On Saturday 4^th November 2017, MasterCard Scholars at Makerere University together with the residents of Giza Giza in Mbuya, community leaders and in collaboration with the Kampala Capital City Authority participated in sanitation activities that involved cleaning the slum, collecting garbage, and sensitizing the community on sanitation and personal hygiene.

Promoting the “Give back to the community idea,” MCF Scholars donated cleaning materials worth UGX 1.2million as a sign of keeping the village clean. They also donated jerry cans of liquid soap produced by some MCF scholars to help the community during the cleaning of public toilets.

Giving back to the community is one of the activities emphasized by the MasterCard Foundation Scholarship Program. Its major aim is to encourage scholars develop a heart of helping people.  The activity also helps to inculcate a positive attitude among scholar towards social and economic transformation of Africa. During the program, Scholars are encouraged to return to their home areas and/or countries and invest their skills in the community and the entire country’s social and economic growth.  They are empowered to serve as mentors, role models and problem solvers in their communities.

Every academic year, MCF Scholars select a community to benefit from their give back project. This year, they selected Mbuya II Parish, Giza Giza Community and Mukono district as their point of action under a theme; “Social Inclusion and Collective Action”.   

“This year we had two points of Action, one in Mbuya where scholars carried out community clean up and sensitization on sanitation and personal hygiene and another one in Mukono where they constructed a class for a UPE school. Our message is that we can do this together, by ourselves and for our own good. We should not wait to be told as a community but rather it should be our own initiative to change our community for the better,” said Mr. Kayiza Isma- Speaker of MasterCard Scholars Association.

On behalf of Mbuya II Parish, the LCV Councillor Nakawa I; Kampala Capital City Authority Mr. Mugisha Moses Okwera commended the wonderful job done by the MCF Scholars and encouraged them to continue with the spirit of helping communities.

 “This is a good cause, the community is impressed and challenged to maintain what you have started. I thank the leadership of MasterCard Scholarship Foundation and Makerere University for allowing students to come and engage us. This Scholars’ visit has not only created a positive impact on the village but also to the MasterCard Foundation and Makerere University Community at large. My residents are so impressed to have interacted and worked with Makerere University students. We pledge to keep and promote the drive towards cleanliness and good sanitation,” he said.

Nakitto Florence a resident of Giza Giza village commended the work of the scholars saying that it is the first time in her life to see university students engaging community members. She appreciated the students for sensitizing the community on sanitation and personal hygiene especially in Giza Giza; a slum and highly populated place.

In the same spirit the Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Coordinator of MasterCard Program at Makerere University, Mr. Tito O. Okumu thanked the community for hosting MasterCard Scholars for their community outreach. He acknowledged the community’s cooperation during the outreach activities and their polite acceptance to come and be part of the community clean up.  

He commended the great work done by the community leaders in guiding the MCF Scholars during the clean-up and sensitization activities and also thanked Kampala Capital City Authority for accepting to partner with the scholars for the clean-up activity.

He appealed to students to promote the idea of community engagement to other students when he said, “I encourage you to engage your fellow students in this drive. Teach them, mentor them and also guide them on how to engage community. This action does not only represent us as leaders but builds a positive image of Makerere University.”

Article by MakNews Reporters