in her way of life. She remembers the family always “sitting together, reading and studying the Bible” as part of the homeschool curriculum. This habit is still very much alive in the family, and in the life of Abangira.

Having accessed, used and taught herself computer-related information from the age of 10, Abangira now hopes to further that knowledge by acquiring a professional qualification as an Artificial Intelligence expert.

Shockingly, during her formative years, a profession in computer technology was not anywhere among her priorities. She desired a course in human medicine. However, a few years ago, one of Abangira’s friends was diagnosed with cancer. As part of the treatment, the patient’s leg had to be amputated. Abangira says witnessing her friend struggle to buy prosthetics for his leg made her rethink the course to pursue at university.

She now hopes that with added computer knowledge, she will be able to contribute to the development of more affordable robotics, especially for people living with disabilities.

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Katoko: From almost missing graduation to UCU staff

February 13, 2024News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

Judith Katoko with Jonathan Tumwebaze of Uganda Partners during her graduation thanksgiving at Eunice Guest House on the Mukono main campus in 2022.

By Irene Best Nyapendi
Judith Katoko was expected to be part of the Uganda Christian University (UCU) graduation of July 2022. But that was not the case. By the time of the graduation, Katoko had neither written her dissertation nor completed her fees. However, she worked so hard that by the next graduation in October 2022, she had completed all the academic requirements.

Still, she was not on the graduation list.

Katoko had a fees balance of sh8 million (about $2,100). The 24-year-old says she had ruled out asking for money from friends and classmates because it was not her nature. She asked anyway.

When she shared her challenges with one of her cousins, Katoko was given sh3million (about $780). She then approached a UCU staff member and Jonathan Tumwebaze, Partnerships Manager for Uganda Partners. The staff member helped negotiate a sh4million (about $1,050) salary advance to give Katoko. Through Uganda Partners, Katoko got sh600,000 (about $160). The balance of sh400,000 (about $105) came from the savings she had. With this, Katoko cleared the fees balance a day before graduation — and received a Bachelor of Human Rights, Peace, and Humanitarian Intervention.

Uganda Partners Executive Director Mark Bartels, who was around UCU at the time, was among participants at Katoko’s thanksgiving feast at Eunice Guest House after her graduation.

“I can surely say a problem shared is a problem half solved,” she said. “I had never heard of Uganda Partners before, but through it, Mark Bartels’ organization gave me money to clear for my graduation.”

Judith Katoko believes that if she provides students with the best experience while at UCU, they will grow into responsible citizens.

After the graduation, UCU hired Katoko as a casual worker in the accommodation section. From April to December 2023, she was a stand-in for the female custodian. In January 2024, the university appointed Katoko as a graduate trainee in charge of Ankrah Foundation Halls of Residence. In the position, she manages issues to do with registration for accommodation, provides counseling services and helps students navigate issues pertaining to their academic programs. Although she may not know much about all the courses, she knows who to contact in case students need assistance in a particular area. The Ankrah Hall, which houses both male and female students, has 96 single rooms.

Katoko believes that people are molded by their early experiences and that if she provides students with the best experience while at UCU, they will grow into responsible citizens.

Ankrah resident Lynn Abaasa, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Nursing Science, describes Katoko as an approachable and consistently present custodian.

“When we have a challenge, we can easily go to Katoko. I recall the night she called the plumber to fix a water problem at night,” Abaasa said, adding: “She also offered me her laptop when I didn’t have one during exam season.”

Reflecting on her experience, Katoko encourages UCU students to embrace challenges. “There are challenges you may face as a student, but I urge you to seek guidance because, from an informed decision, you will have an informed choice,” Katoko said.

In the future, she hopes to become a children’s advocate. She intends to set up an organization dedicated to the promotion of children’s rights, inspired by Proverbs 31:8 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

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‘We’ve been created to be in each other’s lives’

February 9, 2024News, Students, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

Millie Mercy Namikka at the tulip gardens in Appingedam, Netherlands.

