John Pamba, Public Relations Manager for BRAC Uganda visits BRAC in Bangladesh

Below is a post by Lars Zwaanenburg, a BRAC Intern in Bangladesh from Michigan State University about his interview with John Pamba, Public Relations Manager for BRAC Uganda during his recent visit to BRAC's programs in Bangladesh.

I got a chance to meet and have a short conversation with John right before he left for Uganda. He discussed his reasons for joining BRAC and shared his experiences about the visit.

Prior to joining BRAC in 2006, John worked for the Government of Uganda for 22 years. He willingly decided to resign from his post with the desire to be involved with an organization through which he could better serve his fellow countrymen.

Soon afterward, he heard about the foreign NGO that wished to establish itself in Uganda from a former colleague. He was hired immediately by BRAC Uganda’s Public Relations department due to his previous experience with the Government. His responsibilities at the time mainly involved disseminating information about community-based BRAC programs to Government agencies. John faced several challenges in the process of introducing the new organization along with its unfamiliar - holistic approach to development to the local Ugandans and getting their immediate support.

According to John, “Seeing is believing,” and so his visit to BRAC Bangladesh strengthened his belief in the organization. Through this trip, he gained a fuller understanding of how all the BRAC programs operated and witnessed the social impact and successes BRAC has achieved through decades of hard work and persistence.

John was convinced that after having witnessed the scale at which BRAC performs in Bangladesh, he will be able to better express his conviction to Ugandans and ultimately gather greater local support for BRAC in Uganda.

His trip to BRAC in Bangladesh became a valuable learning experience for him. He was happy that he could share tips and extra advice from the BRAC staff in Bangladesh.

After returning back to Uganda, John expressed his interest in investing his efforts to promote and expand BRAC’s programmatic areas in various other parts of Uganda. He also wants to improve the benefits and facilities for the BRAC staff in Uganda.