Uganda
Harriet Opondo
Email: harriet.opondo@watotochurch.com & opondohattie@gmail.com
Birthday: 3/3/1981
Education: Bachelors in Social Work and Social Administration
Occupation: Social worker
Please describe your vision of a world that works for everyone.
My vision for a world that works for everyone is where each person is given the opportunity to fully develop their God-given potential and abilities and live a purposeful life in his or her community. It also includes upholding justice and equitable sharing of resources so that each person is able to have basic needs of life as opposed to the current poverty experienced in may parts of the developing world.
The different people involved in leadership should be more concerned about the community than meeting their selfish gains, they should be protection for everyone but especially of children found in difficult circumstances.
A world that works for everyone also constitutes of quality medical services so that each family and individual has access to the basic health services and clean water.
What do you see as the most pressing problems facing the world today?
The world today is facing a lot of problems in all the different spheres of life and the most pressings are briefly described below.
The poor political systems characterized by poor governance, corruption and unequal distribution of resources is a pressing need in most parts of the world today as most political leaders are not serving the needs of the people but rather their individual interests.
Poor socio-economic conditions characterized by, disease and this has been worsened by the HIV/AIDS pandemic which has claimed lives and broken families leaving many children all alone and helpless. This indeed is pressing need in Africa, Asia and parts of South America.
Broken family systems as seen in the high rates of divorce and separation had robbed many children the privilege of growing up in a healthy environment with both parents caring and nurturing them, we have a generation of young people and children who are angry, rebellious and involved in all kinds of crimes which I believe is a result of the broken family systems.
Wars and terrorism are also pressing needs in our world today, we have had bomb blasts and suicide bomb attacks in the recent past than in all the other centuries. This has caused lots of deaths and has indeed made the world very unsafe.
How do you feel these problems could best be solved?
I feel the problems described above could be solved in the following ways;
Good governance characterized by democracy, equitable distribution of resources, accountability, transparence and community development, I believe that if the political and governance systems are improved a lot of the pressing needs like poor governance will be solved.
Also developing services that are closer to the people would solve the difficulty experienced in accessing medical and educational institutions. Also developing the work force within the communities for instance, volunteers to sensitize people about HIV/AIDS and immunization.
Another solution is strengthening family values within our communities like advocating for good parenting and the importance of healthy marriages within our families.
Profile
I believe one of the hardest things is to describe ourselves but well let me attempt, I’m a trained Social worker and I currently work as a Social worker for Watoto child care ministries which is a organization that looks after Orphans and other vulnerable children in Kampala, Uganda. I love my job because it enable to me to make a difference in a child’s life everyday, it could be just giving a warm smile, a big hug or rescuing a child from a life threatening situation. My job also reminds me that I have a lot to be grateful to God for, as I watch people longing for things that God has blessed me with like joy and happiness.
I love to work with children because they allow me to be myself and to actually be silly in some days as I play and giggle with them. I believe that children are fascinating and have a lot to teach us about life.
I enjoy reading, almost anything stories, to religious and inspirational books, my favorite authors are Joyce Meyer, T.D. Jakes, John C. Maxwell, Bill Hybels, Karren Kingsbury, Myles Munroe and Dr.Gary Chapman. Reading helps me to learn and relax as well. I guess this explains why I enjoyed literature while in High school.
I love Drama and has been a member of the Drama team at my church since I was in High school and has been part of about five major plays where I played a lead role. I particularly enjoy doing parts that are not like me and that allows me to fully use my emotions!
I enjoy listening to music and singing though I enjoy singing in the comfort of my bathroom and my bedroom. Singing soothes my soul and helps me to focus on God. I love Gospel, inspirational and Jazz music. My favorite artists are Bebo Norman, Steven Curtis Chapman, Hillsong and Shawn Grooves.
I do write poetry, I have written about seventy poems that I actually enjoy reading as well as sharing with close friends, I enjoy classical poetry and the one that talk about God and life in general.
I have been involved in leadership especially within my church community where I used to lead other student fellowships while at university and right now I lead a fellowship within my community, this has developed my leadership capacity and turned the naturally introverted person that Iam into a more outgoing person that I’m becoming.
I come from a typical African family, to avoid a cultural shock to many of you I won’t tell you how many siblings I have bit I’m my mother’s last child and I grew up in a fun and loving home, a favorite of many of my older siblings.
Last but not least, I’m a Christian and my relationship with God is the most important aspect of my life, I think I have the best church community one can have, church is a big part of my life. It has taught me bond and love those outside my biological family.
My philosophy in life is ‘Life is what you make it’ I take a day at a time and do all that I do with passion. Life is never a straight line, however the valleys teach us a lot and help us grew in character and strength.
Click Here to Read My Book Assessments
Books Completed:
As A Man Thinketh
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Success
Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude
PsychoCybernetics 2000
How to win friends and influence people
Real Magic
Giant Steps
The New Dynamics of Winning
Leadership for Dummies
The Law of Attraction
The Power of Intention
Nonviolent communication
Unlimited Power
Goals
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
The Complete Idiot’s guide to a Healthy Relationship
Becoming a Person of Influence
Full Steam Ahead
Raising Children Compassionately
How to raise an Indigo Child
Getting Rich your Own Way
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Emotional Intelligence
10 Days to More Confident Public Speaking
The Leadership Pill
Developing the Leaders Around You
The Montessori Method
The Secret
The 8th Habit
The Secret: What Great Leaders Know and Do
Long Walk to Freedom
Start with the Why
The Complete 101 Collection
Good to Great
Sometimes you Win, Sometimes you Learn