(This is the last in a series of five stories profiling Uganda Christian University students/alum who have had experience in international studies at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.)

By Irene Best Nyapendi
Millie Mercy Namikka is outgoing and composed. Committed to social justice, she often finds herself advocating for the marginalized. This virtue has enabled Namikka to make many friends, both in her community and at school.

“You always find her freely interacting with people in her environment,” Hannington Kikulwe, Namikka’s father, says. “At home, she helps the workers with their chores and also buys them gifts.” Namikka says she learned service and contribution virtues from her parents. Kukulwe was an evangelist, and his wife, a reverend.

Namikka ready to ride her bicycle to her hall of residence during her time in the Netherlands.

It was, therefore, not surprising, when Namikka chose to pursue a Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration at Uganda Christian University (UCU). And that choice for a course eventually presented an opportunity for Namikka to travel out of the country for her very first time in February 2022. She returned to Uganda in August of the same year.

She was part of the eight students that UCU was sending to Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands for a resume-building exchange program and international exposure. The collaboration between UCU and Hanze is a conduit for cross-cultural exchange, fostering not only academic growth but also personal transformation for both students and lecturers.

Over 30 students have benefitted from this initiative. Dutch students and the faculty also have visited Uganda for field work in agencies in the country.

“I felt so lucky that I was leaving the country and what amazed me was the fact that I did not have to pay any money,” Namikka says, noting that when her friends learned of her imminent trip, they organized a get-together.

Once in the Netherlands, Namikka says it was not easy adjusting to the food and the cost. But she eventually did. With her friends, they pooled resources and started buying food in bulk, sharing costs, and sometimes traveling to Amsterdam to enjoy local food. Her diet also changed from bread sandwiches to pasta, Irish food, and more vegetables. This new way of eating has stuck with her to date.

Namikka in the vintage jacket and boots she bought in the flea market during the King’s Day

One memorable experience for Namikka was attending the King’s Day in the Netherlands. Marked every April 27, the day is a national holiday and celebrates King Willem-Alexander’s birthday with lots of music, dancing, flea markets and fun fair.

“Two days before and after the actual day, it felt like a big holiday. People sold things from their homes at reduced prices, and the streets were full of parties,” she said. “I was shocked, seeing everyone wearing orange, and others selling their items. But I used that opportunity to buy vintage boots and a lot of vintage clothes and items for friends at the flea markets.”

For her classes at Hanze University, they didn’t just stick to theories; they dived into real-life situations. One of her favorite courses was creating and sharing happiness and positive coaching techniques. Every day, they would talk about their day — what went well, what didn’t. It was like a daily life check-in.

This made her realize that life is a mix of little moments. Now, she shares this wisdom with people in her shared workspace. She tells them to live the moment, be aware of how they feel, and focus on their journey of recovery, not the past.

Namikka during one of her outreach programs at Teens Challenge Uganda

Kasule Kibirige, the UCU head of department of Social Works and Social Administration, said the partnership between UCU and Hanze has been immensely valuable for both students and faculty.

“They promote cross-cultural knowledge and skills sharing, and contribute to individual teaching and learning improvement,” he explained. He added that this collaboration fosters the development of academic networks through regular meetings during guest lecture exchanges.

Namikka currently works with Teen Challenge Uganda, a Christian rehabilitation facility. Here, her responsibilities include reaching out to children, schools, those in brothels and slums, creating support groups and offering counseling, therapy, discipleship, Bible study and awareness on addiction.

Her desire to mend broken hearts and help people learn from their experiences fuels her ambition to become a counseling psychologist. She hopes to return to school to pursue a master’s degree in that field.

“We’ve been created to be in each other’s lives, and sometimes when we are in each other’s lives, we hurt each other and we don’t know how to mend the broken hearts,” Namikka says. The 24-year-old envisions building a career in helping individuals triumph over trauma, grief, and life’s challenges, witnessing them thrive and embrace the joys of life.

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Asiimwe: Our parents inspired us to work hard

February 8, 2024News, Students, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

Asiimwe Ruth waiting at a bus stop in the Netherlands.

