Giving Stories Blog

When you give to women on the margins, you don’t just cover a need, you restore identity, agency, and hope. Through the Watoto Neighbourhood Programme, giving shows up as literacy classes, vocational training, mentorship, healthcare, and spiritual support, practical gifts that turn despair into possibility. Mothers once weighed down by poverty, abandonment, or HIV are now tailors, bakers, salon owners, and community mentors. That is what dignified giving looks like: not charity that ends at relief, but investment that begins a new life.

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Ubuntu reminds us that giving is not optional, it is who we are. “I am because we are” means that every act of generosity strengthens the collective. From bulungi bwansi (community clean-ups) to village savings groups, Ugandans have long embodied this spirit. Giving is what sustains communities, resolves conflicts, and carries us through hardship.

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At Namalú Hope Primary School, Agnes Atai turned scarcity into abundance. She not only trained children in music, dance, and drama, but planted school gardens to feed them. From harvesting maize to counselling learners, she gave nourishment for both body and spirit. Her selfless giving has made children smile, parents hopeful, and education sustainable even in hunger-stricken Karamoja.

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In Moroto, Emmanuel Ayenga is bringing children back to school through the gift of music, dance, and drama. By knocking on doors, persuading parents, and nurturing teenage mothers, he has restored hope and increased enrolment from 400 to over 1,300. His giving doesn’t stop at academics, he invests in co-curriculars, staff housing, and mentoring, showing that education thrives where teachers give beyond the classroom.

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Rhoda Kalema gave her life to women’s rights, but also to the intimate act of mothering those in need. She raised quadruplets left without care, supported widowers in crisis, and paid school fees for children she did not birth. Beyond her political advocacy, she gave practical love, showing that justice begins at home. Her generosity stitched safety nets where none existed.

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Dr. James Musinguzi Garuga gave his life to building others, through business, politics, and philanthropy. From revolutionising tea farming in Kigezi to funding political movements and mentoring leaders, his giving shaped livelihoods, strengthened democracy, and inspired countless Ugandans. His story is one of courage and investment in people—a life spent planting seeds of progress that will outlive him.

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Across Uganda, young leaders are showing that giving isn’t reserved for the wealthy, it starts with vision and action. From Patricia Peace Ejang offering free legal advice via Lawbot Africa, to Hannah Arinaitwe using art to teach climate action, and Percy Mpindi cycling for sustainability, youth are giving their talents to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. Their energy proves that generosity can be coded into law, painted into murals, or pedaled into cleaner air.

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The late Frank Muramuzi gave his entire life to protecting Uganda’s forests, rivers, and communities. From Mabira to Bugoma, he fought tirelessly for the powerless, often at personal cost. His legacy is not only in the policies he influenced but in the communities he defended, reminding us that giving is about safeguarding the earth for generations yet unborn. His life was proof that defending the environment is a gift to humanity.

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When Kigezi High School was on its knees, Abraham Akampurira gave more than leadership, he gave himself. From securing fences for safety, rallying parents to fund infrastructure, and visiting students’ homes, to reviving academic clinics and instilling discipline, he transformed a broken institution into one of excellence. His story is one of selfless giving, where every act restored dignity, safety, and learning to hundreds of children.

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Giving begins in the quiet, ordinary places, like lakeside weekends with your father or early morning laps before school. For Catherine Nakimuli, giving wasn't always about grand gestures; it started with time, with presence, with discipline passed down and rituals repeated. Every dive into the pool was an act of thanks to the people who shaped her, family, teachers, coaches. Her journey reminds us that giving is not just what you offer others; it's what you become because someone once offered something to you.

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Uganda’s Olympians and Paralympians didn’t just swim laps, they gave back. At their athletes’ development clinic, Jesse Ssengonzi, Gloria Muzito, Jamila Lunkuse, and Husnah Kukundakwe poured years of international experience into the hands of young swimmers. They taught technique, discipline, nutrition, and resilience, proving that true greatness lies not only in medals but in mentorship. Giving their time and wisdom, they ignited dreams in the next generation.

