Aerial view of the 4.25 acres purchased by Engineering Development Fund members and UCU alum. The land is located in Lunnya Village, Namataba Township, on the outskirts of Mukono district.
By Jimmy Siyasa No land. No houses. Delayed marriages. These three are among the challenges youth in Uganda face. For one group, however, the obstacles were decreased by problem-solving social capital.
A meeting about how to overcome the challenges led in August 2020 to the birth of the Engineering Development Fund (EDF), an association of older students of the Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Faculty of Engineering, Technology and Design.
Some Engineering Development Fund members inspect land they purchased.
Hardly a year later, the first challenge is no more. Twenty-seven members are now proud owners of 4.25 acres of land situated 20 miles away from Mukono town in central Uganda.
“We saved with the purpose of obtaining a big chunk of land and then subdividing it among ourselves,” says Paulo Kato, the project director of the fund. “Now, one year down the road, our efforts have paid off.”
Rugged roads, rocks, lush greenery and dots of mud houses are what welcomes one to Lunnya village, the home of the group’s newly acquired land.
The day most members of the group were shown the land coincided with an event – a prayer service to thank God for enabling the group to meet their first challenge. The members wanted a priest the bless the fruits of their labor.
The Rev. Moses Ssenyonyi, who led the prayers, commended members of the association for “being so visionary” that they invested in property in a remote area, with the hope that the area will soon become urban. Ssenyonyi is also an alumnus of UCU.
The chairperson of the village, Bernard Mutyaba, who attended the thanksgiving ceremony, welcomed the group, saying the land had been used for cattle grazing for a long time.
The land, purchased at sh42m (about $12,000) with each member contributing sh2m, has been subdivided into 30 plots, with each of the 27 members taking a plot.
“This is an important milestone for me as an individual, in my journey towards asset acquisition and wealth building,” says Kato.
Some members of the association
“Ebenezer,” is what Elijah Kainginya says about the acquisition. “Who knew we would become land owners this soon?,” he added. “All the glory goes to God.”
The land has been surveyed and each owner issued a title for their plot.
Rodney Tumanye, the treasurer of the association, promised more of such investments, saying they are already in discussions about how to collect the next pool of funds from the members.
UCU offered members of the EDF not only a training ground, but also the opportunity to meet, unite and share visions for development after school. And that is the social capital that the members want to tap, in their quest to tame the remaining two challenges of no houses and delayed marriages.
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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FROM THE PAST: Some delegates of the 6th EACA Conference, organized by both Uganda Christian and Makerere universities in 2016, included Professor Monica Chibita (second from left), Dean of the UCU Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication; and Professor Aaron Mushengyezi (far right), UCU Vice Chancellor, then a dean at Makerere. Courtesy Photo
By Jimmy Siyasa and John Semakula How has the Covid-19 crisis impacted East Africa’s media industry and training institutions? The pandemic and its necessary and mandated safety protocols have yielded constant dialogue to discuss solutions for a new-normal of problems that have daunted the media and communication landscape, in Africa and all the world, since March 2020. Information has been shared and strategies applied by scholars, researchers and policy makers.
Enriching the discussion and response, the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication (FJMC) will host the 10th Annual East African Communication Association (EACA) Conference, October 14-16, 2021. The theme of the virtual conference is “Re-imagining Media and Communication in a Pandemic Context.”
The 2021 event seeks to “explore how media and communication actors can re-imagine and redefine the future of journalism and communication through critical conversation on media and communication industry in a context variously impacted by the Covid-19.” Media and communication experts, researchers, academics, policy makers, regulators and media practitioners from East Africa and beyond will speak.
The keynote presenters and their topics are:
Professor Guy Berger George, Director for Freedom of Expression and Media Development at UNESCO, addressing “Freedom of Information in Light of Covid-19 Media Dynamics;”
Professor George Morara Nyabuga, scholar from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, addressing “Law and Political Landscape of the Media;” and
Joel Kibazo, formerly Director of Communication and External Relations at African Development Bank, discussing insights and foresights on the future of the media and communication.
According to Dr. Emily Maractho, the Director of UCU Africa Policy Center, who also is Convener of the Conference, as many as 40 other presenters will share perspectives and replicable models before an audience of roughly 100 professionals working in the fields of journalism and communications and academics as well as students, among others. The conference will generate research papers and presentations for publication in such scholarly journals such as the African Journal of Communication.
PREVIOUSLY: At the 2016 EACA Conference, Professor Aaron Mushengyezi (right), UCU Vice Chancellor, then the Dean School of Languages, Literature and Communication at Makerere University, shakes hands with Frank Tumwebaze, former Cabinet minister of Information and Communications Technology. Courtesy Photo
Patty Huston-Holm and John Semakula, director and coordinator, respectively, for the Uganda Partners communications e-lab, are among the presenters. They will explain how this virtual university-NGO collaborative works with tips for how the model can be replicated by other non-profits and higher education institutions.
Reinforcing the value of student engagement, Dr. Maractho said, “Young people need to be involved in such Conferences so that they can learn how the experts they encounter during the conference succeeded in the field of Media and Communication.”
She says the organizing committee has discussed an exclusively subsidized registration fee for students, especially for those in journalism and communication, both at UCU and around Africa.
“Hosting the conference is a sign of trust from communication academics in the region,” said Professor Monica Chibita, the Dean of FJMC at the university. “It gives us great opportunities to consider collaborative and comparative research across the region.”
That the 10th annual conference is happening virtually for the first time and UCU is hosting it is an indicator of confidence in the University’s E-service delivery capacity and infrastructure that has strengthened during the pandemic.
“Opportunities to host such a huge conference elevates our branding, in that we are exposed to big, diverse networks of academics and institutions with whom we can create meaningful partnerships, because they now will know about UCU,” says Frank Obonyo, the Communication and Public Relations Manager at UCU.
More specifically, the conference also will attract regional publicity for UCU JMC not only as a giant at training world-class journalism and communication students, but also as an institution that continuously “re-engineers” themselves to meet the demands of the dynamic media industry.
EACA was established in 2011 to serve as a platform for media and communications experts, researchers, academics, policy makers, regulators and media practitioners in Eastern Africa and beyond. Since its inception in 2011, EACA conferences have happened in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.
UCU FJMC hosted this conference in 2016 in collaboration with the Makerere University Department of Journalism and Communication. However, it is the first time UCU is hosting the EACA Conference as a Faculty as it previously was a Department of Mass Communication under the Education and the Arts Faculty.
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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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The Rev. Can. Titus Barrack prays for a team of UCU staff members led by Vice Chancellor Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi during the UCU Sunday event at Namirembe, Kampala.
By Dalton Mujuni There has been a silent challenge among a unique section of Uganda Christian University (UCU) students. And, perhaps, if the university management had not mentioned it, not many people would have known.
While preaching during a service on September 26, 2021, UCU Vice Chancellor Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi said some of the ordinands (person training to be part of clergy) who are at the institution are married and would wish that their spouses could visit them during weekends. However, that is not possible since they reside with other students.
At the virtual service celebrated at Namirembe Cathedral in Kampala to mark UCU Sunday, Mushengyezi mentioned a solution. The university intends to set up an apartment section for the ordinands and the clergy who will be resident students at the institution.
In fact, Mushengyezi said sh400m (about $113,000) had already been secured for the project that is estimated to cost sh1.5b (about $424,000).
In 2017, the Church of Uganda designated the last Sunday of September as a UCU Sunday in its province. Every Anglican church is expected to make financial collections on the UCU Sunday, to help in the running of the Church-founded institution.
Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi delivers sermon during the UCU Sunday service at Namirembe.
According to the Church, on this Sunday, “each and every congregation in the whole province will receive a representative of Uganda Christian University who will be given time to speak about the university. Congregations will be given time and opportunity for prayer and financial support to the university.”
Mushengyezi noted that the ordinands need a supportive environment while transitioning into professional evangelists.
Premising his call to the church to support the project on Nehemiah’s story of building the walls of Jerusalem, under the theme, “Arise, let us build the walls,” (Nehemiah: 2:18) the Vice Chancellor challenged Christians to contribute anything they can, to build on the foundation of Christ Jesus. Collections during this year’s UCU Sunday will go towards Mushengyezi’s call.
The apartment complex is expected to house over 50 student clergy and ordinands.
At the same event, the Vice Chancellor pledged to improve the university’s relationship with the Church. He said the university intends to hand over a van to the Church relations office to enable its staff to reach out to churches located upcountry.
The Rev. Capt. Can. Titus Barrack, while leading the virtual service, shared his memory of university life at UCU, characterized by “inconvenience,” saying he and others studying to be priests often listened to worldly music within their places of residence. He implored the audience to rally behind the cause.
The 2020 UCU Sunday was greatly hampered by the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on churches in Uganda. The implication of churches operating virtually meant that the church collections reduced significantly, hence little to no return to UCU. However, in 2018, UCU collections amounting to sh300m were injected into building the infrastructure at the UCU School of Medicine in Mengo, Kampala.
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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UCU art students painting the basketball court recently
Story and photo by Ivan Tsebeni Uganda Christian University (UCU) has taken advantage of the absence of students by embarking on the renovation of its sports facilities at the main campus. The university intends to spend up to sh12m (about $3,400) in the facelift.