(This is the fourth in a series of five stories profiling Uganda Christian University students/alum who have had experience in international studies at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.)

By Pauline Luba
Love. Service. Prayer. Hard work. These four are virtues that Ugandan parents Gideon and Charity Rutaremwa instilled in their children, with the hope that they would become useful citizens later in life. In addition to drumming up those virtues, the children say they further learned a lot more, just by observing how their parents conducted themselves.

“I am always inspired by the way my mother interacts with people,” said Asiimwe Ruth, a student of Uganda Christian University (UCU).

Asiimwe chatting with other students in the exchange program.

Perhaps, it was this inspiration that drove Asiimwe into choosing Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration at UCU. Asiimwe’s mother, now in retirement, was a social worker, and worked at Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development.

Asiimwe attended Kampala Junior Academy for her primary education and Mengo Senior Secondary School for her Senior One. She was then taken to World of Life International School for the remainder of her high school education.

After World of Life International School, she had intended to pursue undergraduate studies from a university abroad. That did not work. When she opted for UCU, her heart was with a Bachelor of Laws. That, too, did not work. By the time she applied, UCU had already admitted its law quota for the semester. Asiimwe picked herself up and accepted the offer of Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration as she set out to follow in the footsteps of her mother.

Asiimwe says she will not leave the classroom until she has earned a PhD in social work.

In 2018, an opportunity to travel to the Netherlands was presented to her. She embraced it right away. UCU was implementing a collaborative venture that it had signed with the Hanze University of Applied Science, Groningen, Netherlands. The partnership involves having an exchange program for the students and faculty of the two universities.

The trip to the Netherlands for a six-month stay had been scheduled for August 2018. Kasule Kibirige, the head of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at UCU, made the announcement to Asiimwe’s class, indicating that all applicants had to have a minimum of 4.0 of a 5.0 Grade Point Average. The applicants also were expected to have access to funds to help them sort out any emergencies. Asiimwe applied and was successful.

“It was my first time traveling alone and the trip was a process of self-discovery,” she said.

However, this was not Asiimwe’s first trip abroad. She had spent her childhood years in Philadelphia, Pa., USA, during the time her father was pursuing a PhD course.

“I was excited to finally travel,” she said of the Netherlands opportunity. “The disappointment for not traveling for my undergrad studies had really affected me.”

In the Netherlands, many ride bicycles as a means of transport. And that was the case with Asiimwe’s colleagues. However, Asiimwe often preferred the bus because she did not know how to ride a bicycle.

At the end of the six months, the students on the exchange program, hailing from several countries, including Turkey and United States, gathered on an emotional last night in the Netherlands to toast to the friendship that the 18 women and one man had created out of the program.

Asiimwe celebrated Christmas in the Netherlands.

Over 30 students have benefitted from this initiative. Dutch students and the faculty also have visited Uganda for field work in agencies in the country.

Kasule said the partnership between UCU and Hanze has been immensely valuable for both students and faculty.

“They promote cross-cultural knowledge and skills sharing, and contribute to individual teaching and learning improvement,” he explained.

In 2019, Asiimwe was a recipient of the Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration of UCU. In 2020, she was back at UCU, to pursue a Master of Social Work. And she says she will not leave the classroom, until she has earned a PhD in social work.

For the virtue of hard work that the Rutaremwas instilled in their children, they have been able to reap some benefits. Asiimwe is a social worker, her elder sister is a medical doctor and her younger brother is about to complete his degree in mechanical engineering at a university in Ohio, USA.

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Elotu: How I coped with life in a foreign country

February 7, 2024News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

(This is the third in a series of five stories profiling Uganda Christian University students/alum who have had experience in international studies at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.)

By Kefa Senoga
Once Uganda Christian University (UCU) student Elotu Mercy set foot in the Netherlands, one of the first things she did was locate a church where she could pray during her five-month stay in the European country. She got the church — Vineyard Church — as well as acquaintances who would become instrumental in her social and spiritual life in the new country.

