Otim ’23 was just six years old when war tore his family apart. Growing up in Gulu, northern Uganda amidst the peak of Joseph Kony’s insurgency, he witnessed the ferocity of the Lord’s Resistance Army. His father, who moved from China to Uganda under a construction work contract, returned to China when the insurgents began targeting the Chinese in the area. He left Otim’s mother, who was just 17 years old, to raise Otim and his younger brother alone.
Otim’s mother worked to support her two young boys by cooking and cleaning homes, but it was not enough, and her family turned her away because she hadn’t gotten married before having kids. Running out of options, she turned to the church for shelter, food, and opportunity. The church provided, placing the boys in St. Jude Children’s Home, founded in 1918 by Catholic missionaries to help kids affected by the war.
Separated from his mom in St. Jude’s, Otim thought about why his life was especially hard—he did not understand why these things happened to him. But when he moved into the home, he found himself among children orphaned by war, injured by landmines, or born with severe disabilities. He gained an appreciation for everything he had. “We all have different backgrounds with painful stories,” Otim says. “We cannot run away from it. We accepted it.”
When the war ended and peace negotiations unfolded, St. Jude resettled kids with their relatives. It was during this time that Otim encountered Today’s Seed, Tomorrow’s Hope, founded by JB Redding, a former intern at ARI, and ARI graduate Stuart Sempala ‘94. They came to Gulu to help people affected by war; they went out into the community providing food to village members, counselling them, providing medicine, and basic needs like soup. They made sure to put orphaned kids into school, and along the way gave Otim a purpose beyond schooling. As a young boy, he joined them in delivering food to villages, helping the sick, and educating the community about health and hygiene. “They injected that goodwill into me” says Otim, reflecting on how his childhood led to his current work.
After his training at ARI in 2023, Otim now works with Today’s Seed, Tomorrow’s Hope and St. Jude Children’s home as a way to give back to his community. He spends nearly 24 hours a day at St. Jude’s clinic, caring for abandoned newborns and children with epilepsy, cerebral palsy, HIV, spina bifida, and other serious conditions. He ensures they are physically and emotionally supported. When asked about why he stayed to work for this NGO after leaving the system, Otim replied that he felt a need to give back to the community: “To see my community grow is my fulfillment…If not for this community, I wouldn’t be where I am right now.”
Otim’s biggest takeaway from ARI was the idea of servant leadership—a concept that seemed contradictory upon first encounter. But over the nine months at ARI, practicing this kind of leadership firsthand opened his eyes to a new way of helping his community. He returned to Gulu with this new concept instilled in him, opening his community’s eyes to what a receptive and humble leader looks like.
Written by Marielle Randall, Graduate Outreach Intern (Wellesley College)
