comm-UNITY!

“It's really a dignity thing.” _ Miriam Chisha Chimba

Recorded live at the sixth edition of the Gathering of Givers at Ndere Centre, this episode features a conversation with Miriam Chisha Chimba, Zambian by birth and Ugandan by choice, about generosity, volunteering, and the cost of silence around menstrual health.

Miriam has spent nearly three years volunteering across countries and causes, from sexual reproductive health access to gender equality programmes here in Uganda.

“Growing up, I realized that the journey into the many issues that women and girls face is, it's just not discussed.” _ Miriam Chisha Chimba

In this conversation, she makes the case for taking volunteers seriously, not just as free labour, but as people carrying real weight for communities that depend on them, and for talking about menstrual health as openly as any other part of life.

“That silence has an economic cost that girls and women shoulder. And that cost isn't just economic, it's also mental.” _ Miriam Chisha Chimba

Miriam isa Zambian-born, Uganda-based volunteer and community development advocate. Since leaving formal employment in 2021, she has given her time, skills and voice to organisations working on sexual reproductive health, gender equality, and menstrual health and hygiene.
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“Nobody has to be undignified when they menstruate.” _ Miriam Chisha Chimba

Catch Up on paste episode ⁠HERE: #commUNITYPodcast #MiriamChishaChimba #GatheringOfGivers #MenstrualHealth #Volunteering

"As an African people, giving is our way of life." _ Maria Opolot Aminat⁠

In this episode of the Community Podcast, we sit down with Maria Opolot Aminat, a lawyer and founder of Ikoku Protection and Justice, an organization providing free legal representation and psychosocial support to children in conflict with the law across Uganda.

Maria's story is, at its core, a story about giving. She gives her legal skill pro bono. She gives her time to families and communities working through forgiveness. She gives her patience to children who need far more than a single day in court to change direction.

And she gives her partnerships freely, building alliances with law firms, schools, police, and local leaders to make sure no child is left to face the system alone. This conversation is a reminder that generosity has many forms, money, yes, but also time, treasure, and talent, and that the most lasting kind of giving is often the quietest.

Listen to the full episode, and if Maria's story of generosity moves you, like, comment, and share it with someone who believes in giving back.

"Maybe we'll be generous even in our actions, even in our words." _ Maria Opolot Aminat⁠

Catch Up on paste episode HERE: #CommunityPodcastSeries

“Through the Purple Bench Initiative, what we are doing is making those people who are invisible, visible.” — Nina

Mago💜 This Week on the comm-UNITY! Podcast we feature Nina Mago and Anita Mago of the Purple Bench Initiative, an organisation working to create epilepsy-safe spaces through awareness, support and advocacy.

From a friend who remained beside Nina after she experienced a seizure to a grandmother who taught Anita to share food with neighbours, their earliest memories of generosity reveal how giving often begins with presence, kindness and human connection.

Together, they reflect on challenging epilepsy stigma, supporting families and creating communities in which people living with epilepsy are recognised for the value they bring.🎙️ A powerful conversation about generosity, dignity and making the invisible visible is coming this week.

“We have a whole community of givers.” — Anita Mago

#commUNITYPodcast #PurpleBenchInitiative #EpilepsyAwareness #AfricanGenerosity #GenerosityInAction

“I must stand to be a shoulder, not only for my family, but for people who are going through circumstances like I am.” _ Maxensia Nakibuuka Takirambule

What happens when the experiences that nearly break a person become the foundation from which they serve others?

In Season 2, Episode 5 of the Footprints Podcast, host Jacqueline Asiimwe sits down with Maxensia Nakibuuka Takirambule, Founder and Executive Director of Lungujja Community Health Caring Organisation.

Maxensia reflects on growing up as a cherished last-born child and watching her mother work tirelessly to keep her in school. She speaks of the brother who helped finance her education and encouraged her to pursue qualifications that would allow her to support her family, a decision whose importance became painfully clear following his sudden death.

Her story traces a life marked by repeated loss, early employment, marriage, and the responsibilities of caring for an ever-growing family.