In the church, Elotu met three Nigerian ladies, one of whom had received a Bachelor of Laws degree from UCU. The three Nigerians, Elotu and another UCU student, Milly Mercy, formed a quintet that for the next five months took time off their studies to tour the Schengen region.

Elotu Mercy with a friend from the Netherlands

Elotu, Mercy and three other UCU students were in the Netherlands in 2021 for a resume-building exchange program between UCU and the Hanze University of Applied Sciences. The exchange program is part of a collaboration that started between the two institutions of higher learning in 2017.

So far, more than 30 students have participated in the collaborative, with eight Ugandan social work students studying at Hanze University of Applied Sciences, and their Dutch counterparts also coming to UCU to carry out field work training in Ugandan agencies. Also, since 2018, annually, two UCU faculty have been invited to offer guest lectures in social work at Hanze, and the same has happened with Hanze faculty at UCU.

Elotu said her Nigerian friends advised that to enjoy touring other European countries, she needed to work so that she could save money for trips. Two months into her stay in the Netherlands, through an agency that employs international students, Elotu got a housekeeping job, where she worked for 16 hours a week. In the Netherlands, work permits for international students do not allow them to exceed 16 hours per week.

“We would work for two to three hours per day during weekdays. On Saturdays, we had opportunities to work in hotels, which was usually six hours,” says Elotu, the eldest of the five children of Joseph and Anne Grace Elotu. Her parents are both community workers.

Once the pay came in, Elotu and her student colleagues took advantage of their off-days from school to tour. In one of the trips, they spent four days in Paris, France, and a couple of hours in Belgium. Most of the trips were made possible by a less-demanding school schedule. In a week, Elotu says they had up to three classes at school.

While in the Netherlands, Elotu says she struggled to adjust to the food.

“In Uganda, we have three heavy hot meals in a day. However, while in the Netherlands, we only had one hot meal in the evening. Our lunch in the Netherlands was usually bread and soup, even in most of the homes that we visited,” narrated Elotu, the most senior member in the group that traveled for the program.

Elotu, currently pursuing a Master of Social Work at the UCU main campus in Mukono, was the only post-graduate student in the team that traveled. As an undergraduate student, Elotu had been selected to benefit from the exchange program, but the visits were canceled because of the lockdowns at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. So, Elotu missed the opportunity. When the visits were resumed, Kasule Kibirige, the head of UCU’s social work department, encouraged her to re-apply.

While in the Netherlands, Elotu says she continued her Ugandan master’s classes online. For the course she undertook in the Netherlands, Elotu returned with a Diploma in Applied Positive Psychology of Hanze University of Applied Sciences.

Participating in the exchange program broadens the worldviews of students, and many of them gain broader insights into professional practice, according to Kasule. He said participants report greater interest in personal exploration and increased professional growth.

“More academic networks have developed through regular meetings between faculty members during guest lectures,” Kasule elaborates.

Elotu is currently working in the eastern Uganda district of Soroti, with Destiny Community Development Initiative, a non-governmental organization.

Before joining UCU, Elotu attended Joy Christian Primary School in eastern Uganda for his primary education, and then St. Joseph’s SS Naggalama for O’level and Nabisunsa Girls School for A’level. Naggalama and Nabisunsa are found in central Uganda.

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Journey of learning, networking and compassion beyond borders

February 6, 2024News, Students, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

Racheal Drateru, studying in the UCU school of Social Sciences, is among students chosen for a semester of international studies at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.

(This is the second in a series of five stories profiling Uganda Christian students/alum who had experience in international studies at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.)

By Bena Nekesa
“Just as plants need sun, water and good soil to thrive, people need love, work and a connection to something larger.” So says American social psychologist and author, Jonathan David Haidt.

This epitomizes the vision of Uganda Christian University (UCU) student Racheal Drateru. She wants to establish an orphanage, fueled by the poignant scenes of suffering children witnessed during her family travels. The images of malnourished babies, tiny girls carrying jerrycans of water, boys toiling in the fields and malaria infection without medicine or mosquito protection inspire this deeper calling.