The money is expected to be used to buy paint, among other things, which will be used for a fresh coating on the basketball, netball and volleyball courts.
Speaking at the launch, UCU Vice Chancellor Professor Aaron Mushengyezi said the project also is intended to uplift the face of the institution, most especially in sports, through talent development.
“When we have the best sports facilities, it gives us an edge over other universities,” Mushengyezi said, adding that the institution has always been known to be a sports powerhouse.
UCU’s team was the 2019 University Football League champion, beating St. Lawrence University 2-1 in the final played at StarTimes Stadium, Lugogo in Kampala.
In the current facelift exercise, UCU administration chose to contract the institution’s Department of Visual Arts and Design, which hired its own students to execute the project.
“We are using our own students to help build their skills and capacity, as well as to support them financially,” the Vice Chancellor said.
Jamada Bikala, a lecturer in the Department of Visual Arts and Design, thanked the university for entrusting them with the project, noting that it is one way of testing the skills of their products.
“We have, over years, trained our students in this field, but we have not been receiving this opportunity to be assigned such projects,” Bikala said.
Traditionally, UCU has basked in the glory of her superb sport facilities. For that reason, it has often won bids to host major national and regional tournaments. Some of the popular tournaments that have been played at the Mukono campus include the Regional Inter-University Games of East Africa (2013 and 2014).
On March 13, UCU came to the rescue of the Uganda Athletics Federation by hosting the national athletics trials. The athletics body was contemplating cancelling the event after their usual venue, Namboole Stadium, was ruled out because it was a holding facility for Covid-19 patients. The other option, the Kyambogo University grass track, was being used by Uganda’s Electoral Commission during the general election that was taking place at the time.
Michael Kakande, the UCU sports supervisor. attributes such opportunities to UCU’s high quality sports facilities.
Jackson Ssekandi, a basketball player, calls the renovation a shot in the arm.
“We could not feel comfortable playing on such rough and unmarked ground,” he said. “It is better now.”
Kenneth Amponda Agaba, the UCU Guild President, said the facelift was an aesthetic necessity.
“Our sports facilities were not enticing due to the old look,” Amponda said. “This development will encourage more talented students towards sports.”
Vice Chancellor Mushengyezi said the university will be looking into adding a modern swimming pool to its array of sports facilities.
The Department of Sports had been closed ever since last year’s lockdown due to the devastating effects of Covid-19 in Uganda. However, it was reopened mid-this year and the facelift is a sign of the department getting back to life.
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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Students waiting for vaccination at the sports department at UCU.
Story and photos by Yasiri J. Kasango As of early September, 50 Uganda Christian University (UCU) students who participate in sports had received their Covid-19 jabs.
The vaccination administration for nearly all UCU students on sports teams took place on the Mukono campus to enable these students to participate in the forthcoming major leagues in the disciplines of basketball, football, volleyball and netball. Some of leagues were expected to start as early as mid-September.
Speaking about the vaccination that was conducted by the Mukono district health officials, in conjunction with the university health team, Dr. Geoffrey Mulindwa, the Director of Medical Services at UCU, said the university management chose to prioritize sports students to protect them against the pandemic.
“They come into contact with so many other people during the games and, to ensure their safety, they were prioritized in the vaccination,” Mulindwa said.
He advised both students and staff members who have not yet gone for the Covid-19 vaccination to do so. Many of the vaccination centers in the country are giving priority to teachers, non-teaching staff and students who are 18 years and above because government has pegged the re-opening of schools to sufficient vaccination.
Uganda started vaccination on March 10, but many people have not been able to get their jabs because of the few vaccines available. By the end of August, reports indicated that 1,376,986 doses of Covid-19 vaccines had been administered, especially to priority groups of teachers, non-teaching staff in schools, journalists, security personnel, medical workers and people with underlying comorbidities.
Out of those, 977,889 people had received their first jabs and 399,097 have completed their two doses. Uganda has 44 million residents.
Students filling out consent forms before receiving the Covid-19 jabs.As of early September, 50 Uganda Christian University (UCU) students who participate in sports had received their Covid-19 jabs.
The Mukono district malaria focal person, James Kawesa, who represented the district medical team at the vaccination at UCU, said people can only get back to their pre-Covid lives if the population gets vaccinated.
The UCU vaccinated students welcomed the initiative. Faith Apio, a student pursuing the Diploma in Business Administration and a member of the university’s female football team, the Lady Cardinals, said she sought vaccination in order to protect herself and others on the pitch.
Cranmer Wamala, a third-year student of Bachelor of Human Rights, Peace and Humanitarian Intervention and a basketballer on the UCU Canons team, noted that he was eager to receive the vaccination so he can remain on the school team.
He also noted that seeking vaccination would help him to continue with his studies.
Samuel David Lukaire, the head of the university’s sports department, said many of the national leagues were expected to start in mid-September.
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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Some of the patients in a queue outside the Out Patient Department register for medical services. The hospital attends to about 400 patients per day.
Story and photos by Jimmy Siyasa Four hundred. That is the number of patients that the medical personnel at Mukono General Hospital in Uganda wake up to each day.
Of the 400, 150 are attended to at the out-patient department and 80 are women receiving antenatal services. Twenty are attended to in the delivery section while 50 go to the hospital to receive family planning services. The hospital handles 6-8 emergency surgeries every day.
That is the life of Mukono General Hospital, a recipient of part of the donations of medical supplies (worth sh520m–$141,488) that UCU Partners coordinated through MedShare, a not-for-profit organisation based in the United States.
The donations were channeled through Uganda Christian University (UCU), which has a working relationship with the hospital. Among other collaboratives, the hospital offers internship placements for the university’s nursing students.
Some of the boxes containing the donations that the hospital received
Dr. Robert Kasirye, the director of the hospital, received the donations which were in form of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as face shields, masks and sanitizer. There also were “mama kits,” a hamper given to a mother to be used during the delivery process. The kits have gloves, surgical blades and gauze, among other items.
These were timely, given that the country’s public health system was strained under the heavy load occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic that aggravated an already overloaded patient situation.
“We could not afford to give out face shields and gloves to all our health workers, every day, to attend to Covid-19 patients,” says Anne GraceAmutos Ssekajja, the pharmacy technician in charge of medical supplies and incoming and outgoing equipment at the hospital.
“So, when we get donors, we are really grateful,” she said. “The donations add to what we already have for healthcare provision.”
She says the quarterly budget that they get from government did not factor in the pandemic, hence the hospital was caught off-guard.
Public health facilities in Uganda, such as Mukono General Hospital, depend heavily on government funds and medical supplies through the National Medical Stores (NMS), a government entity mandated to procure, store and distribute essential medicines and medical supplies to all public health facilities in Uganda.
But the National Medical Stores often says it runs on a thin budget, which affects service delivery.
The Mukono General Hospital administrator, Fred Wandeme, said the quarterly supplies which they get from the National Medical Stores barely lasts them a month. When the stocks run out, the patients go to the hospital to get prescriptions and later buy the drugs at pharmacies.
However, with the donations, patients and health workers are able to access equipment, which oftentimes is not provided for in the government consignments.
Ivan Kabugo and some of his family members have been receiving treatment at the Mukono General Hospital for three years now. He says they are happy about the donations, noting that they will improve the quality of services they get at the facility.
“We are so grateful for donor support towards the hospital. I pray that they may continue to give us medicines, so that we don’t ever have to buy them,” he says.
Christine Nambuya, another patient, says because of the professionalism exhibited by the staff of the hospital, she will continue receiving treatment at the facility.
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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Student leaders from different institutions of learning participate in the dialogue in UCU’s Principals Hall.
By Eriah Lule The Uganda Christian University (UCU) Vice Chancellor has asked government and schools to follow the online learning path that his institution has taken in order to reduce effects of covid-related lockdowns on studies. As of late September 2021, Uganda has had two lockdowns occasioned by a spike in the coronavirus positivity rate in the country. Each lockdown has included the shutting of in-person learning in schools.
UCU Vice Chancellor Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi is urging institutions to consider a rigorous shift towards online distance learning and service delivery so that future lockdowns do not affect operations and learning.
“We have invested in infrastructure of electronic learning and have something to share with other institutions,” he said, adding that such a move will not only keep students from lagging behind because of the pandemic but also enable them to continue studying on their own time.
With Uganda’s second 2021 lockdown in June, many institutions of higher learning, as well as elementary schools remain closed. Only a handful, including UCU, have continued with classes, through electronic means.
Last year, the government shut down schools in March and only opened for in-person learning for final-year learners seven months later. It was not until March this year that schools were opened for in-person learning, only to be closed again three months later.
Mushengyezi emphasized UCU’s commitment to “pioneer in innovation and learning with community outreach.”
He spoke during a recent virtual dialogue to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on academic institutions. The virtual event was held at UCU’s Principals Hall on the main campus in Mukono.
The dialogue, which brought together national and international organizations, was organised by the UCU Alumni Association together with the university’s Student Guild and in partnership with external organizations. The European Union (EU), Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development and ActionAid were among the organisations that participated in the event.
