Health
I studied on Loans from Village Savings Group – Tabitha Audo, MakSPH First Class Graduand
Motivated to beat the statistic that none of the Irarak-Iworoi clan and her entire family has ever gone to university and obtained a degree, Ms. Tabitha Audo is graduating from Makerere Universiy, top of her class with a 4.63 CGPA in Bachelor of Environmental Health Sciences —BEHS.
Ms. Audo is overjoyed about accomplishing a major milestone of becoming the best performing undergraduate student at Makerere’s School of Public Health and setting the pace for her siblings.
She was born to Ms. Mary Immaculate Kiria and the late John Peter Ameu in April 1992 in Opiin village, Atiira Subcounty, in the Eastern Uganda District of Serere.
At the age of 6, Audo lost her father and that meant that the burden of raising her was left to her peasant mother. She was lucky that her step-mother Apio Angella, a VHT of Atiira Subcounty stood hand-in-glove with her mother to support her through her studies.
She sailed through her Primary education between 1998 and 2004 with the support of both mothers and obtained 19 aggregates at Apokor Primary School, Serere.
In 2005, she joined Rhema High School and sat her Uganda Certificate of Education in 2008 and obtained 43. But she would persist.
She had no hopes of joining A ‘level until a good Samaritan, Ms. Akwi Christine, the now the Assistant District Health Officer Serere District Local Government, currently acting ADHO- Environmental Health identified her and encouraged her to join Mbale School of Hygiene. “She encouraged me to join the Course after seeing my conditions in our home. She also helped me to get a sponsorship under Mvule Trust Fund to pay for the certificate Course,” recalls Audo.
Between 2009 and 2011, Ms. Audo concentrated on acquiring a Certificate in Environmental Health which she excelled with a Distinction at Mbale School of Hygiene before upgrading to a Diploma in 2014-2016 which she equally scored highly with CGPA of 4.62.
Upon completing her certificate course, she was employed by Serere District Local Government as Health Assistant in 2012.
“The institution had motivated us that when you would pass a certificate, they would give you a government scholarship. However, when I passed with a distinction, I learnt that the government scholarship had been scrapped for upgraders. God blessed me to get a job immediately where I got money to pay for my Diploma.”
Audo says studying her Diploma was the hardest because it was a full-time study program that required a lot from her. Yet, additionally, she was paying fees for two of her siblings, one in Secondary School and another in a Tertiary Institution.
“I also had to pay for myself and I had just got a loan to support my tuition needs. It also happened that I had a baby who was just 8 months old. It was tough on me to pull of that Diploma. It was very tight to balance but I had to keep moving,” says Audo.
She recalls her low moments in School to manage family, work, and School. She said the initial loan cleared her two semesters and also paid for her siblings’ fees but it wasn’t sustainable in the long run.
“I was with Atai Faith in the same class. They knew my situation and supported me through discussion groups and with their help, I was also able to concentrate like any other person. I learnt that if you keep focused, even when challenges come, you still find ways. You can’t just sit down and say; ‘now, I can’t do anything’,” Audo recollects.
Her family background played a huge role in shaping her views on education and her desire to change her destiny. She says the pain her mother suffered in search of money to pay for her fees was an eye opener to her.
“My mother is a peasant. She stopped in S.2 and she didn’t have any job with her. She used to get weekly loans in village groups. I used to see all that suffering she was going through. Even feeding, everything was difficult. It gave me a motivation that ‘I don’t want to live in this kind of life again. So, even after I got a job, I wanted to relieve her from that suffering and that is why I had to carry the responsibility to pay fees for my siblings,” Audo reveals.
Joining MakSPH
In 2014, while Audo was still studying at the School of Hygiene -Mbale, the School held a careers session where a one Abel Wilson, then a Student at MakSPH spoke to them about the opportunities to advance their career through a Bachelor of Environmental Health. She was on the look-out until an advert for diploma entry-government admissions came out.
“Of course it was following Abel’s visit to School of Hygiene. So, I kept on waiting for the time of the advert and when it came, the first person who forwarded it to me was my supervisor, by then, the Serere District Town Council Clerk,” recounts Audo.
Mukula Max Martin, the former Serere Town Clerk, who is now the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Buvuma, a Central Uganda District coterminous with the Buvuma Islands scattered in Lake Victoria pushed Audo to study and further advance her career in 2018.
“Mukula motivated me and told me that he was sure I could make it. He told me I should study when I was still young and finish. He cautioned me against being comfortable and assured me that if I get admitted, I would get a study leave,” Ms. Audo says.
Her admission in 2018 was the proudest moments of her life but more to parents, she recalls. “The family didn’t know what government sponsorship means. But for them, they were overjoyed that I was going to study from Makerere University. They were happy for me because for the first time, I was going to stay in Kampala.”
