Victoria Nyanjura (born circa 1982) is a Ugandan

community activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

, who is the founder of ''Women in Action for Women'' (WAW), a Ugandan-based

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

, that attempts to improve the lives of young people and women through vocational training, business education and guidance in accessing community and government services.

Background and education

Nyanjura was born in

Oyam District Oyam District is a district in Northern Uganda. Like most Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Oyam, where the district headquarters are located. Location Oyam District is bordered by Gulu District to the north, Pader District ...

, in the

Lango sub-region Lango sub-region is a region in Uganda covering an area of 15,570.7km consisting of the districts of: *Alebtong District, Alebtong *Amolatar District, Amolatar *Apac District, Apac *Dokolo District, Dokolo *Kole District, Kole *Lira Distric ...

, in the Northern Region of Uganda. She attended primary school locally. She obtained her

High School Diploma A high school diploma or high school degree is a North American academic school leaving qualification awarded upon high school graduation. The high school diploma is typically obtained after a course of study lasting four years, from grade 9 to gra ...

from ''St. Mary's College Aboke'', in

Kole District Kole District is a district in Northern Uganda. Like most other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Kole, where the district headquarters are located. Location Kole District is bordered by Lira District to the east, Apac Di ...

. Her first degree, a Bachelor of Development Studies, was obtained from

Kyambogo University Kyambogo University (KYU) is a public university in Uganda. It is one of the eight public universities and degree-awarding institutions in the country with the motto, "Knowledge and Skills for Service." History Kyambogo University was establishe ...

, in Kampala, Uganda's capital city. As of February 2020, she is pursuing a Master of Global Affairs, specializing in International Peace Studies at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

. She also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation, awarded by

Uganda Management Institute Uganda Management Institute (UMI) is a government-owned national center for training, research, and consultancy in the field of management and administration in Uganda. It is one of the nine public universities and degree-awarding institutions in ...

, also in Kampala.

Career

Nyanjura worked as a

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

at the Justice & Reconciliation Project, a non-governmental organization that aims at rehabilitation war-ravaged communities in Northern Uganda, based in the city of

Gulu Gulu is a city in the Northern Region of Uganda. It is the commercial and administrative centre of Gulu District. The coordinates of the city of Gulu are 2°46'54.0"N 32°17'57.0"E. The distance from Gulu to Kampala, Uganda's capital and large ...

. She later became an employee at the NGO, in its Gender Justice department. She has also worked at International Justice Mission, another NGO, focused on protecting Ugandan widows on property ownership.

Other considerations

In 1996, at the age of 14 years, Nyanjura was one of the 139 girls abducted from St. Mary's College Aboke on 10 October 1996, by rebels of the

Lord's Resistance Army The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), also known as the Lord's Resistance Movement, is a rebel group and heterodox Christian group which operates in northern Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Co ...

. The deputy headmistress of the college, Sister Rachele Fassera of Italy, pursued the rebels and successfully negotiated the release of 109 of the girls. 30 of the girls were retained by the rebels. Nyanjura was one of the 30. After eight years in captivity, characterized by torture and sexual abuse, she was able to escape and regain her freedom in 2004.

Recognition and awards

In 2018, she was the recipient of the Navarra International Solidarity Award, organized by the

Government of Navarre Palacio de Navarra., 306x306px The Government of Navarre (Spanish: ''Gobierno de Navarra;'') is the institution of executive nature in which the government of the Chartered Community of Navarre (Spain) is organized. It is led by the President ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, and

Laboral Kutxa Laboral Kutxa is a Basque credit union that provides banking, savings and investment services. It was created in March 2012 as a result of the merger of two smaller credit unions. The Caja Laboral Popular Sociedad Cooperativa de Crédito (known ...

, a Spanish credit union. The award recognizes individuals, NGOs, and institutions whose work advances the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

Sustainable Development Goals The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...

. She shared the award, and a €25,000 prize with three other African women, Hulo Guillabert,

Theresa Kachindamoto Theresa Kachindamoto (born ) is the paramount chief, or ''Inkosi'', of the Dedza District in the central region of Malawi. She has informal authority over more than 900,000 people. She is known for her forceful action in dissolving child marriages ...

and Oumou Sall-Seck. The group was nominated by the Spanish diplomatic organization Casa África.

References

External links