Online dialogues are part of the activities that the UCU alumni association is embarking on as part of its community engagement activities.
One of the panelists in the dialogue, Rose Namayanja, a former Ugandan minister and the current deputy secretary general of the ruling National Resistance Movement party, said many students have dropped out of school as a result of the lockdown. She said the Government was working at developing sustainable digital learning structures for schools in the country.
Rose Namayanja, a former Ugandan minister and the current deputy secretary general of the ruling National Resistance Movement party, speaks during the dialogue session.
“Many students have resorted to hawking, others have succumbed to forced marriages and teenage pregnancies, due to the lack of digital structures to keep them studying during lockdowns,” Namayanja noted.
The UCU Alumni Association General Secretary, Julius Oboth, urged government to provide soft loans to schools so they can make plans to re-open. He also rooted for tax holidays for all private education institutions, calling on government never to close schools again because such a move “cripples the education sector.”
Ezra Byakutangaza, the president of the student leaders in Uganda, urged government to initiate loan schemes to enable students to purchase learning tools such as laptops, which are needed in online learning. This, Byakutangaza said, would ease the burden on schools that are unable to afford computers for every student.
Elizabeth Ongom, a representative from the European Union in Uganda, said the EU is in the process of drafting projects that will inspire innovative practices for the education sector not only in Uganda, but the whole of Africa.
In order to keep children in school, Naiga Shuburah Kasozi, a representative from Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development, called for concerted efforts from all stakeholders.
“It’s not only the Government, but everyone’s responsibility to keep children in school,” she said. “So we should de-campaign actions that push our children out of school as the Government is finds a better plan for them to study.’
UCU Guild President Agaba Kenneth Amponda reminded people participating in the dialogue that a conversation about schools without factoring in the other people who benefit from its operation was an incomplete discussion. He argued that by opening schools, security personnel, chefs in catering departments, cleaners, and other people who provide support services in schools will also be able to find employment.
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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Eng. Rev. Paul Wasswa Ssembiro in his office at UCU
With the negative stigma attached to testing positive for Covid-19 in Uganda, it takes courage to confess publicly that one has contracted the virus. Despite the wrongfully imposed shame, some Ugandans are courageous enough to tell their experience, reminding others with Covid to have hope and encourage all to follow Covid safety guidelines. The Rev. Eng Paul Wasswa Ssembiro, the Chaplain of Uganda Christian University (UCU), is one such courageous person. Ssembiro contracted Covid in November 2020. He narrates to Eriah Lule his ordeal with the virus and how God helped him overcome it.
By Rev. Eng. Paul Wasswa Ssembiro as told to Eriah Lule I don’t know how Dr. Geoffrey Mulindwa (UCU’s Director of Medical Services) referred to me, but I am sure I was “Covid-19 Patient 001.” I don’t have a clue of where or when I contracted the virus. But I got it.
I began to be conscious about some sort of infection when I started feeling general body weakness and pain in the joints. The joint pain was unusual because I used to jog every day, to beat off fatigue. The symptoms were akin to those I got whenever I suffered from malaria. On this Saturday, I discovered that I had developed a dry cough. I was uneasy because I had to lead the church service the following day. So, I sought immediate medical attention at the Allan Galpin Health Center, the university clinic.
Eng. Rev. Paul Wasswa preaches during community worship in Nkoyoyo Hall.
I had a throbbing headache, which seemed to be localized just slightly above my ears. I took painkillers and even took too many at some point and out of despair. But, to no avail. I must confess that I struggled with denial and self- pity, saying to myself “I can’t be infected.” Soon, I reached out to Dr. Mulindwa,who gave me a referral to Mengo Hospital, an Anglican Church-founded hospital in Kampala. Mengo. It is affiliated with UCU.
When I got to the hospital, I met a doctor whose team noticed my agony. They administered a diclofenac (anti-inflammatory drug) injection that relieved my pain a bit. Several medical tests ensued: Lung scanning, heart-echo tests, blood count tests and finally, a test that I dreaded the most – the Covid-19 PCR test.
I was admitted to the hospital and immediately given intravenous injections for pneumonia, and pain killers. When the Covid results returned, the doctor told me I could not go home. They had confirmed I was positive for coronavirus.
They told me my lungs were in a crucial state. They sent doctors to counsel me, because the hospital did not have the facility for treatment of Covid-19 patients. My spirits sunk. I was distraught.
I was referred to Mulago National Referral Hospital. Anxiety caused me to unduly feel stigmatized in the process because I seemed like a problem Mengo was trying to rid itself of as soon as possible. But, thankfully, God gave strength to my wife who stood firmly in faith, for me, that all would be well.
Eng Rev. Paul Wasswa preaches at a seminar
Before admission at Mulago, I was sprayed with chlorine that soaked my clothes. The experience was irritating and traumatizing. It was an uncomfortable and painful wait of nearly two hours, before I was taken to my admission room. Eagerly awaiting a bath, having spent 24 hours without one, I was alarmed there wasn’t any I could have.
But God granted me divine favor. It was a Friday morning. A nurse walked in to check on patients who had been admitted the previous evening. She was a UCU alumna. She knew me. God used her to get me to a better ward, where I got a private room, with certain privileges such as accessing fruits to make juice and immunity-boosting concoctions from lemon and ginger, among other foods.
I also met a young man, also a patient, but in a better state than I was. He had known me as clergy from the church conventions I attended. “Pastor, you are my responsibility now,” he told me, with a smile. He started bringing me salads and hot water, until the day he was discharged. However, before he left, he asked colleagues at the hospital to take care of my meals and make sure I was comfortable.
The healing hand of the Lord was with me; my body responded well to medication. Six days after admission, when the Director of Mulago Hospital was moving around the ward, he entered my room. When he saw me, he said: “You are not supposed to be here. There are worse cases than you are. We should be discharging you soon.”
This was good news, to me, from a person who had a bigger picture of the virus. My fellow patients would later tell me I looked better than when I was admitted into the facility. I began doing mild physical exercises. My breath was improving. Finally, on the December 4, 2020, I was discharged.
While I still battle with side effects, such as high blood pressure, occasionally, I bless the Lord for healing me. Of course, my Christian ministry was disrupted; plans got sabotaged. Matter of fact, the whole chaplaincy office was closed to control the spread of the virus, as well as my leadership responsibilities quelled. But, we still bless God for His faithfulness.
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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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By Nickie Karitas On June 10, 2021, when Jim Patrick Wasswa arrived at the northern Uganda district of Yumbe to start his university internship, he had many ushers. In addition to the officials with the Uganda National Roads Authority who brought him to the work experience, Covid-19 was on hand to welcome him.
Being diagnosed with the virus came as a shock to Wasswa. But he had a shock absorber – his mother, who is medical worker with a hand up on health needs. Wasswa quickly made arrangements to return to his home in Kampala, more than 300 miles away.
When he gathered the courage to inform his parents about the new development in his life, he was in for another shock. They, too, had been diagnosed with Covid-19.
“All my life, I had been the strong one holding other people in tough times, but with Covid-19, I felt defeated,” recounts Wasswa, a fourth-year student studying for his Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Uganda Christian University (UCU).
With an internship curtailed, Wasswa found his once joyous home was charged with tension and an awkward silence. For once, he understood the meaning of seeing no light at the end of the tunnel as he saw his life, his family’s and all his dreams crushing.
Wasswa (right) with his mother and siblings
Around that time, Uganda had just declared a second lockdown due to an increase in the number of infections and deaths. At the time the government declared the lockdown, the Covid-19 positivity rate in the country was 17%.
As all this was happening, Wasswa sought solace in the Bible, specifically Romans 8:28. “And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
That is where he drew the energy to carry on. He regained strength not because he was feeling any better but because his emotional attention was diverted to his parents’ situation.
At the time, some of his friends were losing their parents to the pandemic, a rude reminder that erased Wasswa’s audacity to assume that everything would be alright. For his case, some of the stop-gap measures he came up with were to try as much as possible not to sleep at night, for fear of not waking up. Sometimes, he succeeded; other times, he crumbled upon the sleep debt that he had.
The memories of the first night his father was rushed to hospital are still fresh in Wasswa’s mind.
“That was the darkest night of my life,” Wasswa said. “As the car sped off, my thoughts ran to my four-year-old brother. I could see the life of my father, the pillar of the family, going down. I could hardly believe what was going on.”
Social media was another source of misery for Wasswa. Each time he logged in, he met news of people who had succumbed to the pandemic. He shut himself off social media as he worked to recover.
When his twin sister, Angella Nakato, succeeded in convincing him to join her for a daily jogging routine, it marked the turning point in his life. Wasswa says he started feeling much better and more energetic.
Allan Otim, a friend of Wasswa, helped with the psychological aspects of Covid-19. He offered the emotional support that he felt Wasswa needed by constantly keeping in touch with him.
Wasswa’s other friend and course mate, Cedric Mutayisa, says although many people were succumbing to coronavirus, more were recovering and he believed it was just a matter of time before Wasswa recovered.
“I often called him to cheer him up,” Cedric said. “Sometimes, all he needed was courage.”
