“As a young woman, if I was not educated, I would seem invaluable to my community. Because I live in a patriarchal society, I would only be good for marriage and having children. I live in a society where women are presumed to be weaker than their male counterparts, but with a university degree, now even men respect me because my education is a manifestation of my brilliance, commitment and focus.” Nankya Teopistar.

Since 2017, Action in Africa has been holding periodic Medical Outreach camps in the community of Nakuwadde. Free health services are provided to hundreds of community members, mostly vulnerable children and women. The services range from full body medical checkups, to vaccination to provision of basic medication like vitamins and deworming tablets. Today, we would like to highlight someone who has been part of these medical outreaches for a long time and will soon become one of the medical professionals.

As a young girl in Nakuwadde, Albertina Biira said she had always heard about Action in Africa and wanted to benefit from the scholarship program. Unfortunately, she was not able to, but that never stopped her from pursuing her dream of being an educator. After dropping out of high school, Albertina joined a teachers’ training college where she was able to train as an elementary and primary school educator.

The worst “villain” for young people is anything that threatens their future. From the communities they live in, to the opportunities they cannot access, young people are challenged by their evolutionary desires and sometimes the merciless communities they dwell in. Recently, we wrote to you about how our holiday program exists to protect children from dangers like drug addiction, teenage pregnancy and dropping out of school by guaranteeing their protection during school breaks. Today we shall share how one AIA scholarship student has taken the reins to help safeguard his peers through dance.

Children in Uganda are exposed to some of the greatest threats to their success during school breaks. When schools were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, over 354,000 teenage pregnancies were registered in the country, resulting in huge numbers of school dropouts. Other vices like drug abuse, child abuse and more occur during such school breaks, which is why keeping young people in schools is important.

My name is Nicholas Ssenabulya, the Finance and Administration Manager at Action in Africa (AIA). Financial management and proper financial systems are critical ingredients for any organisation. Action in Africa professionalising and having experts in the finance field is a huge sign that the organisation is growing and building better systems.

The Action in Africa Excellence Award is one of the new ways we are recognising Action in Africa scholarship students who excel in their academics. Action in Africa students have often been hailed by teachers and parents for their stellar performance both in classroom and out-of-classroom activities. Recognising their exceptional performance is one of the aims of this award, but it is also intended to inspire other students to work hard to achieve the kind of success that their peers have managed to achieve.

As we hang up a new calendar, let's take a moment to appreciate the beautiful moments that we shared in 2023 before welcoming 2024 with open arms. Amidst the lessons and changes of the past year, one constant remained: the unwavering support of our fantastic Action in Africa community.