Dorcas Amoding is an Advocacy and Communications specialist who formerly worked with various NGOs, including the Community Health and Information Network (CHAIN), a Ugandan organization focused on youth development and health. She has experience working with vulnerable youth, emphasizing the importance of mentorship and support for their development.
Today, she lives in the United Kingdom as an established businesswoman who has made her mark selling pure Ugandan local foods and products. Using her social media platforms, Dorcas is unstoppable. We managed to talk to her extensively. Read her inspiring story.
While trying to get to you, we realized you fluently speak multiple languages, but your name, Amoding, is an Eastern name. Where exactly were you born?
Ha. Yes, I speak different languages fluently because I socialize with so many people. I went to school in Mbale, Jinja, and Kampala. I met people and I am very interested in culture. As you know, Uganda has a big population with different cultures. Having a great love for learning, I ended up interacting with many people, and that is how I ended up being a linguistic.
Well, Dorcas, it’s great to finally have you for this interview. It’s been a hustle to get you. You’re such a busy lady. How is your day when you wake up?
I always have busy days. However, I am not an early bird, but I usually push myself to wake up a bit early. Yeah, usually by 7 am, I am out of bed, make my prayers, and start planning my day. You can’t believe sometimes I fail to make breakfast for myself. All I do is rush to catch up with the train or bus to work. That is how I live my life. Basically, nothing out of this world.
Now, straight to the important issue. Tell us a bit of your Education and career background.
Well, my primary school life has many memories. I went to Gangama Primary School in Mbale, then I went to Magwa Primary School in Jinja where I completed my Primary school level. From there, I joined Wanyange Girls Secondary School for all my six years. At Wanyange Girls SS, I can proudly say I was the Deputy Head girl who is still remembered well up to today. Then, later joined Kyambongo University for my undergraduate Degree, which led me to Cavendish University for my Master’s Degree.
Then, about my career, it is a long one. When I was in high school, I used to volunteer with TASO. During those days, AIDS was at a high rate. We started the AIDS Youth cLChallenge Club where we used to go to schools and preach about abstinence and safe Sex. We would meet young people out of school, and of course, we knew they were sexually active and couldn’t pretend about it. So we would engage them on how to live safely. We did a lot to curtail the spread of HIV/AIDS in Uganda.
Then, after High School, I worked with CHAIN Uganda for some time as an Advocacy and Communications Manager. I had started organizing events. I was coordinator for events for CHOGM. I was responsible for HIV workshops and activities for commonwealth Africa. I also worked as common Wealth coordinator where I was coordinating teams for HIV programs across Common Wealth countries in Africa.I have never stopped getting in touch with young people. That is where my passion is. Even when I went for International duties, I still kept getting in touch with young people and having motivational talks. I was actually assistant lecturer a Makerere University and Cavendish University. I love interacting with young people. For my Career, I also worked with AGHA (Action Group for Health and Human Rights).
From a humble upbringing to a real hard-working lady, what inspired you growing up to turn out to be like this?
Hahaha. Well, my parents were very hardworking people. I grew up in a very tough environment. As a young child growing up in rural communities. Then moments on there was insecurity in our areas. The rebel groups scared us a lot. We would wake up and had to walk many distances to hide from the rebels. I have always wanted to be in a safe place. This inspired me a lot. I told myself I had to work extra hard and live a safe life. Also, the people who surrounded me had a great impact.
Do you have any life challenge you can point at that has made you who you are now?
One thing I can tell if you’re an African child, you must have smelt poverty. You end up forced to work. One thing that has made us believe in Education is that we all know that it is the only way out of poverty now. I have seen poverty around me. We have poverty in Kampala. While in Uganda, I used to visit many slums and I would see how poorly people live. So, in Uganda, you don’t have to be blind to see that people cant access good health services. So, I kept these challenges at the back of my mind and made me work so hard.
Now, you mentioned you’re an experienced and trained public health worker. Mention only one thing you will never forget when still in this field.
One thing that I will never forget while in the filed is the interaction with people. For me, I love interacting with people. I love listening to people. As a trained health worker, I shall never forget this.
Then you’re a very good communicator. Where does this come from?
My Father is a very good spokesperson. He is a trained public health communicator. He used to work with the Ministry of Health now retired. So, I learned these communication skills from my father. I take over the great genes. Then, my mother is a disciplinian. With her, you must be where you’re supposed to be, not the other way round. So with all that, I ended up being who I am.
Now, let’s talk about your current lifestyle. You live and work in the UK? What exactly are you doing, and when did you leave?
