UWAO News –July 2023
The Gĩthae Mũgo Family announces the passing of our beloved Mĩcere Gĩthae Mũgo.
It is with profound sadness that we formally announce the loss of our beloved mother, daughter, sister, grandmother and great grandmother, Mĩcere Gĩthae Mũgo, who passed away on Friday, June 30th, 2023 at 11:30 a.m. EST. at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse, New York. See More…
UWAO News covering the period, January – December 2021
UWAO remains alive and well, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have continued to meet virtually (via Zoom) every other month, as required by our constitution and have not missed a single meeting. Those who are unable to join via Zoom have had the option of calling in and thus, no member has been left behind. We have also maintained the practice of supporting each other during moments of celebration, or sadness, or misfortune, including illness. This bond in sisterhood has proved particularly invaluable during this challenging period of COVID-19 and its variants.
We had hoped to organize a special event in the Fall of 2021 in order to provide project updates, as well as connect and hold fellowship with our faithful donors. However, following the recommendation of a sub-committee that was set up to plan for the event, the membership accepted the sub-committee’s recommendation that we move the event to the Spring of 2022. Later on, it was agreed that due to emerging COVID-19 variants, the event be suspended until the health climate was safer.
In October 2021, UWAO unanimously voted to become an Affiliate member of PACCNY, the Pan African Community of New York and committed to making the decision official by paying an Affiliate membership in January 2022. In explanation, community organizations are allowed to apply for an Affiliate membership in PACCNY. On admission, they pay a total amount of $50 per year as an organization, earning all the rights that go with Affiliate membership. They may appoint up to three representatives, with one of them having full voting rights on behalf of the organization represented. UWAO is a full-fledged Affiliate member of PACCNY and our three representatives are Sisters Monica Gachoka-Gin, Margaret Mbugua and Patricia Sprague. They agree on which one of them casts the vote during elections, with authorization from UWAO.
In December 2021, UWAO joined other communities and individuals within Syracuse in donating towards the family of the late Dr./Rev. Patience Deborah Kisakye, a former UWAO member who had passed away following a battle with cancer. The donations were contributions towards the transportation of Rev. Kisakye’s body and burial in Jinja, Uganda. UWAO collectively managed to raise a total of $360 from individual sisters, including a generous donation from a friend of one of our sisters. Sincere appreciation to those UWAO members who contributed and to our non-member supporter who joined in the effort.
The same month, UWAO successfully held her annual elections, electronically and elected new officers to serve on the executive board during 2022. Sisters congratulated and welcomed the new EC members, while expressing gratitude to the outgoing team for a job well done. The incoming and outgoing members of the EC are listed in the two opening sections of this report under the headings: UWAO Current Executive Committee Members (2022) and UWAO immediate past Executive Committee Members (2021).
We are proud to note that UWAO is one of the very few community organizations we know of that are able to vote electronically, keeping the votes secure and confidential, yet conducting the process in such a doable way that members who are not technically-inclined are not intimidated. For devising this, as well as facilitating our virtual meetings/events, not to mention the designing of posters, etc. … everything that is savvy, technologically…UWAO is greatly indebted to Sister Mũmbi wa Mũgo who is forever ready to offer the organization her technical and other skills on top of her other organizational duties.
As 2021 drew to a close, Sister Margaret Njoki Mbugua gave UWAO a “heads-up” that she would no longer be able to offer meeting-space at her residence as she would be relocating to a place that could not accommodate big gatherings. To briefly explain the context, since 2017, Sister Margaret had named her residence “UWAO Headquarters” and opened it up for all UWAO meetings/business! With this pronouncement by our sister, UWAO had found a “permanent” home for meetings and did not have to make rounds rotating between members’ homes. We cannot thank Sister Margaret enough for her large heart and spirit of self-sacrifice. Although we have been meeting virtually since the scourge of COVID-19/variants hit the world scene, we miss our “headquarters” already.
Individual Member-News: January-December, 2021:
Since the scourge of COVID-19 hit the world around January 2020, several UWAO members who work in the Public Health Sector have spent most of their time working tirelessly to ensure that patients, especially COVID patients, get the necessary health care. As all of us are aware, this has added tremendous stress on them, especially given the possible risks of exposure to this horrible virus. We salute them all (along with others like them all over the world) and have celebrated them as our sheroes in UWAO. Special tributes go to Sisters Alice Libutsi and Ruth Omuduki in this regard! Salute to Sister Pauline Mazrui as well for continuing with her voluntary work of visiting the sick in hospitals within the Vestal/Binghamton area.
The remaining UWAO sisters have been working tirelessly, as well, whether it is teaching within academic institutions, both on the East and West coasts; working within corporate institutions; running self-owned medical facilities, maintaining growing families, or simply just making an attempt to enjoy retirement. Congratulations to all UWAO sisters!
Sister Joy Mutare Fashu-Kanu, who had successfully defended her doctoral thesis in the Department of Sociology, State University of Oregon and was later appointed there as an Adjunct Professor, held a celebration, belatedly, in July 2021. Although unable to attend the event, UWAO sisters celebrated with her in spirit. Earning a doctorate while parenting and working is no minor achievement. Congratulations, yet again, Sister Joy!
In October, 2021, Sister Monica Gachoka-Gin opened her own private business in Richmond County, Staten Island, New York, specializing in Physical Therapy. The practice, MG Physical Therapy PC, has already taken off well. UWAO congratulates Sister Monica on this milestone! We all know how difficult it is to open a professional practice of this kind and are, therefore, truly proud of our sister’s achievement. We wish her best of luck and all the success possible, while being confident that the business will prosper.
Sister Penina’s Carnegie fellowship, for which UWAO has already honored her, continues to take her for work in some Eastern African universities, including those in Kenya and Rwanda. This is where she has been spending her long vacations of late from her home institution, the State University of New York College at Oneonta. UWAO congratulates Sister Penina, yet again, on her achievement. We wish her a productive time throughout the tenure of her fellowship and beyond.
In January 2021, UWAO congratulated Sister Mῖcere Gῖthae Mũgo on her Honorary Doctor of Letters (DL. Lit.), awarded by the University of Nairobi at its virtual annual graduation ceremony on December 11, 2020, for “Research and publication; creative works; commitment to and promotion of the discipline; service to the university; service to humanity; working experience and professional distinction.” Moreover, in March, 2021, international scholars convened a panel on Sister Mῖcere’s work at the annual conference of African American & Diaspora Studies, James Madison University, Virginia; while in May, 2021, she delivered the keynote address at the 50th anniversary of the Africana Studies and Research Center, Cornell University (now a published monograph). In July, 2021, she delivered a message to the graduands at the 5th virtual commencement of Riara University, Kenya and in November, 2021, the ASA Women’s Caucus sponsored a panel to honor at the international African Studies Conference (held virtually). The year closed with her receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature from the Royal African Society’s “Africa Writes,” London, UK. Congratulations to Sister Mῖcere on these international honors and awards!
We wish to take this opportunity to once again thank all our supporters and donors. We, the United Women of Africa appreciate and celebrate each one of you for your invaluable generosity and solidarity.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
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