Apoo’s 3 decades of brewing degrees 

Ms Helen Apoo Okileng, 55, fondly known as Nangobi by her clients, has spent 34 years brewing traditional brew, commonly known as malwa, at Namboole drinking centre in Kasoigo Zone, Busoigo Ward, Northern Division, Kamuli Municipality.
The brew, which is largely consumed by the Itesot, draws all classes of people. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, it remained popular as revellers found solace there.

When Ms Apoo got pregnant in Primary Six and eventually dropped out of school, she resisted all calls to abort, delivered a baby girl and has since stuck to her then-student lover to date.
The girl is now a social worker with Transcultural Psychosocial Organisation (TPO) pursuing a master’s degree, while her father is a fisheries officer.
“We have come from very far and I am proud and blessed that my daughter, whom many wanted me to abort and get a better rich man, is now serving the nation,” she said in an interview at the weekend.

After delivering, Ms Apoo’s stepmother took care of the baby, while she joined her family in Kanyum, Kumi District, as her boyfriend continued with his studies at Ngora High School, meaning she had to start looking for school fees and supporting the baby.

This led her to brew malwa for the neighbour from which she gained experience and interest. The rest, as they say, is history.
Ms Apoo now boasts of six degrees in her family, all with school fees got from selling malwa.

Her daughters; Josephine Akurut, the firstborn, and Rhoda Ajilong, who follows her, both graduated with a Bachelor of Development Studies from Uganda Christian University, Mukono and Gulu University, respectively.
Another daughter, Betty Amulen, has a diploma in Psychiatric Nursing, while Okileng Junior and Timothy Okwi went to Kyambogo University, earning degrees in Social Work and Community Development, and Social Justice, respectively.
Of the three children she has adopted, one has a degree in education, while two have diplomas.

Okwi has already authored a play, where he speaks to families, children and the girl child on the choice of staying and completing school or deceptively falling prey to love and marriage.
Apart from educating all her children, the couple has built a decent country home and commercial building in Kanyum to which they will retire, and they have acquired a vehicle for transport and a few cows.
The Namboole centre has grown into a social hub and they sealed their trust with a wedding.
Currently, she is the Busoigo Village vice chairperson in charge of children and women’s affairs.

With passion and commitment to humanity, Ms Apoo says she became determined to change the face of malwa business by taking on quality, customer care and with support from her spouse, ensured the trend of dropping out of school ended with her.

She initially rented in three different places, and as the business flourished, her landlords mooted starting the same business. So, she decided to get a loan, bought a plot and started the Namboole drinking centre.
The drinking centre is not merely a haven for drunkards but now passes for a household income-skilling centre of sorts. With some “by-laws”, it promotes responsible drinking, a saving culture and social norms.

Prior to Christmas last year, the five registered drinking groups shared about Shs15m accrued in daily savings, slaughtered two bulls, and shared three bags of rice and two of sugar.
The revellers have bought two tents and 300 chairs to help them during functions and their solidarity is exhibited when a member loses a loved one or intends to wed.

Challenges
Ms Apoo’s biggest challenge is the heat and firewood needed for frying and for this, she is opening a wood lot garden and prays the government injects some Parish Development Model (PDM) cash into it.
“My wish, hope and dream is that one day, with technological advancement, they develop a machine that we can use to fry the malwa to cut off the heat, smoke and firewood use. This could help and lead us to export the malwa overseas in powder form,” she said.

Advice to women
Ms Apoo calls upon women to stop looking to their husbands only for support as this “scares them away, reduces the love through stress and frequent causes of domestic violence.” She also calls for the reconstruction of the institution of family, marriage, and parenting and advocates for gender-inclusive transformative programmes and policies and re-entry to schools.
“Parents should play a key role towards supporting girls through empowerment, strengthening child protection systems, ensuring quality and inclusive education for children,” she said.

Timothy Okwi, Ms Apoo’s son, says her mother is a parent to lean on, learn from and is “naturally religious” in every sense of the word.
Betty Amulen,  Ms Apoo’s daughter, who is a psychiatric nurse, says: “Mum picked me up from the village after hearing that the clan was plotting to marry me off in Primary Five and sort their financial woes.

She put me to school in Kamuli, I was sickly and with this traumatic history, she counselled me, and the only way I can reward her is to stay and complete school, and get a job.”