Who was Sister Rose? She was a pioneer. A saint. An entrepreneur. But most importantly, perhaps, she was a mother to hundreds of parentless children in Uganda. Sister Rose Muyinza died in Kampala last week after battling Alzheimer’s disease for several years.
As a young nun in Uganda during the civil war years of the 1970’s, Sister Rose was different. She wanted to do more. She was one of the first to recognize the needs of orphans and vulnerable children in Uganda, and in 1972 she started a group called Daughters of Charity. Her organization won the support of Uganda’s President and First Lady, ministers of Parliament, and the leaders of the church in Uganda. All of them proudly supported her work caring for children.
The matriarch of the organization, Sister Rose started and ran the Daughters of Charity Home in Nsambya, the Kiwanga Children’s Home in Mukono, and St. Kizito Sabina Primary School in Rakai District. She was well-known for teaching the children to sing, dance, and cook meals. The children would join her in providing catering and entertainment for local events, the profits of which were then used to cover school fees and purchase clothing and food for the children.
Sister Rose was a close friend and colleague of Alexis Hefley, Empower African Children’s founder. The two first met in 1993, when Sister Rose was caring for children in a home in the center of Kampala that had been abandoned during the Idi Amin years. The children had no material possessions, yet possessed a strong sense of community and support of one another. It was chaotic, yet beautiful—the epitome of poverty and abundance. When Alexis saw the children perform, she had a thought: If only my friends back home could see this, they’d support these children. A few years later, Sister Rose, Alexis, and a group of children arrived in New York City to tour the United States. Over the last 15 years, it has evolved into what has become the Spirit of Uganda today.
Sister Rose lived out most of her life—including her final days—at the Daughters of Charity Orphanage in Kampala. Many of the staff and children of Empower African Children were cared for by Sister Rose. Her portrait hangs on the wall in Empower African Children’s house in Kampala, where she will always be remembered and honored for her contribution to the lives of children in Uganda.
Photos by Doug Menuez
she died so soon, rest in peace mum
Posted by: mosel | October 14, 2009 at 02:50 AM
This is so beautiful. I love the pictures. Thank you so much for remembering our mother. She was an incredible woman. She was described at her funeral as "a woman who lived for others." I thought that summed her up real nice. Her legacy lives on...!
Posted by: Agie | October 13, 2009 at 05:15 AM