This is an article in a series profiling staff at GDPU, the Gulu disability community, and those who call northern Uganda home. All contents of this article have been approved and shared with the permission of Faruk.

Faruk Musema has worked at GDPU since 2014. He has served in many roles, as a Guidance Counselor, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, Skills Training Center Lead, and now as the Project Coordinator. He has an undergraduate degree in Social Work and Community Development, focused in Disabilities, from Kyambogo University and a post-graduate degree in Community Development from Gulu University. He hopes to pursue a Masters in Development Studies in the future. Faruk is always smiling, singing, and/or dancing in the office, and in watching his interactions with persons with disabilities, it is clear that this work is really fulfilling to him. Faruk grew up in Onang Village in the wider Gulu District, but Gulu City is where he calls home. He currently lives in Gulu with his wife, Sharon, and their two kids. In addition to working at GDPU, Faruk founded and is the director of Ability Sports Africa, the only organization in Uganda that provides sports programs for persons with disabilities.

In this interview, Faruk speaks about music videos that students have made at GDPU. You can view one of the music videos here.

Faruk Musema of GDPU

How did you first hear about GDPU?

When I was at university, I gained interest in disabilities when I took a Kyambogo disability course. I started checking which areas or which organizations within my locality work with persons with disabilities. So, I got to [learn] more about GDPU in 2010.

I met one of my friends [at GDPU]. He’s called Charles. I studied with him in high school. He’s a victim of landmine; he was amputated completely [from below the waist]. When I met him here, he played wheelchair basketball. So, I wanted to play with them and I gained more interest in their organization.

But I did not think of working here. When I completed university in 2013, I applied for a job with VSO. Then they posted me here – I found myself at GDPU. It was a very, very good thing that happened to my life.

What is your role at GDPU?

So [when I started] my job title was a Guidance Counselor. I [had] been supporting our youths with disabilities on psychosocial support, guidance and counseling, group counseling… and all other kind of support that can help our youths with disability to cope up with the stress and the trauma they had. I worked with mental health, reproductive health, and other institutions to ensure that if I don’t have knowledge in this area, I can refer these youths to get services from those who can best support.

I was also leading the skills training center here. I was the principal of the center, Guidance Counselor, and also the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer.  I couldn’t leave the place at night because I need to ensure the safety of our youths. There are other youths who are a little bit bigger, there are others who are young… Back then we never had matron and patron. So, if everyone goes out of this office, I needed to stay to ensure that they are well. If there is no issue, then I leave.*

Right now I’m working as a Project Coordinator. I coordinate two projects. One is the V-PLUS (“Vocational Plus”). The “plus” component is the music, the follow-up support – these different tailor-made trainings that we are offering to our youths – because it is now something beyond the vocational training. The project is supporting 115 youths with disabilities in Gulu, Amuru, Omoro, and Nwoya Districts. We follow up on them on a monthly basis. We go and check on businesses that are running, the challenges that they are facing, and tailor trainings based on the gaps.

We have brought in a new concept of peer mentors. We wanted the peers who were successful beneficiaries to take the lead in supporting their peers who are still struggling. So, we are training them. We are building their capacities. We have a total of 12 peer mentors. And they are coming from all the districts. They will be helping us in mobilizing and following up on the youths. We train [the peer mentors] and we want the peers to train the other ones so that it becomes easier for them to co-exist. Because when you hear something from someone whom you are in the same age group, it becomes easier for you to work, to communicate, and interact.

The second project is called Viva La Visa. It is more of the music program – music for social change. The donor for that program is Viva La Visa UK… During our skills training program, youths with disabilities showed interest in singing, in music. But we did not have that opportunity to have those kind of [trainings]. So, one time, I gave them money. I told them, “You go and make the music. You go to one of the studios. You go and record. I want to hear that music.” Then, they went and recorded.

In two days, they came with the music. It was a very nice song. The song was about how we, people with disability, we are also human. It had a very strong message. So, I [thought], “Why don’t I record this song?” I made the video locally. Then I put it on YouTube and share also with those of Mac, the donor of V-PLUS. They shared it with their friends and that is how Viva [La Visa] got interested.

You’ve been at GDPU for 10 years now. What work have you been proudest of here?

One is ensuring that the skills training program is running. The first skills training program ended in 2015. But I kept on pushing it. And it is something that has made the center more vibrant because the identity of GDPU is now skills training for youths. Everyone knows when they hear about GDPU, they think of skill development for youths. That is something that makes me really proud of what I’ve put in place.

Secondly, sports for persons with disabilities. I’m happy to see that a number of our youths have now got an opportunity to travel outside Uganda to represent the country – like Brenda. I introduced Brenda in athletics in 2018. And from there she started gaining slowly, slowly. Right now she’s a Paralympian. In August she’ll be going to Paris to represent Uganda.

And that makes me also happy to see that. These youths, they have gained esteem. They feel proud of themselves. They are confident. When I go to the market, I get to see all my beneficiaries. They are working. And all this, they give it back. And I feel happy when they talk about it.

