October 26, 2009 - Vice President of Uganda visits Douglas College

High-level officials from Uganda paid a visit to Douglas College’s David Lam Campus last Friday to celebrate the strong relationship between the college and the East African nation.
 
During the visit, Vice President of Uganda Dr. Gilbert Balibaseka Bukenya agreed to contribute a personal letter of support for a college-sponsored grant application to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). If successful, the grant will support internships at Uganda’s Masaka Regional Referral Hospital, and other settings, for up to 20 Douglas College grads per year.
 
The College has a strong foundation of experience in Uganda already. Since 2006, close to two dozen students from the Community Social Service Worker Program, and more recently from the Co-Occurring Disorders, Early Childhood Education, and Dental Assisting programs, have travelled to Uganda for 10-week field learning practicum placements with various agencies as part of their education. The Masaka hospital is one of the main practicum sites.
 
Also in attendance Friday were Moira Stilwell, British Columbia’s Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development,George Abola, Uganda’s High Commissioner to Canada, and John Halani, Uganda’s honorary Consul to Vancouver who was instrumental in arranging the visit. College Board Chair Paul Wates and President Scott McAlpine hosted the event, and were joined by Erin Davis, a Douglas graduate who spoke about her practicum placement in Uganda.
 
Dr. Bukenya said that the College’s partnerships with agencies in Uganda are an example of the international collaboration that is essential for his country’s continuing development. “We are looking for new knowledge, and exposure to new research and to new cultures.”
 
He stressed the need for training that is practical and job-related – areas in which Douglas excels.
 
“The CIDA funding will allow work to go on in a more sustainable way at the hospital than our current short-term practicums,” says Jan Carrie, Douglas College’s vice president of education.
 
Masaka’s facility is one of 10 national referral hospitals and the largest in southern Uganda, providing general medical care, including acute mental health care, to some of the poorest citizens of Uganda.
 
The College also has other long-term commitments to Uganda. In 2006, it established the Uganda Endowment Fund to provide funding for social service agencies in Uganda with a focus on inspiring children, strengthening families and building community resources.
 
A key criterion is that projects must be sustainable by the African communities where they are based. So far, organizations that have received funding include the Uganda Schizophrenia Fellowship, a daycare centre at Masaka Regional Hospital, scholarships that enable young women to stay in school, and funding for extra space in a school for children with disabilities.
 
“We consider ourselves to be permanent part-time residents of Uganda,” says John Fox, Coordinator of the Co-Occurring Disorders Program, who has just returned from a visit to practicum sites in Uganda. “Our students get much more than they give. We are learners with the fundamental principle of not doing any harm. The Ugandan community has much to teach us.”

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