Every once in a while, I get to experience a day that reminds me why I chose to become a teacher – or why teaching chose me. Tuesday, 9th June 2026, Heroes’ day in Uganda was one of those days.
While most Ugandans were observing Heroes’ Day, I was busy at the historic hill of Busoga College Mwiri alongside Rogers Mukalele, Kenneth Kipyeko and Noeline Nandago making sure everything went on well as dozens of young people proudly presented the websites they had built to solve real problems in their communities. Months of planning had finally come to life as the third edition of the Uganda Website Projects Competition found a new host in eastern Uganda, for the very first time. It was exhausting, exciting, emotional and deeply rewarding all at once.
As a teacher of ICT, I have attended and even organised many education and tech related events over the years. But this one felt different.
Perhaps it was the setting. Busoga College Mwiri is a school with a rich history of producing some of Uganda’s finest leaders. Hosting an event centred around digital innovation within such an iconic institution felt symbolic. It was as though the school’s long tradition of academic excellence was meeting the future of education.
Students travelled from different corners of Uganda carrying laptops, ideas, prototypes and dreams. Some were nervous. Others were overflowing with confidence. But what united them all was the belief that technology could become a tool for solving everyday problems rather than merely consuming entertainment. That, to me, is exactly what education should achieve.
It Takes a Community to Make a Dream Possible
Although four of us carried the responsibility of organising the competition, it quickly became evident, as always, that no meaningful event is ever organised by only four people. It takes a community. I remain deeply grateful to the volunteer team from the WordPress Community for their tireless efforts in seeing this through from inception to conclusion. On top of availing their facilities for the event, the administration, staff and students of Busoga College Mwiri will also always be remembered for the hospitality extended towards us.
To every participating school, teacher and mentor, thank you for believing in your students enough to invest your time, resources and trust in this competition. Behind every student presentation stood educators who quietly encouraged, corrected and inspired.
To the judges, volunteers, speakers, photographers, technical team and every individual who gave their time so generously, you became the invisible engine that kept everything moving.
I am equally thankful to our sponsors and the global WordPress community for believing that young Ugandans deserve opportunities to learn, innovate and compete on a national stage. Your support continues to demonstrate that open-source communities can create lasting impact far beyond writing code.
Among all the moments that touched me, one stands out quietly. Thanks to Christian and Birgit Pauli-Haack, every participating student left with a gift. To many people, they may have seemed like simple items. This act added the much desired icing to the cake. And as I watched student teams receive them, I saw something far more meaningful. I saw young people feeling recognised, valued and celebrated for the effort they had invested over many months. Those gifts carried a message: your work matters, your ideas matter, and people you may never have met believe in your future. It reminded me that sometimes, a simple act of kindness is enough to tell them that they are seen.
The Lessons I Came Home With
As we walked away from Mwiri, I realised I had learnt just as much as the students had. The first lesson is that talent exists everywhere in Uganda. Whether a student comes from Kampala, Jinja, Kaliro or elsewhere, curiosity and creativity know no geographical boundaries. What many young people lack is not ability, it is opportunity.
The other lesson is that teachers remain the most important technology influencers in our schools. A single motivated ICT teacher can introduce hundreds of learners to web development, programming and digital problem-solving over the course of a career. Investing in teachers therefore multiplies opportunities for thousands of students.
Finally, I was reminded that technology education should never be about software alone. Empathy, too, is key. The best websites presented during the competition were not simply beautiful, they addressed real challenges affecting real people. They demonstrated that when students are encouraged to think critically about society, technology becomes a tool for service rather than self-promotion.
Why I Keep Saying Yes
People occasionally ask why I spend so much time attending or organising WordPress events, travelling across Uganda aned beyond, training and speaking to fellow teachers and students. The answer is simple. I have seen what happens when a young person discovers they can build something meaningful. Confidence grows, curiosity grows and communities benefit.
As a teacher, I have always believed that my classroom extends far beyond four walls. Sometimes it is a school computer lab. Sometimes it is a conference hall. Sometimes it is as simple as a meetup, sometimes a WordCamp or a Campus Connect and many times it is an entire school hosting hundreds of learners.
Every journey reminds me that Uganda’s digital future will not be built only by software engineers in large companies. It will also be built by teachers who inspire curiosity, schools willing to embrace innovation, volunteers who give freely and students courageous enough to believe their ideas matter. That is the future I want to continue investing in.
Looking Ahead
From the first edition in 2024 pioneered by Rogers Mukalele, the Uganda Website Projects Competition has become much more than an annual event. It represents a movement. A movement that encourages students to become creators rather than consumers of technology. A movement that equips teachers with practical digital skills. A movement that demonstrates how open-source technologies like WordPress can transform education and empower communities across Uganda.
As someone privileged to travel across the country, working with schools, educators and young innovators, I leave every event with renewed hope. Our responsibility is to keep creating platforms where that talent can flourish.
To everyone who was part of this year’s journey, thank you. You reminded me why I remain a restless teacher, always learning, always travelling, always building and always believing that education has the power to change lives, one student at a time.
A recap article of how the 2026 Uganda Website Projects Competiton went can be found here.
See you at WordCamp Masaka!