Celebrating Success: Welcome-Home Event for Commonwealth and Chevening Scholars
On Thursday, 15th February 2024, the outgoing British High Commissioner hosted a warm welcome-home event for Commonwealth and Chevening Scholars at her residence in Nakasero. The gathering brought together members of the alumni associations, representatives from the British Council Uganda, and the latest cohort of scholars.
The event commenced with a delightful cocktail reception, offering a chance for the scholars to mingle and network while enjoying an array of finger foods and beverages. Following this, the committees of the alumni associations were introduced, with welcoming remarks from each association's president.
Collin Ogara, President of the CSFAAU, took the floor to outline three of the association's key focus areas.
- 1. The inward activities of the association that focus on empowering members with, among other things, counselling and mental health awareness.
- 2. The association’s outward activities such as supporting potential scholars in their application processes
- 3. The association’s collaborative strategies such as working with like-minded external stakeholders to give back to the community and support scholars in impactful projects aimed at national development.
Ogara also urged Her Excellency, the High Commissioner, and her team to prioritize alumni in FCDO funding and recruitment for FCDO projects, emphasizing the invaluable contributions of alumni to national development.
The event featured speeches from returning scholars, Dr Francis Mujjuni representing the Commonwealth Scholars and a representative from the Chevening Scholars. They expressed profound gratitude for the scholarship opportunities and shared their enriching experiences studying and living in the UK.
Dr Mujjuni has been privileged to complete both his masters and doctoral studies under the Commonwealth Scholarship. In his intellectually engaging discourse, he highlighted our common desire to shape a better nation – better in politics, education, economy, health, infrastructure, etc., so that those coming after us might find a better country than the one we inherited from our parents.
“The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission has generously educated us. This education was intended to equip us with tools to contribute towards the different development goals. My prayer is that like the Canadian adage, we will all say, ‘Give me the tools, I will do the job’ rather than what most have come to embrace in this country which is ‘Give me the job and I will destroy the tools’. I thank you,” he concluded in his speech.
The event served as a celebration of academic achievement, fostering connections, and inspiring scholars to make meaningful contributions to their communities and country.
In conclusion, the event symbolized the continued partnership between the UK and Uganda in nurturing future leaders and fostering collaboration for sustainable development.