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From her mother’s radio to international film stages, Ruth Nazzinda has shown that storytelling is an act of generosity. Her award-winning film To Survive did more than document, it birthed a foundation to feed vulnerable families, support teenage mothers, and remind us that giving can begin with a single story. Ruth’s journey proves that creativity, when shared, becomes sustenance, dignity, and healing for communities often left unseen.

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What began as a monthly Kampala–Entebbe run has grown into a national celebration of health, unity, and giving. Team Matooke and the running clubs have transformed their love for sport into a platform for community impact, combining marathons with CSR like tree-planting and environmental care. Now, with the launch of the Kampala–Entebbe Independence Marathon, this tradition is set to inspire thousands more to run for a cause, celebrate the nation, and give back to society in a meaningful way.

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Claire Asiimwe’s story is one of radical giving. At Kabale Secondary School, she teaches English and Literature, but her true gift lies in mentoring, counselling, and even adopting children who would otherwise be left without care. From helping girls stay in school, to starting savings groups for teachers, to instilling practical skills in students, Asiimwe has become more than a teacher, she is a lifeline. Her acts of generosity ripple far beyond the classroom, proving that giving is not only about money but about presence, sacrifice, and love.

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When 60,000 people gathered for the Cancer Run this year, it was not just a race, it was an act of collective giving. Raising Shs3.5 billion, Rotarians and well-wishers pushed Uganda closer to completing a cancer treatment centre that will bring world-class radiotherapy to those in need. Each step on that chilly Sunday morning was a reminder that when people come together to give, whether in time, money, or solidarity, lives can be saved.

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In the hills of Kabale, Edna Musiimenta and Fausta Kyomukama are turning food into futures. Their enterprise, F.E. Catchy, is more than a small factory producing pineapple wine and pumpkin flour, it’s a vessel of empowerment for women and youth. Starting with just Shs5m, they created jobs, supported farmers, and kept alive the dream that agribusiness can transform lives. Yet, like many small businesses, they wrestle with cash-flow struggles, high-interest loans, and certification hurdles. Still, their biggest joy comes from the livelihoods they sustain and the dignity they restore through giving opportunities to others.

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When schools in Ankole faced falling enrolment, debt, and deteriorating infrastructure, it was the spirit of giving from Old Boys and Old Girls that sparked their revival. From revamping dormitories to providing scholarships, alumni associations have restored Muntuyera High, Mbarara High, Kinoni Girls, and Kibubura Girls to their former glory. What once looked like decline has been transformed into a story of hope, with enrolment climbing, debts cleared, and academic performance improving, all because former students chose to give back to the classrooms that shaped them.

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On International Youth Day, Eligu Ronald, founder of Touch the Slum Charity Foundation, drew inspiration from a childhood memory of Uncle Patu, the neighborhood barber who once gave him a free haircut that left him with confidence and dignity. With borrowed clippers, chairs, and the will to serve, Ronald and his youth team set up a pop-up salon, later joined by Uganda’s top professional barber, Bryan Barber. Together, they gave children not just haircuts but hope, relief for parents, and purpose for volunteers. What seemed small became a reminder that true generosity restores dignity, unites communities, and proves that we can all be the “Uncle Patu” of this generation.

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Africa is not a continent of beggars, it is a continent of givers. Reflecting on the World Giving Report 2025, which shows Africa leading global generosity with 1.54% of income donated to good causes (compared to 1.04% globally), Moses Maurice Mugerwa highlighted how generosity reveals deeper truths about Africa. From a strong culture of trust and community, to untapped partnership potential, to markets deeply engaged and emotionally invested, Africa’s giving spirit shows it is ready for mutual growth, innovation, and transformation. For investors and changemakers, the message is clear: plug into community, respect the culture of giving, and you’ll find a continent eager to grow together.

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At the Annual Philanthropy Symposium with CivSource Africa, spoken word artist and psychology student Alan Ntare performed his poem “A Simple Seed,” a moving piece centered on generosity, giving back to communities, and creating lasting change. The event mirrored the poem’s spirit, with powerful conversations from speakers deeply involved in philanthropy and social impact. Alan expressed gratitude to Jacqueline Asiimwe Mwesige for the opportunity to use poetry as a vessel for such an important message, proving that art, like giving, can plant seeds that grow into transformation.

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