Catalyst for Durable Change
Six decades since African nations ended their colonial status, its troubling legacy mobilizes Musana Community Development Organization, an NGO that restores hope and dignity in rural Uganda:
Plagued by a history of colonization and foreign aid, Uganda’s development has been paralyzed by a dependency mentality that has inhibited Ugandans from being their own catalysts for change. It is this realization and understanding of when helping hurts that has shaped Musana into what it is today.
Despite technology and government administration that Europeans brought to the African continent, reputed benefits invite scrutiny. While foreign investors got rich, racist depredations robbed Africa of precious resources from minerals to millions of human beings sold into slavery. Interlopers stole land, suppressed internal trade, stifled development, curtailed education, crushed invention and trampled on rich indigenous cultures. Arbitrary borders invited conflicts that persist today.
A classic study by Walter Rodney exposes the true colonial intentions. Its title: “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa.” Rodney, an astute observer, paid a high price for his convictions. In 1980, political opponents who feared an inspirational voice for change arranged his assassination.
To empower rural Ugandans, Musana breaks the cycle that relies on subsidies. “Musana’s model is different,” says social worker and guest liaison officer Keneth Kaggwa, who shows visitors a self-sustaining NGO environment.
Instead of promoting dependency, donations to Musana launch or expand robust initiatives. “If donors pull out, our employees know that everything will still run,” says Mr. Kaggwa, who also directs youth development programs.
“The more we teach, the more skills we develop,” he says. Skills secure jobs and jobs spur local economic activity — creating more market demand for Musana’s resources.
“We are not a charity, but a movement of sustainable solutions that is transforming the community,” the website asserts. Musana caters to the needs of vulnerable citizens by merging economic and social development. Social enterprises work independently but they all support the whole. Unlike colonies that sent profits to investors abroad, Musana invests locally.
Investments enrich the local community in three areas:
1. Musana Nursery, Primary and Vocational High Schools offer a center of excellence with a focus on leadership, creative thinking, literacy, and practical life skills to mold the future generation of Ugandan leaders.
2. Musana Community Health Center provides quality affordable compassionate health care to the community with the best facilities in the region. Musana Community Health Center’s (MCHC) 24-hour facility opened in February 2016. The best amenities in Iganga offer services in dental, pediatrics, radiology, immunization, laboratory testing, minor surgeries, and maternity. An expanded 70-bed facility opened in June 2018 with the addition of a maternity ward, a pediatric ward, men’s and women’s wards, two operating theaters, and eleven private rooms.
3. Musana’s Skill Development Projects include a restaurant, bakery, and tailoring, knitting, and embroidery project. These enterprises supply a demand in the community of Iganga, while acting as one of the largest training centers in the area where the most vulnerable are equipped with business and practical skills that enable them to provide for themselves and their families.
These vital programs extend a legacy rooted in Musana’s mantra, okusoma tekukoma, which means “learning never ends” in Uganda’s national language. University students in Uganda and the United States formed Musana to rescue orphans from squalid conditions. “These children, ages 4 to14, were sleeping in three tiny rooms without beds or blankets on a rocky dirt floor. Rats climbed over them as they slept and their bedrooms turned to mud when it rained. Their bodies were covered in rashes and many suffered from bacterial infections from the unsanitary latrines.” They were hungry, bored, uneducated, unloved, and completely hopeless.
In September 2008, Musana Children’s Home opened. Children eat three meals a day and get proper medical attention. Full scholarships currently support 505 students through high school.
Musana is changing Africa’s historical narrative. “We often ask young people about their experience,” says Mr. Kaggwa. A high school student named Elie is typical. “He gave a really emotional answer,” Mr. Kaggwa recalls. “He felt transformed. He gained more enthusiasm and more energy to carry on and be a person who is not afraid to approach any kind of situation.” Thanks to Musana, more students like Elie bode well for Uganda.
