Sonoran Center Strengthens Partnerships in Uganda
Sonoran Center director Jacy Farkas had the pleasure of participating as a 2024 Professional Fellows Program (PFP) on Inclusive Civic Engagement Outbound Fellow. She traveled to Kampala, Uganda in November 2024 to support the follow-on project of PFP Fellow mentee, Denis Ouma. Mr. Ouma is a certified business coach and the CEO of Embellish Consults Limited, a corporate disability consultancy based in Kampala. In collaboration with the Sonoran Center, and Kyambogo University in Uganda, Denis launched his follow on project piloting a disability mentorship program with 70 disabled students at Kyambogo with the start of the fall 2024 semester. Thanks to the PFP Outbound Award, Jacy was able to join Denis and the program as it wrapped up the first pilot semester.
Denis and Jacy meeting with the Inclusive Education Assistant Commissioner Sarah Ayesiga and Jackson Sanya at the Ministry of Education and Sports. They have given the Sonoran Center an open invitation to present the final draft of a handbook on disability mentorship for Uganda universities to the entire department of inclusive education and special needs.
Dr. Farkas’ outbound experience aimed to gain a better understanding of the social, cultural, and political Ugandan disability context and support the program goal of the model and handbook being adopted by institutions of higher learning across the country. To that end, she engaged in a whirlwind of events to meet with various stakeholders from educational, governmental and disability spaces. She met with administrators and students at Kyambogo University and Makerere University, as well as political leaders and disability advocacy organizations such as the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU), aiming to understand what is needed to promote inclusion of people with disabilities in Ugandan institutions of higher learning. This also included a Meet & Greet event at the American Center with over 60 attendees from universities, disability organizations and young professionals. Notably, she had the opportunity to hear from individuals with lived experiences as they shared the issues most important to them and their communities and engaged in dialogue about opportunities for advocacy to address challenges.
The mentorship program aims to empower students with disabilities to become self-advocates. It offers structured guidance to help students advocate for policy changes while navigating their academic and career paths. Students benefit from personalized mentorship, career guidance, and resource assistance. The program also includes training for mentors, instructors, and disability support specialists to ensure sustainable support for students with disabilities. The program has leveraged the time, talents, and resources of nearly 50 mentors including professionals and self-advocates from the US and Uganda. In the fall semester, Denis and mentors held Saturday learning and networking sessions on Kyambogo campus. Dr. Farkas was able to attend the last in-person session of the semester and discuss neurodiversity and the importance of ongoing mentorship and advocacy (see above group photo of students, mentors, and faculty at the mentorship program session).
Denis and Jacy speaking with students at the last Saturday session of the mentorship pilot program with support from sign language interpreter, Michael Emong.
2022 PFP Fellow, Harunah Damba, whom the Sonoran Center also hosted, is a collaborator and mentor for Denis’ project. Dr. Farkas was able to spend time with Mr. Damba while in Uganda. In addition to arranging the event at the American Center, Mr. Damba set up key meetings and opportunities to network. They met with the Disability Support Services director, Dr. Elizabeth Rwabu, and Dean of Students, Dr. Winifred Kambubuli, at his alma mater, Makerere University to gain insight into the institution's efforts in promoting disability inclusion and to explore potential areas for future collaboration, including the expansion of mentorship program.
Jacy; Dean of Students, Dr. Winifred Kambubuli; Harunah; Disability Support Services director, Dr. Elizabeth Rwabu; and Martin Sanya outside of Makerere University’s Disability Support Unit.
“I was incredibly fortunate to have two PFP fellows, Denis and Harunah, along with their networks to collaborate and support my outbound experience,” Dr. Farkas said. “The culture and knowledge exchange refreshed my own thinking about disability inclusion and commitment to my chosen field of work. I was inspired by the creativity and drive by the disability community in Uganda and took home ideas to share with my team to support our efforts with rural and indigenous communities. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with Denis, Harunah and colleagues to finalize the Mentorship Handbook and its adoption in other institutions of higher learning across Uganda, as well as seek opportunities for additional ongoing engagement.”
In addition to ongoing collaborations in Uganda, the Sonoran Center hopes to host PFP Fellows in the future. Stay tuned for more details.