Rogers Sserunjogi is doing wonders in his home area of Mukono district through music.
Born on 15 March 1983 in Mukono district, Sserunjogi is a father, farmer by passion, Programs manager, trainer, Information technology in Business specialist , and Community developer.
In 2014 he founded Music for Life Africa Foundation an organization that uses music to identify young children interests and nurture, direct and mentor them into various talents and skills across music, education, and agriculture to guide their future at a tender age.
He is currently directing programs at this foundation that uses music to mentor African rural children to focus on the interests of the children’s future talents, careers and more importantly keeping them close their culture and origin.
He says “Unless everyone in his or her capacity uses the given ability to uplift their communities and children, African continent might not have a better future.’’
He is a pan Africanist and he believes Africa can make it if given opportunity to take over its responsibilities and it only needs capacity building with no strings attached. And he believes unless the Africans stop to be spoon feed and get skills to feed themselves, it will still be very hard to have them stand independently, and this starts from homes, communities and then spread to the nation level.
How did he get inspired to start The foundation?
Sserunjogi inspiration comes from working for many organization that are foreign, this challenged him as a number of projects where implemented but ended up not fully making impact in a sustainable manner, and this was because initiatives were led by non-citizens who just implemented what they felt to do depending on the grants they have with strings attached and personal interests. That’s why he felt starting something from his own home village, because he says no one can understand better his home village unless when born there.
He believes Africans can initiate innovations across all sectors to change the continent, Rogers Sserunjogi believes in giving chances to any human and try out doing things his or her own way without influence. He believes that failure is not the end of life, but trying again brings ideas to life once given more chances.
Ever trying and never giving up is his way of life. He gives a challenge to everyone to try starting something in their own home villages before thinking to change the world. Rogers says if we say east to west home is best then we need to do something back home to make it the best including its neighbors.
What is Music For Life Africa foundation?
Music For Life Africa Foundation (MULIA) is a registered Community based organization with Registration number: MKN/CBO/2064/2016 found in Bbanda Bugenderadala 2km off kisoga – Nkokonjeru road, Nakisunga Sub county, Mukono District, Uganda, With long term plan of Establishing a youth cultural, musical, Educational centre in Uganda that promotes various skills focusing in Sectors of Education, Culture Preservation, Music, Information and Communications Technology integration (ICT) with target group of Youth and kids in collaboration with their parents. Benefiting up 5000 human lives. It was founded by Rogers Sserunjogi.
What they believe in?
At MULIA, we believe life’s challenges, struggles, accomplishments and celebrations can be conveyed in music. Music inspires, brings life, no matter the situation in human life. We use music to enhance the lives of the youth involved in our program. It allows them to explore and create community solutions towards challenges, explore their cultural identity, express their creativity, and raise funds to assist with their education and talents development hence introducing them to various opportunities.
Since 2014, the Foundation is on the frontline of communities in Nakisunga Sub-County, Mukono to empower vulnerable local children and youths through developing a platform where their talents in various life skills can be identified and supported as a way of preparing them for the future depending on their ability.
What they do?
Education program: Using music, we bring closer the vulnerable children and youths in our programs, this has helped the foundation shape up the children so that they focus on their education. The program involves working together with parents to support some of our children with the education needs including School requirements and half support of school fees to some of them through use of raised funds from the performances. We are working with 40 children directly supported and over 60 come over for our social activities as well as using our community library and sports activities.
Community Library and Adult Education: Marko Lukooya memorial community library contributes towards the education of all people in our community, Over 1000 books borrowed from our library by children, youths, community adults and schools like Jesus alive primary school, St. Kizito primary school and many others. Our library servers over 1500 people including schools and community members in the villages we serve.
The Agriculture program Farming: is one of our starting points for hands on and life skills for the children and youths we work with at MULIA foundation. Over the past 2 years we have been preparing their minds to start farming since it is a great venture for income generating and its not a punishment rather an activity where they can get money and also learn more about farming skills through their Home gardens and local poultry farms. 40 youths and children are direct beneficiaries of the program, and 50 families are indirect beneficiaries from this program.
Street business school: This program is designed and managed by Bead for Life however MULIA Foundation have got 2 full trained coaches to deliver the program to women and men of Uganda. This six month coaching program educates and empowers women to get out of their comfort zone, marketing for their businesses, finding capital and starting small, Record keeping, understanding the customer’s base, financial management, this leaves the women in our communities with confidence about income generating activities hence working together with them to support their families. We have so far carried out this training to one of our communities and 50 men and women have been direct beneficiaries besides the 500 indirect beneficiaries.
Talent Development and Trainings We have provided a number of trainings across music, dance, drama, and comedy. Our kids and youths, who are averagely 12 years of age, have been developing their abilities to perform everything from traditional and cultural performances to international creative dances. 48 weekends of the year are fully utilized in both trainings and performances at events hence cultivating band identifying talents among the rural kids and youths who might not be having a platform to ignite their potential.
Mulia Charity Concert: The MULIA charity concert is one of the initiatives for sustainability employed by the Foundation to raise funds near the end of each year. Supplementing the funds collected from the other performances throughout the year, earnings from the charity concert support the education for MULIA kids in the following year on top of well wishers who support our education program. Mulia foundation is soon introducing
The Mulia Cultural Academy that will also be opened to community middle and top class citizens can pay hence funds support the education of the vulnerable mulia kids. The concert have been happening since 2016, and this year the 5th edition will be happening in October at colline hotel Mukono, A number of Ugandan artists have been a blessing to the concert including Naira Ali, Kenneth Mugabi , Joshous daryta, Sama sojah to mention but a few.
Mulia Youth Centre Construction: mulia foundation embarked on construction of a musical social centre hub since June 2018. The building will accommodate our indoor trainings, youth programs, a computer lab, a community library to fire up reading and writing culture among the youths and children not forgetting the parents themselves, hosting administrative offices to fuel office work, storage for all our instruments. The outdoor will host most of youth social activities like volleyball, netball among others.
This is realized by help of Mulia foundation friends through our worldwide net work and bridges of hope international. We are currently working on the last phase of construction, this requires to put windows and plastering and painting hence having full focus on all programs.
Community tourism is part of the foundation plans where urban youths and children can have a weekend at Mulia Foundation and experience a village life that is full of life, with fresh air , exploring African living life, cooking traditional food, visiting gardens and fresh fruits hurting on hills of banda villages, this gives a sense of environmental protection and appreciating all life styles.
The Future plans?
Mulia foundation is making efforts of embracing all African culture preserved through music. This will be done by collecting at least 2 cultural dances across all African countries and maintaining them among the performances they do from Uganda at the foundation center. As other countries might be losing their culture, mulia will be safe guard them.
The Mulia foundation is looking forward to move around the world show casing the African culture through perforce by the youth. This will make the world be aware of how Africa have preserved its culture for million years. On top of that, all funds received will be used to support the education of youths and children from rural areas and strengthen the cultural preservation in Africa. Rogers argues the government of Uganda to create cultural and musical centers across the country to make it possible have the future citizens of the country grow with discipline as well as adding on value to the music industry of the country.
How you can be on board?
To all musicians in Uganda, he calls upon all great musicians who would wish to support is effort to come and support in various ways, this might be joining the Mulia kids and youths in their annual concert, pay a visit and inspire the youths, offer a recording time in some of their studios to the mulia youths.
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