In the bustling halls of the university, the air was thick with anticipation as the end of semester examinations loomed just days away. The campus, usually alive with various events and activities, had transformed into a serene haven for diligent students, all united by a common purpose: to conquer their exams and emerge victorious. The atmosphere was one of focused dedication, a symphony of rustling papers, intense discussions, and the occasional soft sigh.

Hungry people dive into trash bins for discarded food that cats, dogs and birds pick over. They climb trees for fruit half-eaten by monkeys. They steal. They drink dirty water.  They exhibit anger, hopelessness and desperation. 

While growing up, Beatrice Masendi says some aspects of Christian salvation did not make much sense to her. And that forced her to begin equating her faith to politics. All this happened despite Masendi being a child of a lay reader. Lay readers are non-clergy who are authorized to preach and to conduct some religious services, but are not permitted to celebrate the Eucharist.

We are a few weeks away from the end of the second term. The majority of schools have already had midterm exams, and the end-of-term exams are just around the corner. Do you know how your child performs in class?

Daphine Oitamong talks about Sophie who walked to school two kilometers (1.3 miles) barefooted with rat bites on her heels. Nannyanga Restetuta talks about Dora who went from “jolly and active” to being withdrawn after her parents left her in the care of a sexually abusive uncle. Nancy Ongom, who mentions the name Jafa, grapples to pick just one. 

Uganda Christian University (UCU) has sent out the first crop of its trained medics. The inaugural graduates from the Schools of Medicine and Dentistry The university graduated 36 graduates with the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery and nine with the Bachelor of Dentistry during the first part of the 24th graduation ceremony.