Community scheme offers lifeline to Butaleja students

Ms Pamela Kisakye, 23, a resident of Namulemu Cell, Butaleja Town Council in Butaleja District, faced enormous challenges in her journey towards attaining higher education.

Due to financial constraints, she was unable to attend university immediately after completing Senior Six at Kamda Community Secondary School in Mukono District.

On the verge of dropping out, she was given a lifeline on October 24, 2020, through a scholarship opportunity under Dr Margaret Mungherera, one of Uganda’s senior consultant psychiatrists and former Women World Medical Association President who died on February 4, 2017.

Before her passing, Dr Mungherera, who hails from Butaleja District, had initiated a programme to sponsor girls from poor families in Butaleja District.

Inspired by her vision, residents, through the Nanghirisa Development Association (NDA), carried on with the initiative, focusing on providing educational sponsorship for underprivileged yet promising children, especially girls.

Kisakye recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Laboratory Science from Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST). She is the first beneficiary of the community initiative.

Currently, about 50 children are being supported through this programme, with the community coming together each school term to fundraise and cover the educational expenses of the students.

"The Nanghirisa Development Association (NDA) picked me up after my Senior Six. My parents were not able to pay my tuition at the university," Kisakye said.

She said Nanghirisa paid her tuition at the university for all four years.

"I’m the first beneficiary of this programme. And I’m extremely happy with everyone who contributed towards my education," Kisakye said.

The Daily Monitor learnt that Nanghirisa has been paying more than Shs2 million per semester.

Kisakye wants to be a medical tutor after her post-graduate diploma in medical education at Mulago.

"It’s a nine-month course. After my postgraduate diploma, I want to do a master’s in Microbiology. I want to become a lecturer in microbiology. I want to use this opportunity to thank all the NDA and others for supporting her," she said.

She promised to support the girl children in the district as a way of giving back to her community.

"Being a beneficiary of this initiative I want to support girl children in my district. It may not necessarily be financial support but I wish to talk to these young children about how I benefited from my education," she says.

Mr Abdul Masebba, the general secretary of NDA, said the initiative that started in 2018 has so far supported up to 45 students.

"As Nanghirisa we have been doing a lot of activities, including starting up the scholarship in 2018. We pick these children from within Butaleja District and we support them in terms of education," Mr Masebba said.

Mr Masebba said the scholarship focuses on science education. He said the association partnered with two secondary schools; Tororo Progressive Academy (TOPA) and Butaleja Modern High School.

According to the records, the association has 19 students at TOPA, three students at Butaleja Modern High School and one student at Busitema University Faculty of Health Sciences, among others. The association leadership say they need an average of Shs15 million per term.

"We hope that as our organisation grow bigger the number of children dropping out of school will be supported by this organisation," Mr Masebba made

Mr Masebba said they plan to hold a dinner on December 27 to raise more funds for the scheme.

The association will also celebrate the graduation of their pioneer student, Kisakye. Ms Justine Were, the mother of Kisakye, commended the community for educating and supporting her daughter.

"I take the honour to appreciate the late Dr Mungherera who started the initiative and I also appreciate the people who have stood together to support our children," Ms Were said.

Ms Justine Namwima Malingha, the head teacher of Buhasango Primary School in Butaleja District, explained how they identified Kisakye.

"We discovered that we had girls who had potential yet they were not able to continue with their education because of poverty, and broken families. Most of them were living with single mothers like Kisakye. His father was not involved in her education," Ms Namwima, who is also one of the founders of the organisation said.

The acting District Education Officer (DEO), Mr Aggrey Hadali, said Nanghirisa has helped the underprivileged girls in the district to continue with their education.

"Most of the girls in the district after Primary Seven drop out of school due to several factors. The reason for this association was to come up with scholarships in the district to help such girls," Mr Hadali said.

The Butaleja District chairperson, Mr Micheal Higenyi, welcomed the initiative. "I predict if Nanghirisa continues supporting these children, the education standard and literacy level will improve in our district," Mr Higenyi said.

 THE WORRYING TREND

Government statistics show that the per capita income of Bukedi Sub-region where Butaleja is located stands at 43.7 percent, with a GDP per capita of $135 (Shs488,866). Bukedi’s poverty rate is 37 percent. Butaleja District has 102 primary schools and 13 secondary schools.