Our workblog

Where do I even begin to tell the story of GROW? Do you ever feel like there are moments in your life that are a culmination of so many beautiful and winding paths? That is what I am feeling now, as I attempt to explain how we got to GROW – CivSource’s new leadership offering – a one-year mentorship program for CEOs. Read more

Yesterday we engaged with CivSource Africa CEO Jacqueline Asiimwe during our Round Table Conversation and the talk was inspiring, enlightening and captivating on what the organization is doing to Champion African Philanthropy for Social Change. The story will be covered in our Newsletter but in the mean time please do well to check out the video to the conversation on this link

The Mopané Experience testimonials from our just concluded two Leadership’ retreat experiences. “I am so glad I came” is the statement one often will find as they read the testimonials from the different leaders that attended the experience. The retreats are facilitated by the best and seasoned Leadership coaches, with immense Leadership experience.

The sessions are characterized by fun, safe, and constructive conversations, and are conducted in a very safe and super nourishing environment.

The experience offers leaders a guided journey of freedom and self-awareness. Transforming self and healing the body, mind, and soul. See more

As I sit to type this piece, I look back and remember the vision. In my mind’s eye, I saw us packing Nambole Stadium full to the rafters. I saw each individual face in that stadium, representing story after story of generosity in Uganda. The atmosphere was charged, there was excitement in the air as people hugged and high-fived! There was pride in the smiles as people beamed ear to ear. More

In November 2019, a colleague suggested that CivSource host a podcast on philanthropy. I did not quite have faith that we could do it. I did not know the first thing about putting a podcast together and so I put the thought out of my mind. But….. the seed had been planted. More

Like most countries around the world, when news of the coronavirus pandemic came through, Uganda went into a total lockdown. All except essential workers were disallowed on the streets. This was an unprecedented crisis and the government needed a lot of support to address the pandemic. More

Last year, one of the team building activities we did was a ‘bring-your-child-to-office’ day. We wanted to meet our children, we wanted our children to meet each other, and we wanted our children to get an understanding of the work we do. We had loads of fun as we took pictures with the children, ate lunch with them, did face painting and we even had a bouncing castle. More

In March this year, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a world pandemic. After that announcement, many countries implemented various lockdown measures - from the extreme to the moderate. More

Last week I sat staring at my laptop screen. My intention was to write a message of solidarity from CivSource, as we all face the Corona pandemic. I scratched my head to find the right words. What would I say that hadn’t already been said? How could I say it differently and bring a breath of fresh air? More

Today, only a day after its 14-day lockdown which started on April 1st came to an end, Uganda will start a second lockdown. Unlike the previous one, the new lockdown will last a whole 21 days; it is slated to end on 5th May 2020. More

“How could we continue to live and work in Kampala or abroad and only meet when we experience tragedy or just to have a good time…………yet our people in WestNile continue to live in poverty……….and yet, we can do something about it?” More

“Ushawishi”, a Swahili word to mean “Influence”, was our main objective for traveling to Arusha and for participating in the 6th East African Philanthropy conference themed ‘Opportunities in Emerging Trends and Practices.’ Here are my thoughts and experiences over those two conference days. More

The first step to measuring anything is to define it. We know that generosity includes selflessly giving time, money, food, or kindness to people in need. CivSource is collecting stories that fit this profile. These stories will form a database. A database that will someday form an index to tell us what the most generous countries are on the continent. More

Philanthropy in simple terms is defined as committing private resources for public gain. The practice is transforming both globally, and specifically in Africa following the dwindling of external donations and increasing focus on sustainability of civil society, as well as a drive towards innovation of African solutions for African problems with African resources.More

From the 25th to the 26th of September, Mt. Meru Hotel in Arusha, Tanzania was home. It was the 6th East African Philanthropy Conference but the first we were attending as CivSource Africa. Like the first day of school, we were excited with a blend of fear. Soon it was our turn to present on a panel whose discussion was centered on ‘The Future of Philanthropy: Global and Local Shifts in Practice.’ More

We have talked about how philanthropy in East Africa can be more inclusive of populations and peoples at the margins especially persons that are differently-abled. In fact, it was quite heartening to see that in furtherance of this agenda, there were a number of persons with disabilities at the recently concluded East Africa philanthropy conference held in Arusha on 25th and 26th September. There was also a panel discussion dedicated to the role of philanthropy in addressing disability concerns…more

Organizing the female leaders’ retreat in Mitooma was no easy feat. I sometimes wondered whether it was a good idea and if I could pull it off, I did not want to fail. I spoke to my family and asked for their support on this and luckily, each one of them said yes to my requests. They were sold on it. More

Mitooma.
That name still rings a sweet bell in my ears. Mitooma… the long-anticipated event!

But how did we get to Mitooma? More

“What are you doing this weekend­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­?” Jackie ­asked me casually.

“I am taking my son to the skin doctor” I replied.

“Because I wanted to invite you to Mitooma,” Jackie said to me in her firm but gentle voice.

  I thought for a few minutes. More

In the months just after CivSource was born, one of the things we were clear we wanted to do was to understand and tell the story of giving in Africa broadly and in Uganda in particular, since that’s where we are located.More