Her admission however came on the heels of her promotion to Health Inspector of Serere District that had been affected in March 2018. She thought given that she had just been promoted, it would be difficult to secure a study leave; “My immediate boss, Mr. Mukula called me to his office and congratulated me. He straight away started processing for my study leave. When my study leave was approved by the district service commission in November 2018, it was with pay and this was a serious relief.
Her appeal to bosses is to never seat on employees’ opportunities to study and believes any employee with interest and opportunity to study should be given a chance. She is passionate about changing the health situation in her current employment station. Although she dreams of working with the Ministry of Health, international organisation such as the United Nations, UNICEF.
Audo says she is interested in improving water and waste management situation in Uganda’s towns/cities. “When you look at our towns, both liquid and solid waste is a serious gap that we have to work on. Waste is everywhere, people are not sorting waste, it’s not being well managed I should say. Look at the towns, small or big. I expected Kampala to be better. Even liquid waste, over floors are everywhere every time and we need to surely improve!”
He key take away from the course is the diversity of knowledge in all fields. “Being a preventive medicine course, that involves working directly with the community to address problems, the course is one of those that involves you and builds your research capacity. I admire the level of research and quality of researchers at School.”
The Iteso Cultural Leader, His Highness Emorimor Papa Paul Sande Emolot, has called on Makerere University to elevate the Science of Designing, Adaptation, and Implementation of Evidence-Based Parenting Interventions course into a fully-fledged programme. This, he argued, would strengthen the capacity of practitioners implementing parenting interventions across Uganda.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony held on 11th June 2025 at Makerere University where 35 practitioners completed the 12-week course, Emorimor Papa Emolot emphasized the transformative power of effective parenting. He urged aspiring parents and advocates of the Parenting for Respectability model to enroll in the course.
Citing the impact in his own sub-county and village, the cultural leader revealed that over 800 families had already benefited from the programme.
“We now see peace and love in homes where there was once conflict. Without good parenting, you risk raising animals instead of children,” he passionately stated.
He praised the course for equipping practitioners, policymakers, and researchers with the skills needed to design culturally sensitive, evidence-based parenting interventions tailored to Uganda’s context. Among the notable graduates was Her Royal Majesty Juliet Among Emolot Atomeileng Akaliat Toto, who reaffirmed her commitment to advancing family-strengthening initiatives using the skills and knowledge acquired.
Dr. Godfrey Siu, Senior Lecturer and Course Leader at Makerere University, described the course as a timely intervention. During this remarks, Dr. Siu described the event as a significant milestone in advancing the field of evidence based parenting intervention and family strengthening in Uganda.
“This course is meant to empower you as practitioners, policy makers and all those involved in development and implementation of parenting work. It provides both theoretical knowledge and practical tools essential for developing high quality interventions”, Dr. Siu noted. He urged the pioneer group to carry forward the expertise as champions of designing, adaptation and implementation of evidence parenting interventions.
Representing the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Dr. Aggrey David Kibenge, Juliana Naumo, Commissioner for Culture and Family Affairs, said the course supports the government’s agenda to address negative social outcomes affecting families.
“By grounding parenting in research, harmonizing policy with practice, and advocating for equity, we will ensure no family is left behind,” she said. “Cross-sectoral collaboration is key to unlocking transformative change.”
Ms. Naumo highlighted the government’s commitment—both technical and financial—to support outstanding student projects from the course. She stressed the importance of equipping professionals with the skills to bridge gaps between research and practice for consistent, high-quality parenting support across Uganda. While delivering the Vice chancellors speech by Dr. Helen Nambalirwa, Principal of the CHUSS, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe commended the graduates as a beacon of hope.
“At a time when parenting faces challenges like digital distractions, changing societal norms, and a rising mental health crisis, Makerere reaffirms its support for interventions that drive the societal transformation we desire,” Nawangwe stated.
Prof. Richard Idro, Deputy Principal of the College of Health Sciences, acknowledged the growing parenting challenges in Uganda and the region, adding that the course was a major step towards standardizing parenting interventions nationwide.
He applauded the Child Health and Development Centre (CHDC) for leading this paramount and critical initiative.
Mr. Hosea Katende, Course Administrator at CHDC, emphasized the importance of integrating systematic methods, ethical principles, robust evidence, and collaboration to create lasting impact in parenting.
Dr. Aggrey Dhabangi, Lecturer at CHDC, representing Dr. Herbert Muyinda, Director of CHDC, acknowledged the contributions of partners such as the ELMA Foundation and Echidna Giving for their financial and capacity-building support. He also appreciated the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, among other stakeholders, for their technical guidance in the programme’s successful implementation.
Dr. Dhabangi extended gratitude to cultural institutions, especially the Kingdom of Teso, and acknowledged growing collaborations with other cultural institutions such as the Kingdom of Acholi, in the shared mission of building strong families as the foundation of Uganda’s future.
