What does change mean to you? That’s the question that we bounced around as we prepared our August cover story, (which turned into stories) and as it turned out, we all had different answers.
This prompted us to pose the same question to three young women who shared even more interesting submissions. But, what stood as a more pertinent question is what each of us is doing on an individual level, about this change we want.
These three young women are not just talking about it, they are acting on it.
20-year-old Santa Lucy Fungaro has dealt with dermatomyositis, a skin condition which presents with muscle weakness and skin rash, since she was 5 years old. The experience has left her with not just physical, but also emotional scars from bullying from colleagues and teachers at school. However, the student of Social Works & Social Administration chose to wear her scars with pride and live her life in colour. On Twitter she refers to herself as “Boss Bae”, which in full is ‘Born Out of Self Sustenance Before Anything Else.’ She’s using every platform she gets to advocate for a world free of hate and bullying, as she also fundraises to travel to Nairobi for treatment. See her story here.
According to Shamim Malende, having proper systems is the best strategy when it comes to efficient service delivery. The 34-year-old lawyer is standing for Woman Member of Parliament for Kampala district in the upcoming elections, a position she’s tussling out with her seniors both in age and experience. “When it comes to service delivery, we are looking at substance not age or experience,” she says.
Inspired by her own frustration with politicians who promise much and deliver little, Malende wants to lead a new guard of young people stepping up to create the change they desire. See her story here.
It is said that Ugandans have an extraordinary entrepreneurial appetite but many businesses do not live past their first birthday, something Jackie Arinda attributes to lack of proper research prior to starting the businesses. The 29-year-old Chief Executive Officer of Smart24 TV is using her high-heeled position at the first 24/7 business TV channel in Uganda to furnish young people with as much knowledge and data on business as possible.
As someone who has had a fair share of doubters her whole life, Arinda has learned that it takes a village to create change. But even when no one is willing to join her in this pursuit, she’s ready to go on it alone. “I’m not the kind of person who quits,” she says emphatically.
See her story here.
The three women were photographed by Mark Bwiire of Soul Image Art, styling by Kai’s Divo Collection, hair by Natna Natural Hair makeup by Kamara Adrian and creative direction by Sam Insingoma.
This story is part of ‘Woman of the Month’, a series celebrating women who are brave in their stance, a collaboration between Kai’s Divo Collection, Sam Isingoma,Makeup by Kamara, Natna Natural Hair, Satisfashion UG and Soul Image Art.
