What has an African school got to do with it? Everything! In a continent where poverty rates are soaring, community needs are high and resources remain low. Education- when properly crafted and enchanted, becomes that magic wand through which individuals could potentially rewrite their futures and hopefully rally their communities to crawl out of poverty. This year’s theme- “Ten Years of Creating Realistic Hope (Suubi) and Real Impact through Research” was an eye opener- highlighting the complex interplay between poverty and mental health on child and adolescent wellbeing. Knowledge was disseminated in various ways, that is, through trainings, conference presentations, panel discussions and community engagement during the forum.
My “Aha!” moment during this fellowship has been the community panels, field visits in Masaka and later in Northern Uganda when I got to see what reality looks like for many young boys and girls attending school in Uganda. The few days I have spent in the community have felt like a semester long class on Community Engaged Research! It is all time well spent! I am an emerging scholar and a very PROUD LEAD fellow. Like all novice scholars, it is so easy to focus on needs, problems and all the wrong things within a community. This fellowship experience has forced me to check within myself, take off my critical hat (sometimes) and to shift my focus and take stock of the community resources. That is, the children who remain resilient when faced with adversity, for instance, the athletic champions from north and eastern Uganda, the rousing welcome from the beaming boys and girls at St. Andrews Matale (I cannot possibly remember a time in my life I have ever been welcomed to a community like that) and the wonderful dances steeped in hundreds of years of rich culture and history. Besides the hot delicious steaming matooke and “ebiyebwa” (groundnut/peanut paste), the Baganda are also known for their enormous pride in their culture and sense of occasion! Also, as we have observed overtime in different communities, community engagement in schools improves academic outcomes, decreases school absenteeism, and fosters the value of accountability- for the students, teachers and parents.
Key takeaway—We need more research geared towards harnessing the strengths and assets within many vulnerable communities—to create long lasting Suubi and improve educational outcomes for many boys and girls.