A man with a big heart for womenfolk

Women beneficiaries of Henry Mutebe’s projects in Apac District. Photos by Lydia Ainomugisha

What you need to know:

Philanthropic. Henry Mutebe, 28, a lecturer at Kyambogo University and two-time guest on BBC outlook in 2012 and 2014. He started out as a child activist but transcended into empowering women. He shared his experience with Lydia Ainomugisha.

At least everyday he posts something encouraging to women on Facebook. And when a woman seeks a solution to a relationship problem, he is tagged.
His name is Henry Mutebe, a lecturer at Kyambogo University who has besides giving a shoulder to many devastated women has empowered more than 300 women in the north, east and western Uganda.
To Mutebe, when you target a woman, you target the majority because despite having biggest number as per the 2014 population census results.

The genesis
Perhaps his background shaped his ideologies. “From childhood, I have seen women make amazing contributions but not appreciated,” he says. He was brought up by a single mother, Jane Baitanunga because his parents separated when he was still young. She was a community leader and his grandmother the first female sub county chief of Nambale Village in 1980.
At secondary school, Mutebe noticed that most of the girls he had started school with had dropped out after getting pregnant. This hurt him. In 2001, while in Senior Two at Kiira College Butiiki, he trained as a peer educator to help the youth, especially girls in his community.
After, he wrote a proposal to Pathfinder International requesting for a youth centre in his community. Then, Nambale Community Centre in Iganga was constructed by the Flora Award Foundation through Pathfinder international.
At the centre, programmes such as computer training, tailoring and other vocational skills to create awareness on HIV/Aids and early pregnancy were taught.
Other programmes for mothers and youth on assertiveness, confidence, safer sex and life skills were also taught. Meanwhile, Mutebe was made youth coordinator of the project until it ended in 2003.
The building in which these activities were held now lies idle with a few district activities.

Starting an orphanage
Every Christmas, his mother invited the disadvantaged and vulnerable to their home to make merry. While in Senior Six vacation in 2006, Abdul, a child, whom he says looked six months old was abandoned in his village. Stranded, Mutebe adopted him and took him to his mother’s home. Henceforth, whenever there was an helpless child in his community, he would be referred to Mutebe for help.
He requested his mother for a place where to take care of them. Soon the number grew to 28 and he named it Henry Children’s home. To support them through school, he would visit various schools and those that had a surplus would donate scholastic materials, which he would give to the children.
After some time, Mutebe realised this mechanism was not sustainable and resolved to empower the parents and relatives of these needy children so that they could support these children at their homes.

The loan scheme
With no money to give them as a startup capital, he taught them basic financial literacy in a village savings and loan association. There, he taught them how to save and formed groups where they would loan out to each other at small interest rates.
“I believe every community has resources to sustain it and the best way to sustainable development is to build on what you have. Giving resources cripples the community and they remain dependent,” he says
He started by helping the relatives and guardians of the children in his orphanage but within a few months, the group multiplied and so had to form more groups.
Now with more than 100 groups in Iganga, Apac, Mayuge, Buwuka, Wakiso and Kampala districts, he says some of his beneficiaries are his former students.
After school, they go back home to start this scheme and get capital for their start up projects instead of looking for jobs. Each group has 30 members but he says some members defy the rules and exceed.
Eunice Acen, one of his beneficiaries from Arua (Wetaimba Women Saving Group) says they collect between Shs1,000 to Shs5,000 per person weekly. With 37 members, she says, “We have a small box in which we keep the money and entrust it with three elders. The person who keeps the safe does not keep the key, so we only open when we are all around.” She says these savings have greatly bailed them out whenever they have financial challenges like school fees. To run the groups, he has dedicated 70 per cent of his salary to facilitate his movements as he coordinates the groups.
BBC outlook, a radio programme on BBC World Service which broadcasts human interest stories from across the globe described his work as a one- man’s NGO. He however says he has some volunteers who have similar interests. Also, his passion to look out for women was boosted when he got a baby girl in February 2013. “I felt the desire to help women access a wider political space because anybody even your child could be discriminated against.”

Challenges
Mutebe says his biggest challenge has been dealing with a patriarchal society because many do not appreciate the role of the woman in society. Also, there are few resources to support women everywhere. “From childhood, house chores are left to girls.”

FACT FILE
• Born in 1986 in Kamuli district
• Namalemba boarding primary school in Iganga district.
• Went to Kiira College Butiki, Jinja for O and A-level
• He holds a Bachelor of Development studies from Kyambogo University
• Currently, in second year at Makerere University School of Law.