She also speaks candidly about her husband's illness, his HIV diagnosis, the denial and violence that accompanied that chapter of their lives, and her decision to remain by his side until his death.

When Maxensia later learned that she, too, was living with HIV, she was overcome by anger, fear, and the belief that her life might soon end. Sitting alone and questioning what remained for her, she came to a difficult realization: leaving, revenge, or surrender would not change her diagnosis.

Wrestling with fear, anger, and uncertainty, Maxensia made a decision that would shape the rest of her life: she returned home, embraced her responsibility to her children, and chose to keep living.

After her husband's death, the people of Lungujja surrounded her with food, encouragement, and psychosocial support. Older women and widows reminded her that grief did not require her to disappear.

Their generosity planted a conviction that would shape the rest of her life: she would become for others what her community had been for her.

Maxensia went on to serve in local political leadership and established Lungujja Community Health Caring Organisation, opening part of her home to provide treatment, counselling, and practical support to individuals and families affected by HIV.

Her advocacy eventually carried her into national and international spaces, where she spoke about HIV, grassroots leadership, women's experiences, community health, and the importance of including affected people in decisions about their own lives.

This conversation is about surviving without pretending the pain was small. It is about faith that asks difficult questions, forgiveness that does not erase accountability, and leadership that begins with remembering who held you when you could not hold yourself.

Content note: This episode contains discussions of bereavement, HIV, domestic violence, illness, and stigma.

Subscribe to the Footprints Podcast for more conversations that share the stories, experiences, and wisdom of our elders.

“God, I am not dying today. I must live to witness your goodness.” _ Maxensia Nakibuuka Takirambule

#FootprintsPodcastSeries #WomenInLeadership #CommunityHealth #HIVAdvocacy #Resilience #Legacy

What makes generosity serve, stay and sustain?

Recorded live at Ndere Centre during the sixth edition of the Gathering of Givers, this episode brings together host Jacqueline Asiimwe and humanitarian leader Shanta Patel Rabadiya for a thoughtful conversation about generosity, partnership and responding to communities with humility in episode 11.

Shanta’s first memory of organised giving goes back to when she was 16 years old and volunteered during a vaccination drive in a remote community. Seeing mothers arrive with children who had no clothes deeply affected her and shaped her belief that no gift should ever be dismissed as too small.

Today, Shanta works through APAR Foundation to mobilise humanitarian support across Uganda. The foundation’s work includes mobile health camps, nutrition programmes, boreholes, menstrual hygiene support, scholastic materials, wheelchairs, mattresses and assistance for elderly people and persons with disabilities.

In this conversation, Shanta shares why her giving is connected to her spiritual roots and why generosity must come from the heart rather than the desire for recognition.

She also reflects on:

• Why people can recognise when giving is sincere• How in-kind contributions can respond to practical community needs

• Why partnerships allow organisations to reach more people

• The importance of working with local leaders who understand their communities

• Why givers need spaces where they can learn from one another

• How a small contribution can carry enormous value for someone in need

• Why generosity can bring joy to both the giver and the recipient

Subscribe to the comm-UNITY! Podcast and join us for more conversations exploring generosity, community leadership and the many ways Africans give.

What is one resource, skill or connection you could use to support someone in your community?

“In the joy of others lies our own.” — H.D.H. Pramukh Swami Maharaj, as shared by Shanta Patel Rabadiya

#commUNITYPodcastSeries #AparFoundation #AfricanPhilanthropy #Generosity #CommunityGiving #GivingFromTheHeart #GatheringOfGivers

What happens when one act of generosity arrives at the moment it is needed most?

In this episode of comm-UNITY!, Jacqueline Asiimwe sits down with Dr. Moses Isooba.

Dr. Isooba shares how his school supported him following the tragic loss of his elder brother. Through two envelopes, a place to live and support for his education, generosity opened a path that eventually led him to university and the work he does today.

He also reflects on the giving already happening within communities and shares his dream of seeing local generosity become a driving force for development.

“I would not be here without that act of generosity.” _ Dr. Moses Isooba

🎧 Watch, listen, reflect, and share.

