Young Rotary club turns focus to rural schools, innovation

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The Rotary Club of Muyenga Bukasa has unveiled an ambitious new agenda centred on transforming rural schools, embracing innovation and community-driven impact, as Ambassador Patrick Mugoya officially took over leadership of the club during its third presidential installation ceremony in Kampala.

The event held on May 9 at Las Vegas Garden Hotel revealed a club increasingly positioning itself as a youthful force focused on practical community impact.

At the centre of its next phase is Kapasak Primary School in Kumi District, where more than 1,800 pupils study in overcrowded classrooms and some reportedly accommodating more than 200 learners at a time.

“We are also going to build a kitchen because they cook under the tree,” Mugoya remarked.

“We need to put a shelter and a dining area where these children can have their meals in a good environment.”

The incoming president said the club also plans to construct additional classroom blocks to ease congestion and improve learning conditions at the school, which has become the club’s flagship community project.

“This will increase space for congested learners to have lessons in a comfortable environment, and if anything provided will make a difference.”

The installation also evolved into more than a leadership handover, becoming a wider discussion on how young service clubs can use innovation and partnerships to address long-standing social challenges.

Focus on creative interventions

Guest speaker and Past District Governor Peter Taremwa challenged members to think beyond traditional charity work and focus on sustainable, creative interventions capable of producing long-term impact.

“This is a young club, and we need training as one of the key areas,” he said.

Taremwa urged members to embrace innovation in fundraising and project implementation, arguing that fresh ideas and strategic partnerships could help smaller clubs create outsized community impact.

“The presidency is about what you can do, and if you can be very innovative, a club can go to the next level,” he noted.

District 9214, which covers Uganda and Tanzania, is currently regarded as one of Rotary’s fastest-growing districts in Africa.

The emphasis on rural education and community transformation builds on projects spearheaded by outgoing president Florence Nakamatte, whose tenure focused heavily on improving conditions in under-resourced schools.

Nakamatte recounted emotional encounters with learners in one of the schools in the district conducting science experiments using broken laboratory equipment and girls missing classes because they lacked access to sanitary products.

“Some of these schools in rural areas have a huge population, and many of them sit down during lessons, some go through a lot that hinder their education journey.”

“These are some of the stories you hear and say I am proud to be a Rotarian.”

Under her leadership, the club donated science laboratory equipment to schools in Kumi District and launched construction of a kitchen at Kapasak Primary School, where meals are currently prepared under a tree.

“When it rains, it means the learners miss meals for that day,” she said.

One of the club’s standout achievements during her tenure was a spelling bee fundraiser that raised Shs16 million towards the school project, initiative members described as proof that innovation and local partnerships can deliver meaningful results.

Nakamatte, believed to have been among the youngest Rotary club presidents in District 9214 during the Rotary year, said the experience taught her that leadership is not defined by age or status, but by willingness to learn and serve.

“When I looked around, they were more knowledgeable than me, more experienced than me, more resourceful than me,” she said. “And yet, they still gave me the opportunity to lead them.”

Despite being one of the district’s younger clubs, the Rotary Club of Muyenga Bukasa ended the year with six awards at the 101st District Conference and Assembly, signalling its growing visibility within Rotary circles.

For Mugoya, however, the bigger challenge lies beyond awards and installations.

“This installation is not merely symbolic but a reaffirmation of who we are, people of action,” he stated.