04/12/2024
Reposted**
Twenty-four years ago, I learnt of a couple of job openings at Makerere University through a friend who worked there. I decided I would apply for one of the jobs pinned on the Main Building noticeboard.
I remember being asked about the roles an office messenger plays. I do not remember being confident enough inside that interview room; I only remember expressing a willingness to learn and work, which I believe won over the interviewers. I was young and timid but eager. I got hired as an office messenger/janitor in 2000. I have watched thousands of students walk into the College of Humanities, linger for three years, and then walk out as graduates. Over time, my work expanded from just administration assistance to preparing and serving tea, cleaning, to helping students trace for their missing marks.
I love it here.
The beauty of working in an environment like this is the number of lives you can touch through simple acts of kindness. I am more of a mother to most students here, who look at me through that light. To others, not so much - just another faceless support staff. Here, you get to meet children from diverse backgrounds of difficulty. I see their commitment. I see their struggles, and as a mother, I cannot afford to eat knowing a student out there is going hungry. So I tell those who come to me that they never have to go hungry on campus. They can always break bread with me. It costs nothing to offer such children tea, a warm meal, upkeep when I can afford it and a word of prayer or encouragement. As a mother of three, nothing is as heartbreaking as seeing students go on the path of ruin through drugs, betting, or alcoholism.
My work has enabled me to pay tuition for my biological children, who have been lucky enough to study here. I am a solo parent, and it can be tough raising money for basic needs. But I must be grateful for my small place where I can safely lay my head to sleep and Farm land where we grow crops that supplement our diet.
At the end of the day, we all need a place to belong, a warm bowl of food, people who value us, meaningful work and a roof over our heads. I cannot complain much.
Nabwire Teddy, 53.
Makerere University, Uganda.
©️ USU2024