Wasswa, who was never hospitalized, credits the recovery of himself and his parents to God for taking over the battles he surrendered to Him. Wasswa recovered towards the end of June and for his parents, their recovery was a month later. His father’s bout with the virus was most dire, requiring his hospitalization until recovery, while his mother spent two weeks in hospital.
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John Semakula (center) after receiving the file for his new office from Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) outgoing head of journalism, Dr. Emilly Maractho (left). At right is the Dean of the UCU Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication, Prof. Monica Chibita.
By Joseph Lagen Veteran journalist John Semakula has been appointed the new head of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Uganda Christian University (UCU).
Semakula takes on the role within the university’s Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication from Dr. Emily Maractho who is now the Director of the university’s Africa Policy Centre (APC). The APC grooms policy researchers and political thinkers and provides a platform for learning and discussion of modern-day issues.
Semakula, an award-winning journalist, said of his new appointment: “This new position is a great opportunity for me to use the skills and experience I have built over the last 13 years in journalism practice to serve my alma mater.”
He noted that he is well aware of the huge responsibility of the new office. One of Semakula’s objectives is to double the number of students within the Department. Currently, 150 new students are admitted to the course every year.
The second more important objective is about competence and quality. Having quality, competent journalism graduates from UCU, Semakula believes, will help to safeguard the journalism profession.
Semakula’s first relationship with UCU was in 2003, when he joined the institution as a student of Bachelor of Mass Communication. When he completed his course, the university retained him, to work as part of the inaugural team for a community newspaper, The Standard, that the university had established. He served as a writer at the newspaper from 2007 to 2009.
While at UCU both as a student and staff of The Standard, Semakula often contributed articles to Uganda’s Daily Monitor newspaper because he saw the platform as one which could offer him the opportunity to cut his professional teeth.
In 2010, Semakula joined Uganda’s leading daily newspaper, the New Vision, to practice journalism at a more competitive level.
John Semakula (center) and his former colleagues at New Vision – Charles Wendo (left) and Esther Namugoji (right) on the Uganda Christian University main campus in Mukono. Both Wendo and Namugoji are former editors at the newspaper.
“At the New Vision, I quickly grew through the ranks, becoming a Senior Writer only two years later,” he said. “This kind of promotion usually takes journalists over 20 years.”
In 2016, Semakula enrolled at UCU to pursue a Master of Journalism and Media Studies.
“I studied the MA program and graduated within the stipulated period of two years,” Semakula recalls. Alongside his graduate studies, Semakula still kept his job at New Vision, and, by this time, he had also started teaching at UCU on a part-time basis.
Semakula was introduced to teaching by the present dean of the Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication, Prof. Monica Chibita, whom he met at an awards ceremony in 2014. A month after the ceremony, Semakula reached out to her through a phone call, expressing his desire to teach at UCU.
“Prof. Chibita is good at identifying talent,” Semakula said. “I guess she noticed my ability at the awards ceremony.”
Upon passing the interview, Semakula started out as a Teaching Assistant in the Department of Mass Communication. He handled course units related to writing news and feature stories.
“The New Vision had a busy newsroom, but I would always find time on Saturdays and Mondays when I was off duty, to teach at UCU,” Semakula says. He had eight teaching hours every week at UCU, which he would execute in the two days he was off duty.
“I often planned my teaching materials and marked course works and exams at night.” Semakula says.
The extra work served to energize Semakula who maintained his productivity and increased his accolades at New Vision. In 2017, he was winner of the Uganda WASH Media Awards in the Print Investigative Category – an honor he won alongside Ronald Mugabe, another New Vision acclaimed print journalist. In the same year, Semakula was a finalist for the Africa Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) Awards in the Justice, Law and Order category.
In bestowing the accolade, the judges said of his article: “It (the article) went beyond the numbers to investigate how population distribution could be used to predict the winner of the 2016 presidential election and to trace voting patterns. It was only one of a handful of news reports in 2014 that analysed the census data to understand Uganda’s current political climate and future voting trends.”
In the same year, he was a co-writer for the winning stories in the Business, Finance and Economy and the National News – Print categories for the same awards.
By the time he put down his pen in preference for the chalk as a full-time occupation, Semakula had won more than seven journalism awards.
Despite his career achievements, Semakula thinks he still has a mountain to climb.
“At a personal level, I want to get a PhD in media and communication in the next four years,” he says. For the faculty, he envisions the revival of The Standard newspaper, which was a victim of cost-cutting measures in the university as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Presently, the faculty is creating the university’s epaper, The Standard Digital, a multi-media platform that is a direct response to the changing patterns of consumption of information.
“At UCU, we equip students with the skills that the market wants. So, through The Standard Digital and UCU’s social media platforms, I will make sure that our graduates get the digital skills needed for the times,” Semakula remarked.
Alongside his teaching career, Semakula also contributes articles to two foreign news-sites – Religion Unplugged in the US and the Sight in Australia. Semakula also is the Communications Coordinator at Uganda Partners – a U.S.-based organisation that raises awareness about UCU.
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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Lauren Elaine Nagy graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from Messiah College, Pennsylvania, in May 2021. Courtesy photo
By Jimmy Siyasa In September 2021, the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, welcomes a new staff member with Ugandan experience. Lauren Elaine Nagy, hired to be a nurse in the Pediatric Inpatient Rehab Unit, was part of the Uganda Studies Program (USP) at Uganda Christian University in 2018.
Nagy’s employment follows her May 2021 graduation with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the Messiah College in Pennsylvania and certification as a Registered Nurse. She most recently was a health care provider at a Christian summer camp, Woodcrest Retreat.
Lauren and her family shortly after her graduation. Courtesy photo
Two years before the Covid-19 pandemic, Nagy traveled more than 7,000 miles away from her home as part of the American students who went to UCU for a four-month study abroad program. The trip was under the USP, a two-decades-old program that earlier this year shifted from the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities to under the administrative umbrella of the non-profit, UCU Partners, headquartered in Pennsylvania.
While at UCU, Lauren and other USP colleagues were part of the Global Health Emphasis (GHE). GHE provides an opportunity for students pursuing biomedical and public health-related disciplines to complete global health coursework and international field internship in Uganda.
Lauren Elaine Nagy. Courtesy photo
The USP affords international students an education within an African context. In addition to studies on the UCU Mukono campus, students get a chance to make trips to different parts of Uganda, visit the Equator and sometimes have a 10-day excursion to Rwanda. Some of the students live in the student dormitories on campus, while others are attached to host families.
For Nagy, nothing about UCU stands out more than the institution’s “commitment to integrating faith into all aspects of education.” She says it “created an atmosphere that pushed me to grow in my faith in more ways than I could have expected.”
While on homestay, Nagy lived with a Ugandan family about five minutes away from the university campus. Her camaraderie quickly acclimatized her to the Ugandan culture of the family of Robert Kibirango and Esther Nakato. In fact, she takes pride in the name Nakiryowa (Luganda word for a type of tree) that the family bestowed on her.
She has fond memories of the days she was involved in domestic work that included a unique way of peeling bananas. Clearly, the trip to Uganda gave her another family in addition to her biological one in Pennsylvania. Nagy is the daughter of Daniel Alan Nagy and Karen Lynn Nagy.
“We spent time wandering through fields, exploring plants and anthills, feeding the new calf, picking fresh beans from the garden, and cooking dinner together. It was a beautifully simple time with my family,” she recalls, saying she has continued to keep in touch with the family of Kibirango.
Nagy highly recommends that American university students consider the UCU experience.
“As many people as possible should experience the transformational growth that I did,” Nagy, who attended Chippewa High School in Doylestown, said.
She lauds UCU for the fusion of faith and books in the grooming of nurses because it enables them to dispense care, compassion and comfort. The culture of faith at UCU seemed to rhyme with Nagy’s sole goal in life – living in the center of God’s will for my life and glorifying Him to the fullest.
“It makes me happy to know that such an excellent school as UCU is producing hard-working, highly capable, Christian health care providers to send out into the communities and serve people as the hands and feet of Christ,” she says.
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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Denis Kutesa (behind) sharing a light moment with his classmates during their internship at Mukono General hospital. Courtesy photo.
By Eriah Lule The life of Uganda Christian University (UCU) graduate Denis Kutesa is punctuated by a job where he was forced to take two lives to one where he is saving them. He’s most recently a nurse but formerly a security guard.
His is a tale of losing and regaining hope. His school cycle took a seven-year break because of finances. Kutesa’s father, Simon Nsubuga, who had been meeting his tuition requirements, suddenly lost his job when Kutesa had just completed his A’level. The year was 2009.
For the next seven years, Kutesa went through a storm. He survived the downpour by working as a guard, a primary school teacher – anything and everything to survive. Some of the odd jobs he did were a stark contrast for someone who not long before had attended some of Uganda’s elite schools.
Kutesa, who has freshly completed a Bachelor of Nursing Science course at UCU, studied at St. Mary’s College, Kisubi for O’level and Kibuli Secondary School for A’level. For his primary education, Kutesa attended Nkumba Primary School. All four schools are in central Uganda.
When his father lost his job and was no longer able to meet the tuition requirements of his children, Kutesa left home to seek a livelihood elsewhere. He reasoned that it was not wise for him to stay home, to compete for the little resources that his father and mother – Florence Nakalema – came across. Kutesa relocated to Kampala, where he was employed as a security guard.
