Okello Patrick Onguti

Okello Patrick Onguti has been with STEP-UP since its beginning in 2010. He is happily married to Auma Mary Alai (Dr. Maria, also a board member of SUU) and enjoys their family in Gulu: their son, daughter and three nephews. He became involved after meeting Joshua Miller in 2006 and joining in the discussions with Father Remiggio. As someone who grew up in Father’s parish, he saw the war and all its atrocities, and in fact had to leave school for three years before ultimately returning and completing his studies. His work as an agricultural extension officer requires him to interact with communities and gives him a unique understanding of their problems. He feels passionate about his people; the impact of the war on the people of his community has made him feel a great need to be a part of this project to help them. Several NGOs were in the region after the war, but they were only emergency responders. There was no attention to the lasting post-traumatic impact that has remained long after the NGOs moved out, that he continues to observe in his community during meetings, church services and everyday life. STEP-UP has remained here “and is here for the long run,” continuing their work with medical and psychosocial capacity building. He is proud to be a part of this journey; he can see the impact. “You cannot develop the world on your own.” As secretary of the board of STEP-UP Uganda he feels that we still have a lot to do to live up to our name and mission. We have had medical success but need to achieve more success in the psychosocial realm noting that people in good medical and psychological health are better able to be productive and take care of their families.