He extended his heartfelt gratitude to cultural institutions, especially the Kingdom of Teso, and others kingdoms such as the Kingdom of Acholi, in building Uganda’s future through creating strong families. Nuruh Mbalyowere, a Rehabilitation and Reintegration Officer with the Uganda Prisons Service, was honored for developing the best parenting intervention titled “Parenting Behind Prison Bars.” She expressed her intention to apply the knowledge gained both at home and in her workplace.
By Okeya John and Primrose Nabankema
The intensive one-month course, running for the first time from June 5 to July 24, 2025, is jointly offered by Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH)’s Department of Community Health and Behavioural Sciences (CHBS) and the Department of Journalism and Communication (DJC) at the School of Languages, Literature, and Communication (SLLC), co-designed in 2024 with support from the Rockefeller Foundation through Amref Health Africa.
It seeks to equip healthcare providers at the community level, public health and environmental health practitioners, communication specialists, health educators, community development officers, social scientists, and policy makers, among others, with strategic communication skills to improve public health messaging, strengthen community engagement, and support evidence-based interventions, ultimately empowering participants to effectively engage communities and improve population health outcomes across Uganda and the region.
Launching the course, the heads of the Department of Journalism and Communication and the Department of Community Health and Behavioural Sciences noted that participants who complete the short course will gain practical tools to influence behaviour change, build trust, and deliver timely, accurate, and relevant health information to the communities they serve. The first cohort attracted more than 60 applicants, with 36 reporting for the opening in-person session on June 5, 2025, at MakSPH in Mulago. Between now and July, participants will undergo a hands-on, multidisciplinary learning experience within the Certificate in Health Communication and Community Engagement program, which combines theory and practice.
Among the participants in the first cohort of the certificate course, designed as a pilot for the anticipated Master of Health Promotion and Communication to be jointly offered by the two departments at Makerere University, is Ms. Maureen Kisaakye, a medical laboratory technologist specialising in microbiology and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and currently pursuing a Master’s in Immunology and Clinical Microbiology at Makerere. She is driven by a passion to help reverse the rising tide of AMR, a growing global health threat where drugs that once worked are no longer effective. Kisaakye is particularly concerned about common infections, like urinary tract infections, becoming increasingly resistant and harder to treat.
“I enrolled in this course because I’m an advocate against antimicrobial resistance, and it came at a time when I needed to deepen my knowledge on how to implement our projects more effectively and engage with communities. The experience has broadened my understanding of AMR and its impact on society, and strengthened my passion for community-driven health initiatives and advocacy,” Kisaakye said, explaining why she enrolled for the short course.
Kisaakye’s work in antimicrobial resistance extends beyond the lab. Having earned her degree in medical laboratory science from Mbarara University of Science and Technology, she founded Impala Tech Research in 2024 to drive impact and save lives. She has led grassroots AMR campaigns that integrate antimicrobial stewardship with water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) education in underserved urban communities, including the informal settlements in Kampala. She also has since designed peer-led initiatives that empower university students as AMR Champions, building a network of informed youth advocates. Kisaakye believes the health communication course will sharpen her ability to design and deliver impactful, community-centred interventions in response to the growing threat of drug resistance.
“The department collaborates with many partners within and beyond the University, including the School of Public Health, where we are working to develop the subfield of health communication and promotion. Our goal is to train specialists in this area and build a community of practice, something we have each been doing in our own spaces. There’s a lot of work ahead, and COVID-19 showed us just how urgently we need a generation trained to do this kind of work, and to do it very well,” said Dr. Aisha Nakiwala, Head of the Department of Journalism and Communication, during the opening of the short course on June 5.
She assured participants they were in good hands and underscored the importance of the partnership between the Department of Journalism and Communication and the School of Public Health, describing it as a vital collaboration that brings together strategic communication and public health expertise. This dynamic, multidisciplinary approach, she noted, is essential to developing practical solutions that empower communities, strengthen health systems, and ultimately improve livelihoods.
The course offers a hands-on, multidisciplinary learning experience, with participants intended to explore key modules including Health Communication and Promotion, Risk Communication, Smart Advocacy, Community Mapping, Community Mobilisation and Empowerment, and Strategies for Community Engagement. The course combines theory with real-world application, and its assessment includes a field-based project and a final exam.
“You are our first cohort. We are seeing the fruits of our efforts in bringing this short course to life. It was born out of a joint initiative to develop a Master’s programme in Health Promotion and Communication,” said Dr. Christine Nalwadda, Head of the Department of Community Health and Behavioural Sciences. “We carried out extensive consultations with our different key stakeholders during the process and discovered a real need for such a course. It was the stakeholders who even named it; this course name didn’t come from us.”
For Kisaakye, by the end of the course in July, she hopes to have sharpened her skills in health promotion and strategic communication, particularly in crafting targeted messages that help individuals and communities effectively respond to threats such as antimicrobial resistance. She also aims to gain practical experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating community health initiatives that can strengthen her advocacy and drive lasting impact.
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