Shakespeare’s Beth Hovius joins MCC learning tour in Uganda

Young students participate in programming supported through Mennonite Central Committee partnerships in Uganda. Beth Hovius said MCC projects focus on equipping people with the skills, confidence and opportunities needed to shape their own futures. Photo courtesy of MCC Ontario team in Uganda

By Gary West

A Shakespeare-area woman recently travelled to Uganda with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Ontario to see firsthand how local organizations are helping refugees and other vulnerable communities build more secure futures.

Beth Hovius, who lives on Line 33 south of Shakespeare with her husband, Jake, and their two teenage children, grew up in South Easthope Township and has worked with MCC Ontario for many years.

Hovius recently returned from Uganda with colleagues Kim Lester and Dennis Flaming after travelling from Kampala to Hoima and the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement.

During the learning tour, the group met with four MCC partner organizations working in areas including education, food security, sustainable livelihoods, savings and loans, peacebuilding, and maternal and child health.

Rather than learning about those programs solely through reports, the Ontario team had an opportunity to visit projects, speak with community members and better understand the local partnerships central to MCC's work.

At the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, the group visited Planning 4 Tomorrow, a refugee-founded organization providing education and support for children who have experienced displacement and trauma.

Along with classroom instruction, students receive mental-health and psychosocial support through activities including art and play therapy. The group learned how those programs are helping children express difficult experiences, rebuild their confidence and find their voices.

In Hoima, Hovius and the team learned about agricultural training, women-led savings groups and peacebuilding initiatives offered through the Diocese of the Church of Uganda.

Farmers are learning conservation-agriculture practices intended to improve food production while working together to gain better access to markets.

Savings groups also provide opportunities for members to borrow money for school fees, farm tools, household repairs and small businesses. Beyond the financial benefits, the programs help build trust, strengthen decision-making and reduce pressures that can contribute to conflict within families and communities.

For Hovius and her MCC colleagues, the trip was also an opportunity to recognize the leadership and abilities of the people and organizations already working within those communities.

“MCC projects are not about creating dependency, but about equipping people with skills, confidence and opportunities to shape their own futures,” Hovius said.

The learning tour demonstrated how local knowledge and partnerships, supported by organizations like MCC, can help create opportunities for greater peace, dignity and hope.