Graduates can be change agents

by Mwesigye Gumisiriza

Graduation marks a major milestone in the life of anyone who has completed his or her course at the university. The award may be a diploma or a bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctorate degree but it shows that the individual on whom it is conferred has successfully completed all the educational requirements for a particular academic programme of study.

The ceremony of graduation also symbolises the “rite of passage” of the graduates from the university into the world. As such, for many, it is the beginning of their lives after school. In our kind of society, it is the “end of books” as we tend to say and we turn our efforts to “making money”. So, the focus turns to getting jobs, acquiring wealth, building homes, starting families and related activities.

But this begs the question: Is this all we can look forward to as we graduate from the university (especially Makerere University)?

Every other Tom, Dick and Harriet in Uganda is more or less focused to having such an ordinary life. So, by graduating from Uganda’s premier university that has also gained international repute, more should be expected from such a graduate. If he or she has been equipped with the skills to use his or her capacities to work, study, comprehend ideas, ask and answer questions, and solve problems, among others; then he or she has great potential. However, this potential can only remain that, if it is not tapped and exploited for the benefit of society.

The other question is who should tap this potential and how should it be utilised for the benefit of society?

Already, graduates are going to be absorbed in the public and private sectors, either self-employed or as employees of the various institutions or organisations. Therefore, they will be working towards achieving the goals of their employers.

In a society like ours, graduates can be change agents through volunteerism and philanthropy, an aspect that has not been given its due attention. A change agent is someone who engages either deliberately or whose behaviour results in social, cultural or behavioural change in Uganda through volunteerism and philanthropy.

Volunteerism is the willingness of people to work on behalf of others without the expectation of pay or other tangible gain. Philanthropy, on the other hand, includes voluntary giving by an individual or group to promote the common good; this can be in terms of time, money and energy.

There are many ways in which graduates can help the communities they will work and live in. For instance, they can mobilise themselves and sensitise the people in Kisenyi slum about the health benefits of living in a clean environment. They could further this and lead by example by buying brooms, shovels and other cleaning equipment to clean up the drainage channels in the Kifumbira area of Kamwokya. Also, just like one would “throw” half a million shillings towards the organisation of a kwanjula or wedding, he or she can similarly use such an amount to purchase mosquito nets for people in Kapchorwa.

Eventually, little by little, such efforts can spread countrywide as more and more communities are encouraged to take up this spirit spurred on the graduates. However, for this to succeed, we have to start today with that small step that will enable us cover that journey of a thousand miles. We will have to look at volunteerism and philanthropy as a service and a duty and not something we do as a hobby or an opportunity for media coverage or a gimmick to get votes!

This is a slightly edited and updated version of an article first published in The Graduate Magazine Vol 1 No 1.