Outsourcing helped Ayebaze save her school

A bby Ayebaze  wears many hearts; she is a mother, an educator and an eco-tourism manager at Rukararwe Partnership for Rural Development. The 32-year-old mother of two, was forced to take up the directorship of Bushenyi Municipal Academy found in Bushenyi District, south-western Uganda after the death of her husband Hillary Musinguzi.

Facing bitter reality

Musinguzi’s untimely death in a car accident created a vacuum that needed to be filled urgently.

“Life became harder and tricky because previously, we were two directors, and now all responsibility fell on me,” she says.

After realising that she could not manage the school alone because she had no formal management training, Ayebaze set up  management and PTA committees to help her.

The school management committee was tasked with proper coordination of school programmes, making policy towards pupils’ progress, while the PTA facilitated all aspects of parental involvement in the running of the school.

“I would not have managed the school alone. I also got in touch with widows who gave me tips on how to juggle motherhood, widowhood and business,” she says.

In 2018, the Ministry of Education directed that she physically separates the primary from the nursery section. Since she did not have the funds to do so, she decided to organise a fundraising drive, which raised enough money for a three-classroom block (Hillary Memorial block), which currently accommodates the nursery section.

Managing her personal life

As a young widow, there were plenty of temptations awaiting her. To avoid falling victim, she gave her life to Jesus Christ and became active in the church.

She has surrounded herself with responsible and developmental people. “At the weekend and some evenings, I join social clubs that are developmental such as Lions Club of Bushenyi, where I fellowship with people that add value to my life,” she explains.

Financial management

Financial management can be tricky and problematic for spouses that suddenly lose partners that were breadwinners. To weather this tough period, she chose to prioritise her obligations and avoided making costly and irreversible decisions. “I have learned to spot and avoid unnecessary expenditures and manage my resources sparingly,” she says. 

Making a contribution in society

Ayebaze employs about 21 staff at her school. These employees get salaries and improve their lives.

The school provides education to the people in Bushenyi and beyond, thus fighting illiteracy and contributing to national development.

Being an eco-tourism manager at Rukararwe, Ayebaze ensures actual running of eco-tourism operations. 

Challenges

Managing a school comes with challenges such as school fees defaulters, high operational costs, competition, but she has hardened to meet her targets.

She has addressed the challenges by surrounding herself with responsible people who give her moral, spiritual, and financial support when and where necessary.

Advice

As a widow, you must carefully make a selection of the people that you move and associate with, see what they advise you because your friend tells the public what you are.

•You must give yourself to God, and know that with God everything is possible.

•Believe in yourself and have self-confidence and motivation, knowing that you can make it. If you believe in yourself, and feel confident in yourself, you can do anything.

•If you are in any business or project management, you must lay strategies and work with others. You must be a good listener, lest you clash.

She is determined to make more plans for bigger milestones, stay in the present, and take care of herself and her children, and put off the things that stand in her way to having a better life.