From Formation to a cruising altitude-Celebrating Milestones at RC Bwebajja.
By CP.Gordians PHF
The Rotary club of Bwebajja began humbly in 2012. Rtn. Moses Quinion Galabuzi who was one of its promoters during the club in formation invited me to the club in formation. It was not long after some members had been invited to organize themselves into a rotary club. We used to meet for what was called fellowship at the Akright stage junction at a place called Rico Caribbean every Wednesday until the place became less conducive, and we shifted to J&M hotel, then to cabana restaurant at Kawuku.
Personally, having been a patron of interact club at St. Mary’s College Kisubi, I had a hazy idea about rotary more than many members, but still not sufficient information was known. It was a flesh terrain for learning.
This club started itself with no guidance of a rotary club as a mother. It was not until Rtn. Munira Ali of the Rotary club of Kololo learnt that there was a semblance of a rotary club in-formation and attended one of the meetings to find out its details. She then connected the club to RC. Kololo and the mother club started its work slowly of mentorship on the basics and how a rotary club should organize itself. RC Bwebajja took a long time in-formation and in its provisional status because it began itself and as a social club with little guidance until a mother club discovered them.
The journey of formation was not devoid of challenges. Because the beginning lacked guidance of a rotary club, some members would come and go away since there were no clear timelines for charter. Amidist that situation, I would like to commend a number of Rotarians for their wise counsel and guidance that put us on the correct path e.g., PAG Muhumuza Herbert of RC. Kampala North who would fellowship with us quite often and offer guidance, PDG Mugisha Kenneth who was our first Assistant Governor to oversee our organisation during provisional status, Past President Abeinenaama Yorokamu (RIP) as our district Governor’s Special Representative, Past President Paul Bogere (of RC Kololo) RIP, Rtn Manira Ali (Past president Kololo), and PAG Joel Ssekabembe of RC Kampala East who was our strict mentor and would come and teach us the basics of Rotary and norms. We appreciate the roles these individuals did in us to see that now we are a club to reckon with.
Because some people would come and go, there was a vacuum in some leadership portfolios and at the beginning of 2014, members agreed to select new leaders and fill the existing gaps. It is then that I was asked to step in as Charter President designate and push the organisation with a team I selected to charter. We embarked on collection of dues for RI, District and country and started looking at serious members who were willing to be part of history of the club as charter members. Thirty-three members were registered, paid their dues and with the help of the District Governor’s Special Representative, names were submitted in 2014 to the District Governor and later to Rotary International.
During this period, we did service projects for example water and sanitation project (constructed a latrine) at St. Padre Pio Kabulamuliro primary school, offered books and other scholastic materials to the school, adopted Malaika orphanage in Mpererwe on Gayaza road, supported Chidren at CORSU Hospital with food stuffs and play Items together with Keep Kawuku Clean among others. We also donated to the Rotary foundation and participated in many projects with our neighboring rotary clubs and mother club as part of learning. This article offers free shipping on qualified Face mask products, or buy online and pick up in store today at Medical Department
It was on 9th February 2015 that we were officially admitted to Rotary international, and we received our Charter Certificate with a lot of excitement and embarked on the preparation for charter celebrations. One of our charter members Rtn. Nyombi Thembo George William offered to host the charter ceremony at his ranch in Bwerenga and it was a spectacular event honored by the District Governor PDG Harish Bhatt who handed to us a Charter Certificate assisted by other governors, district and country officers. Because the rotary year was almost coming to an end, I had to run another year as president so as to complete the whole cycle of a full year as a world Class President.
In our first year, RC Bwebajja received the District a ward at the DCA in Entebbe as the highest first givers to the Rotary foundation.
The year was not without challenges, we could not end with all members and by second year after reality setting in, we remained 22 members and it was time to recruit new members. lam happy to note that, the numbers at RC Bwebajja have significantly grown to 76 todate.
We have overtime engaged in bigger and bolder projects that have significantly changed lives of the communities around us.
The year 2016/17, we embarked on WASH projects in Nakawuka and provided water to two Schools through rainwater harvesting as we continued to support Malaika orphanage. Our signature project of Anne’s and Andy’s TRF fundraiser continued to gain momentum and doubled as a celebration of family of Rotary. The celebrated Entebbe road solidarity dream corridor was hatched and is now revered.
The Rotary year 2017/18 mission green took the centre stage and we planted trees in Schools and Akright City.
The year 2018/19 saw the sponsoring of Rotaract Club of Bwebajja, revived the buddy group dynamism, held two successful medical camps in Kawuku township and Ngongolo. We also had the first successful Secondary Schools Career Fare, had the Anne’s and Andy’s Boat Cruise Dinner to Mutoola island and most importantly, we grew membership from 27 to 39members.
Rotary year 2019/2020 ushered in our first female President Rtn. Miriam Kyeyune. Notable in that year was a collaboration with Rotary Club of Malta and Kids of Africa and RC.Bwebajja to build a community primary school in Kanjuki Luwero district.
Rotary year 2020/21 was disrupted by the covid19 pandemic and the subsequent year of 2021/22, the club mothered Bwerenga Rotary Club, won two awards at the 97th District Conference and Assembly in Arusha and our first Maternal and Child health Global Grant in Nyamuyanja, Isingiro was approved. In this Rotary year, membership grew from 39 to 65.
The Rotary year 2022/23 saw the approval of another global grant at Ngongolo, an Intergrated Economic Development grant developed by RC. Bwebajja with the Rotary Club of Cupertino in California, USA.
The club engaged in many projects including and not limited to the Kamuli medical camp at Butansi Health Centre111, tree planting in Gomba and achieved the RI Citation recognition.
The Rotary year 2023/24 has made us move strides in terms of implementing impactful projects. We continued to complete the global grant at Nyamuyanja Health Centre 1V of renovation of the theatre, construction of the postnatal ward, solar back up and provision of equipment that revived gave life to the ailing hospital to the excitement of the beneficiaries.
A WASH global grant was also approved as a complementary to the concluded MCH global grant. This will see an installation of two water tanks of 20000lts with a water filter to provide drinking water, an incinerator and a bio-digester toilet among other things.
Nakivale refugee Settlement received safe drinking water from “We Help” Foundation in partnership with RC.Bwebajja worth 75million shilling. We thank our international partner PDG Urs Herzog Muzahura for making this possible.
The year 2023/24 will be one to remember as Bwebajja scooped 10 awards from the 99th DCA at Speke Resort Munyonyo and emerged as Club of the year in District 9214.
I would like to appreciate all past leaders and all members of RC Bwebajja for the milestones. I can assure all of us that despite our diversity, no one is bigger than our club even when we disagree on how things ought to have been done, we remain a united RC. Bwebajja, a vibrant club.
My prayer is that we keep the flame burning as we consolidate gains of the previous years. What is achieved in one Rotary year should be a steppingstone for other years to come. As I stand at the shoreline and try to envisage the future of our club, I see enhanced collaboration with other districts in terms of projects; I see membership growth, impact in our communities and closer ties of interpersonal relationships amongst ourselves and more global projects being implemented for the wellbeing of humanity.