“Although the payment was low, I was determined to work and establish myself,’’ he said.
Denis Kutesa inside one of the wards at Mukono General Hospital during his internship. Courtesy photo
In order to start earning sh150,000 (about $40), Kutesa had to endure training sessions under extremely harsh conditions. Worse yet, during that period, they were entitled to only one meal a day. Kutesa endured the training with good performance. He was relocated from Kampala to Masaka, a district in central Uganda. In Masaka, Kutesa mostly guarded banks.
Around the Christmas season of 2014, he was moved from the bank to guard a depot of the soft drink manufacturer – Coca-Cola. During the Christmas festivities, the demand for soda usually goes up and many of the areas are undersupplied. Thieves know this fact and, on the eve of the 2014 Christmas Day, they attacked the depot that Kutesa was guarding. In the battle with five thieves, he was forced to shoot, leaving two dead. Three others fled on a bodaboda.
That incident traumatized Kutesa to the point that his work place had to relocate him to another station in a neighboring district. There, his monthly salary increased to sh200,000 (about $56). However, due to tough working conditions and trauma from taking lives, Kutesa did not last at his new station, later switching to teaching in a primary school although he did not have the official credentials.
In 2016, Kutesa reunited with his father whom he had not seen ever since he left home in 2009. The financial situation at home had changed for the better. Nsubuga beseeched Kutesa to return to school – and that he was ready to meet the tuition requirements.
After consultations, Kutesa found himself applying for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at UCU. He wanted to be in a career that gave people better lives instead of taking them. While out of school for seven years, that did not reflect in the performance of Kutesa. There is no UCU semester where his GPA was below 4.0 of 5.0.
He says pursuing his course at UCU made it easy for him to get internship placements since the institution is highly respected. Now that he has completed an internship, Kutesa hopes to pursue a post-graduate course so he can specialize in nursing education or midwifery.
As he heads to the hospital wards as his new work station, Kutesa is fully aware that he needs to be strong enough to tolerate anything and soft enough to understand every patient he will work on.
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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Story and Photos by Jimmy Siyasa It was a hot Tuesday afternoon. But the energy with which the medical workers carried out their duties made one think the afternoon heat was only in the mind.
“Right now, we are from the post-natal ward and from administering the 2 p.m. medicine to new mothers in the ward,” says one of the medical practitioners. She also had been assisting midwives as they helped mothers deliver.
This is the routine of Sonia Aturinda, a third-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Nursing Science, at Uganda Christian University (UCU). She is at the Mukono General Hospital, where she is on a three-month internship.
Sonia sanitizes her hands after attending to a patient inside the post-natal ward at Mukono General Hospital.
As an intern in the post-natal ward at the hospital, Aturinda is charged with offering maternal and neo-natal care services – mostly administration of medicine to new mothers.
However, because of her excellent performance, her responsibilities have expanded to sometimes offering umbilical cord care, counsel to new mothers, providing family planning advice and, occasionally, assisting midwives in executing deliveries.
Aturinda said she is on internship at the hospital with 23 other colleagues of hers in the same class.
Every morning, Aturinda walks from her hostel, located about 500 metres (about 1/3 mile) from the hospital and only returns after about seven hours. Sometimes, she works on Saturdays, too.
For Aturinda, her service, though unpaid, is more than just a mere mandatory three-month internship ritual that she must fulfil to merit a university degree. She is living her passion. And she tries her best to be the nurse she would want as a patient.
“I have passion for the medical field, especially being directly engaged with patients during their lowest and most vulnerable moment, so that I am able to support them through their recovery,” she says, adding: “I like the counseling session, especially when I am comforting and encouraging the patients.”
Sonia Aturinda stands at the entrance of the Mukono General Hospital Maternity Department at the end of her morning shift.
In May, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the WHO annual assembly that many medical workers became infected with Covid-19 during 18 months of work to save “countless lives and fought for others who, despite their best efforts have slipped away.”
So, looking at the statistics of health workers who have succumbed to Covid-19, does being in the wards bother Aturinda?
“Of course, it does, but I just need to have faith and be strong, while maintaining the Standard Operating Procedures that have been put in place for us to keep safe,” she says, noting that patients must be attended to.
While there was debate on whether or not nursing students should continue with their internships, especially during a time when the second wave of the Covid-19 had peaked and the number of deaths increased, the UCU administration decided that students whose internships were in progress by the time of lockdown could safely carry on.
The university reasoned that termination of the training would prove counterproductive, especially for finalists.
Upon reaching a consensus with students, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, issued a memo, giving the greenlight to the internship.
The head of the Nursing and Midwifery Department, Mrs. Elizabeth Nagudi Situma, believes their deployment is a blessing in disguise because they are adding to the national taskforce, given the shortage of health workers in the country. She said working during the peak of the pandemic offers the students a rare opportunity to learn the management of highly infectious diseases.
However, Nagudi and the Vice Chancellor say the students are always reminded to observe safety protocols.
Aturinda says the main challenge they face is insufficiency or delayed delivery of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs). This includes gloves, which makes attending to HIV-positive mothers delivering or at the post-natal unit a challenge.
Aturinda is looking forward to her graduation in 2022, after which she intends to pursue a post-graduate diploma in gynecology, to buttress her love for the field of maternal child care and reproductive health – her childhood dream.
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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The Rev. Jessica Hughes, lecturer and online learning leader
By Joseph Lagen Behind her glasses, the Rev. Jessica Hughes’ eyes carry a glint to escort her warm, inviting smile. She is a missionary serving at Uganda Christian University (UCU), Mukono, under the Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders (SAMS) – an organisation based in the USA state of Pennsylvania.
The Rev. Hughes was recently appointed the head of the university’s Online Distance Learning (ODL) department – more commonly known to its students as eLearning and via one of its preferred teaching platforms, Moodle. The cleric inherited the role under unfortunate circumstances, after the covid-related death of Dorothy Mukasa, the former head of UCU’s eLearning department.
“It is an honour to serve in this capacity,” Hughes says. “I was a member of the committee that launched ODL in 2020.” She added that it is a pleasure for her to continue implementing and expanding virtual learning in her expanded leadership role.
The expansion and shift were timely. When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, education institutions were closed in March 2020. It was only seven months later that the schools were allowed to open for physical learning, but only for final-year students. In March 2021, the rest of the learners were allowed physically back in school. However, three months later, a Covid-19 second wave led to increase in the number of infections and deaths, leading to another shutdown of in-person classes at education institutions.
Thanks to the ODL department, UCU was one of the few Ugandan schools where learning quickly shifted online.
The woman of the cloth is a UCU alum. Being a former student and current lecturer in the University’s Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology gives Rev. Hughes an ideal vantage point for her new task.
“From 2009 to 2011, I studied at Uganda Christian University, where I received my Master of Divinity,” she says.
This was the second graduate degree of the Virginia-USA-born missionary. In 2005, she earned her first Master’s degree in Human Performance Systems at the Marymount University based in Arlington, Virginia.
Hughes’ undergraduate degree in psychology came from the George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia in 1992. She also possesses a 1993 certificate as a legal assistant from the George Washington University in the neighbouring Washington, D.C. area.
Her academic pursuits continue. Hughes is a candidate for a doctorate degree. “I enrolled in a PhD programme at the University of South Africa in 2014.” She is currently awaiting the results of her dissertation.
With all this training, one wonders how Hughes chose the missionary path, let alone being a clergywoman. She, too, had her reservations.
“I never wanted to go to Africa,” Hughes reveals in her eponymous blog.
“In fact, in my high school discipleship group of 12, 11 wanted to go to Africa as missionaries,” Hughes says, noting that she preferred to pray for them as they came to Africa.
“I now think that God was just tapping His watch (and probably chuckling), telling me to wait and see.”
The “about” page on the jessicahughes blog succinctly narrates her journey into study and service within Uganda – particularly UCU.
“My bishop, the Rt. Rev. John Guernsey, had suggested that I study abroad for my M.Div., and then suggested Uganda, since my home church (All Saints Anglican in Woodbridge, Virginia) had come under the Church of Uganda when we left the Episcopal Church.” Hughes says Guernsey then casually suggested that she remain and minister there after graduation.
Hughes has ministered from the pulpit of the Thornycroft Chapel at UCU. On weekdays, you are sure to find her either lecturing theology students or responding to queries of students or staff members using the online learning platforms.
Learning online comes with its challenges – and those are before the challenges specific to a developing country like Uganda are considered. UCU has a mission to be a centre of excellence in the heart of Africa. Yet, in her online spaces and world over, Africa is faced with a threat to excellence in education – degree mills.
Degree mills are fraudulent institutions that pedal “accelerated” degrees, some from legitimate schools. They promise certification within absurdly short periods. Because of degree mills, some people walk with both undergraduate and graduate degree transcripts attained within under a week. The growth of the Internet has helped to spread the scourge of degree mills. How does the ODL department plan to nip this in the bud with regard to UCU?
“One of the things I am grateful for is that UCU does take education seriously,” the reverend says, noting that the deans and faculties work hard to ensure that the curricula are up-to-date and that the lecturers follow the curricula.
