Leadership Beyond the Classroom: The Fellowship Was Over, but Vidah Wasn’t Done
When more than 800 books arrived at Kagadi Model Primary School, they carried more than stories. They were proof that Nanfuka Vidah’s commitment to her learners had continued long after her Teach For Uganda Fellowship ended.
During her placement at the school, Vidah met children who were eager to read and learn, but had too few books to nurture that curiosity. The school’s limited collection made it an uphill task to build a strong reading culture.
“I saw learners who were eager to read, but they had very few materials. I knew I could not simply walk away from that challenge. If there was a way to help, I had to try,” Vidah recalls.
During the final months of her Fellowship at the school, she learned about a book donation program run by Enjuba Foundation. She applied on the school’s behalf, making a strong case for the learners and the urgent need for more books.
Her application was successful.
Kagadi Model Primary School received more than 800 books. For the headteacher, Mr Abigaba Emmanuel, the donation was not simply about filling shelves. It brought the school closer to building the reading culture it had long hoped to create.
“We have tried to build a reading culture among our learners for years, but without enough materials, it has always been difficult,” he says. “Vidah did not have to do this. Her placement had ended, but she cared enough to return and continue supporting us.”
Teach For Uganda alumnus Solomon Kamukama, who previously served in the same region, witnessed the handover.
“I know what it means for learners to want to read but lack the necessary resources,” he says. “Seeing Vidah continue serving after her Fellowship reminded me that this work is bigger than a placement.”
By the time the books reached the school, Vidah had no target left to meet, evaluation to complete or requirement to fulfil. She followed through because the learners and the challenge she had witnessed still mattered.
“My Fellowship may have ended, but my responsibility to these learners did not,” Vidah says. “I wanted them to know that someone believed they deserved more, because they do.”
Today, more than 800 books await young readers at Kagadi Model Primary School. Each one offers an opportunity to practice a new word, encounter a new idea and imagine a wider world.
Vidah’s story is a reminder that leadership does not clock out when an assignment ends. It notices what is missing, takes responsibility and returns with something that can open doors.
Could you lead beyond the classroom like Vidah?
Applications for the Teach For Uganda STEM Fellowship are open to women with STEM backgrounds who are ready to grow as leaders and create lasting change in communities across Uganda.
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