Bunyoro mentorship programme guides students on morals, life skills

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Students from across Bunyoro have taken part in a mentorship programme under the kingdom’s Omugo Development Foundation aimed at strengthening moral values, leadership, domestic responsibility and practical life skills among children and youth.

Princess Daphine Kabatalesa, the chief executive officer of the Omugo Development Foundation, said they decided to roll out the campaign to schools to help address declining moral standards among children. She added that they selected a team of experienced mentors, including teachers and counsellors.

Kabatalesa said that this year, they partnered with Makerere University’s Edu-Senga mentors. The programme was held on March 14, 2026, at St Gabriel’s Secondary School in Masindi district and included sessions in cooking local Kinyoro food and agriculture.

Evers Kahwa, the deputy principal of Bulera Core Primary Teachers’ College in Hoima city, who was among the mentors, said the programme is important as it helps students deal with life challenges such as self-protection and decision-making.

“For every parent out there, you should prioritise togetherness and honesty among children. Children should be honest, should love to live together, and should have empathy for others,” Kahwa said.

Kahwa said that apart from personal protection, decision-making, and general etiquette, students were also equipped with hands-on skills such as baking, weaving, hygiene, meal preparation, and proper gardening.

Students learning how to cook traditional meals on Saturday.

“It's very important for us to bring these students and talk to them, through that we get to identify some of the challenges they go through and help them overcome,” Kahwa said.

Catherine Byenkya, one of the mentors, said some parents are responsible for fuelling moral decadence among children in Bunyoro because they do not have enough time for proper parenting.

Byenkya said the programme provided training in cultural values, leadership skills, parental care, and sex education.

She explained that many parents spend most of the day at work, leaving them with little time to spend with their children.

Hillary Bisoborwa, another mentor, said some children below eighteen years are seen drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes in open bars.

“Parents should take full control of their children because we have seen many children involved in bad acts like smoking, which is very dangerous,” he said.

Ruth Kyobutungyi from Makerere University said they partnered with the Omugo Development Foundation to also promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as an interdisciplinary approach to learning that integrates these four disciplines into a cohesive curriculum based on real-world applications.

“We are working with the institution in the promotion of STEM among the girls. We are mentoring them and supporting them to take up sciences, and we have put emphasis on research, experimentation, and understanding the laws of the physical world,” she said.