ACT Uganda Blog

 In 2008, the US Travel Team and the ACT Staff established a program, which at the time was named Muko Empowerment Program. This program was created for the purpose of providing a market for local women with HIV to sell their baskets and beaded jewelry. There were about 25 women in the beginning all very eager to participate to earn cash to be able to send their children to school.  2008  Guma with MEP Weavers 2008 With Guma (Alexander Gumoshabe) leading the MEP Program, it grew and grew. We have carried thousands of baskets, jewelry and sewn items back in our suitcases for 20 years! Soon after we began the program, we learned of Lovina! Lovina was clearly the standout best basket weaver in our program. Lovina is lame, unable to use her legs except to walk in a squat position. She is such a strong woman. Her lack of able-ness does not even slow her down. We soon gave her the title of Basket Quality Manager and her responsibility was to come to the ACT Resource Center once a month to re

In August of 2017, a US travel team spent about two weeks in Muko, Uganda working with our Ugandan partners on the various programs underway there including our HONOR scholarship Program. The day before the team was scheduled to return to the US, we received an inquiry from Bishop George Bagamuhunda of the Church of Uganda's Kigezi Diocese regarding our interest in exploring ACT to assume the operation of the church's Muko High School (MHS). As he put it humorously, "we know how to save souls; you know how to run schools!" The next day the Bishop was returning from a meeting in Kampala while the travel team was en-route to the airport in Entebbe for their return flight to the US (an 8-hour journey). Arrangements were made to meet along the roadside where an Agreement in Principle was reached.  Travel Team roadside meeting with Bishop George Bagamuhunda Left to right: Joe Oprea, Karen Viele, Dave Viele, Bishop, Sue Waechter, Diana Stubig, Dick Dolinski Over the next fe