Racheal Drateru, right, with a student in her international studies cohort in Holland in 2023.

The desire to help such communities is reinforced by her studies in the UCU school of Social Sciences and part of who she is, including her 2023 international studies at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. While there, she also got the chance of traveling to other cities and countries such as Paris in France, Copenhagen in Denmark and Hamburg in Germany.

Racheal Drateru found herself at the crossroads of a life-altering opportunity when her department head, Kasule Solomon Kibirige, introduced the possibility of a study exchange program to the Netherlands. On February 2, 2023, Racheal ,accompanied by two other students, embarked on a six-month journey to the country in northwestern Europe.

Despite initial hesitations, Racheal stood as a lucky student among the 15 applicants for the study exchange program which embraced her chance to broaden horizons. The excitement of this venture prompted Racheal to share the news with her father, Moses Draza, a Christian and a social worker, whose character influenced his daughter. Racheal is also blessed with a mother and step-mother, both business ladies supporting her dreams. She choose UCU through the influence of her parents and a match with her Christian character.

Racheal on her bicycle – the regular mode of transportation in the Netherlands.

Navigating the Dutch culture proved challenging for Racheal as she grappled with the emphasis on punctuality and the persistent cold weather. Yet, she maintained a positive mindset, focusing on the primary objectives of networking, making enduring friendships, and academic growth. Racheal’s time in the Netherlands fostered an openness to diverse perspectives, encouraging her fellow students to embrace opportunities for cross-cultural exploration.

Beyond the academic benefits, Racheal’s journey abroad served to further crystalize her vision to help others. Instead of starting an orphanage, she realized the value of first working with a child-based NGO.

“Students at Hanze were open-minded and free,” she said. “I thought more freely and clearer about how to accomplish my vision. I started thinking, too, about how I could work with refugees.” Racheal’s advice to others engaged in international study is: “Learn to be open minded and embrace cross-cultural communication.”

Expressing heartfelt gratitude to her lecturers for guidance, Racheal age 22, continues to be committed to a personal project aimed at aiding the vulnerable in her community.

As Rachael Drateru returned to Uganda in July 26, 2023, her journey became a testimony to the transformative power of education, cultural immersion, and the unwavering support of family. “Beyond Borders” became a rallying cry for students to seize opportunities, embrace diversity, and wield education as a potent tool for positive change in their communities, Racheal’s indomitable spirit of learning, networking, and compassion.

Racheal hails from Arua city, a Lugbara by tribe from Ayivu. In addition to her parents, she has eight siblings. She obtained her secondary education from St. Mary’s boarding secondary school, a school that in 2020 led her to UCU, working toward a bachelor’s degree in social work.

“My advice for the rest of the students is never take an opportunity for granted because it’s a blessing since not everyone is able to attain it,” she said. “This enables one to travel across borders and network with others from other countries, including learning new things that are not in your country.”

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International Study: ‘People around the world think differently’

February 5, 2024UCU Alumni, UCU School of Business, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

UCU School of Business student Julia Christy Ayinza Kizza, left, and Joyce Nakalema, a social work student, ride bicycles as their main mode of transportation when studying at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.

(Uganda Christian University students Lynette Babweteera, Aspire Arthur Ronald, Kristina Nabatanzi and Karimua Benjamin Indani are currently engaged in international studies at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. This first in a series of five stories profiles students/alum who had previous experience there.)

By Patty Huston-Holm
The experience that Julia Christy Ayinza Kizza had a year ago couldn’t have been farther from her comfort zone in terms of ethnicity, religion and outdoor temperature and landscape. In her first airplane ride from Africa, she dove in anyway.

“It’s flat and cold,” Julia recalled of her five-month international study experience at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands in 2023. Talking in January 2024 while getting a hair weave within the Uganda Christian University (UCU) main campus in Mukono, she added that in comparison, “Uganda has hills” with warm-to-hot days.

