Musana Origin Story

Musana’s mantra over the years has become okusoma tekukoma, meaning “learning never ends” in Luganda, Uganda’s national language. The road that has led to where Musana is today has been full of challenges and learning curves. Our progress in so many ways has come from trial and error, fearless of making changes when we have made mistakes. As a result, we have continuously learned the greatest needs of the community and how to work with the people to combat the barriers standing in the way of effective development. One of our first and greatest lessons was that the community did not need another orphanage or children’s home, that would become a “drop-off” spot for parents and guardians who believed their children were better off in the hands of institutions linked to foreign aid.

In 2010, recognizing our impeding action in creating Musana Children’s Home, we changed our name to Musana Community Development Organization (MCDO), a national NGO in Uganda and a 501(c)3 in the United States. The name change was aligned with our evolving mission and vision to tackle one of Uganda’s greatest challenges, the dependency mentality.