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#commUNITYPodcast #Generosity #Giving #Community #CivLegacyFoundation #CivSourceAfrica #GatheringOfGivers

In this episode of the Community Podcast, recorded live at the Gathering of Givers, Jackie sits down with Stella Kamakune, Founder of Vermillion Foundation, for a powerful conversation on generosity that serves, endures, and sustains.

Stella reflects on her first experience of receiving kindness, the moment she discovered blood donation as her way ofgiving back, and the growing community of volunteers who continue to show up with time, care, and commitment.

Her story highlights that generosity is not confined to money, it may take the form of blood, time, advocacy, or even small acts like a smile, a hug, or a listening ear. Sometimes, it is simply the courage to respond when a need arises.

“Just fulfill your purpose in life. Save a life, and you will be fine.” _ Stella Kamakune⁠, Watch the full conversation and be reminded: what flows through you might be exactly what someone else needs to keep going.

🎧 Watch, listen, reflect, and share.

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#commUNITYPodcast #Generosity #Giving #Community #CivLegacyFoundation #CivSourceAfrica #GatheringOfGivers

“Our house was always open to anyone at any time.” — Jacqueline Asiimwe_

In this special episode, Jacqueline Asiimwe sits down with her parents, Rev. Benoni Mugarura Mutana and Joy Mugarura, for a heartfelt conversation on generosity, family, faith, and community.

Together, they explore whether generosity is taught or caught, and how giving is shaped through everyday acts: sharing food, opening the home, giving to those in need, gathering in fellowship, and teaching children why generosity matters.

This episode is a gentle reminder that giving is a legacy. It is something we learn, practice, protect, and pass on.

🎧 Watch, listen, reflect, and share.

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#commUNITYPodcast #Generosity #Giving #Community #CivLegacyFoundation #CivSourceAfrica #GatheringOfGivers

In this episode of the Community Podcast, recorded live at the Ndere Centre during the sixth Gathering of Givers, we sit with Liza Marie Kawoya Kakoza: Founder and Team Lead of the Dwona Initiative, Co-Lead of Giving Tuesday Uganda, and a passionate advocate for menstrual justice.

Liza invites us into the earliest roots of her understanding of generosity, home. She reflects on a childhood shaped by a mother whose giving was constant and unassuming, expressed through care, hospitality, nourishment, and presence. It was a home where people were not just received, but held, fed, welcomed, supported, and remembered.

From these beginnings, her journey expands into a broader philosophy of giving. She speaks about Giving Tuesday Uganda, the significance of period giving, and the quiet yet powerful generosity that already lives within communities. At the centre of this is the Giving Bell, a simple but profound act of invitation, where individuals wrote notes of kindness and gratitude, then rang the bell loudly, affirming that generosity is worthy of being seen, heard, and celebrated.

This conversation gently reframes what it means to give. It reminds us that generosity is not confined to financial capacity, but is deeply rooted in care, dignity, attentiveness, and memory, in the small, intentional acts that leave a lasting imprint on people’s lives.

This is an invitation to practice a form of generosity that not only reaches others, but stays with them, and sustains them.

Watch, listen, and be inspired.

#CommunityPodcast #GivingTuesdayUganda #DwonaInitiative #GatheringOfGivers #AfricanGiving #MenstrualJustice #GenerosityThatSustains

This week on the comm-UNITY! Podcast, we feature Cherop Mark Cherirei in Season 15, Episode 6.

A Student of Life, Program Associate, Digital SecurityExpert, Climate Change Champion, Farmer, Radio Host, and Friend, Mark brings a grounded perspective on generosity as service, connection, and collectiveresponsibility.

Through his work with the Kapchorwa Civil SocietyOrganizations Alliance (KACSOA) and community media, he reflects on how local voices, trusted information, and grassroots action can help communities respond to real needs with dignity and care.

His story reminds us that generosity lives in the people who organise, inform, mobilise, and keep showing up so communities can growstronger together.

🎧 Listen now.

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Catch up on missed episodes HERE: 🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.civsourceafrica.com/podcast-1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Recording and production by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Media Challenge Initiative⁠

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