UCU students Julia Christy Ayinza Kizza, Joyce Nakalema, and Drateru Racheal during their 2023 international study experience

Uganda’s year-round, daytime temperatures average in the low 80s Fahrenheit. In the northwestern European country of the Netherlands, winters can be snow covered, and summers average in the low 60s (17 Celsius). The Netherlands, which is sometimes called Holland, is known as one of the most liberal countries in the world with 55% of its citizens declaring to be non-religious. In Uganda, over 80% of the population is Christian.

Julia, a senior in UCU’s School of Business, was the only African among French, Italian and Spanish students and Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese lecturers for her International Marketing and Management cohort. The other three UCU students there at the same time weren’t in her classes because they are in social work.

Since 2017, UCU has offered four business and social work undergraduates the opportunity to study abroad during each late January to early July term within Hanze undergraduate programs of study. More than 30 students, including Dutch counterparts who have come to UCU and completed fieldwork training in Ugandan agencies, have participated. In the six years since the partnership began, two faculty each from UCU and Hanze, have served annually as guest lecturers at the respective locations.

Julia Christy Ayinza Kizza at Hamburg, Germany, City Hall, during an end-of-study visit to that country and Denmark.

Such collaborations are supported by UCU leadership and coordinated by the Research, Partnerships and Innovation directorate.

According to Kasule Kibirige, head of undergraduate studies, School of Social Sciences, and one of the UCU faculty who guest lectured, the teaching and learning have been “immensely valuable for both students and faculty.”

“Academic networks have developed through regular meetings among faculty members during guest lecture exchanges,” he said. “Student world views have been broadened, and participants indicate gaining broader insights about practice within the academic domains. Participants report increased professional growth and enhanced interest in personal exploration.”

Martin Kabanda, acting dean, UCU School of Business, concurred that the experiences “serve to increase student exposure to learning, culture, and life skills and increase their social network.” Seven business students are part of the Hanze alum with two more going in 2024.

Julia, age 23, is one of the nine from business. For her, the curriculum blend was in international marketing and management, change management and research. The latter involved a group project related to a simulated company offering advice on color applications.

“I knew very little about the Netherlands except that it would be cold and that people there have a special celebration called King’s Day every April,” she said. The national holiday celebrates King Willem-Alexander’s birthday.

One of four children to professional parents – a father in IT and mother in journalism – Julia is from Kooki in Rakai District, which is southwest of where she grew up in Kampala.

“Being here taught me to grow up, to realize that people around the world think differently, and I can’t take offense to that,” she said, recalling one student who believed her life includes lions and mud huts.

Julia overcame homesickness and three bouts of flu without her usual emotional and physical support system that was over 3,800 miles away. She engaged in student work of cleaning rooms for 12 euros ($13) an hour to support her financial needs in a country with an average food cost of $40 a day, compared to Uganda’s roughly $5 a day cost.

“Jobs are more available there,” she said. “I took advantage of that.”

Except on snowy days, she rode a bicycle everywhere. She grew to appreciate a simpler life devoid of large ceremonies, “like our big weddings.” She maintained her 4.57 GPA academic standing. While she didn’t spend time talking to students about her faith, it was during one day of the work experience that her Christian character was noticed.

“When a van came around to pick us up, I gave up my seat to another student who looked really tired, and I did it without thinking,” she recalled. “A student asked why I would do that because she never would. I told her I was trying to be nice. Kindness isn’t a strategy but a way of life.”

Additionally, during one exercise when students were asked to prioritize their values and others listed religion last, Julie put it first.

“It was a bit awkward because I’m used to being surrounded by people that think like me,” Julia said. “I found more (like-minded thinkers) as I attended a local church. I stayed away from parties that were mostly loud music and alcohol.”

Regardless of challenges, Julia says she “came back a better person.” As she graduates from UCU in October and thinks about her next steps – an HR consultant or owner of a beauty school – she sees her international experience as a reminder to avoid complaining and a lesson in flexibility.

To Holland, she offers up the only Dutch word she recalls: “Dank je wel.” Translated to English, that’s “thank you.”

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities, and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

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