“Maama Maria through the years of living and establishing some of the most incredible projects in our nation, has not only blended in with our people as one of us, but has become undeniably an African Mother of a big family of thousands of children, who affectionately call her Maama,” she said.
MUKONO |KYAGGWE TV | At least 11,000 needy children have over a time acquired free education through Vision for Africa, an initiative which was started by an Austrian woman, Dr. Maria Prean Bruni is popularly addressed as Maama Maria.
Having started the on the calling to transform the lives of poor Ugandan children 26 years ago, the 86-year-old Maama Maria’s Vision for Africa education program has professionals in different fields ranging from doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, bankers, physicians, among others.
On June 22, 2024 was the home coming for the alumni of Vision for Africa. Maama Maria also used the day to launch her biography book named, Maama Africa, a Biography of a Black Woman in White Skin.
The First Lady who is also the Minister for Education, Janet Kataha Museveni was the guest of honour. The First Lady was however represented by her secretary Irene Kawuma.
Through the First Lady’s message delivered by Kawuma, she commended Maama Maria for providing free education to over 11,000 needy and orphaned Ugandan children under Vision for Africa.
The function was held at the headquarters of Vision for Africa, based at Kiyunga village in Kyampisi sub-county, Mukono district.
In her message, Mrs. Museveni said that Maama Maria has been wholeheartedly providing free education to the needy Ugandan children for the past 26 years of her stay in Uganda.
Kawuma also read the foreword of Maama Maria’s book by Mrs. Museveni, where she praised her for having inspired the transformation of the lives of poor children, women and the whole communities.
“Maama Maria through the years of living and establishing some of the most incredible projects in our nation, has not only blended in with our people as one of us, but has become undeniably an African Mother of a big family of thousands of children, who affectionately call her Maama,” she said.
Among a number of schools built in different parts of the country by Maama Maria, Mrs. Museveni reported that she also constructed Maama Janet Secondary School in Nyakyera, a beautiful project with excellent structures and it is a community pride.
“I cannot forget to testify how Maama Maria was used by God to answer to the cry of my heart when I was a Member of Parliament for Ruhaama constituency in Ntungamo district by constructing a girl’s schools which had been asked from me, yet by then, my plate was full and I asked her to intervene, something which she did wholeheartedly,” she testified.
Kawuma said that though Maama Maria did not have a biological child, at 60 years of age, she got a dream of coming to Africa and ended up settling in Uganda where she has given birth to hundreds of children through her ministry (Vision for Africa).
“Maama Maria is a God given Mother to Uganda. Through Vision for Africa, the very struggling poor and orphaned children over the past 26 years have managed to study from nursery, secondary and universities. The program has a number of doctors, lawyers, engineers, businessmen and women, among other professionals,” she said.
Born in the Austrian city of Innsbruck, the 86-year-old Muzungu, Maria, the first born of Marianne and Jacob Bruni reports that though her mother got a smile for having had a safe delivery, her dad did not as he expected a son.
Maria reports that though she had much love for her father, she did not enjoy his company as he was forcefully drafted into the military during the second World War, despite the fact that he was an insurance broker. She says that Jacob had no option but to leave behind his family of a wife and two children, herself and the young brother Kurti to suffer.
Though he could come back home for some short holidays, he is reported to have left for the war even before Maria had celebrated her first birthday.
Therefore, Maria says that her earliest experiences of her childhood were characterized with famine, loneliness, fear, plus a sense of rejection and insecurity.
While addressing the gathering, Maama Maria said that she found too much love and company in Africa though when she got a dream of heading to Africa for the rest of her time she did not accept and cried endlessly.
“I have been praying for years that God could raise some Africans to know that Africa is number one in the World. I have prayed for people who believe that the color of Bazungu is better than the black skin to understand that it is not true. As a matter of fact, a black-skinned person can bleach and get the white skin but not the vise-versa,” she said.
Edith Namande, the alumni administrator in a separate interview told this publication that when life had almost ended with their mother getting endless asthma attacks with no money on her, yet she was a single mother, the only savior which came to their lives was Vision for Africa, which helped them to acquire free education together with her elder sister.
“At the age of five years, when my mother was bedridden, I was brought to school by my uncle without even a single pencil, book and not even with a nicker! To make matters worse, my uncle who was drunk also asked for transport to take him back home from the organisation, after reporting the situation we were in. Transport was given to him and I was also given everything that I wanted for my education and wellbeing,” without holding back the tears, Namande narrated.
She added that time came and she demanded to be retained at school because when she went back home, the mother had been sent away from her ancestral home just because of her sickness and together with her, we slept in churches on empty stomachs.
Namande said that they resolved as the alumni of Vision for Africa who are no longer regarded as poor as the situation used to be before acquiring education, to raise monthly fees which will be used to carry on Maama Maria’s legacy even as she grows old.
“The system has 7000 continuing students. We highlighted a community at Bukamunye in Jinja district which is dominated by Muslims living at the shores of Lake Victoria where Maama Maria identified that the children there lacked schools and built a nursery school. However, the children after nursery are supposed to move long distances for primary education,” she said.
The alumni are currently fundraising for sh400m to start constructing a classroom block which is going to be used as they establish a primary section on that school.
Through Kawuma, Maama Janet and President Museveni delivered a gift to Maama Maria praising her for the dedicated service.
Dr. Alice Akello Opio, the Gulu Resident District Commissioner who was also in attendance said she knew Maama Maria in 2006 and from then, she has been an inspiration to her.
“I have admired her, the fact that she has no biological child but she decided to raise all these children in Uganda. I wish we had only ten people of Maama Maria’s stature in Uganda, we would be at another level,” Dr. Akello said.
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