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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dickson Tumuramye, head of the Honors College at UCU

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

However, amidst this suffering, somehow, Good

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

According to Uganda National Institute of Public Health, Uganda is a yellow fever-endemic country with a high risk of transmission.

However, despite the introduction of the yellow fever vaccine in the routine immunization schedule in October 2022, the national coverage has remained low at 29%. This poses a high risk of yellow fever outbreak in Uganda

To further contribute to the efforts towards curbing spread of the yellow fever virus, Uganda Christian University (UCU) in collaboration with Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports and Mukono District Health Office, has organized a free yellow fever mass vaccination campaign.

The vaccination campaign that started today, Tuesday, April 2^nd is expected to run until Monday, April 8^th, 2024. The primary objective is to vaccinate at least 95% of the eligible population aged 1-60 years against yellow fever.

Both UCU and the neighboring communities are receiving the vaccines at the university clinic, Allan Galpin Health Center.

Kakooza Abdul Wahabu, Nursing Officer at UCU’s Allan Galpin Health Centre and in charge of the vaccinations, urges all eligible members of the community to embrace this vital vaccination campaign. “Community members should not miss the yellow fever vaccination. This is because clinicians often mistake yellow fever symptoms for those of malaria, leading to undiagnosed cases” Kakooza said. 

It is essential for individuals seeking vaccination to carry and present either a school ID or a national ID.

For more information and the vaccination schedule, individuals can visit the UCU Allan Galpin Health Centre. Let us join hands in combating yellow fever and ensuring a healthier future for everyone.

Compiled by Irene Best Nyapendi and Jimmy Siyasa

Edited By: Harriet Adong, Consultant at UCU’s Communication and Public Relations Department

Lent is a 40-day period of fasting for Christians, from Ash Wednesday to Easter. This year, Easter will be celebrated on March 31. Fasting is most recommended for healthy persons with elderly and very young children often exempt. The practice is frequently categorised as absolute (food and beverage), solid food (consuming only liquids) and partial (choosing one food to abstain). At Uganda Christian University (UCU), selected students have chosen to fast. Some shared their experience with Pauline Luba.

To me, fasting is a period where one gets closer to God. It’s that time when you want to revive your spiritual life, you want to give everything to your God, you want to talk to Him and you also want to listen to Him. So, I do this with my friends and it’s nice to share this belief with them. The Lent period has strengthened our bond. We take it as a time of giving and a time of listening to God. 

The lent season gives one a humbling experience. And with that experience, it enables one to control their desires, to enable them develop a deep devotion and relationship with God. So, it is important for people to participate in activities of lent, such as fasting and self-sacrifice. 

To me, fasting has been the norm ever since I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I fast during the lent period and ensure that I don’t do anything that could tempt me. On the health side of it, fasting has contributed to me reducing weight. The last time I weighed myself, I was told I was almost overweight, so fasting has helped keep my weight under control. 

The fasting period has drawn me closer to God and I’m learning to know more about myself. I think the Lent period should be taken seriously since it helps to draw people closer to Christ. It’s also an opportunity which makes people get to discover more about their spirituality and learn more about their faith. 

During the fasting period, I have been able to do more and I have also learned how to talk to God better. The thing that I found challenging about fasting while on campus is that that is the time people who are not aware that you are fasting invite you for meals. Therefore, it calls for a high level of self-control.

Sanyu’s Lent Experience at UCU

I have enjoyed this Lent season.  I take breaks during my fast. The fasting is somewhat challenging, given that it is happening at a time when we have classes. However, the bottom line is that fasting can help one get closer to Christ.  I would like to get closer to my Saviour. I think the university could improve on the quality of the Lent season for students by bringing up more related sessions during the community worship and sessions of prayer.

In the world of higher education, attention often gravitates towards lecturers and professors, the individuals responsible for teaching and research. However, another crucial cohort operates behind the scenes: administrators. These individuals, including deans, directors, and academic registrars, are instrumental in the seamless operation of universities. Yet, the challenges they encounter, particularly in Uganda, are frequently overlooked.

A recent study by Faith Mbabazi, Wilson Eduan, and Mary Kagoire Ocheng from Uganda Christian University (UCU) delved into a significant challenge confronting administrators: role conflict and burnout. Published in the East African Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, this research investigates how these issues impact administrators in Ugandan universities.

Role conflict occurs when an individual’s job responsibilities clash, leading to stress. Conversely, burnout manifests as emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and decreased effectiveness at work due to prolonged stress. Understanding the interplay between these phenomena is crucial for ensuring the well-being of administrators and the smooth operation of universities.

