By Agatha N. Biira
We all have a history, a path that led us to where we are now. For Gilbert Olanya, it is Uganda Christian University (UCU). Now a Member of Parliament for Kilak South in Pader District, Olanya traces his roots back to UCU.
When he enrolled at UCU in 1999 to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Education, everything went well until the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency broke out in Northern Uganda, where he is from. Before he finished his first semester, his parents were taken to an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in the Gulu district.
“My father was paying my tuition strictly from cultivation. He used to grow cotton and tobacco. When they were taken to camps, cultivation was no more. That meant there was no money, “Olanya said.
Before taking a break for the holidays, he recalls Prof. Stephen Noll, the Vice Chancellor at the time, requesting that students who were not financially stable fill out scholarship applications. And, like any other student, he applied prior to traveling to Gulu to join his parents at the camp.
When the time came to return to school, his father told him that there was no money. “That only meant that I had to drop out in the first year, first semester,” Olanya said.
But when they were left with a week to return to school, he received a message from the university that said he had been chosen among the students to benefit from the UCU Partners contribution. “I must tell you, I was extremely happy. I studied for two years and a half with the help of UCU Partners, “he said.
From the time he got the scholarship, Olanya kept receiving letters from his sponsor. He recalls one that he received that changed his life. “He told me, Gilbert Olanya, we are supporting you but we want nothing from you. What we need is for you to help others if you succeed in life, “he said. “I kept remembering those words and, by God’s grace, I was voted Member of Parliament in 2011 and this is my third term in parliament.”
These words stuck with him, and as of now, he has sponsored 48 students who have completed university and is still paying for another 282 students in secondary schools. “So, the foundation and idea of helping all originated from UCU and that is why I pride myself on UCU,” Olanya said.
He deals with people in his district, majorly orphans, people with financial difficulties, and also those with older parents that are not able to support them. “I call for them to apply, after which I send a team to their homes to make the assessment,” Olanya said.
Olanya stated that, among other things, UCU taught him respect, decency, and being God-fearing, which he still values.
“During our time, dress code was one of the key things. Ladies dressed decently and us, men were taught to wear suits and neck ties,” Olanya said.
He plans on getting in touch with the UCU Alumni executive so as to come up with a tangible project that the alumni can contribute to and support. “We can do something great for the university. I pray that they are innovative. I am willing to support UCU, “Olanya said.
