Photo Credit: Jjumba Martin
I looked up into the sky
And saw clouds imbued with certainty and hope
The stars sparkled with brightness
Shining my way through the dark paths
The trek was peaceful and filled with all the senses
That inspired me to never tire of serving humanity
In this service
I lay a block every day
To make the world a better place than I found it
So that my children and their children can inherit a better world
I work
I dream
And remain hopeful
That tomorrow will always be a better and brighter day
Ojok Okello
As a young development professional in 2012, I was asked to mention what matters to me most in three words. Without much thoughtfulness, I replied, "Impacting People's Lives." Ever since, these three words have been the guiding light of not just my career, but also my life. I am profoundly convicted that I have a moral duty to use my professional experience, expertise, and knowledge to embrace the responsibility of catalyzing positive change. In my multifaceted roles as a Development Manager, Researcher, Consultant, Community Mobilizer, Policy Analyst, and Social Entrepreneur, alongside my creative pursuits as a poet, spoken word artist, and playwright, I am driven to explore diverse avenues to leave this world a better place than I found it.
For years, I have been working at the forefront of humanitarian and community development work in Uganda both as a policy wonk and on-the-ground practitioner.
My journey into development work started in 2011 when I went to Pader, northern Uganda to support the local people to sustainably resettle to their homes after being displaced by the LRA war. In Pader, I worked with Volunteer Efforts for Development Concern (VEDCO), as a monitoring and evaluation officer on a livelihood program funded by Comic Relief.
After VEDCO, I joined War Child UK as an enterprise development officer where I designed and coordinated the KATI project to support ex-child soldiers to be productively integrated back into society. The project went on to win an ILO international award as one of the most innovative post-conflict reconstruction projects in Africa. Watch a snippet of my work as the KATI project lead here.
For seven years, I worked as a Program Manager for Uganda and South Sudan at the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS). As KAS, I managed multiple projects meant to support democratic deepening in Uganda. The projects ranged from curating international conferences, supporting policy development processes, and enabling the media and academia in Uganda to constructively support governance processes.
I also co-founded Refugee Innovation and Sustainable Enterprise - Urban Project (RISE-UP) to support 500 urban refugees in Kampala with business development services after winning a $200,000 innovation fund from the French Embassy in Uganda.
In 2019, I started Okere Community Development Project (Okere City) in my home village of Okere, northern Uganda. Okere City has now emerged as an embodiment of a rural futuristic project, one of its kind in the African continent. The project directly impacts 7,000 people and it has been described as a hub of progress by the Christian Science Monitor, a haven on a land formally dilapidated by war by The Guardian Newspaper, and an inspiration to the world by CNN. You can also watch this TEDx Talk I gave about the project.
With my strong academic credentials in international and rural Development acquired from esteemed universities like the London School of Economics (LSE), Cornell, and Makerere, I wield robust skills and knowledge in the field of development theory and practice.
I am a Fulbright Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow at Cornell University (2023/24). I am also a Firoz Lalji Program for African Leadership Fellow at the London School of Economics (2015). In 2016, I was chosen as a Fellow of President Barack Obama's Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) East Africa. I also became an Ashoka Visionary in 2021. In 2023, I was recognized by my alma mater Makerere University as an outstanding alumnus. The Rotary Club of Kololo also bestowed upon me a vocational service award in 2023.
I come from Okere, Otuke District, Northern Uganda, where the scars of prolonged guerrilla warfare still linger. I navigated through adversity, attending schools in Karamoja and ultimately going to Dr. Obote and Comboni Colleges for my secondary education.
My journey is a testament to resilience, driven by a steadfast commitment to fostering a brighter future for Africa, as I strive to leverage my expertise and passion to address complex socioeconomic challenges and promote social justice on a continental scale.