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Robinah, the founding mother of Ugandan epicenters

March 12, 2015

Honorary Robinah Ssetenda, Woman Councilor of Bukasa Parish at Wakiso Sub County Council in the Wakiso District, dedicates her time to improving the livelihood of her fellow community members. A resident of Bukasa’s “A” village, Robinah was born in 1970 and was educated at Kitebi Primary School and Lubiri Senior Secondary School. She married Mr. Fred Ssentenda in 1986, and the couple now has three sons.

Robinah Ssetenda is one of the brains behind the establishment of The Hunger Project-Uganda’s Wakiso Epicenter in Temangalo and Bukasa villages. Robinah contends that she came to know about The Hunger Project from the former Local Councilor III of Bukasa Parish, the late Gwayambaddde Male, who approached and sold the idea to her and her husband.

Robinah and her husband welcomed Gwayambaddde’s message and were tasked with the role of mobilizing the other community members, proposing a suitable location to establish the epicenter, and lobbying for construction materials to help erect the L-shaped building. With assistance from her husband, Gwayambaddde, and other community leaders, Robinah facilitated the acquisition of land. They they explained to Mr. Amos Nzei how the Temangalo epicenter would benefit the community and asked Amos to offer land for the establishment and construction of the epicenter. Amos agreed and offered them a leasehold of the land. Robinah stated, “It’s because of our effort that the Wakiso Epicenter was established.”

Robinah Ssetenda has rotated around many epicenter committees. She was once a member of the Food Production and Food Security Committee and Water Sanitation and Environment Committee, and now she is a member of the Women’s Empowerment Committee. Robinah explained that her committee membership has contributed to her popularity among her community members. This exposure has boosted her confidence and increased her knowledge of various social and political topics, which aided her candidature as a woman councilor in 2006. Robinah has now served two terms in office.

Robinah asserts that The Hunger Project-Uganda has transformed the community and uplifted the status of women through its multi-sector humanitarian programs. She emphasizes that the Epicenter Health Unit, in connection with other programs in the area of Water, Sanitation, and Environment, has improved the lives of the community members. Robinah also praises the Microfinance Program for extending loans and encouraging business ideas geared towards women, saving money, and eradicating poverty.

In her concluding remarks, Robinah Ssetenda applauds The Hunger Project-Uganda for being an eye opener to the social and economic transformations in her community, which has morphed from a village into a semi-urban town attracting people of all walks of life. She declares that the popularity she holds and the transformation that she has achieved within her community is a result of the capacity attained from The Hunger Project-Uganda’s Wakiso Epicenter.