Like most of his peers in rural Uganda, Mark* grew up spending his days helping the family. Caring for their cattle and goats, hunting and farming were far higher priorities than getting a formal education. There seemed to be little point when there were so many immediate needs and ways to help the family. *Name changed to protect privacy.
As Mark entered his teens and built his own small grass-thatched starter home on the family’s compound, he married Esme* and before long they were a family of five. To help provide for his growing family needs, Mark looked for work mostly as a day laborer. If he found favor, he might find himself loading and unloading clay bricks for various building projects in his area.
Like Mark, Esme dropped out of school before finishing her secondary education. As a young mother, domestic responsibilities were ever present, making an education seem like a distant dream.
When some of Mark’s family and friends began meeting in the village to talk about community needs, Mark was curious. The Men Matter sessions were especially of interest to him as much of what he was hearing was simply not covered in his own cultural education about what it means to be a husband.
The importance of education took on a whole new level of meaning. He became determined to ensure his own children wouldn’t make his mistake of quitting school early.
But he didn’t stop with his kids. His wife Esme had a special interest in hair and beauty. While others came to her for informal help over the years, Mark encouraged his wife to embark on a special skill training course in hair dressing.
As his children and wife progressed in their educational achievements, Mark’s healthy pride in his family grew.
Beyond the good kind of pride, these programs helped Mark and Esme both feel some financial relief and carry more hope for the future.
“The burden of solely providing for my family has reduced as now my wife can also earn something little from the skills she learnt to supplement our household income.”
These days you might find Mark attending parent teacher meetings at school, following up on his children’s school performance, or walking with his kids to school early in the morning.
Mark’s confidence in leadership and fatherhood has increased greatly as has his self-esteem. He even leads a local youth group where he helps educate young people in small business principles and in savings clubs. As a member of a local savings group, he knows from personal experience how critical it is to access a larger amount of money in a place where the formal banking sector is out of reach.
Mark’s life and perspectives have undergone significant changes for the better, something he attributes to God’s mercies. He is even considering furthering his own education and currently trying to discern whether God may be calling him towards priesthood through the Anglican Theology School.
Please pray for him and his family as they continue to grow in their understanding and in their community impact.
Zooming Out
Medical Ambassadors International works with regional and local partners comprised of a regional coordinator, country coordinators and many local ambassadors. Uganda falls under our East Africa region and trainings are shared in local contexts by passionate, trained, national Christians.
Men Matters, part of the Community Health Evangelism training, goes into greater depth for healthy habits for men in the context of family. Men are important to the well-being of the family and have the power to lead their families in healthy directions. Men Matter: Healthy Families (MMHF) lessons are designed to help men become healthier spiritually, emotionally and relationally for their well-being and for the benefit of their families.
MMHF lessons include many topics to address men’s needs appropriately and respectfully. Men are included in learning about issues that affect the health of their wives and children. Many lessons are aimed at helping men to recognize their own feelings and build their awareness of how they relate to God, others, and themselves. Following the teachings of Jesus, with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, men can find wholeness in their relationship with God, with themselves, with their wives, children, others, and the physical world. Men are essential to the transformation that can happen in families, communities, churches, and cultures.