“Within eLearning, we are working with the faculties to ensure that they are posting their materials well: Posting recorded lectures, current readings and creating opportunities for community engagement.”
She says they do not want the platform to become a content dump, but rather a place full of learning resources and collaboration.
Hughes’ strategy for the near future is to “solidify UCU networks and hardware,” which she and her team are already working on.
“I want us to overhaul our understanding of pedagogy (teaching methods),” she said. “We need to move from a teacher-based instruction model to a learner-based one. This will change how we approach online and blended education.”
With such a daunting task, it is an asset that Hughes has made Uganda her home. And she has no plans of returning to the U.S. permanently.
“I am happy serving at UCU, and I will remain, as long as the Lord and the community will have me,” notes Hughes. She says her mission in life is to teach and disciple those who teach and disciple.
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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The Rangers at the Source of River Nile in Jinja, Uganda. Courtesy photo.
By Jimmy Siyasa and Lule Eriah While growing up, the idea of Christian ministry on the ground in Africa did not cross the minds of Americans Richard Ranger and his wife, Catherine. But, as adults and later in life, two main incidents made the couple start pondering such a mission that now has them living on the Uganda Christian University (UCU) campus in Mukono.
First, it was a 2017 call by a friend, Prof. Brian Dennison, who, like the Rangers, also is a former Society of Anglicans Missionaries and Senders (SAMS) missionary and, like Richard, a Law lecturer at UCU. Dennison, then moved back to the United States with his family, reminded the couple that their love for the university as Washington, D.C., hosts for Ugandans had been noticed and that many students spoke highly of them.
The Rangers gave a thought to Dennison’s suggestion that they might consider doing more. They also consulted with Mark Bartels, the Executive Director of UCU Partners. After this consultation and prayer, they were still not yet persuaded.
The second thing to happen was an invitation extended to them by a UCU alumnus, friend and lecturer – Arnold Agaba – to serve at the institution. That, along with more prayer, sealed the deal.
The house where the Rangers reside at Tech Park in UCU. Courtesy photo.
“We came to UCU in particular, when Agaba Arnold offered us a specific role in the Faculty of Law,” says Catherine Ranger, who, like her husband, has a law degree. “It was a huge affirmation of our call.”
Soon, it was time to prepare for travel. This should have been easy because during Richard’s 43-year career, he worked at three different organizations, meaning the family had to relocate whenever he got a new employer.
This time around, though, there were added challenges. Richard Ranger had a brief bout with cancer. They had to be Covid vaccinated. And the Rangers were travelling to a country, Uganda, that was in a lockdown because of a pandemic surge.
“All the challenges, such as the Covid lockdown, Richard’s cancer, raising money for the support that came after making our decision and committing to coming, were viewed as bumps on the road, not demands to turn aside,” Catherine Ranger says.
Indeed, on their journey, more bumps emerged. For instance, the Rangers missed their flights at some point. However, whenever that happened, they had people who God used to come to their rescue. For instance, when they missed their flight from Dulles twice, they were hosted by a friend while their travel agent re-ticketed them at a subsidized rate.
When they landed in Uganda on June 20, 2021, their U.S. friends had made the necessary travel arrangement for them from Entebbe to Mukono. Together with their dog, Trooper, the Rangers were ushered into aduplex unit, at a section of the university called Tech Park.
Richard says that it is the prayers, encouragement, mentorship and financial support of friends that have sustained them.
A week into their stay at UCU, Richard, 69, and Catherine, 64, celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary. Their intention is to celebrate five of more such anniversaries in Uganda.
The benevolence of Richard and Catherine towards UCU is new on the ground but not new overall. In 2004, their friend, Dr. Mary Seagull from the United States Aid for International Development (USAID), persuaded the mission community at All Saints Church Chevy Chase in Washington, D.C., to give scholarships to nursing students at UCU. The Rangers were part of this church and they participated in the charity.
Five years later, through the Uganda Partners, they supported UCU students who were to compete in the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competitions in the US. The Jessup moot court competition is the oldest and largest in the world, attracting participants from close to 700 law schools in more than 90 countries.
“We had one free room and a sofa set and accepted to house three of the students from the team,” Catherine said.
The following year, they housed another team that had travelled for the moot court competitions, for two weeks.
Currently, Catherine serves as an administrator at the John Sentamu Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, an affiliate of the UCU Faculty of Law. Richard, on the other hand, shares his more than two-decade experience in the oil and gas industry with students and staff in both Law and the UCU School of Business. Richard will assist as a lecturer and advisor to students in the graduate programs in oil and gas, and energy in the Faculty of Law as well as some teaching/consulting role with the School of Business.
He also hopes to tap the knowledge of his professional colleagues back at home in the U.S. via online distance lectures so they can supplement his contribution.
In his work with the students, Richard envisages helping them to integrate questions relating to the economic development of the oil resource, the conservation of the surrounding environment, and the concerns and interests of stakeholders whom the project may affect, to be able to make informed recommendations to her clients or her management.
The beating that many education institutions have gotten from the Covid-19 pandemic has led to the adoption of virtual, as well as blended learning. Richard believes there is a contribution he can make on that front, too. Prior to his retirement, his last employer, the American Petroleum Institute, begun to increase its use of remote teleconferencing – skills Richard has carried into his retirement activities.
“Since my retirement, I have been actively participating in remote teleconferencing by Zoom, Skype, and Microsoft Teams for attendance at professional symposia, a project working group comprised of fellow graduates of my undergraduate alma mater, Dartmouth College,” he says.
He believes that virtual communication is a necessary and useful tool in learning across the distances of Uganda and the world.
For the next five years, the couple targets to contribute what they have learned and experienced in their different careers and in the 43 years of marriage and service to God. The couple also hopes to assist UCU’s law and business programs to educate Christian professionals hoping they buttress their careers with the university’s five values of Christ-centeredness, diligence, integrity, servanthood and stewardship.
For the time they will be at UCU, the couple says they will rely on prayer and financial support from generous friends, donors and churches back in the U.S. They do not see giving up on the mission as an option.
Both Catherine and Ricard graduated from law school, but have never practiced law. Catherine graduated from the University of Colorado in 1983. Richard graduated from the University of Denver in 1977. The couple has one adult child, Owen Ranger.
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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Rev. Dr. John Kitayimbwa, Deputy Vice Chancellor – Academic Affairs
Uganda Christian University (UCU) continuing students have started their Advent Semester (August-December). The current term that started August 20, 2021, is being conducted virtually like the previous one, the Trinity Semester (May-August). The Advent is the Semester UCU admits the largest number of first-year students. Veteran journalist John Semakula, recently named head of UCU’s journalism department, talked to the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Dr.John Kitayimbwa about the preparations for first-year students joining the University. A condensed version of this conversation is reflected here.
Why should parents bring their children to UCU during this period of the lockdown? UCU is the number one university in this country when it comes to online learning. Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit us, a lot of institutions in Uganda have been struggling to get online, evaluate students and do exams, but UCU’s story of teaching and learning online is not a new one. Since 2014, we began preparing a virtual education infrastructure. Beyond the lecturers, our infrastructure has more than seven people specifically dedicated and committed to eLearning. As we speak today, a lot of universities have done what they call online teaching and that is why things like zoom and big blue button are common words in this learning arena. But online teaching is a bit different from online learning. It’s not enough to recreate the physical classroom online and get teachers talking to students online. That will not translate into learning. Online learning is more student than teacher centered. It’s more activity-based than what the teacher has said or not said. It demands more of the learner. It also demands more of the teacher in terms of preparation and getting the learning activities ready. To this end, UCU is still the number one university in doing this within Uganda. We have trained our students and lecturers, and we are ahead of the rest. So, the parent can rest assured that if they are to send their children to UCU, they will continue learning. UCU is one of the very few universities in Uganda that are up to date during Covid-19.
How are you helping first-year students fit into the University’s eLearning system? We have a policy at UCU where each entering student is required to have a laptop, what we call a laptop policy. It doesn’t matter if that laptop is new or old but at least somebody should have a laptop. We are therefore enforcing the laptop policy so that these students can learn. But also we have thought about connectivity. Students are having challenges with the connectivity because it’s very expensive and so as a university, we have partnered with the Research and Education Network Uganda (RENU) to make sure that at least all our eLearning resources are zero rated on the MTN network, meaning that if you have an MTN line, you can access all our resources free of charge. They are not free because the University is paying for the access but they are free in that aspect for our students and staff. RENU has worked hard to ensure that they roll out the internet in certain hotspots around Kampala, Wakiso, Entebbe and Mukono where our students who live around those areas can connect to the University web internet and make use of the available resources without incurring a cost.
How would a first-year student who has no IT knowledge access the virtual classes? It’s very true that the students coming to us have not used eLearning platforms before and so in September as we are recruiting, we are going to have a very elaborate process of introducing online learning to our first-year students. We shall have about two weeks of very serious orientation. Already, we have opened up some of our course offerings for potential students so that they can come and get used to the system even before the semester starts. For example, we have opened up our learning and study skills course unit, basic computing offering, Understanding World Views; students everywhere in this country can get access to those materials and try out what it means to do the new normal at UCU. We have also established a fulltime call center that is going to be responsive to the learners’ challenges. Real-time responses will be given to the new learners on issues pertaining the eLearning platform.
