Author: systems

By Israel Kisakye and Jimmy SiyasaHow will I deal with stigma and community negativity? What will my life be like with the side effects of taking antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for the rest of my life? These were among the questions Gloria Nawanyaga was confronted with when she discovered that she was HIV-positive. She was 11 years old. Nawanyaga said that when her mother initially gave her the ARVs, she did not know why she was taking them. When awareness set in that she had HIV, she felt dejected, depressed and hopeless. Her self-esteem was crushed and bitterness grew. Her mother…

By Emmanuel KizaaleKareem Nasasira’s ability to beautifully work with granite, paint, wood, marble and board is striking. He does not just throw his energy willy-nilly. The level of concentration he puts in the art he is developing is usually seen in the quality of work he puts out. Perhaps, that explains his choice to concentrate on interior art. Despite his finesse in many fields, gypsum walls and ceilings seem to be his calling. And he creates them with so much ease, giving out exquisite results. The 24-year-old says he always cultivates a relationship with whatever art he is engaging with.…

This story is supplemented with two short videos created by students at Uganda Christian University. The lead developer is final-year journalism student Jimmy Siyasa. The videos on cage fish farming and voices of farmers about fishing challenges around Lake Victoria are on the Uganda Partners YouTube page.) By Patty Huston-HolmJohn Livingstone Mutyaba is not a fisherman. He’s never baited a hook on a line, cast a net or set up a cage. But he knows a lot about fishing. So much so that the lecturer in the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at Uganda Christian University (UCU) is increasingly being acknowledged for his research on…

By Yasiri J KasangoIn 2012, two key things happened in the life of Emilly Comfort Maractho. One, she realised she was not going to benefit much from a master’s course she had enrolled into. Her sixth sense told her to change courses. She obliged. The second thing to happen was that Maractho received communication from someone she had never met. Prof. Monica Chibita of Uganda Christian University (UCU) was convincing her to take up a PhD scholarship opportunity after completing a master’s course she was pursuing in Kenya. This communication was followed by Chibita’s physical visit to Maractho. When she…

Story and photos by Jimmy SiyasaTwo tragedies occurred in the early life of Simon Mwima. One, he lost his sister to AIDS. Two, the son of his departed sister succumbed to the same scourge. Those two deaths left an indelible mark on Mwima that later determined his career path. “Due to structural and institutional barriers, poverty and stigma, my sister, Alice, could not access the care that she needed, leading to her death,” he said. After watching his sister and nephew die helplessly, he made it a mission to fight against HIV and AIDS. And he is now a medical…

A Review by Jimmy Siyasa Africa’s tourism industry continues to grow at a rocket rate. The ‘black’ continent’s tourism industry boasts second fastest growing, according to Africa News, a prominent continental news site. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions thereof, many outside Africa yearn to come to the world’s leading Safari tourism destination. One would wonder why so? The answers are simple. First, no continent comes close to the wealth of African wildlife and signature sunsets. Secondly, the hospitality of Africans employed at the tourism agencies is simply unmatched. Let me tell you this story better through the…

Story and Photos by Michael KisekkaFiercely independent, Charlotte Mbabazi disliked depending on her parents. For that not to happen, she started saving part of the pocket money that her parents gave her while a student at Uganda Christian University (UCU). Those savings became a pillar for her livelihood after school. At the time Mbabazi graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Education degree in 2020, just like everyone else, she had not anticipated a lockdown due to the devastating effects of Covid-19. The lockdown meant she could not get a school to teach since schools had been shut in Uganda.…

By Yasiri J KasangoA recent act by Uganda Christian University (UCU) is a reminder that when people are protecting something dear to them, they will defend it in spite of adversity. While digging into pockets was ever harder during the most-recent Uganda Covid lockdown, dig is what UCU did – for the church. Church of Uganda Archbishop Samuel Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu was recently at the UCU main campus during a visit as part of his duties as the chancellor of the university. That is when he was welcomed with a donation of about sh111m (about $31,000) towards the Church House…

By Enock Wanderema and Jimmy SiyasaIt’s never too late to pursue what you want. That’s the message from Sylvia Nabayego, a married mother of two and the oldest in her undergraduate class pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication at Uganda Christian University (UCU). It’s a career path she wanted more than a decade ago, but one that did not have the quality reputation it holds at UCU today. Sixteen years ago, Nabyego pursued an Undergraduate in Human Resource management and graduated in 2008. Shortly thereafter she got married to Peter Kauma. In 2019 and with her in-law ,…

Compiled by Yasiri J Kasango and Israel KisakyeOn June 18, 2021, the government of Uganda imposed a second covid-related lockdown that resulted in the closure of in-person classes for all academic institutions in the country. Uganda Christian University (UCU) immediately shifted added emphasis to online classes. The University is one of the few higher education institutions in Uganda that have put increased priority on developing and expanding eLearning for sustainability during the lockdown that could end or be extended after July. As the learners returned to their homes to replace blended learning with only online classes, the University retained a…