From Victims to Community Peacebuilding Champions

Greetings, 

We have had an energizing start to the year as we engaged 1,562 young people across the country. We leap with joy because more than half of them 788 youth joined a peace club and committed to being the voice speaking out against violence in their communities. To make this project possible, we welcomed 2 interns from Strathmore University. 

As a youth led organisation, we believe that all the work we do should be youth lead and for that reason the interns Vera and Bernice worked with our volunteers to visit school and communities to mentor young people.  work with us and learn how we engage in community and and supported them in developing tools to deliver the massage of peace and counter hate speech. Together with our volunteers they engaged with young people in the rural areas that are prone to violence.

Coming in, Vera hoped to gain work experience, as well as be part of the solution for the challenges faced within the community. She wanted to expand her networks as well as bring a new energy to the team.  Bernice wanted to gain work experience and connect with youth from different walks of life; which is essentially what Uganda Unites is about. I’d say they were in the right place.

Vera speaks of her experience with Uganda Unites as one that has been full of lessons learnt. “I have gotten to interact with so many people from different religious, ethnical, and financial backgrounds, and yet, everyone has so much to bring to the table,” she says. “I have learnt that just by speaking to these youths about the pressing matters in the community, I am already making a large impact.” “Speaking to someone may seem like a mundane thing, but it goes a long way. Some of these students are hearing about peacebuilding, unity and conflict transformation for the first time, others are simply being reminded of their importance, but all the same, I have learnt that I have the ability to make a difference, however small, because even the ocean is only a collection of drops.”

“I think looking back, what has stood out for me is working with peers and children who looked up to me and were excited to hear what I had to say.” She reiterates that talking to the students has by far improved her public speaking skills and is eternally grateful to Uganda Unites for the opportunity.

Speaking to Bernice put a great deal in perspective; she literally took us for the ride. She showed us her story from her eyes; her point of view. Bernice described her experience as wholesome and enlightening. She too says that the interactions with the students were a major highlight for her. She described them as “bright-eyed, eager, and ready to voice their opinions.” Bernice shares with us how one girl, whom she thought spoke very well, came to her and confessed that it was only her first time speaking publicly. The young girl told her that if it had not been for Uganda Unites and how welcoming the team was, she would never have taken that bold step. She also tells of a young boy who was terribly afraid to speak, and was being picked on by his classmates, later confiding in her saying, “I don’t really know what to say.” Bernice says she took him aside and gave him a few pointers, which he used in stride. She says it was so heartwarming when he later came back and thanked her.

“Working with Uganda Unites has introduced me to a side of life I have never experienced before. There are towns we would visit outside Kampala that I did not know of. These towns were less developed, but you could see that the students were making lemonade out of lemons handed out by life,” Bernice says.

“What I have learnt is that these youth need encouragement and accountability. Encouragement to speak up; because more often than not, they would shy away from sharing their experiences during activities. However, when nudged a little, their shares would even surpass our expectations. Their ability to grasp the content so quickly was astounding, in that, they would come up with examples from their own experiences, and even crack jokes. This simply blew my mind.” She adds that the students need to be held accountable so that they do not forget what they are being taught.

Coming in, Bernice asserts that she has never really been patriotic, but working with Uganda Unites has changed that. “I have learnt so much about the history of this country, and have thus been able to grow my ‘Ugandan-ness’.”

As a parting shot, the ladies advise youth to get to know more about peacebuilding. They advise that youth should not be intimidated by anyone, because everyone started somewhere, and to retain unity because it is from unity that we are able to go far; for in order to go fast one may go alone, but in order to go far, we need to go together.