Before I left Uganda, I was working as a Human Rights activist and as an Advocate for access to health and human rights. I was managing some projects for maternal heath and HIV programs, encouraging mothers to go and deliver from the hospitals. I talked to different women in Eastern, Northern, and all over Uganda. We would teach mothers about maternal health as a right not a privilege.
From an experienced public health worker to now an entrepreneur in the UK, how did this come about? Was public health not paying well?
Truth be told, Public Health pays well. Because Public Health changes people’s lives. From you being a public health person to seeing a mother delivering well was only enough. But later, I had circumstances that made me leave Uganda for the UK. I have always been in business. I recall when I was in my P7 vacation, I learnt to crochete during my home Economics and made some money out of this. This not only prevented me from idleness but also made me realise a businesswoman in me. So, I learnt the game of money when I was quite young.
And why did you choose business in the UK, not UG?
I have made businesses in both nations. UK and Uganda. But as life went on, I realized so many great business opportunities great business that I could engage. Of course, as you all know, business is tough but one doesn’t have to give up. If one thing fails, you try another.
Today, you’re a well-established and known local food seller in the UK. Who was the brainchild behind this venture?
This food venture is a partnership between my husband and me. He is the one who is in deep business. But we work well together. We realized that Food is a constant demand. So we decided to give it our best. Also, due to limited access to organic/ local foods in the UK from Uganda. So we decided to venture into local organic foods. Also my husband has been involved in export a long time. So it was easy for me to join and work with him. We have also been able to start other businesses like Amo crafts and Amo decorations.
How do you choose these local foods and how do you get them to UK?
Oh yeah. We get these foods from Uganda, to be specific. We also have suppliers in Uganda we work with. We have clearing agents all that we work with to have the food delivered legally to the UK.
Then this local foods restaurant in UK. How did it start, and how easy was it?
This is not something that I started alone. I worked with other people. Because we realized that where we live in London, there was no any local foods restaurant. So, we needed to create a place where Ugandans can meet, sit, speak our local languages, and eat our organic foods. And remember, food is fellowship. It brings us together.
Almost every African living in the UK eats from your Restaurant; how does this feel?
Hahaha. I don’t think so. The restaurant is open to all people in the UK. Ofcourse we are not serving the whole of London but we serve a large number of people in the West of London.
By the way, Are you the one who prepares these local organic foods?
We work as a group. It is a huge group that helps us in preparing it nicely.
What has been the bad experience in this venture?
Business is not easy. Rent here in the UK is too high. The cost of importing is high. The taxes and all other bills are very costly but we still manage to serve the community.
People love and appreciate your organic foods. is this the official career path?
Well, food is just a lifestyle. I can’t call it a career. With food, you get to interact with different people and enjoy a good time. So for me, it can’t be a career but a lifestyle.
Don’t you miss Health activism?
Oh dear, I miss it very much. It is simply part of me. And I am still involved in some way or another. I miss being on platforms speaking about health and human rights. But still I make my contributions even in the smallest way possible.
Your social media pages and now YouTube have very inspiring content. How do you come up with such organic content?
This is me. I love organic things. My social handles reflect my life. In the content that I share, that is exactly my life. I love a content creator myself, so all I put out is simply organic. I love to learn through other people’s experiences and love sharing my own experiences since someone out there can learn from it. Every one of us has an opportunity to teach someone and also learn from others.
Enough of business; let’s talk about life. Are you married? How is life of a hard working lady with a family?
Yes, I have been married for 15 years now, and we are going stronger. There is a saying in Ateso that Iteso that ” Omuteso tanooba” (Literally meaning we Ateso ladies respect and uphold marriage regardless of its challenges) but with due respect, marriage is very personal, I wouldn’t like to generalize it. It is unique to every individual involved it.
What is your take on women’s emancipation?
The word emancipation alone has been misunderstood and people think it’s dominion or control over each other. In my own understanding, emancipation is both men and women understanding their unique roles and how those unique roles complement each other. I know right now, there has been focus on women emancipation for a long time and this is because women had been left behind in access to education, freedom of speech, freedom to vote and even freedom to basic rights. Women have been walking with blind fold for long with an expectation to arrive at a particular destination and that in itself is impossible to achieve. I see woman emancipation as a blindfold that has been taken away and she can see the world far and beyond but doesn’t mean she has put a blindfold on man. Men have to appreciate that the woman blindfold has been taken away and they can both see the world at the same dimension.