The study employed surveys to inquire about the experiences of administrators from various Ugandan universities. It aimed to ascertain whether role conflict exacerbates burnout among these administrators.

The findings yielded unexpected insights. Initially, the study did not identify a direct correlation between role conflict and burnout. However, upon closer examination, a noteworthy factor emerged: age. Older administrators were more susceptible to experiencing emotional exhaustion due to role conflict.

This shows the importance of recognizing individual differences, particularly in age, in understanding how role conflict impacts burnout among administrators. This understanding holds significant implications for universities. It proves the need for university leaders to be attuned to the well-being of their staff, especially older administrators who may be more vulnerable to burnout resulting from role conflict.

Overall, this study sheds light on a critical aspect of university life in Uganda. By comprehending the relationship between role conflict and burnout, universities can foster healthier work environments for their administrators, ensuring the sustained effectiveness of their operations while prioritizing the well-being of their staff.

Compiled by: Irene Best Nyapendi

Edited by: Jimmy Siyasa, Head of Communications and Public Relations Department at UCU

By Kefa Senoga
When Micheline Ugara Mazo arrived in Uganda more than six years ago, all she wanted was to pursue a university education. She did not care what course she studied. To get herself ready for education in Uganda, Ugara Mazo, a native of he Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),  took lessons in English for more than eight months.

She chose to undergo English lessons because, apart from admiring the language, she did not know much about it. People in her home country speak French as their official language. It is also the language of instruction for students in schools.

“I loved English so much,” she said. “Sometimes I would get newspapers published in the English language and try to read them, but I would hardly understand anything. That experience stuck in my mind that I had to learn the language.”

She says she felt that after exclusively studying French for most of her life in the DRC, it was time for her to immerse herself in an English-speaking society.

However, before Ugara Mazo came to Uganda to pursue her studies, she had to endure a two-year stay at home because she and her father could not agree on where she would go. Her father, Chrysostom Nyelegodi Azangi, wanted her to enroll at Kinshasa University, in the DRC, while Ugara Mazo preferred Uganda. To demonstrate her resolve and in the midst of conflict in the Congo, she started a fish trading business for the two years she was at home.

For years, the DRC has experienced violence involving militant groups over territory and natural resources. In addition to mounting civilian deaths in eastern Congo, the UN declares that the number of internally displaced people has reached a record high of 6.9 million as fighting, rendering  a growing part of the country unsafe for civilians.

Azangi eventually gave in and let his daughter have her wish to leave the conflict-ridden area. 

Ugara Mazo’s academic choices at UCU

Upon reaching Uganda Christian University (UCU) in 2017, Ugara Mazo met the Rev. Samson Maliisa, the assistant chaplain at the institution, who helped to guide her on the course to pursue. 

“He gave me two options — either Bachelor of Governance and International Relations or Bachelor of Human Rights, Peace and Humanitarian Interventions. I chose the latter,” she recalls. 

Ugara Mazo says her motivation to pursue a course in human rights came from the fact that she had witnessed many cases of human rights violations in the Congo. 

“In some parts of my country, people are constantly running from conflict, fleeing from war-affected areas,” Ugara Mazo says. 

The DDR has faced decades of war, largely between government forces and rebels, especially in the eastern part of the country. 

It is for that reason that in 2021, even after completing her undergraduate course, Ugara Mazo chose to further her stay in Uganda by enrolling for a master’s course.

“There was the Covid-19 pandemic and war at the same time back at home, so I decided to stay and study further,” she says, explaining how her father tried to resist her continued stay to study in Uganda. 

“My father said he didn’t have the money to pay my tuition, but I persisted, and enrolled for the master’s course, believing that God would make a way,” she said.

The gold trading business of Azangi in Ituri province, DRC, had suffered significant setbacks due to the war. Initially, the father faced financial constraints and, as a result, he was not sure he could fund her course, the Master of Research and Public Policy. However, he later secured the necessary funds, enabling him to pay her tuition. Ugara Mazo is now finalizing her master’s research.

Her topic  is the “Effect of Armed Conflict on the Implementation of Gold Exploitation Policy in Ituri, DRC.” She says it was born out of the need to gain more knowledge on the cause of the war in eastern DR Congo so she could detail the effect the war has had on one of the economic activities in the region — gold mining.

Incidentally, Ugara Mazo has had one of her sisters, Iyekane Elizabeth Yamba, follow her to pursue an undergraduate course at UCU. Yamba recently graduated with a Bachelor of Procurement Logistics and Management and returned to DR Congo. She expects two other siblings, Miriam Eri Kurunze and Eri Tende Somson, to join UCU later this year.