Under a Mango Tree

This is Sister. Her Christian name is Mary, but Sister is the name used for older Ugandan women who have earned great respect in their communities. Sister’s whole life radiates a deep reverence for the dignity and wellbeing of the people in her community

Sister’s father wanted her to be a teacher, but she insisted she wanted to be a nurse. Nursing doesn’t feel like work, she explained. Along a shelf in her home rests a piece of painted wood with the words carefully carved, “Do your work not for mere pay, but from a real desire to serve.” (1 Peter 5:2). After working for seven years as a bedside nurse, Sister went back to school to be a nurse trainer, fulfilling both her and her father’s dream in combining teaching and nursing.

Twelve years ago Sister was hired by MIHV. Although she has worked in several positions, today she is the Deputy Country Director and the Family Planning Coordinator. She’s a busy woman; she’s the leader of her church’s Christian Women’s Fellowship and a human rights activist, having trained several years ago as a paralegal, she works in outreach programs to spread awareness to rural Ugandans about their rights.

Sister raised three children of her own. She lost her oldest son, Andrew, to sickle cell anemia at seventeen. Her youngest daughter, Annette, graduated from Makerere University last weekend. Her older daughter, Esther, will give birth to Sister’s first grandchild any day.

Sister is not wealthy. “Sincerely,” she said, “I’ve had to take out bank loans to get by.” Yet she would never turn away someone in need. Norman, 6, and Shakira, 14, are only the most recent children to take up residence in Sister’s house. Over the past several years, Sister has taken in and covered the school fees of a number of her brother’s children, orphans and even the daughter of one of MIHV’s Ssembabule guards.

Like many of MHIV’s staff, Sister has deep roots in the community and is nourished by her faith. With roots and faith, MIHV’s passionate staff are deeply committed to the health and wellbeing of others. No one would dispute that Uganda is materially a poor country, and yet I have never received richer hospitality. “We don’t have a lot,” said Sister, “but what we have, we share.”

“With committed staff you can set up a clinic under a mango tree.” –Helen Epstein