Most people [work on] projects because of money. They don’t come because of the passion. So the difference I might be having [compared to] many of the people is that for me I have the passion to work, to do and deliver, to see that someone’s life has changed or changes completely. I have that in me.

How did you become passionate about working with people with disabilities?

Way back when I was young, I had a friend of mine called Saidi. Saidi is a person with physical disability. He has been very close to me. But when we used to go to school, [my friends and I] would abuse him, sing songs about his disability, all these things. But there’s a time I sat with him, he was telling me, “I feel I don’t like even being me and because people talk about my disability.” That is when my mindset started changing.

The expression on his face was something that made me feel that, “Okay, we have been doing something wrong to this guy.” He dropped out of school because of us. But we stayed close and lived in the same blocks [of housing]. I started engaging with him, encouraging him. But as a young child, I did not think much of the support that I’ve been giving him.

So when I joined Senior One (equivalent of 8^th grade in the United States), that is when I met Charles. His disability again gave me a lot of pity. I related it to Charles, Saidi, and I decided I need to do something in this line [of work] to ensure that I support persons with disabilities. I support people with disabilities so that they can also live a dignified life. They inspired me.

What do you hope GDPU accomplishes in the next ten years?

GDPU is an umbrella organization for persons with disabilities. And this one started way back and it has been [operating] during the war time. It has been serving Gulu, Omoro, all these districts that were part of Gulu [District]. GDPU is one of the strongest organizations for persons with disabilities in Uganda. It follows NUDIPU, the national union. We get our own donors, we get our own support. But when you compare us with all these other NGOs, OPDs (organizations for persons with disabilities) in different districts, most of them they depend on the national union. And those that are within Gulu District depend on us. Our projects target youth from [other districts] and bring them here, or we give support directly to them.

We [should] register as an NGO organization that can work in more than five districts. Right now, GDPU is operating on CBO (community-based organization) registration status, which is not something that I really desire.

So, my vision for the organization is to go regional – we become an umbrella for the northern region. We are very big. There are other small, small organizations that are being now created that are [in competition with] GDPU… All these organizations for persons with disabilities should subscribe to GDPU. We will build a very strong network among persons with disabilities in the region.

It will become easier for us to channel support based on needs. Right now, projects are concentrated in a specific area… We have left out the hard-to-reach districts, like Omoro District – they have bad facilities and they have the highest number of persons with disabilities. If we have a [regional GDPU] system, we can understand where the challenges are, we compare with other [challenges], then we support them. It would become easier for us to balance our support based on the needs.

If a donor showed up tomorrow and gave GDPU the equivalent of $1 million USD (about 4 billion Ugandan Shillings), how would you use it?

One is forming that [organization] structure that has connection with all the districts within Northern Uganda. Then, while the structure is being formed, we’ll do a survey based on needs, checking on the gaps that are there, the challenges. From there, we’ll develop a [project] concept based on the problems identified in the different districts.

I think that will help us support our people best. Because we don’t want to dictate. When money comes, people start dictating, “Oh, we need this, oh, we need to build bridges.” Yet, people’s needs are different. So, if survey is done, a concept is developed, and basing on that need, that is where money can be channeled. Then will need maybe 400 million or more. Then we will have a project based on what the community wants. The money is channeled there.

I think that is how this money can be used. When big money comes like that, you’ll get confused and you start doing projects that have no impact. But if you do dialogue meetings and consultations with persons with disability in different communities, you can get their idea. You get what they want.

What is something you wish people knew about GDPU?

One thing is that GDPU, what I would tell people mostly is that GDPU is an organization that advocates for the rights of persons with disability. We want to see people with disability live a dignified life. And we have services that we offer to our people with disability so that they can live like other people within our communities.

Is there anything we did not talk about that you would want people to know about you or your work?

I did not talk about me going to India for training. The training that I went for gave birth to me starting Ability Sports. In 2019, I went for about seven, eight months to Kerala, India. I went there and studied more about organization management skills.

They developed us on how to manage your organization as a founder. When you are going to start your organization, you are going to be the accountant, you are going to be the media personality… You have to know knowledge of how to build your website, update it, go to your Facebook page, you update it. You have to have some basic knowledge on how to shoot videos. They trained us on writing proposals, donor proposals, pitching. How can you pitch to this person in 30 seconds so that they understand more about what you want?

So, we are trained all around and that is when I came and started [my organization]. But my organization was affected by COVID. I came back in December 2019 [from India]. Then COVID. So, it affected everything. But it is the same knowledge now I’m applying at GDPU.

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*Note from Julia: Some students at GDPU live here during the school term in dormitories. The Matron (woman) sleeps at the school and monitor the students overnight, ensuring their safety. It is common for primary schools to have a boarding section attached to them, often for P7 levels. This was especially necessary during the conflict in Northern Uganda over the last 30 years.