VIOLA NALUWOOZA 

A 

GREAT EDUCATOR

When I slowed down to park at Lady Valeria to discuss the content of this write-up with Viola, I
heard a 19 – 22 years lad shouting “Eno yaffe, njesose”. I was surprised! Immediately I parked
the car. The boy approached and said, “Mukulu, you have a flat tyre”. I hadn‟t realized this. He
assured me not to worry that they were to electify the problem shortly and that I just needed to
authorize them. I left the boy who engaged others to quicken the wheel spanner and car jerk as I
entered to continue with business. When I came out, everything was perfect. He thanked me for
allowing him to practice his skills on my car.

 I was so much moved.
Those are some of the endless stories of vocational helping hand in the 500 meters radius around
Lady Valeria Business and Vocational Institute Matugga. Here is Viola Naluwooza Ndaula the
brain behind this venture
Viola was born on 30th November 1967 to the late Yozefu Ssemagobwe and Rosa Nakayanja in a
family of over 20 children where she is the last.
She comes from Nsozibbiri, Katikamu Sub county in Luweero District. She studied in Naluvule
Primary School just after Lukomera towards Luwero town where she sat her – P7 in 1980. She
was appointed a prefect because she used to come very early at school. Since she used to fear her
friends and because of low self-esteem, instead of commanding her subordinates to pick the
compound, she used to pick the compound herself and because of this, she had failed leadership.
The staff justified her demotion with 6 canings on the assembly but she was happy about this
move.
She then joined Bombo Secondary School in 1981 having scored 236 out of 300 marks in PLE.
Her dream was to join Kings College Budo but her headmaster despised and doubted her
performance and thought she couldn‟t perform well and therefore discouraged her. She was in
day section coming from her sister‟s home (M/s Ngambe) for school. She remembers studying S
The Great Educators Journal 2017 Vol 1 Pg 27
1 for only 2 terms because the 1980 examinations results were released late because of the
political instability in the country that interfered with UNEB processes.
She joined Makerere College School in S2 – S6. On joining a boarding school, she was teased of
her wooden suitcase and the funny shoes she wore but later; these students from well to do
families sympathized with her situation of a Luweero war torn family. Because of her good
performance, she secured a school bursary which relieved the family off fees debts after the war
affected the family finances. She secured basic needs like vaseline, soap, and other personal
needs from her friends which she paid back by washing their clothes.
While on holiday in S3, her father passed on due to natural causes. They went to burry in a war
tension situation and she says the army was present to find out the cause of the death. They
checked the body of her father and says immediately after burial, bullets started which dispersed
the funnel gathering and they ran for refuge in Luweero township for fear of their life.
While in Luweero town, the armed forces used to defile young girls, Viola used to dress a
Gomesi (Traditional ware for Women) and veiled to pretend as if she was an old woman as an
escape means.
She went back to school and did her S 4 and S6 at Makerere College. Her results at S6 were
good and she secured admission at Makerere University Department of Language to study
Luganda and Linguistics.
While at Makerere, she was among the financially disturbed students and spent most of her time
in books because of her financial inability to attend university social functions. She said she had
a similar financially disturbed background with her University room mate Neema Nakyanjo who
turned to be her best friend since 1987 to date.
While in university, she got related to Engeneer Ndaula who was finalizing with his University
Corse. Engineer Ndaula started to work for the University and when Viola finalized her studies,
she married the Engineer. After some time while at home, she looked for a job and started
working for Ngabo publishers Newspaper for 3 months. She was not paid and so she left the job.
She sat home for some more time but while walking on the University compound, she met her
university lecturer the Late Dr. Kasaina Matovu who asked her what she was doing. She
encouraged her to apply for a teaching job as a Teaching Assistant. She was appointed and she
started teaching in 1992 Feb at Makerere University until 2006.
She became disappointed when she was not promoted. She was advised by her bosses to upgrade
for a Masters to secure a promotion. She did a master but still nothing came her way. She was
told to do a PHD for a promotion and she embarked on it but dropped the idea after realizing she
was studying because of pressures, frustration and external factors but not because of love,
choice, free will and passion.
She developed the idea of a vocation institute when she was involved in a project in Rubaga
Division as a facilitator which was introduced in the university to help under privileged children.
While working on the project, she realized many girls were dropping out of school and no one
could come in to help. She saw this as the way she could tap the opportunity to help this group of
people. She had bought the land but didn‟t know exactly how big her land was. She then shared
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jokingly with Mr. Mugerwa of Brethren College Secondary School – Matugga how she could
build a University. Mr Mugerwa advised her to think of a vocation Institution.
She then started building the structures and started with 2 building, but when she was about to
roof the 3rd block, she started advertising the institution using CBS Radio station. She opened in
2003 with 3 courses and one student “Yusufu Mukisa” who she says was not sure of what he
really wanted to study. Mukisa did accounting for 3 months crossed to Electric Engineering and
finalized in catering. I have named one block after my first student. Her vocation institution is
affiliated to Kyambogo University and UBTEB examines the students.
Viola says she has always been focused on her work and says she hates people who are not
focused, “How can somebody give me an Invitation card on Wednesday for a function scheduled
for Saturday and I attend?” That‟s not being serious. She continues to say that she loves people
who are creative and that education should change to produce job creators and not job seekers
and that what Lady Valeria produces. Viola is married to Eng Kaweesi Ndaula a businessman
and they have 3 children, she employs over 80 workers.