By Daniella Bagaya
Uganda Christian University celebrated the final day of the three-day Coffee and Paint tuition fundraiser, held at the Main Campus basketball court on Friday, 13th March.
The event was held under the theme: Colours of Compassion, running from Wednesday 11th March to Friday the 13th.
The initiative was driven by the UCU resource mobilisation team, the visual arts department and the 28th guild government with the support of the Fortress Within club and Coffee Club of UCU.
These bodies came together with the primary mission of mobilising financial support for the students struggling with tuition fees, but the party also acknowledged the emotional stress that comes with financial uncertainty.
“When pockets are empty…hope can feel distant. But together, we can paint something brighter”, was published by the Fortress Within club on the promotional WhatsApp channel for the event.
In spite of the grey weather and damp mood that began the event on Wednesday and carried all through to Thursday morning, the event quickly picked up speed and became the colourful affair the organisers hoped for.
Many attendees felt that the atmosphere of the fundraiser was very inviting. “I am very much satisfied with the experience. Very much!” said Mercy Dokini, a Bachelor of Business Administration student, with a smile, “I’m painting, I’ve taken coffee, and people are so nice, the people who are guiding are really nice, even the photographers; they make the place feel like home.”
Other attendees also discussed what being part of the fundraiser meant to them. “For me it means extending a helping hand to those who are not able. It’s to raise tuition for some of the students who are not able to. To me it means so much that I get to extend a helping hand to them,” said Angel Musimiire, a student at UCU.
Aside from the painting equipment and coffee, different games such as Blokus Trigon, scrabble and chess were made available for attendees to play and socialise over the course of the event.
On day two of the occasion, Joseph Lagen, a graduand of the UCU school of law and gospel musician, performed a series of his songs to the audience of attendees, including Near
Here, a song celebrates how far he has come as an individual with the help of God. This song resonated deeply with the audience for its catchiness and uplifting message.
On Friday, the Vice Chancellor of UCU, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, made a speech in which he
celebrated the organising committee under the leadership of Dorothy Tushemereirwe alongside
The president of the Fortress Within club, Dickson Mbonye, as well as the Department of Visual Arts and design is headed by Josephine Nyende.
He stressed the importance of the fundraiser by acknowledging the unforeseen circumstances that put students in a place of financial jeopardy, such as the loss of a parent or guardian,
“We’ve seen these initiatives raise hope for such students. I remember a student who got stuck in their last semester. Through these initiatives they were able to pay their tuition, and he graduated.”
Mr Mushyengyezi also stressed the importance of providing emotional and social support as well as the financial to students on shaky financial ground. He noted that in many cases there is a relationship between financial uncertainty and students facing psychosocial challenges such as alcohol, substance or gambling addictions as a way to cope with the stress.
He celebrated The Fortress Within the Club for standing in the gap of supporting such individuals as the club aims largely to support young people struggling with addictions. They aim to make the necessary resources available for those in the throes of addiction.
Mr Mushyengyezi went on to pledge Shs. 10 million to the fundraiser’s cause.
Dr Dennis Ngabirano, the CEO and founder of Sumz Food Industries, attended as the guest of honour. In his speech, he stressed the importance of receiving an education, quoting a Luganda saying, that emphasises how those who refuse to study in their youth regret the decision in their old age. He celebrated the goal of the fundraiser of keeping people at the university and pledged Shs. 5million to its cause.
Among them was Prisca, an alumna of the university, who was its first female guild president, invited to have a question-and-answer session with students alongside popular journalist and media personality, Sheila Tusiime.
Together they led the discussions, urging people to be compassionate with other people and look out for those around them, but not at the expense of their own well-being.
The three-day chapter closed with a karaoke session organised by the Azania club for performing arts.
