Biola alumna Shanley Knox has been changing lives in Uganda. Along with her partner and friend Emily Sheehy, Knox has initiated the Nakate project, with a vision to bring hope to the women in the Luwero district.

Uganda’s beauty ravaged by sadness

Named “the Pearl of Africa” by Winston Churchill, Uganda is recognized as one of the most beautiful countries in all of Africa. Sunflowers sprawl across acres and acres of fields in Uganda, a land dominated by the glimmering Lake Victoria. However, the Ugandans’ bright smiles are certainly what stand out the most, according to Andrew Muigai of the AfricaPoint Insider, an online travel newsletter.

Even so, there are countless stories of heartache, hopelessness and death in the midst of all of the beauty. Poverty and disease have ravaged the country for decades. While Uganda is one of the African countries that have responded best to the HIV/AIDS crisis, families have still been torn apart by sickness and disease, according to a report by usaid.gov.

Biola alumna changed by trip

The Nakate project is a nonprofit organization that came about when Knox first visited Uganda in 2008. She met a young girl in the village there named Nakate. Nakate’s life had been devastated by the loss of her parents, and when Knox met her, she was living with her aunt who worked as a prostitute. In addition to losing loved ones, Nakate also partially lost sight in one eye, and has a cleft palate.

“I lived in the village alongside the people by myself,” Knox said, “Nakate represented Africa to me.”

Knox takes action at Biola

Upon returning, Knox presented an idea for a project to her journalism professors. Ultimately, her proposal would help women in the Luwero district, many of whom are struggling with AIDS. Her professors graciously allowed her to implement the plans for her project into certain assignments.

“My Biola experience was great,” Knox said. “I knew [the faculty] was always cheering for me.”

Nakate project takes off

Nakate was officially launched in August 2010. Knox returned from Uganda with a bag of necklaces and high hopes to get the project off the ground. Sheehy came alongside Knox and provided the business brains, as she just recently got her MBA. She sees the need for business to be acknowledged in projects like Nakate.

“The necklaces we sell are providing a global market for products that would otherwise remain unsold,” said Knox on the project’s website. Full of vibrant photos and heart-wrenching truths, the website offers specific ways to get involved in bringing help and hope to the women of the Luwero district.

Biola plugs in with Uganda

Biola’s Student Missionary Union is currently choosing trips and leaders for this summer, and Uganda has been a popular place in years past.

In addition, Alive Uganda is taking applications for a trip to northern Uganda this summer. The organization works to help Uganda while helping Western individuals see the world outside their own comfort zones.

They are offering students the opportunity to go on a short-term trip from July 13 to July 26.

Ugandan testimonies encourage additional missions

Megan Mugumya, a representative from Alive Uganda, shared the story of a man named Pastor John-Bosco Too-lit, or J.B. for short.

His story involves growing up in the villages of Uganda, where he was was kidnapped and forced to become a child soldier. He eventually escaped and accepted Christ, and is now the teaching pastor in a small church in rural Jinja, Uganda.

Their goal for the summer mission team is to bless the northern Ugandan church and community, while cultivating servants’ hearts and loving on the people.

Knox, Sheehy and others who have traveled to Uganda have seen and heard the cry of the Ugandan people. They now echo David in Psalm 9:18, “The hope of the afflicted will never perish.”