How about students who live in areas without access to the internet? According to the Data that we have from National Information Technology Authority (NITA), Uganda, the government through development partners have been rolling out what we call the 3G network and if you look at the NITA website, it shows you that the coverage of the 3G network, what they call the last mile, is almost 90%. This means that in most parts of the country at least there is some kind of network coverage. At the same time, this challenge is not peculiar to UCU. All the universities in Uganda are affected by the internet coverage and should strive to see how they can reach each and every student in the hard-to-reach areas. This is not a problem to solve today or tomorrow but one of the challenges we must address. Maybe we need to repackage the learning websites so that when a student goes to a place where there is internet, they can download the content and be able to read the learning material when they leave.
How do you ensure quality for online studies? Online learning is new in Uganda but it’s not new world over. Some people have been doing online learning even before the pandemic hit us. But Covid-19 has brought this closer to Uganda and that is why I told you that in UCU we started thinking about online learning in 2014 and so there are quality assurance frameworks that work within the context of online learning. Fortunately, these frameworks are much better than those of the physical learning. For example, I can see which student has logged into the system when and for how long. I can even investigate the kind of content the students have been exposed to. So, these resources on online learning materials are auditable that you can audit the attendance by both students and staff but also because the emphasis is on the learner and what the learner can do in terms of activities. The evaluation changes because whereas you could wait to give two tests in the semester, now because this is activity based learning, you need to evaluate this learner almost daily which means on a weekly basis you have a good understanding of how students have been able to learn on such a platform.
The National Council for Higher Education has raised some concerns about the quality of online exams. What is your reaction? The quality of online examination is also the understanding of why a university exists and what kind of training the University has to give to its students. When you think about what possibly you can examine during a sit-in exam, you will find out that most of the skills that you can examine within a three-hour exam are skills of remembering, a bit of application but they are not very high-end exams. If you wanted to measure the high-end skills especially in the process of learning, you would have to do that as a project-based exam or a take-home exam, and these are the skills that the market is asking for. The market is requiring of us to produce learners who can be able to go to an environment and understand what is needed in that environment, consult with seniors, if possible, to get more information in order to solve the problems they have at hand and then be able to generate a solution. This is what the UCU online exams are introducing to the students. But there are also technologies for the online sit-in exams, where we can monitor you at your home as you do your examination paper.
And when are first-year students reporting for the Advent semester? They are reporting on September 24 but we shall use the week between September 19-24 to introduce them to online pedagogies. The orientation will be the last two weeks of the month.
When is the University administering pre-entry exams? We received the Senior six final examination results in late August and we are already opening up a two-week application period. The pre-entry exams for both law and medicine will be conducted the week of September 6th and applicants are already flooding our online application portals.
Why do you set pre-entry exams for some courses and not all? Ideally, we would be setting pre-entry exams for everyone but for now we are looking at law, medicine, theology, nursing and public health. At UCU we are interested in offering a complete education for a complete person and in order to yield this kind of product, there are other ingredients that possibly the Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) might not be measuring but we are interested in. We pride ourselves in training a doctor who is not simply a doctor who can treat somebody but one who can offer complete medical care and so the inputs into that doctor are very important and that is why we conduct pre-entry exams to test the applicants’ values and capabilities before admitting them.
What does it take a student applying for a course to join the University? We have options where they can go to our website and access the online application form there that will also have details where they can reach someone in the admission office in case they want to be guided through the process. Our online application system is also working well in all the areas but if you are not good at using technology, you just have to send us an email and we shall reach out to you for help.
But isn’t UCU very expensive? That is a very interesting allegation and I have been studying it. It’s not true–I was recently looking at the tuition fees charged at UCU compared to that charged in most public universities and they are comparable. What we have done as a Christian University is that we give you a full understanding of what else you will pay. For example, we have what we call other fees, which other universities do not declare on the face of these application forms. I think this is what has caused a bit of confusion for UCU. UCU being a private University, the amount of money charged vis-à-vis the value for money is very competetive and worth applauding.
And what does it mean to run a university during the lockdown? This is one of the hardest things to do because of two main reasons: One is that most of the regulations that are made in this country are made with a public university in mind so that leaves an administrator in a private university struggling to catchup always. It would be very helpful for government and law makers to always remember that there are two kinds of institutions in the country, the public and then the private. For these two, the set up is quite different and what they need to succeed is also different. The second one is that you need to meet the expenses within the university 100% because you do not have any other help external to the university revenue to do that and therefore you have had to find a way of continuing business amidst a lockdown because if you fail to continue, it means that you are not going to earn so you can’t maintain the staff, facilities and everything else. It’s in fact that push that has helped universities such as ours to be more innovative during this time because at this point, it’s survival for the fittest. But Covid-19 is helping us to re-engineer ourselves looking at everything we do as a university to ensure that we are doing them in the best way that we should.
How are your former students fairing on the job market? They are the best graduates that you will have in this job market. If you looked at the legal vocation, for example, UCU is changing the story of the legal profession in this country. If you look at the communication graduates, they are all over. I have even started seeing some adverts where the employers are saying that only UCU graduates should apply. We are even calling upon more employers to take that example.
Uganda Christian University (UCU) Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi
By Patty Huston-Holm and Frank Obonyo
VC Mushengyezi
Uganda Christian University (UCU) Vice Chancellor Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi marked his one-year anniversary by listing achievements with a hint of what is yet to come. Despite walking into the leadership role in the middle of a pandemic, much positive occurred in this first 365 days.
He discussed these key accomplishments in a 36-minute video released Sept. 2 by UCU’s Communications and Marketing Department. A condensed list is below.
National Council for Education permission for online learning and assessment
Achievement throughout all key academic areas
Recruitment assistance for Medicine, Law, Dentistry programs through online pre-entry tests
Two virtual graduations (December 2020 and, pending, October 2021)
ICT infrastructure online learning advancement with support by UCU Partners
Kampala campus property acquisition, allowing avoidance of rent
Service (security, food, etc.) outsourcing to private entities, saving internal costs
(Anglican) Church of Uganda strengthened relationship, including clergy training
Return of most staff with implementation of a performance-based system with motivation and reward incentives, including retirement benefits and Uganda Revenue Authority debt clearance
USA supplier donation of equipment for School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, Allan Galpin as well as for hospital partners
Academic program restructuring to eliminate those not viable with start of work to blend duplications
Reorganization of administrative units, including HR
Follow up to presidential pledges, including support of Guild, solar lights and Bishop Tucker Road upgrades
Donation of clock tower by Prof. Stephen Noll, UCU’s first vice chancellor
Improved partnerships that include funds and collaboration for Journalism and Media PhD training and internships; School of Business birding tourism and an incubation center; agriculture grain projects; theology e-learning equipment and training; research within the School of Research and Post-Graduate Studies; and privately funded student scholarships; among others.
Reflecting further on his life, the 52-year-old Vice Chancellor credited three main inspirations as drivers for his work. These are: 1) upbringing in a large, poor family with strong appreciation for education; 2) his wife, Patience, who has “walked the journey of faith” with him for 23 years; and 3) faith in God and salvation.
When asked about what might be next at the start of his second year at the helm, Mushengyezi talked about even stronger partnering with the Church of Uganda, ongoing improvements with the Mukono campus infrastructure (one-stop center with all student services under one roof), improved branding (i.e. signage) and more research innovation.
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” the Vice Chancellor said, quoting Ephesians 3:20. “God uses people like us. By faith, the best is yet to come.”
Veronica Rachel Nakkonde with one of her friends at Mulago Hospital. Courtesy Photo
By Eriah Lule The love for her profession more often than not makes this 25-year-old nurse forget her shift has ended, and, therefore, she should head home. Her name is Veronica Rachael Nakkonde and her level of devotion is just like founder of modern nursing Florence Nightingale would put it “as hard a preparation, as any painter’s work.”
Many of the patients Nakkonde meets, she may never see again. But that does not affect the way she treats them – like kin.
Veronica at work at one of the AAR branches. Photo by Eriah Lule
“I am humbled to have Veronica on our team. She does everything wholeheartedly,” Dr. Isaac Kintu, Nakkonde’s supervisor at the Africa Air Rescue (ARR), a health service provider, said. “No wonder all our clinics want to feel her services.”
Nakkonde, a 2019 graduate of Uganda Christian University (UCU) with a Bachelor of Nursing Science, has a reputation of remarkable management and treatment of patients. This gets her on rotational duty at the various branches of AAR in Kampala, Uganda – something that does not happen with all her nurse colleagues.
“I can’t guarantee you which clinic I’m based because I am always transferred almost every day, to where there is bigger demand,” Nakkonde, who says she joined the profession because she desired to care for the sick and burdened people, explains.
“It is good for her because she gets exposure, moving from one clinic to the other,” Kintu notes.
So, how does Nakkonde manage to carry the heavy load on a daily basis? “I love my profession and that is why, even though sometimes I feel heavy-laden, I just pull myself back to deliver,” she says.
