John Onyuthi in action – between Florence Alimundo (UPLIFT West Nile chairperson) and Mark Ssemukasa (UPLIFT West Nile Project Manager) at the Graduation Ceremony 2023.
Three days ago, John Charles died, aged just 44, after a sudden and brief illness.
It came as a shock to the entire UPLIFT family in West Nile. Everyone knew John, including thousands of villagers he did not know but who had seen and heard him in action at the many annual “UPLIFT Graduation Ceremonies”. Together with Ronnie Obonyo – often as ‘brothers in arms’ – John was the master of ceremonies or translator, ‘seamlessly’ from the local language Alur to English, and vice versa. The recent funeral ceremony on his ‘family land’ in Kasatu (near Parombo in Nebbi District) was attended by more than 600 mourners and respectful onlookers from near and far.
In many ways, John Onyuthi represented the broad cross-section of most of the important services and functions of the UPLIFT programme. From several years as a mentor for literacy training, to coordinator for large areas – one of many during the first ‘Norad years’ from 2007 to 2010; then as a board member of the UPLIFT board – and later on the board of today’s UPLIFT West Nile in our current large Norad/FOKUS women’s health project – until this year he was reappointed and returned as the coordinator for the entire Zombo District. For a short period after 2010 he was a regional spearhead for the Uganda Bahá’í Institute for Development (UBID).
In an interim period before returning to UPLIFT he led the new “Rocket” project, a visible ‘offshoot’ of the UPLIFT program focusing on youth and their preparation for ‘adult life’ in a considerable number of communities in Nebbi District.
In 2014 he had the opportunity to accompany UPLIFT’s – and his own – source of inspiration, Dr. Hizzaya Hissani, on a visit to Norway to speak at Norad and meet with many dear friends of UPLIFT.
John had an enormous capacity for work, and with his eminent language skills he translated from English into Alur both UPLIFT teaching materials – reading and writing booklets as well as an early health education booklet – and extensive study materials for the Bahá’í Institute. Of the latter, several study books have found their way into spontaneous study groups, which he has visited on his own initiative and with enthusiasm, in between his more ‘official’ services in the UPLIFT programme.
It is not surprising, then, that John Charles Oniuthi will be deeply missed and leave a void within a region where he has left such a significant mark, yet always with a tireless spirit of service.
We honour his memory, and express our wishes for a good future (‘ani maber’!) for his wife and their three children.
With grateful greetings from Norwegian
Friends of UPLIFT – and some of us who occasionally caught a glimpse of his journey
Hizzaya and John Charles visiting Norway 2014; here with friend of UPLIFT Arne Kittang.