Coming full circle

With time, great effort and a strong foundational path for education, Teddy Naluwu made the successful transition from Unbound sponsored child to alumna to staff member and is now national coordinator for the organization in Uganda, Africa.

Naluwu offers a unique perspective stemming from a relationship with Unbound that is almost 30 years in the making. She was first part of the sponsorship program for 11 years as a child when the organization was known as Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA), before becoming a social worker with the organization and then national coordinator for Unbound’s Kampala program.

In her current role, Naluwu serves predominantly rural households across eight districts in the central region of Uganda.

A childhood focused on survival

As a child, Naluwu was identified as someone who could benefit from sponsorship.

Naluwu is the youngest child in an extended family of 13 children. Because of the large age gap, some of her siblings were already grown and married when Naluwu was born. As a result, she did not have a close relationship with many of her brothers and sisters.

Additionally, her parents passed away when she was very young. Naluwu lost her mother at the age of 9 and then her father nine years later. She was raised by an older sister, an agriculturist, who dedicated her life to caring for the family.

The responsibility of looking after so many family members created an atmosphere at home that Naluwu described as "survival of the fittest." Attention was given to the collective family, but this still left Naluwu lonely for the parental love she desired.

“My sister did whatever it took, but we also understood living a basic life because there was never any extra,” Naluwu said.

Because her sister’s income was not adequate to support the entire family, Naluwu and her siblings lacked access to adequate nutrition and clothing beyond only the most basic items.

This combination heightened the possibilities that sponsorship could offer Naluwu, including access to better schooling options and higher education.

Today, more than 80% of the children who go through the sponsorship program in Kampala find gainful employment and skills to empower and sustain their life and the lives of their extended family.

Prior to sponsorship, Naluwu’s access to quality education was limited by what her family could afford. Students at her public school were at a disadvantage, as there were no textbooks and learning was dependent on only the lessons that the teacher could pass along to the students during class time.

Despite these obstacles, Naluwu completed primary school with high academic achievement.

But sponsorship improved her trajectory and imprinted upon her the importance of key values, such as community support, hard work and service above self, which remain instrumental to her personally and professionally today.

“Sponsorship allowed me an opportunity to attend secondary school, and it offered me the opportunity to enroll in university — the best university in Uganda,” Naluwu said. “Later on, sponsorship also offered me an opportunity to serve the people in my community.”

The benefits of attending a good school proved to be multidimensional. She found that a good school could provide one with a foundation of strong values such as service above self, support to others and a faith that prayer provides hope even when challenges lie ahead of you — all underscored by a personal level of tenacity and resilience.

“These are values that I still uphold [today] and that guide my work with Unbound,” Naluwu said.

As an artist by profession, Naluwu studied industrial and fine arts at Makerere University. After graduation, she sought a way to serve Unbound with the skills she had cultivated over the years

Finding purpose through the spirit of serving others

Naluwu’s first role with Unbound was a management position teaching weaving and knitting skills to children and mothers who had been unable to finish their education. With marketable skills, these individuals could move toward a better way of life, creating positive change for themselves and their communities.

“Being an Unbound alumna has changed my life enormously,” Naluwu said. “The values I have learned from Unbound awaken the spirit of working for others and remind me of humility in service toward others.”

Following her service managing the weaving project, Naluwu assumed the role of an Unbound social worker. Here she worked directly with households, the children and their parents/guardians, to support them through letter writing. This also included offering guidance and counseling on career paths.

Naluwu then became the national coordinator for Unbound Kampala, a position she’s now held for more than 12 years. Today, she works with a staff of 64 people.

In this role, she prioritizes working on the issues that directly impact the sponsored children and their families. Her staff, which also includes other former sponsored individuals, provides positive examples of how a focus on education can be foundational to achieving career goals and finding gainful employment.

“It makes me so proud to see families walk their way out of poverty,” she said. “I serve these communities because I believe in them and I believe in their abilities and in their potential.”

As one might imagine there is no “typical” day for Naluwu, making good communication and teamwork imperative. This includes asking questions such as, “What challenges do we have?” “What needs to change?” and “What guidance do we need?”

“I really take time to reflect on the way forward,” she said. “What are my teams sharing and how can I guide my team?”

A comprehensive approach is key as Naluwu and her staff aim to tackle poverty through economic strengthening. Unbound Kampala guides families in setting goals to improve their way of life by practicing sustainable farming, growing crops both for food and income.

When addressing the many challenges that arise with such an intense role, Naluwu thanks God for having a great team that also understands the impact Unbound and its supporters have on the future of the families.

Even outside of work, Naluwu continues to demonstrate Unbound’s message of hope and a brighter future. She serves on the board of directors for several schools, using her experience with Unbound to promote the rights of children and safeguard human rights.

When asked what she enjoys best about her job, Naluwu pauses, smiling before answering.

“What I enjoy most is the change that I create with families,” she said. “Together with my team, we witness a child transforming into an adult and a responsible person. We see children who are challenged but who work hard and stay on track to become someone.”

This creates a positive ripple effect on others, too. A parent struggling can improve economically, bit by bit, and move out of poverty. Communities also change through dialogue and working through the issues that impact them together.

“This has been a journey that someone has walked with me,” Naluwu said. “This gives me the responsibility to also walk with others, so that they can become better, more responsible people in life, too.”

Unbound staff Henry Flores, Nickson Ateku, Erin Coleman and Danika Wolf contributed information and photos for this story.