BACKGROUND AND CONVICTIONS
Our Convictions in the last 25 years
Violent conflicts based on manipulation of our ethnic or religious diversity such as the genocide in Bosnia and in Rwanda are among the factors that prompted me to take the step towards founding Undugu family. However, it was my own personal experience of being “placed with Jesus the Son of God” when I was studying in Dublin (Ireland) ten years before the genocide in Rwanda that really determined and continues to determine the nature of Undugu family and, therefore, makes Undugu Family deeply rooted in our relationship with Jesus the Son of God.
As a matter of fact, all I personally endeavor to do whenever I have to initiate someone into Undugu family is to enable the person recall, desire and pray for the gift of being placed with Jesus the Son of God in a way that will enable the person do all that needs to be done with and like Jesus who was ready to live, suffer and even die claiming that God was his Father and Parent of us all so that we may be able to fruitfully accept each other as brothers and sisters in our ethnic and religious diversity. For us this kind of experience of being placed with Jesus and therefore of being like him a son or a daughter of God as well as brother or sister to all the children of God of all ethnic, religious or social categories at any cost is the rock foundation for not only a universal family-hood but also foundation for quality peace, prosperity, good life and the joy that Jesus intended for us when he said “I am telling you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete” (Jn 15:11). By this statement, we believe, Jesus meant the joy of a son or daughter of God, that is, the joy of God himself or the divine joy that transcends that of a creature, of an instrument, of a slave and of a servant or a handmaid of God or of any one.
Just as it is with God who is the origin of it this joy is authentic, everlasting, ever-present no matter what circumstances we may be in and, therefore, of the highest possible quality.
The second aspect of our Parent that I try to highlight is the fact that this Parent is GOD because he is Good and origin of all goodness. This implies that we too being his children are by birth, nature and potentially good and source of goodness that the world desires or needs such as brotherhood, unity, peace and prosperity.
So we believe that there is still very limited goodness in our world in spite of the fact that we are all supposed to be good and source of Goodness because we are either not connected to the generator of this goodness who is our Parent or we are connected but wrongly. If electrical appliances are not connected or are connected wrongly to the source of power or to one another we cannot expect to generate anything. Instead, we might burn or blow up things through short circuits. By bad connection we mean being connected to God for instance as creatures or things to a creator or as slaves or servants to a lord and master instead of being connected as sons and daughters to Our Father and Mother as well as to one another as brothers and sisters. Our Short circuits in our relationships is what results in tribalism, ethnic cleanings, international wars and the like.
FRUITS OR ACHIEVEMENTS
past 25 Years
Just like it is with all the children of God, the fruits of Undugu Family during the last 25 years are innumerable, diverse and amazing.
Personally I have managed to meet and share the ideals of Undugu Family with an average of 5000 persons per year meaning that the message has reached already at least 125,000 persons during the last 25 years just through my personal contacts. Each year as it is with this year we have had an average of 5000 Undugu family members involved in different ways in celebrating or passing on the message of this universal family hood in different parts of the great lakes region or Eastern Africa region through word of mouth, internet, radio, tv, music, dance, drama, movies, banners, galas, marching, sports, seminars, informal education, income generating programs and the like (search for or see UF on the internet or Facebook). Consequently we have, for instance this year, more than 6000 persons animated by about 350 Undugu Family founders in our different branches found mainly in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya and Germany. All these members are not only aware or conscious of being brothers and sisters to one another and to all people but are also trying proudly to be and bear witness to God as our common Parent and to Jesus as our common brother in different small and big ways for the sake of unity and Peace in the world in a way that has turned many of our branches into an informal school or academy of music, dance drama, movie production, fine art, leadership, conflict resolution, income generation and the like.
In 2014 alone as it has been in the last few years about 80 of the young men who have developed their skills through the UF activities have been flying to China, Germany or other countries to entertain and make money for their own survival as well as for the survival of their groups or for realization of their dreams for a united and peaceful world. Hundreds of young men and women are able to find a joyful way of life and even jobs through their participation in UF.
It is with this in mind that we are grateful for the certificate of appreciation presented to UF via the Vice President of Uganda during one of the International days for peace.
Throughout the 25 years Undugu family has endeavoured to network with institutions and organizations of good will such as the Church, the Muslim and the Hindu communities, governments and NGOs but always as brothers and sisters bearing witness to our original and universal familyhood through music, dance, drama and the like for the sake of unity and peace.
The ultimate goal of Undugu family is to see the whole world be truly who we are in all our ways of doing things, looking for survival or resolving conflicts, that is, a prosperous, joyful global family of brothers and sisters with God as our common Parent and, therefore, not only united in our diversity but also able to struggle for survival or resolve our conflicts peacefully as true brothers and sisters instead of doing it at the expense of one another’s life or violently. It is not easy to measure how far we have reached towards achieving this goal but it is obvious that we still have very far to go and that our region is better now than it would have been without our endeavours.
Hundreds of parents have succeeded to feed or to send their children to school as a result of their participation in the UF savings and loaning activities. Hundreds of children and even parents have cheated death as a result of a medical or care or mutual support program that is part and parcel of the activities of our branches.
The greatest challenge we have is in relation to enticing our world to shift her mind set from that of a global market of buyers and sellers struggling for survival and profits against one another according to the rule of the jungle – survival of the fittest to a mind set towards a global family of brothers and sisters who would do business as a way of celebrating our universal family hood and of making sure that we survive but together as a human family with God as our common origin, likeness and destiny.
FUTURE PLAN
For the next twenty five years we hope, as Undugu family, to focus not only on improving the quality of our members, relationships, leadership and activities rather than quantity or numbers but also on networking with other organizations and institutions of good will.
This will therefore be a time of streamlining, pruning and watering what we have already planted in a way that will make the impact of our witness and activities much more felt wherever our branches are and beyond our areas of operation. It will also be a time of sowing, starting new branches and expanding our areas of operation.
GRATITUDE
These two anniversaries are an opportunity for us to thank all those who have enabled us be who we are or reach where we are as a family and as a a gift of unity and peace to the world. The first person we would like our gratitude’s to reach immeasurably is God our Parent and Jesus our brother for being who they are to and with us.
Secondly to all the organizations, to all the sons and daughters of God of all ethnic and religious affiliations with whom we have interacted one way or another fruitfully any time during the last twenty five years. We give special thanks to parents and religious communities who have been ready to take the courageous step of allowing either themselves, their children, their brothers or sisters to get involved in the dialogue of life spearheaded by us. We give a big thank you to all our benefactors especially the Society of Jesus, CMC, MIVA and Not $Sale whose moral and financial support has enabled us be who and where we are today. We also give special thanks to our Undugu family brothers in Germany who have been a special gift to our Family. We are requesting all of you our brothers wherever you are to continue waking side by side with us as we venture for another 25 years towards a united, prosperous and joyful inclusive family in a world that seems to be more divided, more violent more miserable than ever.
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Undugu Family Animator.
Contact Us
P.O. Box 7300, Nsambya Hill, Kampala
Mobile No.: +256 772-913247
undugufamily1996@yahoo.com
undugufamily1999@yahoo.com
info@undugufamily.family
Understanding Undugu Family
UNDUGU is a Swahili word meaning brotherhood, sisterhood or Familyhood UNDUGU Family is a movement for a culture of peace and unity of all people, all tribes, all races, all religions, the rich and the poor, young and old.
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