How 83-year-old Austrian has transformed Mukono community

The organisation provides bursaries to needy children in primary, secondary, university and vocational education. Under the vocational training institute learners are trained in motor vehicle engineering, carpentry, ceramics and other hands-on skill courses.
Dr Maria Prean, the founder of the organisation says her dream of transforming
the Kiyunga community began in 1999 after visiting the area and realized that most people in the community were needy which resulted in many of them failing to pay for their children’s education.
Most of the area was covered with bushes and most locals were practicing witchcraft, she says.

“I thought I could be the savior of the area by ensuring that children from poor families can go to school and that widows could educate their children,” she says.

Since 1999, Dr Prean says, a total of 8,000 youth have completed their studies, some up to university and are now employed.
“Currently, 6,000 learners are in the pipeline of education in primary, secondary, vocational and university,” she says.
The 83- year- old Austrian says, she is able to offer bursaries to the needy with support from sponsors.
Twenty years down the road, Kiyunga which was a remote village, local leaders say, now has a hotel (African village hotel which employs about 45 people from the locality.

“The hotel has provided employment opportunities to locals which is a source of their income. This has helped them provide for their families,” Mr Ibrahim Kabambwe, the former Kyampisi sub-county LC 3 chairman says.
In addition, residents say, the hotel has created a ready market for foodstuffs which farmers in their area grow.
Mr Kabambwe also says that to fight insecurity in the area, the organization built a structure for a police post at Kiyunga which has led to a reduction in the number of cases of animal theft that were previously rampant in the locality.

Besides the police post, the organization has built a health center at Kiyunga which through, the compassion ministry, its health workers go out to treat the sick in surrounding villages and take them to the health centre for free treatment.
“As a sub-county we get some revenue from the hotel and workers in form of local service tax, which has enhanced our local revenue earnings,” he adds.
Mr John Bosco Isabirye, the Nama sub-county LC3 chairman, says “the coming of the Austrian has had a big impact on our community as many children who would not have a chance to acquire education and some have completed their education and are now useful to the area.

Mr Ronald Kibuule, the former area MP and Mr Abdallah Kiwanuka, the current area MP commended Dr Prean for supplementing government’s efforts of offering education to children.
“If we had many such NGOs in our area the communities here would be far developed,” Mr Kibuule says. 
Dr Prean says they were initially taking the beneficiaries of bursary scheme in secondary school schools in the area but says they have now constructed Vision for Africa High School in Nakifuma which now has an enrolment of 575 learners.

“Our coming here has increased the value of land. We are currently constructing a community center at the school which would be used by the students and the community. I have done whatever I can and I thinki I’am on the road to transforming this area,” Dr Prean says, adding
“There are many opportunities here which the youth can take on and
earn a living. I think through provision of education and faith, youth would realize this and stop going to Arab countries where they are mistreated and exploited,” Dr Prean said.

About Dr Maria Prean
Born 83 years ago, Dr Maria L. Prean, comes from Tyrol (Austria), and since 1982 she has traversed different countries in the world preaching the gospel. A former teacher and counselor, Dr Prean started Vision for Africa in 1999 in Kiyunga village in Kyampisi sub-county.
Her works sit on 18-acre land in the central Uganda district. She has since opened similar centres
in Karamoja, Buikwe and Jinja areas.