Hailing from Uganda’s capital city Kampala in the very heart of Africa, Mukisa Derrick is an earnest young man with a heart of gold.
At just 22 years old, Derrick (his given name) has dedicated his life to helping the homeless children in the slums he once himself called home.
Because of his tireless efforts and bottomless love for the disadvantaged and vulnerable in his city, we’re excited to announce that Mukisa Derrick was chosen as the winner of the Goodwall x THE HUS.institute #Solidarity Challenge!
Congratulations to you, Derrick!
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The Goodwall x THE HUS.institute #Solidarity Challenge Award
Goodwall and THE HUS.institute partnered together to promote solidarity during the challenging time that is the coronavirus crisis.
We thought, what better way to face the challenge than by putting together a challenge of our own?
So, that’s what we did!
Our #solidarity challenge aimed to help spread positivity and love among the Goodwall community by showing that we’re all in this together. From everywhere around the world, we asked members to post how they’re helping others during the crisis, and THE HUS.institute wanted to help support that impact by giving out a cash prize.
Here’s our original #solidarity challenge proposal:
More than ever before, we need each other. To build solidarity and bring optimism during COVID-19, we’ve teamed up with THE HUS.institute to launch our biggest challenge yet: #solidarity
As a bonus, THE HUS.institute will be giving out a $500 award #HUSawards 💸
Step 1: What are you doing to help your friends, your family, your neighbors, your community, and the world during this challenging time?
Are you staying at home to flatten the curve and slow the spread? 🏡Are you making masks at home for health workers? ⛑Are you singing with your neighbours from the balcony to applaud health workers? 👏Are you taking care of the elderly in your family? 👵🏻 Are you cooking or baking bread?🥖 Did you join a COVID-19 hackathon or build a local tracker for the virus?
Step 2: Let us know! Post a creative video or photo of what you’re doing. Tag it with the keyword #Solidarity and #HUSawards in your post and we’ll feature it. Share something every day to inspire the community. Big or small. Every action counts.
Step 3: THE HUS.institute will select one participant and give a $500 award to contribute to their initiative and project!
The Goodwall community really came through, and we received tons of heartwarming responses.
However, Derrick’s dedication to helping the kids from his former slum in Kampala, Uganda was our winner of the #Solidarity challenge and awarded the $500 prize from THE HUS.institute.
Mukisa Derrick & His Winning Goodwall Posts
While we received many entries, Derrick posted on a regular basis, each time spreading love and joy throughout the Goodwall community.
He organized a meal for 143 orphan kids from the Kisenyi slum in the center of Kampala. He sacrificed his own safety during the pandemic to provide care to sick homeless children. And, he fundraised to help provide Ramadan meals (the evening breaking of the fast) for Muslim kids, even though the majority of the homeless children in the slum are Christian.
Derrick explained to me why he enjoys helping the homeless children in the Kisyeni slums: “Basically, seeing the transformation fills my heart with joy, especially the love I get from the community of Kisenyi slum. And it’s also so rewarding for me to be able to stay in the place where I belong, both Africa and Uganda. The positivity of the kids also brings me joy. So basically, my reward is the joy and happiness I get from being around my family.”
When I called Derrick to congratulate him on his win, he became quite emotional and was very grateful. I asked him what he might do with the money, and he already had a plan, developed sometime between my phone call and Omar’s phone call to tell him he had won, which was only about an hour before mine.
And, where will the $500 go?
Derrick found a large space he could rent near the Kisenyi slum for just under $200 per month. While it wasn’t anything fancy, renting this space would get the kids out of the open cold and rain and make their lives just a little bit easier. And, it could keep some of the more vulnerable kids from getting sick, or sicker. While this money will only last a few months, Derrick is already looking for ways to extend their stay longer.
“I thought it would be better to find a good house out of the slum. I will try to find beds and have them in, hopefully in the middle of the coming week. We will try to find furniture and proper bedding. I’m looking into making it a proper home. I thought having a few kids (6) permanently off the streets could be more effective in the long run.”
On behalf of Goodwall, I would like to thank THE HUS.institute for making this award possible. Not only did their award make for a fun challenge to allow thousands of members to stave off cabin fever and remind them that we’re all in this together as we get through the coronavirus crisis, but it also directly supported dozens of the most disadvantaged among us.
On top of the prize money, we hope to continue to help Derrick get the visibility and support he needs through the Goodwall community.
Congratulations, Derrick!
To read our full interview with Mukisa Derrick, from his life growing up homeless to his transformation into a hero to the orphans in Kampala’s Kisenyi slums, check out this post.
About THE HUS.institute
THE HUS.institute is a Liechtenstein-based, action-focused think tank whose mission is to explore the transformation of the old economy into the digital modern era. By providing a platform to industry experts, business leaders, and decision makers, THE HUS.institute aims to provide a more ecologically and economically sustainable present and future.
“At THE HUS.institute, we believe in humanity, open minds, and courage.”
Through creativity, open minds, diversity, inclusion, and out-of-the-box thinking, THE HUS.institute believes change can come if they set their sights on specific focus areas.