ACT Uganda Blog

(Written by Generous)   I could not believe it when I received an email from Sue Waechter that one of the best friends of ACT, a donor, Melanie Nelson offered to sponsor me for a trip to Santiago, Chile to attain a training in public health! It was real. Arrangements started; there is no Chilean Embassy in Uganda. I had to travel to Kenya to get a visa from the Chilean Embassy and it was the crossover night of 2013 to 2014. I boarded the bus from Kampala City at midnight while fireworks were all over in celebration of entering into  a new year. And, because it was the big days of New Year holidays, visa processing delayed and I spent 7 days in Kenya waiting. I almost gave up but my husband, Richard, encouraged me on the phone to stay as he had taken a leave from work to be in care of our children. Also, one of the Kenyan women, Grace Mose, who was also going to Chile for the training offered me accommodation in her house because I could not manage the costs of the hotels in Ke...

Generous shares her birth story and growing up with us: I was born in Rugarambiro Village, Karengyere Parish, Muko Sub-County, Rubanda District - Uganda, into a family of nine children; four boys and five girls. I was the last born. My Mum gave birth to me at home in the house. I was very tiny and they th ought I was under weight and may not grow (a story told by one of my elder sisters, Mabel, who was there by the time I was born). Generous's Mom, Peninnah (in the traditional dress), Mabel, Generous, Jovilo, Kedreth, Joseline By God's grace I grew up. Another sister, Kedreth, was a Primary teacher (grades 1-7) and I started following her to school when I was not yet the age of beginning school. She accepted to keep me at school and take care of me. I continued finishing Primary school and joined secondary school at Muko High School.  At Senior 2 in 1994, I was elected a Head Girl. I was happy to obtain that position in school and perform my roles well. That very year, I lost m...

  An opportunity presented itself to our women leaders in Muko to attend a conference about leadership - African Women's Leadership Conference. It was an affordable conference for our women leaders to learn about their role as leaders in Muko Sub County. Those who attended the 6 week online conference were: Generous Turinawe, ACT Uganda Director, Judith Tukahirwe, former HONOR Scholarship Manager, Prudance Kengyeyo, Bursar at Muko High School, Pamella Musiimenta, HANDS Assistant Manager. Generous wrote about the opportunity below: "What a God-given gift course!! The four pillars of leadership, all the six sessions were outstanding. I discovered and grasped a rich learning opportunity when other women shared their experiences and challenges with a multi-talented, multi-national and multi-industry group of senior women leaders. I also discovered the value of my own experiences and success over the 20 years I have spent in a leadership position for community holistic transformati...

  Since 2006, we have sent 14 Travel Teams to Uganda. These teams were and are comprised of folks who express an interest in going and donate their own costs for the trip - usually $2,000 - $2,500 USD. What a gift they have made in addition to their time and experience and love they share with our partners in Uganda! Here are the teams over the years: 2006: John and Sue Waechter 2008: David Kelley, Rick Drimalla, John Waechter, Doug Brinklow, Lucy Waechter Webb Sue Waechter, Linda Drimalla, Charlie Bash 2010 (Jan): Tim Yuergens, Israel Pacheco Santos, Sue Waechter, Ced Currin, David Pierce 2010 (Dec): Dale Anderson, Holly Oemke, Bill McHenry, Ashley Bair, sue Waechter 2012: Sue Waechter, Dave Viele, Lazara Aragon, Curt Zastrow, Karen Viele, Sydney Roeder, Katie Brinklow, Dale Anderson 2013: John Waechter, Dave Viele Michelle Busch, Liz Neithamer, Kelsey Neithamer, Karen Viele 2014 (Apr): Lisa Corso, Liz Neithamer, Dave Molzahn, Barbara Corso, Dave Viele,  Karen Viele, Diana St...

This coming week, we will be launching a very important fund-raising campaign: Completion of the new Science Lab at Muko High School   Allow me to share with you the before and now photos! The old "lab" was a single, small, very dark classroom. In the words of Mathias Atuheire (Science Teacher): [In the old room] "students would not be able to see, touch and handle what little science equipment available or not enjoy the science teaching and learning process because of the small room. Learners had a negative attitude towards sciences with the ideology that they cannot pass sciences from here because there is no well-equipped and improved science laboratory." In addition to the science-related materials, the violins and violas were also stored there. Not only was the room decrepit, the supplies were very old and limited. The students literally did not have the supplies to be able to take and pass practical exams to move ahead. Tr. Wenzi Twebaze (Physics/Mathematics) ...

In 2006, when John and I travelled to Uganda for the first time, our friends there had prepared what was once a home in Muko Marketplace into a space for ACT and for us to stay in for our visit. It was a 5-room house with concrete floors and stone walls. And, something unusual about it for Muko, they had created a stone driveway up to the house where we parked the van/ambulance!  Muko Marketplace There was a small room (now our locked storage room) that we set up our REI cots and sleeping bags. The "kitchen" was outside over open fire to prepare meals as in the case of most homes in Muko. This home was owned by a former teacher of Generous' in the village and ACT was renting it from him. In 2010, when the travel team went to Muko, I negotiated a price with Mr. Stanley for ACT to purchase the building to be used for our Center. I remember the conversation was mostly in Rukiga so I had Generous helping me understand. We have a handwritten "deed" to the property.  ...