Mr. Mugerwa George William

Mr. Mugerwa George William is a teacher at the school where I teach, St. Timothy’s Primary School. The school and its students are poor. Most do not have pens, books, paper, or lunch. Mugerwa grew up in a neighboring village and once was one of these poor students. He comes from a family of 16 children. His father was unable to support the family, therefore, his mother provided for the family by brewing local beer from plantains called Tonto. Using this money she was able to feed all of her children and pay for all of her male children to attend school up to Secondary Four (S4). After S4, however, Mugerwa had to provide for himself. Wanting to be a teacher he raised goats and sold them for his tuition money. He was able to get a degree in Primary Education. Today he is qualified to be a Primary School Teacher. He makes 83,000 Ush a month (50 USD).

Mugerwa is extremely nice and welcoming to Steve and me. He often drops by the clinic with a bunch of bananas or avocados for us. He always thanks us for the work we are doing and tells us that he appreciates our service. But really it is Mugerwa that works really hard and does a service to his community. He has worked hard to get out of the village and earn a degree and now he has chosen to come back and teach those children who he knows need it the most.

The other day, Steve and I walked into Ddegeya to get our first cold soda. While in town Mugerwa walked by and asked if we would come spend some time in his home. We went. He rents a small room behind the local barbershop. The room is about three times the size of a twin bed and is split into two sections by a large curtain hanging from the ceiling. On one side of the curtain was just enough room to fit a twin bed. On the other side of the curtain was a small chair, table and love seat. All of the furniture was wooden with small cushions. Along the wall of the sitting room was his food and cooking supplies. On the wall he had hung a calendar, a poster of his favorite soccer team, and a picture of the Virgin Mary. While this room does have electricity it does not have a window.

While we were visiting, Mugerwa told Steve and me his life story. He also showed us photos of his family, and a portfolio he has put together of all of his certificates and important papers. I was really impressed to see how carefully he packaged even his primary school diploma. It struck me how valuable paper and certificates are to people here. I don’t even know where my high school diploma is let alone my elementary school diploma. What shocks me the most about Mugerwa, however, is that he has a white collar job, is making more than the average person, and appears to be barely making ends meet. I can’t imagine how he does it. His monthly salary is equivalent to what I spend on food for one month.