Nakkonde believes that if the UCU School of Medicine continues with the way it delivers knowledge, it will keep churning out health workers who observe ethical standards with high Christian values and professionalism – virtues she says the university imparts on its students, for them to have an edge on the job market.
Alice Bakunda, a nursing lecturer at the UCU School of Medicine, explains what takes place during the training: “We prepare our students for the field,” she said. “That’s why we take them to different hospitals to attain exposure and experience, which helps them tackle different issues and to be able to multi-task.’’
Veronica with her parents on UCU graduation day. Courtesy Photo
Upon graduation with summa cum laude status from UCU, Nakkonde had her internship at the Mulago National Referral Hospital. From Mulago, she joined AAR.
Nakkonde Background She is the second-last born of the seven children of Joseph and Justine Kkonde who live at Seeta in Mukono district, central Uganda.
Nakkonde attended primary school at Seeta Boarding Primary School and Stella Maris Boarding School. She later joined Trinity College Nabbingo for secondary school.
“From childhood, my parents kept encouraging me to pursue sciences,” she said. “And, I also had the passion for them.”
No wonder, in 2015, when Nakkonde applied at UCU to pursue a course, her option was Bachelor of Nursing Science. She does not regret the decision.
Like it is the case with many other students, Nakkonde did not survive the perils of financial challenges, despite studying on a scholarship from a Church-founded organization, Caritas. At some point, she says the sponsors pulled out, so she had to resort to her parents to provide the additionally needed finances.
As a nurse, Nakkonde says she encounters many challenges, such as keeping calm while dealing with rude clients and a low salary.
“Sometimes, we feel our payment does not match the work load, because we find it difficult to cover most of our living expenses,” she said.”
Nakkonde intends to enroll for a Master of Nursing Science at the UCU School of Medicine. She is certain that a master’s degree will increase her chances for promotion at the work place and enable her to serve even more.
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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By Yasiri J. Kasango They work late. They stay awake much of the night. They are witnesses to tragedies in people’s health. Despite all the challenges that medical practitioners face, Apollo Amanya had set his eyes on being one. All he wanted was to bring back good health to those who lacked it.
As a result, in 2011, when Uganda Christian University (UCU) admitted students for the course of Bachelor of Nursing Science, Amanya was among them. His determination to pursue the course was so strong that not even challenges of meeting the tuition demands could faze it.
At the time, students paid sh1.4 million (about $400) in tuition for the course and another sh550,000 (about $155) as “other fees” per semester. As such, the 31-year-old says he struggled to complete the four-year course. And it seems he was not the only student facing financial challenges. Many of his colleagues dropped out of the course over the four years.
Since Amanya’s parents were peasants, he did not expect much from them. He, therefore, took matters into his own hands, and started searching for scholarships. In his second year, he applied for one – the Muljibhai Madhvani Foundation Scholarships. However, he was not as lucky. He missed the offer. But Amanya is not one who can easily lose hope. In his third year, he applied for the scholarship again. This time, he was among the recipients.
After graduating in 2015, Amanya went back home to his parents – Godfrey Bahemurwa and Medius Biretsire – residents of Mitooma district in western Uganda. For one year he was in Mitooma, helping his parents with farm work before he got his first job. Bahemurwa has since passed away.
Amanya’s first job was as a nursing officer at Nakasero Hospital in Kampala. After a year at Nakasero, he left for UMC Victoria Hospital, also in Kampala. At Victoria, Amanya worked as an Intensive Care Unit nursing officer for four years. After five years as a medical practitioner, Amanya switched to academia.
Apollo Amanya
However, due to the love to practice medicine, it did not take Amanya long before returning to applying his health care skills. In fact, the same year – 2020 – when he left UMC Victoria University, was the same year he joined the national army, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, as the acting principal nursing officer at the Senior Officers’ Diagnostics Centre. The facility, located in Mbuya, a Kampala suburb, treats soldiers from the rank of Major and above, plus their families.
“The principal nursing officer acts as the head of the nurses and the role includes coming up with working schedules for the them,” Amanya says, noting that the position is a busy one, requiring someone to work for extra hours on some days.
Many civilians are apprehensive to work in a community as reclusive as that of soldiers. Was that not the case with Amanya? He says his case was not any different. However, with time, he discovered that it was “amazing working at the center and that the soldiers are friendly.”
Amanya says the empathy that he applies in his current work is a virtue he learned while pursuing the Bachelor of Nursing Science course at UCU. He says he loved studying at UCU because the university teaches nurses to be empathetic to patients.
“The curriculum of nursing at UCU has also got foundation course units, such as Understanding Christian Ethics, which shape the world views of students,” he said.
The Christian World View course unit emphasises how students relate and handle their clients from a Christian perspective.
Amanya is married to Aisha Atwemerireho and the couple has a son, age two. Being a busy man at his workstation, he said, has not stopped his dream of becoming a consultant in nursing.
To buttress his qualification for consultancy, in 2019, Amanya enrolled for a Master of Nursing Science degree at UCU. He says he was inspired by some of his lecturer-colleagues at the Kampala International University who possessed the same qualification.
The two-year course is modular in nature, with each year having three modules and each module lasting five weeks. Students pay sh1.5 million (about $425) per module, in tuition fees. He also has to part with an additional sh751,000 (about $212) for other fees.
Despite being enthusiastic about nursing, Amanya expressed his pain about the working conditions of nurses in Uganda. He says they are “paid peanuts” and are sometimes not given adequate protective gear at work, exposing them to infections from the patients they treat.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Uwimbabazi graduated from UCU in 2020 with a Bachelor’s of Nursing Science. She specializes in sexual and reproductive health. Courtesy photo.
By Jimmy Siyasa In 2019, Uganda Partners profiled Uwimbabazi Sarah, who was a recipient of a scholarship for her Bachelor of Nursing Science course at the Uganda Christian University (UCU). In the profile, when asked how she would use her degree, Uwimbabazi said: “I will go back to my hospital and deliver holistic nursing care to the people within and outside the hospital, with interest in maternal and child health for the betterment of our community and nation.”
Two years later, Uwimbabazi manages the Uganda Sexual Health and Public Education (USHAPE) project in Uganda. USHAPE is a family planning program owned by the Margaret Pyke Trust, a UK project. Uwimbabazi got the job in 2020. She also is currently undergoing her mandatory internship at the Bwindi Community Hospital in Kanungu, western Uganda.
Her work at USHAPE includes coordinating a team of health workers with whom she conducts community outreaches to sensitize people about family planning and sexual health. She says because she has a soft spot for mothers, they open up to her during consultations.
Uwimbabazi’s introduction to the field of medicine dates back to when she was in secondary school. She befriended an American couple, Scott and Carol Kellermann, who were Christian missionaries and medics, giving her an opportunity to appreciate what they were doing. The Kellermanns founded the Bwindi Community Hospital in 2003.
In 2009, as a nurse at Bwindi Community Hospital, a mother took her a sick child who seemed to be suffering from a respiratory blockage.
“At first, I feared, because I thought the child would die,” she narrated.
Overwhelmed by the fear that had overcome the mother, Uwimbabazi laid her hands over the child, and prayed fervently. She then sucked out the mucus-like substance that had blocked the baby’s respiratory system. In no time, the child’s condition stabilized.
“I felt so grateful to God,” Uwimbabazi, age 34, said. “That was my best moment as a nurse. I forgot about the cold, sleepless night that evening.”
Studying at UCU was a dream come true for Uwimbabazi. At some point, before 2017, she had given up the hope of enrolling for university education. She met the academic requirements to be admitted. In fact, she was even admitted, but did not have the financial muscle to pay tuition. At the time, she held a Diploma in Nursing that she had attained in 2012 at the Kinkizi School of Comprehensive Nursing.
“I had always wanted to pursue a course at UCU. It offers a unique experience which sets one apart,” she said. “They offer foundational course units, such as writing and study skills, which give us an upper hand at the work place.”
Uwimbabazi, her husband, Robert and their children during family time. Courtesy photo.
Her husband, Robert Kamugisha, also an alumnus of UCU, was partly the stimulant for her inclination to UCU. She recounted how he never ceased to sing praises of the institution. (See Partners’ link to his story in 2019.)
“He talked about how the institution impacted his life. All I wanted was to have the same experience. Indeed, I had the best time when I joined,” the mother of three children said.
In 2017, the miracle that Uwimbabazi had been praying for happened. An acquaintance, Sarah, from Israel, offered to sponsor her, through the UCU Partners organization. “That was one of the best moments in my life. I could not believe it, when I saw the email from Sarah, telling me to prepare for school…”
Uwimbabazi graduated from UCU in February 2020. While in her last year at UCU, she was worried about having to study for an extra year.
However, to her surprise, she says her lecturers were considerate and supportive. Uwimbabazi delivered her baby four days prior to exams. She would later display courage by writing all her exam papers. But it did not come that easy.
“There were days when I got off the seat, knelt or sat on the ground to write my exam papers. The pain was too much yet I was determined to complete my course,” she recalls.
Despite the challenges, Uwimbabazi shocked everyone by scoring a 4.6 GPA of 5.0 that semester. She hopes to enroll for a Master of Nursing Science course at UCU in 2022.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Enriching the discussion and response, the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication (FJMC) will host the 10
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