About BSUF

“Vision without action is merely a dream, action without vision is merely passing time, but action with vision can change the world.” - Nelson Mandela

Our Vision:

To empower and improve the welfare and well being of rural village communities in Uganda, to enable the villagers (children and adults) to be better educated, more aware of health issues, economically self sufficient and so enjoy a better standard of life.

Our Mission:

To provide welfare, educational, vocational and spiritual support to enhance the health and wellbeing of the village communities in Uganda:

• To support vulnerable children, often orphaned through HIV/AIDS, via a sponsorship program to provide school fees, scholastic materials and other essential requirements.
• To provide the youth with skills through vocational training.
• To provide adult literacy programs to the community and to train the women in new income-generating activities.
• To implement a health educational program for the youth and young girls in the community (Young people’s centre).

BSUF is a small charity with no fixed funding or full time manpower. That means most of our work is done on a voluntary basis for just a few hours a week or month. It's because of the above reason that we formed a working partnership with Education Action International a UK registered charity based in London.

BSUF has 2 committees a Ugandan committee based in Butansi village, which is responsible for day today activities and decision-making. The UK committee is responsible for fundraising and networking.

Ugandan Trustees

Annette Mbedha: BSUF Founder & Director

Since I was a young girl, I have always been a dreamer… and I mean BIG dreams. I am very fortunate to come from a middle class family in Uganda which enabled me to benefit from a good standard of living and good education system.

However, from an early age, I identified myself with the village, Butansi, which was our country “home”. My Father used to supply the villagers with sugar, soap, paraffin – and at Christmas time precious gifts of beef or pork. My Mother would give us food to take to people who had nothing to eat and our home was an ‘open house’ for meals for everyone in the village.

I came to England to further my education, but being away from Uganda somehow made me more determined to do something for my homeland that’s living in poverty and with HIV/AIDS. On the 4th of August 2005 I decided to sponsor two orphans from my village with the help of my Brother based in Kampala, and so here was the beginning of the realisation of my BIG DREAM.

My late Father had a very big influence on my life and I decided to carry on his good works. So I started The Byemba Suubira Uganda Foundation (BSUF), as a tribute to my parents and a commitment to carry on the work that they started. “I have a lot in common with the people of Butansi village in that I come from that village and I speak the same language. However, I have had great opportunities in my life, which they have not had.”

But now… the dreams have got bigger and we want to do much more for my village and Uganda. As well as helping the orphans, there is a real need to assist the young people in terms of skills and health awareness and to also help the women learn new skills, so that they can be more self sufficient. There is a need for a clinic to operate in the village, so that the sick do not have to walk 6 miles to the nearest hospital. We dream of a community centre with power and water, which will be the base for fulfilling the dream of giving the whole village a better standard of education and self sufficiency, a better standard of health care and a better standard of living.

We seek to make Butansi a working village model, which can then be rolled out to other villages in the region and the whole of Uganda.

We need support (be it financial or benefit in kind) to help fulfil this dream and for the villagers to have a chance to fulfil theirs.

Mary Tooli: Chairman

Is a retired teacher who oversees BSUF activities in the village.

Jethro Mukembo: Vice Chairman

Is a priest at St. Marys church in Butansi village.

Florence Namusisi: Secretary

Is a former grade 2 primary teacher.

Ambrose Katuntu: Treasurer

Ambrose has a (BA) honours Degree in Social Science from Makerere University and a post graduate diploma in human resource management from the Uganda Management Institute.

He manages the day-to-day activities of the Foundation, which includes paying the children’s fees while monitoring their progress at school, organises the adult literacy classes and works with the BSUF Uganda committee members in the village.